Classroom Management Plan

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment for Course Requirements

ISM 380-Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers

Targeted grade level: 7th grade

Teacher Candidate Name: Jim Winkelman

Date: 9/30/14

1. Philosophy
How a classroom is managed is one of the most critical
components of an overall effective classroom. The goal of
any classroom management plan should be to make the most
efficient and productive learning environment. A place
where the learning of the students is enhanced by the
classroom, not inhibited by it.
The Jones Model talks about how about 50% of
instructional time is lost from off-task behavior. While it's
unreasonably to except there to be 0% lost time. It is
reasonably and important to try to curb the behaviors that
lead to losing instructional time. The goal of every
classroom management plan is to get as close to 0% as humanely possible and attempt to
maximize the time given to teach.
Maximizing classroom time and instructional time is one of the main focuses of classroom
management. By giving students more time to learn, they have a better chance of grasping and
learning the material. If they are able to do that, they have a better chance of being successfully
in my class and in classes down the line.

2. Engaging Instruction Strategies

There are many instructional strategies that teachers can use. It's imperative to use ones the
teacher themselves believe and are not simply using for the sake of using one. Using active
student responses(ASR) is a way that I believe that teacher can better engage students in their
learning and help to develop more memorable and effective lessons. There are many different
kinds of active students responses, but they all have the same goal. To engage the student in their
learning.
One of the examples that can be done with nearly every lesson and is very effective is the "thinkpair-share" method. This method has students pair up with one another and compare answers. An
example of this would be during a math lesson where the students work on their own to get the
answers to some math problems and once they arrive at answers on
their own, they get together with another person and compare
answers. If they have different answers, they work together to find
out why they are different. This method gives the students a way to
check their answers and find the method of the solutions without
the teacher explicating giving them the way to do it directly. For a
lot of students, having a peer explain something to them can be an
effective way for them to grasp a concept. There are different
versions of this ASR, so it can be adopted to fit the particulars of a
lesson.
Another ASR that can be used with nearly any lesson is the
"response cards" method. This method has students put answers on a card, true/false, yes/no, etc.
The teacher then asks the class questions and the class responds by raising one side of the card to

attempt to correctly answer the question. This is a great way to get the whole class involved in
answering questions and allows the teacher to look at the whole class and check their
understanding.
Another method that I have done myself
throughout my schooling are the "guided
notes.". This method gives a skeleton note sheet
for students to fill out as the teacher goes along
talking about a topic. This was a personally
favorite of mine because I didn't have to have to
take full notes and worry about missing
information. I got to see what all was needed as
we went along and if I missed something, I
could easily go to a classmate and get the
missing note or find it in my text. Guided notes
are effective for students, in general, in much
the same way. It allows the students to listen to the teacher, but also to get valuable notes they
know will be beneficial for them to study since they got them from their teacher. It also always
the teacher to know that all their students have the same information, so developing assessments
will be easier because of that. This type of ASR is useful in lecture type teaching, but can also be
used in other methods. Students can work individually or in groups to fill them out. It all depends
on what the teacher is doing and what will be the most effective for that particular topic.
Another method that I have experienced myself through my schooling life is a simple one.
"Choral response" is an ASR in which the teacher has the entire class respond to a question at the
same time. This can be used to see what the class thinks as a whole and if they arrived at a
particular answer. There are drawbacks to this method though. Some students will simple not
respond with the class, which isn't the biggest drawback. The biggest one would be the "follow
the leader" mentality that tends to happen in situations like this. If an individual students comes
up with a different answer than the one submitted in choral response by the group, they are more
likely to not speak or and even worse, agree with the incorrect answer. So this method shouldn't
be overused and be supplemented by other methods.
A possible alternative to this would be the "anonymous note" method of ASR. This gives the
teacher the ability to collect a class wide response in an anonymous way, so that no student is
singled out for an incorrect answer. This is an example of a method similar to the "choral
response" in how it can be a method of checking for understanding, but the type of student it
targets is different. The more introverted student is more likely to like this method more. The
extroverted student is more like to like the "choral response." more, It's important to target
students in different ways so that don't be accustomed to one way of learning or responding. As
with everything with education, it's imperative to adapt what is done to fit the needs of every
kind of student.
It's important to keep the theorist Jacob Kounin in mind when developing teaching strategies and
behaviors. As a teacher, it's important to use effective methods and to have "withitness." So if a
method isn't working, it should be trashed for another method. This takes awareness and
withitness on the part of the teacher. It's less important that a teacher may use an ineffective
method or that a strategy doesn't work. It's more important for the teacher to recognize it and be

able to change, adapt, or trash the method, so they can become a more effective teacher in their
classroom.

