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Classroom Management Plan

Second Grade
Megan Werner
9/30/14

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for Course Requirement

ISM 380- Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers

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Philosophy of Classroom Management:
The ultimate goal of classroom management should not be on simple obedience, but on
having students behave appropriately because they know it is the right thing to do and because
they can understand how their actions affect other people, stated by Hardin. Good classroom
management includes many different aspects throughout a classroom and applies many theories
from theorists. My future classroom will include theories from theorists such as Skinner,
Kounin, Dreikurs, Canter, and Curwin and Mendler.
B.F. Skinners main idea is educators using positive and negative reinforcements and
punishments to change students behavior. An example of a positive reinforcement would be the
marble jar, which is where if a student(s) act appropriately those student(s) would put a marble in
the jar. Once the jar is filled up, they receive the reward given by the teacher. This positive
reinforcement should be able to be seen; therefore, students always visually see their goal. On
the other hand, a negative reinforcement would be if a student writes on their desk, have them
clean the desk. A teacher must make sure the consequences are logical, appropriate for the
behavior, and not interfering with their learning. If the other students see another student
cleaning their desk from writing on it, the other students minds will trigger saying do not write
on the desk. This is called the ripple effect, which is from Kounins theory. When correcting
misbehaviors immediately, other students will be influenced.
Kounins theory also includes the idea of withitness, being aware of the classroom, in the
room arrangement of a classroom. The students need to be able to see the teacher from all
around the classroom and the teacher can see them, so the teacher is aware of what is happening
in every part of the room. The classroom should be designed to reflect the teacher and the kids.
This aspect is important to make the students feel comfortable. Another important aspect would
be making the students feel independent by simply keeping materials readily available and easily
accessible. But keep in mind, the classroom needs to keep the high traffic areas free of
congestion; therefore, there are no distractions. Teachers must remember that environment is the
third teacher, which should create a comfortable and safe environment for learning.
Students building internal control will improve on students behaviors and their safety in
the classroom. Dreikurs theory states teachers should be modeling democratic behavior. This
modeling will install responsible behavior on the students and teacher. A teacher must also be
responsible with providing a hierarchical list of consequences to manage behavior, according to
Canter. For immediately fixing behavior, I need you to is the best way to instruct behavior
while providing a firm voice, eye contact, and nonverbal gestures along with the instruction.
The teacher must provide instruction based at the developmentally appropriate levels.
The students need to be able to comprehend and understand what is asked of them. In this case,
rules in the classroom need to make sense to students. Curwin and Mendler also state just to
relax and start fresh every day.
There are various theories to classroom management. Every teacher will believe in
different theories to create their classroom management plan. No ones beliefs are wrong, but if
a teacher does not use the plan effectively, what is the point in even creating a classroom
management in the first place?

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Engaging Instructional Strategies:
Bigelow states, The most engaging tool of all is an enthusiastic teacher who provides
high, clear expectations and connects with students on a personal level. Good teaching is good
teaching, even today. When students are engaged in the learning process, they are practicing
higher-levels of critical thinking skills with their attention and focus being increased. When
using these thinking skills, meaningful learning experiences are created for the students.
Meaningful learning experiences can be developed by the student themselves or their
peers. Therefore, simply dividing students into small groups or pairs for work, games, or
projects can help develop their learning process. Learning from peers may help students process
information to a higher level of thinking. Students instruct information in different ways than the
teacher, which helps the students understand the same content in various ways. Students who
explain the material to another peer is better understanding the material also. Students learn
from each other just as much as they learn from the teacher. Peer interaction is important in
classroom management because it helps the classroom be a student centered classroom. Leonard
Roy Frank once said, Wise teachers create an environment that encourages students to teach
themselves.
A student centered classroom may also be developed by creating a lively classroom.
According to Piagets theory, Experiences generate knowledge and meaning. The classroom
will contain various hands on activities. Hands-on activities will allow students to learn through
multiple senses. For students who are tactile or kinesthetic learners, hands-on work is the best
because of the movement. Hands-on activities also allow auditory learners to learn through
hearing the lesson while visual learners can learn by seeing what peers are creating. Hands-on
activities will also allow for group or pair work, therefore, peer interaction takes place. The
students are using higher levels of critical thinking skills when completing this engaging
instruction.
When students ask and answer questions, students are using higher levels of critical
thinking skills. When I ask the students questions, I will ask questions that do not have a wrong
answer and can be answered in various ways. When responding to the students answers,
encourage the participation with positive and specific feedback. Using positive feedback will
motivate students to participate in classroom discussions. When students ask me questions, I
will refer back to comments from previous discussions, in order to develop those higher level
thinking skills.
As teachers, we must remember that the average length of attention span is only 15-20
minutes and it is even lower the younger the students are. Therefore, taking breaks may be
necessary, especially when youre losing students attention. When this starts to happen, I will
sometimes stop the students for two minutes for a classroom yoga session. Students will stand
up and spread out. On the teachers call, students will copy the motion of the teacher. Some
examples may be touching your toes, doing hip circles, and stretching of the arms for fifteen
seconds for each exercise. After the two minutes is over, the students will already have their
attention on me and we may return back to where we left off.
There are various kinds of engaging instructional strategies for classrooms. As a teacher,
one must figure out which ones work best for the students. In my future classroom, students will

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be the center and I will help cater to what works best for them but also to what I feel comfortable
with.

