Kaitlin Jenkins Classroom Management Plan Section One: Context

April 28, 2014 Dr. Garrett

If I could choose the ideal teaching context for my first year as a teacher, I would teach kindergarten in an affluent district where I grew up in Northern New Jersey. I would like to teach in an affluent district, so that my students can have as many opportunities and resources available to support their learning. I have always wanted to teach between kindergarten and third grade; however, after my positive experiences in my field placement this semester, my heart is set on kindergarten. Since I hope to teach kindergarten, I will be teaching mostly reading, writing, and mathematics. In terms of the composition of my students, I would prefer my classroom to be equally mixed with males and females to create a balance of both genders in the classroom. Also, I would like to have a classroom full of students from various racial and cultural backgrounds, so that my students can learn about cultures beyond their own. Section Two: Physical Design

Above is a visual representation of the ideal context I would like for the physical layout of my classroom. While Steele has six functions of the classroom setting, I chose two functions

that I believe are important for my classroom. I chose to include rugs, a plush sofa and a beanbag chair because I wanted to add elements of softness, so that students can feel comfortable while they learn. As Steele terms security and shelter, students need to feel safe and secure in their environment and creating a home-like atmosphere will help. In addition to the comfortable furniture I have included, I placed the furniture in a retreat area that is separated from the rest of the classroom by shelves. Students can go to the retreat area, when needed, if they would like to have a place for privacy. I also focused on another function as defined by Steele, symbolic identification. One of the ways I intend to provide information about myself and my students is by personalizing my classroom through bulletin boards. Although I placed some bulletin boards on my visual representation, I was unable to discuss what I will place on the bulletin boards. Since me and my students will be spending a lot of time in our classroom, I want our space to convey information about us. I will have an All About Me bulletin board about myself as well as my students. I will also have a bulletin board displaying my students pictures with their names and birthdays, for birthdays are big celebrations for children. I will also display my students work throughout the room on bulletin boards, so they can constantly see their hard work throughout the year. Section Three: Rules On the first day of school I will develop classroom rules with my students. I will use a combination of teacher-generated and student-generated rules because I want the rules to have meaning for the students, but also share with them a few rules that I believe are important. To begin, the students and I will have a discussion about what rules they would like to have in the classroom. Each student will write his or her ideas down on a piece of paper and then share his or her ideas. If similar rules are repeated or are alike we will combine ideas. If the students did not

include a rule I feel is important, I will suggest a few rules and potentially add it to our list. If the students do not mention rules such as work hard and always try your best or be a risk-taker, then I will share my thoughts with the students. We will then decide on the most effective rules and choose between 4-6 rules for our classroom. We will make sure the rules use positive language because I want students to focus on what they should do instead of what they should not do. Then, we will post the rules in the front of the classroom, so that every student is able to see the rules at all times. Once the rules are developed I will teach the rules to the students for the first few weeks of school. I want to make sure the students can discuss and practice the rules in our classroom, so that the students will know my expectations as well as the expectations they established for themselves. I will have the students share examples and talk with their classmates about what the rules do and do not look like in our classroom. Although I may take time in the beginning of the year to establish the rules in the classroom, I will be saving time throughout the rest of the year because the students will be focused on their work instead of on the rules and expectations. Section Four: Routines The three areas of classroom routines: class running, lesson running and interaction are all important areas that I must think about in my classroom. Routines allow the classroom to run smoothly and efficiently, so that students know what to do for various tasks and situations. Listed below are routines that I believe are important. Class running routines: 1. Taking attendance- When students enter the classroom in the morning they will go to the SMART board and move their name to the Here column. Once all of the students are in the room I can easily check the SMART Board and quickly determine

who is present and who is absent. If technology is to fail one day I can easily write Here on the whiteboard and the students can write their name. Regardless, I am promoting responsibility in the classroom by having the students be accountable for their presence. 2. Leaving the room at the end of the day- I will call students by their table one at a time to gather their belongings from the closet. Calling one table at a time will create less congestion and chaos. The students will then return back to their tables and wait until I call each bus. Once I call a bus number the children on that bus will line up and walk towards their bus. I will continue this process until all of the buses and students are gone. 3. Going to the bathroom-If a student needs to go to the bathroom he or she does not have to ask, but must sign the bathroom sheet next to our door. The student will put his or her name and their departure and arrival time, so that I will know when a student left the room. 4. Cleaning desks and whiteboards-Students will rotate having these jobs and will perform their duties at the very end of the day. While waiting for the bus students will clean the desks with disinfectant spray and cleaner for the whiteboards. I want the students to be responsible for cleaning their spaces instead of me or the custodians. Lesson running routines: 5. Moving in and out of centers-Students will switch to a new center when I ring the bell. Although it will take practice, the students will learn to move from one center to the next in a logical rotation.

6. What to do when assignments have been completed- Depending on the assignment students will either place assignments in a bin in the classroom if I need to look at their work or in their mailbox if the assignment can go home. Interaction routines: 7. When I need the whole groups attention- I will use a non-verbal cue such as clapping and students will have to repeat back the pattern. When I begin to clap, students will know they should not be talking and get ready to listen. Once the students complete the clapping pattern no student should be talking. 8. During small-group work- When the students are working in small-groups they are allowed to talk to their group members and me if they need assistance. However, the students should not be talking to other groups at this time. Section Five: Relationships Developing caring relationships allows students to be more cooperative, respectful, and take risks. Therefore, I will show my students I care about them in various ways. Each day I will smile and greet each student as they walk through the door. Acknowledging each students presence will demonstrate that I am welcoming and aware he or she is in my classroom. I will also provide academic and personal support for my students. While I am invested in their learning and school work, I am also invested in their lives outside of school and am willing to listen when needed. In addition, I will show the students I am a real person and not just their teacher by sharing some aspects of my life with my students. Not only will I develop caring relationships, but also build a sense of community in the classroom. Each morning I will have morning meeting which will include a greeting, sharing time, group activity, and news and announcements. Morning meeting will create a safe

environment where the students will build relationships and develop their social-emotional skills. I will also use get to know you activities throughout the year, so that the students can interact with one another and find other students who are similar to them to make them feel comfortable. In addition, I will use the Class building Learning Chips set by Kagan to help students get to know and become familiar with one another, while learning new information about their classmates. Section Six: Discipline Although I will be preventing a great deal of misbehavior from occurring in my classroom, I have to be prepared for when misbehavior occurs. For minor misbehavior I will first use non-verbal cues with students such as the look or proximity. Then, I will use verbal cues such as stating the students name or reminding the student of the rule. Minor misbehavior is the most common type of misbehavior I will be faced with and I can easily deal with minor misbehaviors. For more serious misbehavior I will give a student a verbal warning. Then, I will give a logical consequence for their misbehavior. Next, I will send a note home or call the students parents. Finally, as a last resort I will send the student to the principal. Since I will be discussing the consequences of breaking the rules with the students from the beginning of the year, I do not anticipate having to frequently send a note home, call the students parents, or send the student to the principal. For chronic misbehavior I will use behavior modification, so that students will learn to self-regulate their own behavior. I want the students to be able to self-monitor and self-evaluate their choices and understand why a behavior needs to be changed. Also, I will use the ecosystem

approach by recognizing my interpretation of a problem and choosing to view the problem in a more positive way and act according to the new interpretation.