3. Classroom Expectations
The rules and expectations are an important component of a classroom. While, they may not be
part of the curriculum(math, science, etc.) they are important to help students know what is
expected of them while they are in your classroom. Hopefully the rules are able to be
subconsciously carried along with them to future classrooms. Obviously, not all rules will be able
to be carried along in the future, some rules are needed to establish how you expect your
particular classroom to be.
What rules and expectations I have in my classroom
will vary depending on what type of classroom I'm
teaching in, but the general idea of my rules and
expectations is just that, to be general, so that they
can fit in well with any type of classroom I'm in.
My first rule would be one that would apply to every
possible classroom I would be in. "Treat everyone and
everything in the classroom how you want yourself to be treated." I would prefer this adjustment
to the classical "golden rule" because it covers treatment of the classroom's equipment. Although,
the Golden Rule would still apply in my classroom. It is probably the most important rule that a
teacher can have for their classroom. I believe this rule or a similar variation of it should be
included in every classroom.
My second rule would simply be "Be responsible." This rule is short and simple, but applies to
nearly everything done in the classroom. It is up to students to be responsible in doing their work
in and out of class, finding out what work they missed, explaining why they didn't do something
they were supposed to do, and doing what they are supposed to do, in general.
The third rule I would have in my classroom would be "Be Honest." Being honest is something
that can be extremely hard to do and is something that is rarely rewarded or promoted
specifically in life in general. It is something people are expected to do. But in my classroom, I
would attempt to promote this quality in my students and incentivize being honest because I
view it as a positive and important life skill. I want students to really buy into this rule and be
honest with me when they forgot to do something, are having issues that are effecting them, need
help, or simply don't understand something.
"Ask questions," my last rule, is probably the most important rule because if students don't ask
questions then no real, high order learning, will take place most likely. Students need to ask
questions because that is where real deep learning lies. While questions are important for
learning and accessing high order learning, there is also a practical side to the rule. If a student
doesn't know what, how, where, when, and why to do something then I want them to ask. I
would much rather have students ask too many questions than not enough.

Classroom rules
Treat everyone and everything in
the classroom how you want
yourself to be treated
Be responsible

The golden rule

Be Honest

Tell the truth. Be honest with me and yourself.

Ask questions

When in doubt, ask a question.

Do what you're supposed to do.

4. Procedures and Routines

The various parts of the procedures and routines fall in line with the theorist Harry Wong. He
talks about having an organized classroom that is structured and has routines.
Getting students attention: Being able to get student's attention quickly will lead to have a
more efficient classroom, and it is an important skill to have. How I will do it will vary on the
type of classroom I'm in. In a physical education setting, I will use a word like "freeze" to get
student's to stop moving and to pay attention.. I will most likely have to shout this in order to be
heard. A gymnasium is much harder for students to hear, so I will have to be loud to be heard. If
I'm using music as part of a lesson, I can pause the music that is playing.
In an academic classroom, I will need to use different methods. I will use something like raising
my hand until everyone in the class does the same and is facing forward. I don't want to use
anything that is too complicated or in-depth. I want to keep it short, simple, and easy to follow. A
simple hand raise is something that can be seen from anywhere in the room and is a quiet way to
gain attention, so I won't have to use my "teacher voice."
Transitions: How I transition from topic to topic will depend a lot on what we are doing. These
transitions will usually follow a progression of what is being taught, so after getting the student's
attention, I will need to explain what we are doing now or the next step to what they should be
doing.
There is also the possibility that students will be transitioning themselves. It will obviously
depend on the activity they are doing, but it's possible I will won't have to actively transition my
students, but simply monitor them to make sure they are progressing through the activity and
aren't having problems moving forward through the activity they are doing.

