NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

TED 626

Classroom
Management
Notebook

TED 626 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Classroom Management Notebook

Dario Workman

Table of Contents
Philosophy of Discipline and Management ................................ 1
Preventative Measures .............................................................. 5
Supportive and Corrective Measures ........................................ 9
Working Effectively with Diverse Students and Families ......... 12
Strategies for Dealing with Challenging Students.................... 15
Utilizing the Support of Other Educators and Caregivers ........ 19
Legal Issues Regarding Discipline ........................................... 21
Professional Dispositions and Growth Plan ............................. 24

SECTION

Philosophy of Discipline
and Management
I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the
classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood
that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a
child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of
inspiration. I can humiliate or honor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my
response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child
humanized or de-humanized - Haim Ginott

Beliefs About Classroom Discipline and Management

Classroom management is one of the most important components of a

successful classroom. According to our text, Classroom Management that
Works, Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed
classroom(when) students are disorderly and disrespectful, and no apparent
rules and procedures guide behavior, chaos becomes the norm (Marzano,
2003, pg. 1). I have always believed it is difficult for students to learn in the
midst of chaos. I understand, however, that there are some students who can
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operate in such conditions. Yet, for the vast majority, it is most important that
the classroom be (1) safe from physical and emotional abuse, (2) free from
disruption and (3) structured. Failure to create this type of environment in the
classroom only serves to dramatically hinder any learning that might take place.
In fact, our textbook states, only about half of all classroom time is used for
instruction, and disciplinary problems occupy most of the other half (Marzano,
2003, pg. 27). It is very important to purposefully use every minute available
for effective instructional time. Students need this time to learn complicated
material that may not be available anywhere else. Furthermore, there are many
students who do not have a quiet place to concentrate other than the classroom.
Many students return home from school to a place where there is no structure.
It is very important that the classroom be a kind of intellectual haven where
every student has the right to learn and feel safe.

Goals of Discipline and Management System

In order to ensure that the classroom is a place for students to feel safe,
it must for the most part, be safe. In other words, there needs to be a clear
expectation that no student may infringe upon the rights of another student.
This is primarily reinforced at the beginning of the school year by having
students examine the classroom rules and procedures. However, it is important
to foster a sense of community in the classroom. Completing group activities
that help students become familiar with one another and create relationships is
important to building a positive community mindset. By starting off the year

this way, students will understand the climate of the classroom. In addition, by
periodically reviewing classroom expectations and reinforcing the expectation
for community, students will quickly become aware of the classroom culture.

Approach to Discipline
Students need to be taught classroom rules and procedures. So, too,
students need to be taught how to follow them. By establishing a clear, firm,
and consistent behavior intervention plan, students will observe what happens
when rules are not followed. It is imperative that this rules and behavior
intervention plans be consistently carried out. The moment the teacher makes a
singular exception to any rule is the moment that students lose the sense that
the rules matter. In other words, consistency is key to effective classroom
management. As an educator, it is my goal to remain consistent with any plan
that I create for the classroom. Additionally, in order for students to feel safe in
my classroom, behavior needs to be monitored and consistently redirected.
Failure to do so would have serious consequences toward the overall classroom
environment.

Compare and Contrast Chart

Discipline

Overall Goal or

Beliefs about

Teachers Role

Model

Purpose

Behavior

in the Classroom

To get students to
choose to conduct
themselves properly.

Teachers have a right

to teach and students
have a right to learn
without
being

To take charge and be

assertive
(not
aggressive, hostile or
permissive);
clearly

Example:
Canter and Canters

Assertive Discipline

by

confidently
and
consistently
express
and
model
class
expectations.

To avoid confusing
students
with
ineffective
visual
aides.

Students will be much

more engaged in the
lesson if they are able
to understand the
examples on the board.

Chunk each step of a

concept, problem or
procedure in a way that
students can easily
follow along.

with

To model appropriate
behavior through five
key
positive
prevention factors that
counters aggression,
hostility and violence.

Students respond better

when
teachers
approach
negative
behavior in a respectful
and
professional
manner.

The teacher should

treat students with
dignity
and
model/teach expected
behavior.

