Management PlanJake Carlson10-30-10

Introduction: In Mrs. -------’s classroom, expectations are a big part of her

management style. On the first day of class, she gave a thorough and well thought

out presentation that covered about half of her classroom rules and procedures. She

split this presentation into three days to avoid overwhelming her students with

information. Mrs. ------- reinforced what she was teaching by having a procedure

quiz the following week. A quiz in the second week might seem a bit harsh for 8th

graders, but it represents well her overall classroom management style. She sets

the expectations for her students very high and then drives them to succeed. In

doing this she seems to be reflecting the high expectations philosophy Professor

Donohue has been stressing in his methods class. Through the use of these firm but

reasonable expectations, she is setting herself up for success.

Classroom Rules: Mrs------- classroom is based first on the need for mutual respect.

Her students will do a lot of public speaking, so she believes it is essential that they

respect one another on a very deep level. A classroom needs to be a safe place,

especially if you are going to be expected to stand up in front of your classmates. On

a more pragmatic note Mrs. --------- classroom is also governed by more specific

rules:

5 bathroom passes per quarter and you must sign out before leaving. 7 day window for late work, but only for 70% of the grade. She has a no-name basket and a boomerang basket for work that is turned in

without a name or with 5 glaring mistakes in the first paragraph, respectively.

Students will receive “Brain Breaks” during the day if they have been working hard and have been on task. These “Brain Breaks” are short 5-10 minute periods where students can get up, stretch, chat, or even go to the bathroom.

Students must come prepared to class; this means they must have all necessary items such as notebooks, pens and pencils ready as they enter her classroom.

Students must also come ready to learn each day. As they enter the classroom they are expected to put whatever happened in passing period behind them and be ready to learn.

Fire Drill procedures are also covered along with other emergency protocols. Students are also instructed on basic classroom etiquette like when is an

appropriate time to get a drink or sharpen a pencil. Lastly the basic school rules are reinforced for new students; this list

includes things like no gum, hats or weapons at school.

In presenting these rules Mrs. ------ seems to be following a slightly more traditional

classroom rule schema. She presents her classroom rules rather than asking for

student input as some more progressive teachers might. However she makes every

effort to cut off the fat of her rule list. Not every possible scenario is covered; rather

she presents her students with a short and concise list of these rules. Furthermore

her management style is based not on discipline, but on relationships and high

expectations. As she presented the class these rules, thirty sets of wide eyes starred

raptly back and soaked up her every word. Respect seemed to emanate from her

harsh tone as she explained how her classroom ran. She readily admitted to me

later that she counted on this initial intimidation to reinforce her rules and

expectations. “They’ll figure out later,” she said, “that I’m a lot of fun.”

Consequences: In Mrs. -------- classroom consequences seem to come as a second

line of defense. Her initial defense against classroom management issues is a good

offense. She prides herself on her ability to see issues that might come up and

preemptively deal with the situation. That means moving talkative students before

they become perpetually off task, watching for signs of bullying and a dozen other

observation based assessments. Her other tool is relationships: she seeks early on

to get to know students. When this relational focus is combined with her strict

demeanor issues don’t come up as often as they might in some other classes.

However these kids are by no means angels, and issues certainly do come up:

For minor offenses like being off task Mrs. ------- offers a simple reminder to refocus on one’s work.

For repeated instances of being off task or distracting others Mrs. ----- offers a warning that such behavior will result in a Yellow Card.

If this warning is not heeded Mrs. ----- will give the student a Yellow Card. This is a yellow index card used across the entire school that asks students to stop their current negative actions, write what they are doing incorrectly, write what they should be doing, and then return it to the teacher. Three Yellow Cards results in a detention and if more are accrued after this more serious consequences will occur.

For more serious classroom issues like bullying or multiple yellow cards Mrs. ------ is not afraid to pull a student into the hall for a one on one conference. These can often result in a detention or a suspension if a bigger issue is occurring..

If something more drastic occurs in her classroom like a fight or habitual acting out, Mrs. ----- utilizes the vice principal for further discipline.

For positive reinforcement of behavior, Mrs. ----- only really uses one trick:

If the class has been focused and productive for the entirety of their work time Mrs. ----- will give a 5-10 minute ‘Brain Break.’ During this time students are allowed to chat with one another, get up and stretch, and let their minds relax for a little while.

