Cokie Gaich

ED327
Classroom Management Plan

Introduction

The sciences are important in everyone’s education because they help

explain the world around us. We begin to understand the impact of what we
observe in our environment, others, and ourselves. Why is the sky blue? Why
does a rabbit eat grass? Why does my ice cream melt? These are all questions
we’ve had as children and they begin to get answered in the science class.
Science guides our natural curiosity. It allows us to explore our ideas and
questions through experiments and hypotheticals, while encouraging problem
solving and critical thinking. Chemistry specifically discusses the interactions and
relationships between objects and ideas that we can’t see with the naked eye. It
ties together previous knowledge not only from past science classes, but also
from other subjects. Learning ways to communicate and collaborate with each
other is critical to respectful science discussion. This skill is extremely important
since many people have different ideas and beliefs throughout the world, and
even in our own community. Reflection is also a vital skill that is taught,
especially when ending experiments or writing lab reports. As scientists, we must
think about where errors in our thinking or experiments may have occurred. We
create new suggestions on ways to improve past methods and procedures to
improve results.

While science can get messy and sometimes chaotic, like professional
scientists there is always a need for structure to guide the learning and
exploration. Good classroom management focuses on the needs of adolescent
learners. It is important to understand that middle school can be very challenging
for many of the students apart from the academics requirements. These
adolescents are experimenting with their own identity and have needs that will
aid and support their learning. I believe that I must respect these needs and do
my best to meet them in class and in all interactions with our students. While
some developmental needs can be difficult to meet every lesson; many of theses
needs can be included by adopting student-focused instruction rather than simply
lecturing. I believe that student-focused instruction will meet students’ academic
needs as unique learners and support their developmental needs.

Instructional and Assessment Strategies

Effective instructional and assessment strategies help to create a learning

environment that easily promotes management goals. Keeping students engaged
in their learning requires more than an entertaining lesson. Students want to
know why the content is important and relevant to their lives. These lessons also
have to grab their attention and interest to help guide their learning without the
need for lectures. When students are motivated through their own means, and
not by trying to please others, what they can accomplish and achieve on their
own is more successful and rewarding. Different forms of assessment aid this
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motivation by giving students a chance to show their understanding, skills, and

knowledge through more than a written test.
We know that every student has a unique learning style, culture, and
circumstances that have brought them to where they are now. Knowing these
details about students helps to create lessons that build off their previous
knowledge while making small adjustments that support their learning style
guiding them to academic success. Allowing for class or small group discussions
lets students share their thoughts and supports their social needs as adolescent
learners in a productive and safe environment. Through these discussions
students are given a chance to share their knowledge that they’ve gain from their
culture or previous environments. This sharing allows students to gain a new
perspective on the topic. It can open up the floor to a respectful conversation to
better understand the reasoning behind a statement. However, not all students
feel comfortable sharing out loud. While we want to push the comfort zones it is
important to note that lack of participation in large discussions could mean they
have a different learning style and may thrive in a different type of activity. I
believe that knowing this lets us as educators build lessons that challenge
students in a safe environment, engages them in the content, and gives ample
chances to show their understanding through a variety of ways.
Assessment is an important part of truly understanding the knowledge and
skills they have gained and if the choice of instructional strategies was successful
for this group of students. However, assessment does not only mean an exam or
quiz that tests recall and memorization. The school may require this, but all
assessments throughout the year should not be a form of test. Formative
assessments are quick and simple ways to gage the learning of the students and
can be done in a variety of ways. Exit slips are a common way to see where the
progress is and help lead the intentions and goals of the next lesson. The
questions or idea of the exit slip needs to be well thought out to ensure that it can
truly assess what has been taught that lesson and not always focusing on
repeating information. Another form of formative assessment can be a discussion
or listening in on small group discussions. Formatting these discussion groups
can be done in a manner where all students feel comfortable sharing, while
changing the group members so new connections can be made as students
continue to challenge each other in different ways. Summative assessments
require more planning and tend to be slightly more challenging to adapt to
different learning styles. Ideally I think we should give students options on how
they want to be assessed, whether it be a written exam, an oral project, or a
written project. Yet we need to be realistic in the amount of planning it would take
to allow this. Projects allow for guided creativity while accommodating to different
needs. Engaging and motivating the learner allows for good preventative
classroom management.