Chelsom

To encourage students
to
behave
for
themselves and selfdiscipline, rather than
to avoid punishment or
obtain rewards.

All
behavior
purposeful.

is

Approach all behavior

in a position that seeks
to build rather than
punish; Ask students
Could you have done
worse?

Teaching children the

skills, attitudes and
values of behaving in a
respectful, responsible
manner in order to be
successful in a social
environment.

Consequences
only
work
on
certain
students;
teaching
expectations for proper
behavior
is
more
productive
than
punishing
negative
behavior.

Approach discipline in
a positive, productive
manner that seeks to
teach positive behavior
rather that reactively
punish
negative
behavior.

Fred Jones
Tools for Teaching:
Visual
Plan

interrupted
misbehavior.

Instructional

Discipline
Dignity
Positive Framing

Diane
Gossen
Restitution

Ronald Morrishs
Real Discipline

SECTION

Preventative Measures
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. - Benjamin

Franklin

Structuring the Classroom Space

The day-to-day activities that take place in the classroom are dramatically
affected by the arrangement of the classroom. On the first day of class, students
need to observe structure rather than chaos. If the room is a mess, students will
quickly get the impression that everything that they do will not be held to a high
standard.

Additionally, things like proximity to distracting materials (posters,

computers, supplies, etc.), issues with traffic flow, or even things like clutter can
affect how students learn and behave in the classroom. Here is an example of how I
plan to organize my classroom:

In this arrangement, students are separated into pairs making it more difficult for them
to engage in distracting side conversations while at the same time having the
opportunity to engage in collaborative work with a partner. In addition, each section is
surrounded by a walkway that I can easily pass through in order to monitor student
work and address behavior issues. A big part of behavior management is being able to

immediately address the undesirable activity quickly and quietly. If I have to yell across
the room because I could not quickly walk to the offending student, then I would be
unprofessional and risk the student becoming resentful, or be unable to stop the
behavior altogether.
Daily Schedule, Routines, and Procedures
Everyday students will be greeted at the door of the classroom. I believe that
this will help students know that I care about them and that I am ready for them. If
students feel that I am unprepared or that I am unconcerned, they will quickly fall into
behavior trouble. Students will place homework (if any) in a basket located by the door
and then go directly to their assigned seat. Once seated, students will immediately take
out whatever materials are required and place all other materials on the floor or in their
bags. Students will then begin working on a warm up activity that will be displayed on
the board. At no time should students be talking or making any disruptive noises. If
students need anything, they will use signals that will have been taught to them at the
beginning of the year. These signals are:
1 finger I need a pencil/paper
2 fingers- I need a tissue
3 fingers- I need to use the restroom/I need water (students can lose this
privilege if they are irresponsible or show behavior issues)
5 fingers/hand I need help/I dont understand

Students will work until approximately two minutes before the bell at which time I will
instruct them to place everything away. Students must be in their seats and their work
areas must be organized before I will dismiss the class.
Rules or Norms of Behavior
I have created a list of five rules that I believe are important for creating an
effective learning environment. These rules are:
1. Start class prepared and ready to work (pencil, paper, book and brain).
2. Talk when its your turn; Listen when it is not.
3. Always work hard and give your best effort.
4. Respect all classmates, teachers, and property.
5. Stay in your seat until you have permission to get up.

In order to help students remember the rules, I have worded them in a way that creates
the acronym stars.

SECTION

Supportive and Corrective

Measures
Correction does much, but encouragement does more.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

First Steps
Primarily, my intention is to get students to learn. If at any time a student, or
group of students become distracted, or distract others, I would seek to quietly, and
quickly, redirect the offenders.