Classroom Expectations:
In our classroom, the main expectation will be respecting others, property, and yourself.
Respect includes using appropriate language, treating others how you want to be treated, and
abiding by the classroom rules. The classroom expectations will provide guidance for the
children to become better students and people. Students are expected to be honest, responsible,
and productive, which go along with our ABC expectations. The three main (ABC) expectations
for the classroom are always do your best, be safe, and care for others. The ABC expectations
apply to anywhere around the school and provide examples of what is expected of the student at
certain places of the school. The students will be taught these expectations at the beginning of
year. Throughout the year, the poster of ABC expectations will be visually provided in the room
so students always have access and a reminder of the expectations.

Cougars Know Their A B Cs

Classroom Cafeteria
Follow
classroom
rules

Clean up
after
yourself

Playgroun
d
Use
equipment
properly

Be safe

Hands/feet
to yourself

Stay
seated

Hands to
yourself

Wash
hands

Care

Use kind
words and
actions

Use an
inside
voice

Follow the
game rules

Respect
others
privacy

Always
do your
best

for
others

Bathrooms

Hallways

Keep it
clean

Stay in
line

Arriving/Leavin
g School
Arrive on time

Keep
Use sidewalks and
hands/feet
crosswalks
at side
Walk
Obey yard duty
quietly
and teachers

Procedures and Routines:

Harry Wong stated, The number one problem in the classrooms is not discipline; it is
lack of authentic learning tasks, procedures, and routines. The classroom will be filled with
procedures and routines to help create smoother transitions, which will minimize wasted time
and confusion and reduce disruptions. The students will have numerous procedures and routines
a day.
For the beginning of the day routine, students will enter the classroom, empty their
backpacks, hang up their coats and backpacks in their designated lockers, and return to their
seats. The students will turn in their homework assignments in the turn in tray and notes in the

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notes tray, which are both located on the corner of the teachers desk. While students are
towards the teachers desk, the students will put a check mark by their name on the attendance
chart that will be hung up on the wall right next to the teachers desk. Students will head back to
their desk and get out their morning notebooks. There will be a topic written on the board for the
journal entry. When the Pledge of Allegiance on the announcements comes on, students will stop
writing and stand up quietly. After the announcements, the students will be given five more
minutes to finish their journal entry and put their morning notebooks back into their desks. If
students are done early, they may read a book or sit quietly and wait until time is up. Then, the
teaching will begin the day.
When a teacher must get attention or signaling for quiet during the day, it may be difficult
at times, especially when students are working in pairs or groups. If it is possible, I will play soft
music when they are working in pairs or groups. They will be taught that once the music stops,
they will all quietly stop and look at me. The other way I will gain attention is when the teacher
says, If you can hear me, clap one time. If not all the students clapped and were quiet, the
teacher will say If you can hear me, clap two times. This signal provides a visual and a noise
for students to know when they need to be quiet. If the students all clap and are quiet on the first
try, they will receive a marble in their classroom jar.
Transitioning to walk in the hallway can become noisy. To avoid this, the teacher will
call on the group of desks that are quiet and showing they are ready to line up. The students will
be told to put their imaginary bubbles in their mouths and remind them they cannot escape in the
hallways. The students will have their eyes forward so they are following the person behind
them creating a straight line. All these procedures and routines will make sure the students are
not disruptive to other classrooms.
At the end of the day, it is important that there is a routine so the time runs smoothly.
When the teacher decides it is time, the students will gather what they need to take home and
take out their behavior chart. They will record their daily behavior and then put it with their
other folders to take home so their parents can see the daily behavior. The students will wait in
their seats quietly. The group of desks that are following directions will be told to get their mail
from the mailboxes to put it in their folders. Then, the same group will get their book bags and
coats to take back to their desk. Another group will go to the mailboxes while the first group is
getting their book bags. This way packing up does not take longer than it needs to take. The
students will put their mail into the take home folder. Students will pack all their belongings into
their book bags, put on their coat, and sit until their bus number is called on the announcements.
Once their bus number is called, students will stack their chair onto their desk and walk out of
the classroom to the bus.
If a student is absent, the student will be responsible for their make-up work. There will
be a bin filled with filing folders that are sorted by date. The absence bin will be sitting out by
the attendance chart. The student will have to look for the date of the absence and pull out any
handouts or homework papers. The students will return to their desks, place the papers in their
homework folder, and write the reminder in their assignment book. The students will have two
extra days to work on the papers that need to be done. Once the papers are brought in and
complete, the students will put them in the absent work tray which will be placed next to the
bin. The absence bin will provide organization for the students and teacher. Also, if for some