Expectations/Rules/Boundaries
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Classroom climate can easily support what educators are trying to

accomplish. One of the key components of creating a supporting and inviting
climate is the opportunity for student voice and choice. While creating classroom
rules or expectations, there should be discussion with the class as a whole and
have them discuss what expectations are important to them and can hold
themselves accountable for. During this time it can also be discussed what
expectations they have for their teacher. Student voice will be encouraged
throughout the year by allowing for student feedback on assessments and
lesson. This can either be formally through an anonymous survey/questionnaire
or informally through a comment or suggestion box. The expectations for
students and teacher can be put into three general categories: be respectful, be
responsible, and be safe. These expectations aim to create a safe environment
where students are welcomed to explore their ideas and celebrate mistakes,
while have clear structure and limits for their time in the classroom.
The arrangement of the classroom would ideally support small group
discussion and allow for easy movement around the classroom. Due to lab tables
and space this may not always be possible, so it is important for the lesson plans
and teaching to support the needs of adolescent learners. There should be a
clear schedule of the agenda for the day and important dates coming up to guide
students in understanding what they should be focusing on.
Student leadership within the classroom allows for students to show their
responsibility and there will always be the opportunity for a student to be a helper
within the classroom by passing out any necessary supplies. During small group
discussion, there will be one discussion leader and another leader that will share
these ideas with the whole class. It is important to rotate these roles so every
student has a chance to be a leader in different scenarios.
Routines are helpful for keeping the general environment of the class
consistent. Entrance slips or bell ringers will be in a designated space for
students to pick up as they come into the class. These should act as a review of
the previous lesson or an introduction for the lesson of the day. Similarly exit
slips will be used less frequently to provide a written, informal assessment of the
students learning and knowledge. Certain routines, such as passing out papers
and homework, may vary between each class based on their preferences.
Should any policies and expectations be broken consequences and discipline
do need to happen. If it is minor, such as talking in class or possibly not being
respectful, there will be a quiet, individual conversation with the student about the
behavior that is being seen. I believe that we need to avoid shaming or
embarrassing the student as they may not have recognized their behavior and a
private discussion normally receives a better response. If there is a comment
made that needs to be address right away, then it may be necessary to let the
student know that what was done or said was not acceptable, as well as the
whole class. Loss of privileges is appropriate when the behavior is related to a
specific privilege, such as technology or non-content related activity. While this
student won’t be able to participate in an activity or have a certain privilege a
private discussion needs to be had with the student to understand what the
behavior was and if there was a specific reason for this behavior. A written
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reflection may also be helpful. Reflection on behavior helps to encourage a

growth mindset and develop intrinsic motivation. Students will be able to take
responsibility for their behavior and come up with personal goals and ideas to
improve on their previous actions. Any concerning or extreme behavior needs to
be address immediately. Depending on the behavior, detention, a note home, or
visit to the principal may be necessary, but this should not be a regular response
to behavior that does not meet the discussed expectations and other discipline
options should be attempted first.

Motivation

Motivation is a key aspect of helping a student become successful. At the

beginning of the year, it should be made clear that there are high expectations for
behavior and effort. These expectations are the same ones I, as their teacher,
will be held accountable to. By returning assignments in a timely manner and
with constructive feedback allows time for discussion about improvements before
the next assignment is to be turned in. I believe it is my responsibility as a
teacher to engage my students in the content that is being taught. If the interest
is in the topic, students are more likely to motivate themselves to meet the high
expectations. This motivation is further increased when the curriculum can be
made relevant to their lives apart from having to know content to pass a class.
Keeping students motivated during the course of the year can be
challenging. I believe that using student contracts and personal goals can aid
with focusing students on the end goal. The personal goals allow for students to
focus on their own progress rather than constantly comparing themselves to their
classmates, which can be demotivating. These contracts are also used to help
keep students accountable for their actions and behavior. When necessary, the
contracts can be brought up in conversation to remind students about their
personal thoughts and goals to help them reach the expectations that were set at
the beginning of the year.
Short-term motivation is most commonly encouraged through praise in the
classroom. This can either be quick praise towards an oral response or a couple
words on a written assignment. These forms of short-term motivation support
extrinsic motivation. While, extrinsic motivation can be helpful in becoming
academically successful it rarely is enough to keep students focused on a growth
mindset. However, we can use short-term motivation to help students develop a
growth mindset by noticing and praising the effort being put into work. By praising
the effort, it helps produce intrinsic motivation.
Long-term motivation aids students to focus on the final goal of the unit or
a personal goal related to their academics. I believe that praise in the classroom
should focus on the effort and critical thinking that is being used rather than just
the correct answer. The classroom climate encourages critical thinking and
celebrates mistakes. Like all scientific explorations, we find many ways that do
not work before we find the result that solves our problem or question. These
explorations are celebrated and have paved the way for modern science.
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Students are more motivated when they are involved in the learning process.
This can be done directly through the content or class discussions by making
connections to their personal lives and interests. Allowing student voice in the
form of assessment also increases intrinsic motivation because they are invested
in a project they have created themselves.