Attendance: How I take attendance every day will depend on the activity that we are doing that
day. The most common way I will take attendance is to simply look at my class, count how many
people are there, and find out who is missing from checking the attendance sheet for the class.
Although that would be the most common, there are other methods of doing it I could employ. I
could have all the student write their name on the board when they arrive in the class. When I'm
teaching something, I can have the kids cross off their name on the board once they have raised
their hand and have the goal of getting everyone to participate at least once in that class period.
Once the class ends, I can double check with the class that everyone put their name on the board,
and once the class leaves, I can take attendance that way. Even if someone happened to not
participate, I can have all their names on the board regardless.
Collection and distribution of papers: Depending on how I have my class seating aligned, I
will most likely have them hand the papers out to themselves. If I have them in small group
tables, I'll give them to each group and have them distribute them among themselves. If they are
in rows, I will give papers to each person that is in the front. If I have them in a roundtable, I will
give the papers to someone and have them pass them around the circle. It all depends, but the
main goal is to not have me pass out an individual paper to each individual student. That would
be inefficient and that time can be better spent elsewhere.
Group work: At the beginning of the year, I will give out a survey that asks about students'
preferences and desires for the class. Hopefully, this document will help me to learn about the
type of learner they are and help me to create groups. I want to create groups that mix different
type of learners.
I do want to give them the choice to make their own
groups, but I want to limit this because it will most
likely lead to the same groups being made over and
over. I want my students to work with everyone in the
class, not just the same people. But I don't want to
completely eliminate their comfortable group. It
should still be an option for them to pick their own
groups, just not as often as they would probably like.
Beginning of the day: Every day of class, I want to create an activity that students will do at the
beginning of class. It may be a similar on most days, but I want to mix it up too. I could have
something like them coming in, grabbing a handout and looking at it at their seats until class
starts. Or it could be a couple of practice problems for them to do. Perhaps, it could even be
setting up for an activity that we are going to do. As with everything, it depends on what we are
doing and what I think they need to be doing. The important thing is that it will be something. I
want to always have some sort of activity for them to do right off the bat to get them engaged in
the classroom.
End of the day: At the end of every day, it will vary what I have my students do. Ideally, I want
to have an active they can do to wrap up what we have be doing during the day. Hopefully, some
review of what they have learned from that class. But, time will be short a lot of time, and having
an end of the day activity may be difficult. Instead of focusing on having an activity for them to

do to end class, I want them to leave my class with the knowledge of the work they are expected
to do, when it's due, and how to do it. As long as they have those three things, I'll be satisfied.

5. System of Reinforcement
For my students, I will try to use varying types of reinforcement to help to emphasisive positive
behavior. My goal is to have various forms of recognizing and acknowledging good behaviors. I
want to have those forms to vary between whole class, group, and individual. I want to use these
different forms to encourage students on different levels. No matter what is used, I want to keep
the ideas of B.F. Skinner about "Behavior Modification" in mind. The strategies I use can
positively affect students behaviors by promoting positive actions and discouraging negative
ones. The methods of reinforcement that I use will hopefully develop students who perform
positive behaviors much more often than negative ones.
I read about a "chains" idea in a book called Because of Mr. Terupt. I want to use that idea in my
classroom as the whole class reinforcement method. I like this method because it is visual to the
whole class all the time and it allows them to see the
progress as it happens. The paper chains would start at
the ceiling and work its way to its way to the ground.
When the chain hits the ground, I would have some sort
of class wide reward for them. The reward could be a
free day, watching a movie, or an some sort of activity
outside. I would give the class options as to what to they
want to do. I would have to of course approve what they
would vote on, but I think it would be important to allow
the class to choose what they get to do since they earned
the reward.
It may be harder to have reinforcements for groups, but there are still some things that could be
done when students are working in them. If a group is working together in a classroom on a
project of some sort, I can go around observing how they are working in a group. I could be
looking for general things or specific things I talked about before(letting everyone talk, listening
to everyone's ideas, etc.) and give out a trinket of some sort to give them a tangible reward. Or I
could simple give them words or gestures of approval as I go by them. For the more specific
things I'm looking for I would look to use a tangible reinforcement and for more general things, I
would use more intangible methods.
For individuals, I can use similar things as I would with groups. Words of praise can go a long
way for students and is something that I want to use a lot. Especially for students who may not
have as much confidence as they should. The intangible methods of reinforcement like the words
of praises could be in front of the whole class, a group, or privately. I don't want to only use one
type, but use a good mix of the three different types. A way to use tangible rewards for students
would be giving positive notes on graded assignments or stickers for high grades or a grade that
met their goals. I have found stickers to be an odd thing that is a timeless form on reinforcement
that has been used throughout my academic career and is something I think could work not only
at this level, but at any level. I remember I used to take the stickers off my papers, tests, and

quizzes and put them on my folder for the class. I loved

getting new ones, but hated when I didn't get one. I have
only experienced a high grade requirement for getting
stickers, but I feel that leaves out students who may have
significantly done better than before, but still aren't
getting A's. I believe stickers can be utilized to motivate
students to continue to get good grades or to keep
working to their goals of improving their grades.