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reason a student ever needed an extra paper, they can use the bin to receive another copy of the
handouts or homework papers.
The classroom will be organized; therefore, the students can practice procedures and
routines without any problem. When the classroom provides concrete procedures and routines,
bad behavior problems should minimize. Harry Wong stated, In an effective classroom,
students should not only know what they are doing, they should also know why and how. This
is how I plan on having my classroom be in the future.

System of Reinforcement:
B. F. Skinner said, The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than
the amount. The students will realize this quote while having their daily behavior stop light on
their desk. The stop lights will contain blue, which means excellent day; green, which means
good day; yellow, which means a warning to think about your choices; orange, which means note
or call home and a red is an office referral. Every morning, all students will start with their paper
clips on green. Students will have to earn the blue spot. The teacher is the only one allowed to
tell the student to move their paper clip depending on the students behavior. At the end of the
day, the students will color the stoplight in their daily behavior chart which ever color they had
(blue, green, yellow, orange or red). This daily behavior chart will be taken home every night to
show parents and returned the next day. This would be considered a reinforcement that is
tangible.
For an individual positive reinforcement, the students will receive beads to add to their
necklace. Once the end of the month comes up, the necklace will go into effect. If the students
necklace is filled, the students will receive various awards depending on the month. This
contingent positive interaction will occur depending on the childs behavior. This positive
reinforcement will provide a tangible experience of the beads for the students to look forward to
trying to earn another bead. In second grade, the students will be excited to receive beads and
gather more. Some noncontingent positive interactions that the teacher will provide are smiles,
thumbs up, etc. to help build a positive culture or relationships for a student and the entire
classroom full of students.
The whole classroom positive reinforcement will deal with the classroom marble jar,
which will be placed next to the teachers desk. If the students are well behaved and following
directions, on the teachers call, a student will be called up to take a marble from the box and set
it into the jar. Once the jar is filled, the students will receive a surprise reward. When starting
off the beginning of the year, the jar would be a smaller one. As the weeks go on, the jars will
slowly become larger for a more difficult challenge. The marble jar idea is developmentally
appropriate for second graders because they understand the concept, visually can see it, and
would be reinforced to be well behaved. Students will be encouraged by the teacher because the
teacher will give five positive reinforcements for one negative reinforcement.
On the other hand, negative reinforcements are when the teacher takes away from the
student. Therefore, the individual beads can be turned into a negative by taking away their beads
if their behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable. The marble jar can also be considered as a

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positive and negative reinforcement because the teacher may take away marbles from the jar
depending if the students behavior is poor as a whole. If poor behavior takes place, a few
contingent reinforcements can be the look, nodding of the finger, etc. depending on what is
appropriate of the childs behavior.

Hierarchy of Consequences:
The hierarchy of consequences is a system of logical consequences that are used to
address unproductive behaviors. The students will understand this plan because they will be
taught these consequences and asked to recite them back to the teacher. The hierarchy will also
be displayed; therefore, students can visually see the consequences. Students will know if they
violate the classroom rules, what the consequences will be. If the misbehavior is minor, the
students will be prepared for a consequence from the tier one section. If the misbehavior is more
serious, the student may be dealing with consequences from tier three section. As teachers, we
must remember what Hardin said, Inappropriate behavior (is) a problem to be solved together in
a supportive classroom community

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-Meeting with
principal
-Principal called to
discuss behavior
-Removed from fun
activities/fieldtrips
-Parents called and
meeting held
-Automatically 2 beads
-Private meeting between student and teacher
-Remove an individual privilege
-Change seat temporarily
-Take a time out

-Retry the behavior

--Privately ask students to change behavior
-Change place on the behavior chart/Take away beads
-Nonverbal strategies (the look, pointing, etc.)

Method of Record Keeping:

For my teacher record keeping of the class behavior, I will be checking the daily behavior
chart when students are coloring in the correct color. I will take quick notes of where each
student is on the stoplight behavior chart. That evening, the students will show parents/guardians
how their behavior was in school that day while the teacher adds all the stoplight behavior from
each child into her notebook of class behavior.
Another aspect of classroom management that I want to do record keeping is how many
times I communicate with the parents. This will be a simple notebook where the teacher can
easily summarize and insert the conversation. There will be four columns labeled with the words

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date, name, child, and reason for the teacher to completely fill out to keep for record keeping.
This will provide guidance and organization on teacher to parent/guardians communication.