Usually, just walking up to the student would

accomplish this goal. However, it is sometimes necessary to use verbal redirection. I

would approach the student and, quietly and out of earshot of the other students, give
the student a gentle, but stern reminder about classroom expectations. I would never
reprimand the student in the company of his peers as this could lead to greater conflict
due to the student wanting to save face in front of the class. If, at this point, the

student refused to follow directions, then I would have the student step out into the
hall or meet me after class.
Consequences
Here is the progressive discipline that I plan on using in my classroom:
Verbal Warning
Pupil Reflection Worksheet in Time Out Room (next door teacher)
Pupil Reflection Worksheet AND Parent/Guardian Contact
Pupil Reflection AND Parent/Guardian Contact AND Dean Referral
It should be noted that I allow students to have a fresh start every day. This means
that I will still give a verbal warning before the next progressive discipline consequence
every day. However, I will reserve the right to immediately send the student to the
dean for any serious or major incident. Regardless of what the student does, or doesnt
do, it is crucial that I interact with students calmly and professionally at all times. There
should never be any moment where I am raising my voice in anger, arguing with the
student or engaging in any kind of interaction that can be harmful for the student. I
am the adult and the students need to be cared for and admonished in a respectful and
detached manner.

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Incentives
I will attempt to foster student engagement by awarding participation
tickets. Every time a student engages in classwork, answers a question, gives a
thoughtful answer or treats another student respectfully, that student will be awarded a
raffle ticket that will be used for a weekly drawing. Every student who has a ticket in
the raffle will have a chance to win prizes. Additionally, if students are finished early
with work, then they would have the opportunity to earn preferred activity time.
Simply put, if students have no behavior incidents or missing work, they can play
certain educational computer games.
Student Accountability
In order to ensure student accountability, I will create a class point system in
which students can earn points for the class. If students are on task, follow rules or
engage in positive behaviors, points will be awarded. However, if students engage in
negative behaviors, such as talking, throwing things or not being respectful, the class
will lose points. While I have heard that taking points away can have a negative impact
on such systems, I believe that the peer pressure aspect of this method will have a
much greater impact.

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SECTION

Working Effectively with

Diverse Students and
Families
It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in
diversity there is beauty and there is strength. Maya
Angelou

Home-School Communication
One of the most important components of a successful behavior management
plan is having a direct line of communication with the family of my students. Having
the parents on my side is an extremely powerful motivator in order to get students on
board with the classroom expectations. Without parental involvement, my students
will not have much incentive to follow directions. Additionally, it would be almost
impossible to effectively discipline a student who can just shrug it off because there
are no consequences at home for failing to adhere to school rules. It is absolutely

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imperative that I establish communication with parents early in the year, as well as
maintain communication with parents throughout the year. Here is a list of things that
I plan to do in order to maintain communication with parents:

Send home letters that discuss behavior (good and bad)

Make weekly contacts to at least five parents every week

Mail flyers that discuss what students will be learning

Create Edmodo or Google Classroom account for both students and

parents to receive work and information.

Cultural Considerations
In Clark County, there is a significantly large population of language learners
currently enrolled in school. Furthermore, there is an even greater population of
second language families that have students enrolled in school.

Often, I have

encountered families who have difficulty understanding what I am communicating due

to a language barrier. In response to this, I do my best to send translated copies when
needed.
Exceptional Students
Just as with any student, the families of exceptional students require clear
communication regarding what takes place in the classroom. It is equally important

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that I understand what the specific learning needs are for each of my students. While
non-exceptional students can get by without parental communication, it is extremely
difficult to effectively meet the needs of a student with special needs without
communicating with the family.

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SECTION

Strategies for Dealing

with Challenging Students
When students perceive the classroom as a place where they are cared about and are
physically and psychologically safe, they are likely to be cooperative, pro-social, and
successful (Levin & Nolan, 2000, xiv).

Hierarchy of Interventions
There are lots of different ways to intervene when a student does not
initially respond to my directions. Generally, it is not a good idea to take the most
severe approach right away unless the situation warrants such a response (i.e., The
student is engaging in seriously dangerous behavior that poses a risk to themselves
or others and requires immediate attention). The following graph depicts the
hierarchy of interventions that I will use for students who choose not to follow
directions:
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As stated in an earlier section of this notebook, it is best to deal with misbehavior quickly and
quietly without making a scene in front of the class. The mildest intervention would simply be using
proximity with the student who is misbehaving. The next lowest level of intervention would be giving
the student a warning. In order to ensure that minimum intervention remains effective throughout the
year, it is extremely important that I establish clear expectations early on, particularly within the first few
weeks, if not days, of the school year. By setting a high level of expectation for behavior, students
should understand what is required and will be more likely to follow directions. However, some
students will be resistant to the classroom expectations and will have issues following directions. Ideally,
it is much better to establish an expectation of excellence early on in the year by creating and maintaining
positive relationships with the class rather then impose consequences for negative behavior.
Strategies for building relationships
Students may act out for a number of reasons. According to Rudolf Dreikurs, a renowned social
psychologist, there are four mistaken goals of misbehavior:

Attention Seeking

Power and Control

Revenge

Helplessness and/or Displaying Inadequacy

It is important to develop a sense of empathy and connection to the student (week four
lecture) so that we can observe similarities between the students and ourselves. This would
assist us with making positive connections with the student. Also, we should be careful not to
give negative non-verbal cues that might signal to the student that we are angry, upset or

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frustrated. The following is a four-step process that was provided by the Week Four Lecture
PowerPoint:
1. Ask yourself why and what purpose the behavior is serving
2. Develop a sense of empathy and connection to the student
3. Observe cues and behaviors regarding the personality of the student
4. Monitor your own interactions with the student

Breaking the Cycle of Discouragement

When students have needs that go unmet, they make choices and take actions in
an effort to fulfill those needs. Generally, the best way to break the cycle of
discouragement is to use management techniques to stop the inappropriate
behavior and, simultaneously engage in behaviors that will help meet the students
needs for feelings of significance, competence, power and virtue

Negative
Behavior

Unful=illed
Esteem Needs/
Low SuccessFailure Ratio

Negative
Teacher
Responses,
Punishments,
and
Consequences

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SECTION

Utilizing the Support

of Other Educators
and Caregivers

Identifying Needs
Sometimes students have needs that cannot be met solely by the teacher in the classroom. When
this is the case, I need to be ready to reach out to fellow teachers, counselors and/or on-site
professionals who can assist with student issues. The following is a list of individuals who can help with
issues pertaining to student behavior issues:

Counselors
Counselors are usually the first person that comes to mind when seeking other school
professionals to help with behavior issues. Generally, school counselors are there to assist students with

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academic issues such as credit guidance or class scheduling. However, counselors are also available to
help students with personal issues and, after the teacher of record, are the primary contact for parental
communication regarding student issues. Students are generally required to submit request forms to
speak with the counselor, but given their role as student helpers, many counselors may allow walk in
visits. I have occasionally sent students to sit in the counselors office as a form of think time.
Dean
The dean is usually the person in charge of the administration of behavior-related consequences.
For the most part, the deans office assists with students who are tardy, have dress-code related issues, or
are completing in-house detention/suspension. In my opinion, sending a student to the deans office is
usually the last line of defense in terms of addressing behavior issues.
Principal/Vice Principal
Usually, students are sent to the dean for most violations of school policy. However, for
particularly severe offenses, students may be asked to speak to the Principal or Vice-Principal. While
sending a student directly to the Principal may not usually be an option, having open communication
with administrators regarding student behavior issues can be beneficial.
School Psychologist
Just as with the counselors, students can be referred to the school psychologist for certain issues.
Additionally, when students are exhibiting abnormal behavior, or are experiencing certain traumatic
issues, the school psychologist usually is requested to intervene.
Buddy Teachers
Buddy Teachers are the teachers in your immediate area who agree to assist with students who
need think time, or a temporary removal from the classroom with a reflection activity. I have sent
many students to the buddy teacher, as well as have received many students in kind.

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SECTION

Legal Issues Regarding

Discipline

FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, is a law that was created in 1974 in
order to protect the privacy of student education records. Educators are entrusted with a surprisingly
vast amount of personal information and FERPA is designed to protect that information from being
released to the public. All educational institutions that receive federal funding must comply with
FERPA regulations.
Duty of Care
When students arrive at school, there is a legal obligation known as the duty of care which
requires adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably
harm others. When teachers allow behavior that results in bodily harm, the teacher had a legal obligation