6. Hierarchy of Consequences
Having a hierarchy of consequence is an important component of managing a classroom. It helps
to give the rules the backbone that will help to create an environment where students will follow
them as much of the time as possible.
With every rule there are good ways of handling the breaking of that rule so that it doesn't
become a distraction to the classroom and so the negative behavior will cease. Knowing the
difference between a major infraction or a minor one will help to determine the best way to
handle them.
For a minor offense I could attempt to remove the stimulus that is causing the behavior. That
could be a pencil is tapping, raising their hand excessively, talking out of turn. or any number of
things. Those kinds of things are minor problems and should be treated in a way that doesn't stop
the class and break the flow of learning that is hopefully going one.
For something like a nervous tick or a non-conscious behavior like tapping a foot or pencil, I
would, at first, try simply approaching them and quietly ask them to stop or to do it more quietly.
A lot of the time students may not even be aware they are doing something that is distracting to
others and when they are told about it, they pay attention to it more. Them paying attention to it
will hopefully put a stop to the behavior.

If a student is talking out of turn or raising their hand excessively, I will at first try to simply
ignore them. This strategy would work better for the hand raising than talking. For talking out of
turn, I may have to stop what I'm saying and ask the student to raise their hand if they want to
say something. Even though, I'm stopping
what I'm saying to tell them that, it is often
the most efficient way to curb students
talking out of turn. If a student has a habit
of talking out of turn, I will want to talk to
them outside of instructional time because
according to the Jones Model most of the
50% lost instructional time is lost because
of talking out of turn. It is a minor
infraction, but it can become a major
infraction if the interruptions are constant
and habitual. I like the idea of Fred Jones
of proximity control. A student who talking
out of turn may be more likely to not do so if I'm standing right by them. And also if I'm by
them, if they continue to try to me, they will be talking quieter since I'm right there. Being right
by them will also allow me to give them the "evil eye" or give them quick "shh" or something
like it that tells them what to do quickly without stopping or distracting the whole class.
Another strategy that can be used for general minor infractions is the praising of students doing
what they are supposed to do. If Timmy has his homework out and is ready to work, but Jeffery
isn't, I would give Timmy praise for being prepared, which would hopefully serve as a catalyst to
get Jeffery to do the same thing. Giving praise to another students can also serve the purpose of
re-giving the directions indirectly. Sometimes students don't hear the directions given, but they
may here the praise given to another students and see what they are supposed to do and then
model the praised behavior.
For major infractions, I never want to ignore the behavior. I want to put an immediate end to it. If
that means stopping class and directly intervening, that's what I'll have to do. Major breaking of
rules is much more rare and varies a lot of what constitutes a major infraction. It makes it
difficult to give sweeping methods of dealing with it. It all really depends on the particular
situation. If a student makes fun of another student, I'll have to say something to them about it.
Depending on what they said, I may have to talk to them outside of class. If two students get into
a fight or shouting match, I'll have to intervene immediately, possibly physically. So the way I
would handle major rule infractions would best be described is that it depends on the situation.
For these kind of situations, it will most likely cause me to immediately put an end to the
behavior.
I would like to have a chart like this one for my classroom. I would make some variations to it to
make it more age appropriate and fit into the school rules, but I like the general idea and look of
it. I like having the visual of the different levels of consquences because it allows students to see
exactly what will happen if they reach a certain "level."

Having this kind of chart plays into the ideas of

Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler about discipline
with dignity. Students being able to see the
consequences will help to make the rules more fair
and equitable to all. It's important for consequences
are adaptability to different situations. There are
exceptions to every rule and it's important to be on
the side of the students and not the side of the rule.
But with that being said, it's important to have a
balance between enforcement and allowances for
individual situations.