Building Relationships with Parents/Students

Positive relationships with students and their parents are vital for
communication and motivation for the student’s success. Getting to know my
students, allows me to continue to create a safe and encouraging environment to
foster their learning and celebrate their differences. The beginning of the year is
an ideal time to begin this process for both students and parents. Students can
fill out interests sheets that give details about their hobbies and passions, as well
as family background. I believe that it is important for me to also fill out this sheet
and share it with my class to open the path of communication and begin to make
connections. The students are given an option to share parts of their sheet with
the class or they can simply turn it in to me to read confidentially. Once, this initial
connection is made I am able to build upon it and begin to support them as
unique individuals by going to any extracurricular events, such as games or
shows. While I do believe in celebrating mistakes, I also believe that we must
celebrate the success of our students in and out of the classroom. We can begin
to build a supportive school community by informing other teachers of their
success and displaying student work that they should be proud of.
These positive relationships with students are important for their
motivation. With positive connection students are more motivated to put in effort
if they know their effort will be celebrated and their learning supported. Good
relationships can also help to decrease poor behavior in the classroom by
increasing the mutual respect for one another. Most people are not going to
purposely cause distractions or problems if it is going to disrespect someone
important to them. However, sometimes distractions do occur but they can all be
met in a respectful manner, maintaining the positive relationship between
educator and student.
I think that it is equally important to build positive relationships with
parents as it helps to establish trusted communication about their student.
Parents are invested in their student’s success academically and socially. It is
important to let parents know that these successes are also important to you as
their teacher and my goal is to support them in reaching their goals. Parents want
to feel heard when it comes to their child’s education and therefore should be
welcomed into the learning environment. Since, parent communication is
important in discipline for poor behavior, if there is already a positive relationship
built on trust and respect they are more likely to listen to what is being
communicated. That being said it is critical that parents are also informed of their
child’s achievements academically and in the behavior. This increases the trust
in the relationship and lets the parent know that your communication is not solely
disciplinary and negative.
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Communication with parents can be slightly more difficult than with their
students because we do not have the privilege of seeing them every school day.
The line of communication can be opened early on with a small orientation or
welcome packet during the first meeting before school begins. This packet is to
help inform parents about the course and about you as their student’s teacher. At
this time it is good to talk about the homework and behavior policies that will be
put in place in the classroom, as well as answering any questions they may have.
It is important to highlight the contact information in this packet so that you can
be easily accessible to parents and ensure that you will answer any
communications in a timely manner.
A class website or blog can be very useful to communicate any news or
student accomplishments. It is easy access for many parents and families and
easy to update with relevant information. The blog can act as a hub for
announcing important dates or any changes in policies that have been discussed
in class. It is also a good place to honor student work and success, while also
thanking and recognizing guest speakers, volunteers, and parent helpers. I
believe that a website could help bridge some communication gaps between
teacher and parents and continue to build a positive relationship.
While email or a blog would be the easiest and faster form of
communication, I believe that face-to-face conversations and meetings are vital
to start building a positive relationship. In person conversations are more
personal and are quicker to build connection, as well as trust between both
parties. Parents should be kept in the loop about their student’s progress
throughout the year and well before any final grades are posted or conferences.
Keeping an open schedule allows for parents to schedule time that best suits
their life outside of the school day and reduces the need to rely on electronic
communication.

Conclusion

Connecting and creating positive relationship is important in creating a

welcoming and safe environment for students and their family. Continuing to
build on that relationship by supporting students and their unique needs through
student-focused instruction directly impacts their motivation and behavior.
Knowing that they will be respected and celebrated in the classroom encourages
them to put in effort to meet their goals. The classroom is a team that cherishes
student voice and choice and tries to honor student input for assessments and
learning strategies. The environment and relationships created in the classroom
can help shape students into motivated, successful, and respectful global
citizens.