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to ensure such behavior was not present beforehand. Therefore, since the teacher had the responsibility
to ensure safety for all students, and failed to uphold that responsibility by allowing behavior that
resulted in harm, the teacher may be guilty of negligence.
Compelling State Interest
Students do not give up their constitutional rights the moment they enter the classroom.
However, students must learn about how the exercise of rights cannot interfere with the rights of others.
In other words, free speech does not give a student the right to interrupt the lesson and take away
other students right to education. Because of this, the state has a compelling interest to limit the rights
of students during school. There are four legal arguments that have been used to protect the interest of
the state, which are:

Threat of Property Loss and/or Damage

Legitimate Educational Purpose

Health and Safety

Serious Disruption of the Educational Process

Rights
Basically, students have the right to learn, and teachers have the right to teach. Neither one should
infringe upon the rights of the other. However, there are certain guidelines that must be followed
within a school:

Dress Code (including hair, tattoos, etc.)- Schools have the right to
create provisions for basic dress that adhere to acceptable societal
standards.
Objectionable Materials/Prohibited Items- Students may not be in
possession of prohibited/objectionable materials, such as weapons, drugs,
paraphernalia, etc.

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Locker Searches- Students are allowed the limited right to use lockers,
but are given prior notice that there is no expectation of privacy and that
routine searches may be expected. However, there are limited protections
from search, in that; searches must be reasonable, justified or permitted by
the student.
Tardies/absences- Each school will have a fair, consistent and wellcommunicated tardy procedure.
Cell Phone Use- Each school will have a fair, consistent and well
communicated cellphone policy.
Hazing, Harassment, and/or Bullying Policies- Harassment of any
kind is unacceptable and will be dealt with immediately.
Cheating, Plagiarism and/or Forgery Policies- Cheating, plagiarism,
and/or forgery is unacceptable.

Failure to adhere to school wide policies will be grounds for progressive discipline up to and
including expulsion from school.

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SECTION

Professional Dispositions
and Growth Plan

In regard to my growth plan, coordinate with the site literacy strategist in

order to develop classroom management structures, I believe that I have
been doing nominally well. It should be noted that my school district is
currently on break. However, despite not fully being immersed in a classroom
setting, I have been studying classroom management techniques, as well as
observing online videos of teachers handling various behavior issues. This has
greatly assisted in my knowledge of such issues, but has yet to yield any
documentable change in my own teaching. I have also been compiling
strategies that I believe will assist with my classroom management style. Still,
until I am able to fully utilize such strategies in a classroom setting, such
strategies are only theoretical in nature.
As I consider the next few months, I am critically evaluating ways that I
can more fully develop my previously noted growth plan. I plan on continued

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weekly meetings with the strategist, as well as develop a more streamlined

method for documenting behavior issues. Furthermore, I have considered
using weekly student surveys that can assist with helping me measure
classroom attitude with regard to how students feel about the health of the
classroom culture. For the sake of this reflection, a healthy classroom
culture would be defined as a safe learning environment where students 1)
encourage each other, 2) believe that they are capable of doing well, and 3) are
free from any emotional, physical or social interference of academic study.
The students would use a sliding scale of 1 to 6 (1 being completely toxic; 6
being completely well). Assuming that the classroom is operating in an
effective and healthy manner, students should be predominately answering this
survey with 4s, 5s and 6s. If, on the other hand, the classroom culture were
not healthy, then the answers would be much lower. This goal is meaningful
to me as a teacher because I want my classroom to be a safe place where
students can feel relaxed and can learn. If they have to push through negative
classroom norms, disruption and unhealthy social interactions, then students
will be much less likely to actually learn anything.
In reference to classroom management, further developing my
dispositional strength of teamwork can only benefit the development of my
dispositional weakness of active reflection. When students are more actively
participating in teamwork activities, as well as contributing to the overall
classroom culture, students will then have a much easier time participating in
active reflection activities. If students are not exhibiting teamwork (i.e. not

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following rules, being rude to one another), then the classroom environment
will not be conducive for productive learning. This would result in a dramatic
depreciation of active student reflection, and in turn reduce the level of
positive social interaction among the class.
Lastly, I believe that reaching out to the families of my students, as well as
establishing communication with the families regarding classroom
expectations can greatly increase the likelihood of reaching my dispositional
goals. Having support from parents can have great effectiveness when
attempting to achieve student cooperation.

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