Communicating Expectations:
Communication between students, parents, and teachers is a major role in being a
successful teacher. Therefore, the first day of classes, the students will receive a packet that
provides the expectations, hierarchy of consequences, system of reinforcements, and daily
routines/procedures. As a class, the teacher will teach all of these aspects of classroom
management. As a reminder for throughout the school year, these aspects will be in posters
around the classroom so students can refer to them if they need to.
Then, students must take the packet home and teach their parents the rules. The students
will be asked to write their name and have their parent/guardians signature on the last page of
the packet also. The signatures will show me that the students completed the assignment and that
students and parents/guardians understand the aspects of the classroom management for the
upcoming school year.
Every Friday, students will receive a classroom newsletter to take home for both the
students and the parents/guardians to know what is coming up for the next week. The classroom
newsletter will always contain the teachers email address and phone number for any questions
the parents/guardians may have. The newsletter will contain the main ideas for what we will be
doing the next week. There will be a section called Superstar of the Week. The students will
understand that they may deserve this award for doing something extraordinary. This will
provide a positive reinforcement for the students to strive for.
Rollo May said, Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy
and mutual valuing. This is why communicating between students, teachers, and
parent/guardians are important. It will help build that safe, comfortable learning environment for
the students.

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Dear Parent/Guardians,
Hello! My name is Miss. Megan Werner and I am very excited to start the upcoming year
with your child in my classroom! This is going to be a great year for your child and the class.
To help make this year start off great, I would like you to know how much I value parent-teacher
relationships. I am always available for you to contact with comments and concerns. Please do
not hesitate to contact me whenever needed. We will work together to make your child have the
best year!
In order to create a safe, comfortable learning environment, I will teach your students the
expectations and rules of the classroom on the first day of school. They will be asked to go
home and teach the expectations and rules to you. Then, you and your child must sign on the last
page of the packet showing that you and your child understand what has been taught.
Students are provided with positive and negative reinforcements. The individual
reinforcements will be the beads to make a necklace. If the students necklaces are full by the
end of the month, the students will receive a surprise. The beads can be given or taken
depending on their behavior. Another individual negative reinforcement will be changing their
placement on their individual behavior chart, which they will copy in their daily behavior in their
notebooks to bring home to show you every night. The entire classroom positive and negative
reinforcements deal with the marble jar. Every time the students behave well and follow
directions, I may allow them to put a marble into the jar. Once the jar fills up, they receive a
reward as a class. These reinforcements allow for a student to see, evaluate, and change their
behavior if needed. I will be in contact with you for both positive and negative behavior. Just
like any teacher, I hope that I will be making more phone calls for good behavior rather than bad
behavior.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me by email or calling the
school. I am happy to assist you and your child in any way that I can. I am very excited to get to
know all of you and your child throughout the year! I know this is going to be a wonderful
experience for all of us!

Sincerely,
Miss Megan Werner
Megan Werner

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Conclusion:
A Japanese Proverb states, Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with
a great teacher. This quote so much belief that an effective, engaging instructional teacher with
a good management plan can provide much instruction and learning in one day. I agree that
classroom management deals with every aspect of the instruction and learning going on in the
classroom.
When creating a classroom management plan, I gained a better understanding for
theorists and their theories. I realized how to apply those theories in my instruction or classroom
management for my classroom in the future. When doing research on the theories, I realized
which ones would be more important for my future classroom and which ones I could just
disregard. Piaget, Bloom, Skinner, Kounin, Dreikurs, Canter, Curwin and Mendler are the main
theorists that I will apply their theories to my classroom. I am glad I understand more about
these theories than I did before.
This classroom management plan stretched me to my limit. This is one of the most
projects that I tried to think out of the box for but imagine how I would want my future
classroom. I thought multiple times about how I need to make this classroom management plan
perfect but then I found this quote. Rashid Al Maktoum said, In the race of excellence there is
no finish line. In my eyes, I realize I have time to change my mind about this classroom
management plan if I want. But it was great experience and will make me start thinking about
what I want to do with my future classroom.

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References
Gregory, C. (2013, January 28). Love the One You're With: Creating a Classroom Community.
Retrieved September 30, 2014.
McLeod, S. (2007, January 1). Skinner - Operant Conditioning. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
Pressman, B. (2011, October 14). Withitness in the Classroom. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
Schultz, L. (n.d.). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved September 30, 2014.