Mrs. ----- use of a structured and predictable series of consequences reflects what is

recommended in How to Survive and Thrive. The strategy in this text is based on

teaching these rules in a deliberate manner, not just having them posted on the wall,

and then being consistent in consequences so that students know what to expect

(McEwan 123). When students are familiar with these rules and they are certain

about what consequences will occur if they break them, they are much more willing

to follow them. Mrs. ----- certainly takes this method to heart, which we can see in

how she structures the first week of her class. She teaches these rules explicitly and

deliberately and is then consistent in the administering of consequences.

Routines:

As students enter Mrs. ------ classroom they are expected to have all the supplies needed each day. Outside her door is a poster that reads, ‘Most Wanted’ and written on this poster are the items needed for class that day. This routine helps ensure that students have all the necessary items for class and that class time is not wasted by students running to their lockers.

Next students are expected to respectfully enter the room (no running, fighting, or shouting) and check the board for instructions.

Typically these instructions will ask students to take out their homework and put it on their desk to be collected or reviewed, and/or to begin a journal prompt.

During this time Mrs. ----- is taking attendance and circulating through the room collecting homework. This way she knows who exactly is missing their work and can address the issue sooner than later.

After the bell rings and/or students finish the board work Mrs. ----- leads the class in the pledge of allegiance.

When Mrs. ----- wants to get her students’ attention she calmly says, “I need your attention in ten, nine…” and she begins to count down from ten as she makes her way to the front of the classroom. She does not expect her busy classroom to instantly stop, so she uses the ten second countdown to allow time for students to return to their seats and focus up front.

Each of these routines has been taught to the students through doing. During the

first several weeks of class Mrs. ----- is deliberately reinforcing each of these

routines through silly practice drills or verbal reminders. For example she will ask

students to talk about their summer for two minutes, at the end of which she will

practice the ten second attention getter. During these first weeks she heavily

stresses how important it is that all eyes are on her after those ten seconds. By

deliberately teaching all of her routines like this she is able to avoid many issues

that might have popped up later. Her technique here heavily mirrors that of Harry

Wong in his The Effective Teacher video series. Mr. Wong stresses the importance of

establishing these classroom procedures early in the year. He and I believe Mrs. -----

would agree that established routines and procedures like these are very important

because they can help prevent and diffuse disciplinary issues that might come up.

Transitions: In Mrs. ----- 8th grade social studies classes, transitions occur about

three or four times each class period. Mrs. ----- teaching style involves short mini

lectures followed by group work, so only a couple transitions are required each

period. However this does not negate the importance of these transitions, but

perhaps makes them easier to be overlooked. Each of her transitions is verbal and

is accompanied with directions to take out items and put away others. This physical

change from a textbook to a journal or planner helps students recognize that a

transition is occurring.

As students enter the class they are asked to transition from their passing time noise level and mentality, to a mindset where they are ready to work. This transition is primarily accomplished through force of routine. Students are taught in the first weeks of school how to enter the class and Mrs. ----- has only to occasionally remind students of how this transition should be preformed.

To begin the formal instruction of the class Mrs. ----- will use the ten second countdown mentioned earlier to get students’ attention. She addresses her students from the front of the class so that it is clear what type of instruction the class is following.

To transition from direct address to group or individual work, Mrs. ----- will explain clearly what students are to be working on. She then asks if there are any questions and tells students how much time they have to work on said project.

If a second transition to another project is called for or if clarification is needed about something Mrs. ----- uses the attention getter and then repeats the previous step.

Towards the end of class, about ten minutes before the bell rings, Mrs. ----- will use the attention getter and ask the class to begin clean up.

As clean up comes to a close Mrs. ----- will again use the attention getter and will briefly address the class. In this time she quickly reviews what was learned that day and reminds students what their homework is. Students are instructed to write down their assignments in their planners at this time.

As the bell rings Mrs. ----- dismisses her students by row. Only rows that are cleaned up and ready to go may leave.

Mrs. ----- transition style most reflects that described in How to Survive and Thrive.

