Chapter 3:Management Plan

Introduction By developing a Classroom Management Plan

before the school year begins, you set the stage to deal productively with the range of behaviors in your classroom.

An effective management plan is not a canned program or a static entity. It’s a framework that supports a variety of rituals, routines, rules, consequences, and motivational techniques you can use to ensure that students are academically engaged.

TASK 1:Determine the Level of Classroom Structure

Determine whether you need to develop a low, medium, or high-structure management plan by taking into account your personal needs and the collective needs of your students.

Bear in mind that it is always better to err on the side of high structure. Research has shown that classrooms with more structure typically promote increases in appropriate academic and social behaviors.

Consider Your Needs Reflect on your personal style. 1. What is your tolerance for background

noise? 2. What is your tolerance for individual

voices? 3. What is your tolerance for interruptions? 4. What is your tolerance for background

movement? 5. What is your ability to multitask without

becoming flustered?

Consider Your Student’s Needs If you have a significant number of

immature or emotionally needy children, the risk factors are probably high and so you need a more tightly structured plan.

If your class is composed of predominantly mature and independent students, the risk factors are likely to be low, and a more loosely structured plan may be perfectly adequate.

What Level of Structure Do You Need? To determine the level of structure you

need, you should start the year with high structures because you increase the likelihood that students will engage in high levels of academic engagement and appropriate behavior later in the year.

You should also make adjustments as the year progresses. Plan to evaluate students’ need for structure at various times throughout the year.

Develop and Display Classroom Rules Rules should serve as the basis for implementing

consequences for the most frequent misbehaviors. Things you should think about when setting up rules: misbehavior that is more likely to occur, consider your schedule, your routines, your procedures and so on.

Classroom rules should communicate to students that you have specific expectations.

Provide clear examples of what it means to follow the rule and what it mean to break it. Inform students that unacceptable behaviors will result in corrective consequences.

You should have no more than 6 rules. Too many rules will make it difficult for students

to keep track and you may have difficulty enforcing them.

Rules should be stated positively – they communicate both high expectations and an assumption of compliance. They set a more positive tone. Students know what is expected of them.

Don’t assume that when you tell students what not to do, that they will know what to do instead.

Rules should be specific and refer to observable behaviors. Develop rules that describe specific behaviors, not attitudes, traits, or conclusions.

Plan to teach your rules using positive and negative examples. Demonstrate specific examples of following and not following the rules. Through both positive and negative examples, you teach the students to understand your interpretation of the rule and how you will make judgments if a rule is broken or not.

Rules must be applicable throughout the class period.

Rules should be posted in a prominent, visible location. It serve as a visual reminder of your expectations and creates a sense of permanence and importance. It also allows the teacher to be brief in some reminders about minor violations.

Correct rule violations during the first week of school. Preplanning how to respond to misbehavior will make it more effective.

Precorrection – you prompt the desired behavior during first week to minimize problem behaviors.

Proximity – involves moving toward the students who are engaged in misbehavior. Students’ behavior is likely to cease as you approach them.

Gentle verbal reprimand – to go to students and quietly remind or tell them what they should be doing. These are short, they cause only s very brief interruption, given when you are physically near misbehaving student, tone and content are respectful, clear and unequivocal, state expected behavioral, creates the illusion of privacy.

Discussion – sometimes you may need to talk to the student. Wait until later when class is engaged or after school.

Family contact – communication may increase the effectiveness of behavioral supports and promote positive behavior. Provide an objective description of behavior, not child. Suggest to discuss with child at home, create a sense that you and family can work together in helping the student reduce misbehavior.

Restitution – the goal is for misbehaving student to learn that when their behavior causes damage, they need to repair that damage.

Emotional reaction (such as anger)- should be used no more than twice a year with a group of students, and not at all in the first 5 or 6 weeks with a new class.

It’s ok to let them know you are angry for their misbehavior and may have a bit of a shock effect and help improve class behavior in future. If used too often, it will lose any power it may have had.

Humor (not sarcasm or ridicule)- can be a powerful and effective way to respond to misbehavior. The sensitive use to humor brings people closer together.

Praise students who are behaving responsibly. Give positive feedback when behavior improves. Students need to see that you notice positive behavior more than misbehavior. Remember that behaviors that get more attention increase.

Who will input the rules? Deciding whether the rules are going to be

teacher-designed or student-designed is a decision of style and expediency.

An advantage of student-developed rules is that it gives the students a greater sense of ownership.

Some disadvantages are: Students tend to create too many rules and rules that are overly restrictive. There will be no rules in place the first day of school. Students may not make all the rules you feel you need to have an orderly classroom.

Other Factors to Consider for Rules: Rules should be stated positively. Rules should be specific and refer to observable

behavior. Teach the rules with positive and negative

examples. They must be applied through out the period or day. They must be posted in a visible area.

Establish Corrective Consequences for Rule Violations:

Once students fully understands classroom procedures and rules then calmly implement consequences when rules are broken.

Plan to implement the corrective consequences consistently. Only through consistency will habitual misbehavior diminish.

Make sure corrective consequences fit the severity and frequency of the misbehavior.

Make sure to implement the consequences unemotionally. Emotional responses can fuel the misbehavior.

Plan to interact with the student briefly and without arguing at the time of misbehavior. Simply state the rule broken and consequences. Do not caught up in arguing the consequences. Remind students who want to argue, that they may

discuss it further with you at a later time, like during recess or after school.

Potential consequences Time owed:

Decide when the time owed will be paid back. Decide how much time will be owed.

Timeout (in-Class): Timeout from a favorite object. Timeout from a small group participation:

during the timeout the small group activity should be enjoyable and engaging.

Timeout at desk. Timeout in another class.

Restitution: It can be effective for chronic purposeful misbehaviors when they involve individual or social property.

Positive Practice: If the rule can be practiced or redone, have the student correct the broken rule.

Response Cost/Loss of Points: If you use a monetary or point system, the addition or loss of points can be used.

Detention Behavior improvement form: This form allows the

students to reflect on their actions.

Demerits: When a student gains x number of demerits blank happens.

Progressive or Nonprogress Consequences System Progressive consequences system: This

system is generally based on a color system. Most of us here at Storm in the primary grades use this. Pros: Consequences are defined.

Provides a visual for students. Cons: Misbehavior does not always match up

with color coded consequence. In other words the consequence is often to harsh or not harsh enough for the behavior.

Nonprogressive consequence system: This system allows for categories to be set up that covers all behaviors Pros: Behavior matches consequence.

Allows flexibility Cons: There is no visual associated with the system

for the students to follow.

Knowing when (and when not) to Use Disciplinary Referrals Our student code of conduct books, here

in SAISD, state clearly the different offences that could lead to writing a disciplinary referral.

If you are unsure about what misbehavior could warrant sending a student to the office, ask your administrator.