7. Method of Record Keeping

Keeping records that are complete and accurate is a critical
part of having an effective classroom. If something can't be
measured, it can't be improved. One of the main method of
keeping accurate records is to keep up to date and be
organized.
Writing everything done throughout the day will be another
thing that will help me to keep records. It's hard to
remember every little detail throughout a day once it's over,
but it's a lot easier to write it down as it happens during the
day and then reflect back upon it at the end of the day when
I'm typing everything out about the day.
Updating grades, progress, and behaviors is much easier to keep track of if it is updated on a
regular basis. Waiting until the last minute is not something can be done and still maintain the
expectations that your records will be accurate and complete.

8. Communicating Expectations
The first day of school is an important day to introduce yourself to your students. To talk about
the expectations you will have for your class and the procedures that are expected to be adhered
to throughout their time in your classroom.
A first day of class should include the type of things Harry Wong talks about. If you want to be
an effective teacher, it's important to establish that your classroom as well managed, taskfocused, and predictable. Once this is established, students will be aware that when they are in
your classroom, they are expected to complete the tasks given to them. Students also need a
predictable environment, so they can get more instructional time in class. Communicating what
is expected of students when they come into the classroom will allow them to know exactly what
they should do when they enter your classroom.
I want to express all these expectations on the first day. These expectations can be further driven
home by sending all the expectations and how the classroom will be run in the form of a
newsletter to parents. Parents should be in the loop when it comes to knowing about my

classroom and understanding my expectations. It will help to solidify them for the students too
because if I say they were doing something they weren't supposed to do, their parents can look
and see that I talked about my expectation from the first day of class.

9. Conclusion
This project has taught me there are a plethora of
components that go into classroom management, and
it is a critical part of creating an effective classroom.
Having an effectively managed classroom helps to
facilitate learning and positive behavior. If it isn't the
most important part of teaching, then it is one of the
most important aspects. Creating a classroom where
students respect each other, the materials, and the
teacher will create not only a better culture of
learning, but will help to develop better people. The
general goal of any classroom management plan is
to maximize the time you have. This isn't simply
making sure all the topics get covered, or that every subject is taught. Having good classroom
management means the teacher not only can teach the students the academic material they need
to know in the now, but also the affective skills to navigate the world.
Being able to maximize the space in the classroom is another important part of classroom
management that I learned about. How the classroom is set up, where materials are, and where
various things are displayed by a big role to how effective, how safe, and how welcoming a
classroom can be. A classroom should be a safe environment, filled with relevant materials, and
be a generally engaging area.
Looking through all the different components of classroom management has shown me how
much emphasis of it I will need to place in my future classroom when I'm teaching. Not only that
but to have a plan that can be adapted to be used in different kinds of classrooms, different age
levels, and different schools. The main reason I picked 7th grade to focus on was that it was
somewhat in the middle of education. I wanted to create plan that was a mixture of methods that
are used mainly with young students, but also have methods that are used mainly with older kids.
I feel that by focusing on this grade band, this plan will be easier to adapt to whatever grade level
or levels I will be teaching.

.10. Quotes about Classroom Management

o The ultimate goal of classroom management should not be on simple obedience, but on
having students behave appropriately because they know its the right thing to do and
because they can understand how their actions affect other people (Hardin, 2008, p.
142).
o Rather than creating rules, (the) students (will) engage in conversation about the type of
community they wish their classroom to be (Hardin, 2008, p. 150).

o If the goal is to have children take responsibility for their behaviors, teachers must allow
students to make decisions about what is right and wrong. (Hardin, 2008, p. 143)
o "I would caution student teachers to always be flexible with kids, but not to leave them
with no structure, because many times we are the only structure these kids have." Kouzes
and Postner
o "It is significant to realize that the most creative environments in our society are not the
ever-changing ones. The artist's studio, the researcher's laboratory, the scholar's library
are each kept deliberately simple so as to support the complexities of the work in
progress. They are deliberately kept predictable so the unpredictable can happen." Lucy
Calkins
o "The schools schedule is a series of units of time; the clock is king." Theodore Sizer
o '"The number one problem in the classrooms is not discipline; it is lack of authentic
learning tasks, procedures and routines." Harry Wong
o "Schools should look behind classroom doors and determine the factors that contribute to
the kinds of interactions between teachers and students that promote student
achievement." James Heckman
o "A teacher should not give praise such as, "Great job writing in your neatest
handwriting!" It would be more effective for them to encourage the student instead
by saying, "I really want to challenge everyone to write in their neatest handwriting!"
Rudoplh Dreikurs

o "Behavior problems can be prevented if you avoid criticizing the

student and you try to understand their feelings." Haim Ginott

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