This text notes that transitions can very quickly become time wasters if students

and teachers do not know how to treat them. “Efficient transitions demand a high

degree of involvement and commitment by both students and teachers (McEwan

81). Along this same line of thought Mrs. ----- mentioned to me that in her

classroom, “Despite what they (students) think, transitions aren’t a time to

socialize.” Good use of academic learning time requires smooth and quick

transitions.

Summary: The management plan I hope to institute in my classroom will be based

on what I have observed in classrooms I have spent time in and what I have learned

in my education classes. It will vary depending on age level and class structure, but

for the sake of this assignment I will use the model of an eighth grade history class.

The rules I would use in my classroom would begin as a teacher generated

‘charter’ and over time move to a student generated classroom constitution. I would

guide and assist in this process, as I determine whether or not students are mature

enough to create their own governing rules. The actual drafting process of this

classroom constitution would involve take home assignments as well as group

discussion about what rules are important in a community. Both of these sets of

rules would ideally focus on the goals of mutual respect and community. These

classroom rules would deal less with specific issues, like don’t throw things, and

more with rights that students have, like the right to be safe. By pulling students

into this process and inviting them to have a say they are more likely to take the

rules seriously. This style of student involvement is pure progressive doctrine and I

think that Dewey himself would have enjoyed it.

Consequences in my classroom are going to be consistent and fair. First and

foremost I hope to avoid a harsh authoritarian classroom environment by stressing

the importance of trust. However at some point consequences will have to be used

when students violate that trust. I will not punish the class wholesale style for the

decisions of one student. Disruptive students will be warned with a verbal warning

first, next by pulling them outside the classroom and having a one on one chat, and

third strike offenders will receive lunch detention. As Rafe Esquith says in his book

Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire, “Children do not mind a tough teacher, but they

despise an unfair one. Punishments must fit the crime and too often they do not.

Once the kids see you as unfair, you’ve lost them” (Esquith 8-9). I do not intend to

lose any kids to resentment through unfair consequences. Through reasonable and

consistent consequences my students will know what to expect in my classroom.

As students enter my classroom they will know to take out their journals and

begin the ‘primer’ that is written on the board. As I come around the class collecting

homework, I will check in with my students to see how they are doing and who is

missing. Students will be expected to finish their primers and discuss their answers

with either their neighbor or the class. After this we will recite the pledge of

allegiance and transition into the day’s work. As students move from individual to

group work, the transitions are accomplished thanks to the practice done during the

first two weeks of class. During this time students have practiced ‘desk drills’,

where they modeled the correct way to safely and quickly move desks from rows to

pairs to pods. Through this and other deliberate procedural teaching moments,

students will know how to retrieve and put away textbooks, turn in assignments,

move desks and many other organizational procedures. By investing the time to

practice these classroom movements early in the year, I hope to avoid perpetually

wasted time later in the year. This logic is based on chapter four of McEwan’s text

How to Survive and Thrive. Personally my routines and transitional procedures

overlap a great deal. For transitions are best accomplished via routines, and

routines frequently involve transitions. To help foster this exchange I plan on using

a modified version of Mrs. ----- ten second attention getter. I plan on raising my

hand and saying, “I need your attention in five, four, three, two, one, eyes up front.”

As I say this, students should freeze where they are, close their mouths, and raise

one hand. This attention getter is similar to what Harry Wong uses in his video

series and I think it will be an effective means to quickly get my students’ attention.

My own management style will mirror both Elaine McEwan and Harry Wong.

McEwan’s mantra of deliberate procedures expressed in routines, rules and rubrics

is something I have taken to heart. By investing time early in the year to teach basic

procedures, much time can be saved throughout the year. Also Harry Wong’s calm,

collected, and humorous delivery got through to me his important message about

classroom management. By establishing solid and reasonable boundaries and

expectations in a classroom, disciplinary issues can often be prevented. Beyond

these two scholars’ ideas, I plan on developing meaningful and trust based

relationships with my students so that gradually discipline becomes less and less

necessary.

References

Esquith, Rafe. Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire. New York, NY: Viking Press, 2007.

Print.

McEwan, Elaine. How to Survive and Thrive in the First Three Weeks of School.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2006. Print.

Newman, Joseph. America's Teacher. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2006. Print.

Wong, Harry, Speaker. The Effective Teacher: Procedures and Routines. Harry K.

Wong Publications, Inc: 1994, DVD.