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PhilosophicalModel,ClassroomManagementPlan,&Discipline
JenniferPinegarM.Ed.

DevelopmentalModel
Thedevelopmental/theoreticalmodelsIadheretothemostareBandurassociallearningandVygotsky's
ecological.Thesociallearningmodelemphasizestheimportanceofteachersmodelingtostudentshowtobehave
andhowtolearn(Green&Piel,2010).AstepfurtherfromBandurassociallearningistoalsomodelhowtobe
metacognitiveaboutoneslearning.Thisshiftsfromteachersjustteachingskillstoteachingstudentstobe
strategicanddirecttheirownlearning.TheEcologicalmodelbelievesthatthesocialrealmisthekeytostudent
learning.Studentslearnbestthroughcollaborationingroupsandpairs.Furthermore,studentslearnnewskills
withchallengingcurriculumthatisjustpasttheircurrentunderstandingandwithjustenoughscaffoldingfrom
theteacher(Green&Piel,2010).
Lastly,BandurasandVygotskysmodeltiecloselytoKagans3pillarsofWinWinDiscipline.These
threepillarsareknownas:sameside,collaborativesolutions,andlearnedresponsibility(Charles,2011).With
thesethreepillarstheteacherandstudentworktogethertocreatemutuallybeneficialsolutions.Teachersmodel
howtocollaborateandhowtobehavepositively.Astimepassestheteachergraduallyreleasetheirscaffoldingas
thestudentacquiresmoreselfmanagementandsocialskillstogetalongwithothers.

DisciplineModel
MyapproachtodisciplineandcontrolwithintheclassroomfallsbetweentheGuidingModelandthe
InteractingModel.TheGuidingModeldescribestheteacherashavingahighdegreeofconcernforthestudents
feelings,thoughts,andpreferences.Havingahighconcernandemphasisonstudentinputisahugepartofmy
disciplinemodel,emphasizingtheimportanceofpositivestudentrelationshipsandhavinganempatheticear.
However,IdonotadheretotheGuidingModelsviewpointthattheteacherhaslittlecontrol.RatherIpreferthe
InteractingModelsviewpointthattheteacherandstudentsharecontrolteachersandstudentsworktogetherto
formulatemutuallyacceptablesolutions.
InmyapproachtostudentdisciplineIguidethestudentintoseeingtheproblemintheirbehaviorandto
findanappropriatesolution.Partofbeingabletoassiststudentsincomingupwiththesesolutionsisthrough
creatingatrustingandpositiverelationshipwiththemfilledwithmutualrespect.Thisisdevelopedthrough
havingalisteningear,whereteacherscanhavestudentsexpressandvalidatetheiremotions,however,guide
themtofindappropriatebehaviorstodealwiththeseemotions.Fromcreatingthispositiverelationship,students
willbeapttotrustintheteachersguidanceanddisciplinetactics.
Inessence,Ibelievestudentsgenerallywanttobehaveanddotherightthing.However,justlikeall
people,theygetfrustrated,angry,sad,andsometimestreatedunfairly.Asaresultthesestudentsactout
inappropriatelybecausetheyhavenotlearnedpositivewaystoresponsestotheseemotions.Itistheteachersjob
tolistentothestudents,showtheiremotionsarevalid,andguidethemonhowtoproblemsolveandhowtodeal
withtheseemotionsappropriatelythisincludesmodelinganappropriateresponse.

BehaviorManagement
Atthebeginningoftheyearitiscrucialtoteachproceduresandsetimportantrules.Ifirmlybelieveone
ofthebestwaystohavestudentsfollowtherulesistohavetheirinputincreatingthemandcreatingtheir
consequences.Whenstudentsareinvolvedincreatingtheclassrulesandconsequencestheyaremorelikelyto
takeownershipfortheirbehavior.Secondly,proceduresshouldbetaughtthoroughlyatthebeginning,practiced,
andreviewedperiodically.Thebestmethodtodosoistobreakitdownintosteps,checkandreflecton
understanding,andlastlytaughtvisually,orally,andkinesthetically.

Secondly,studentsneedfeedbackandlogicalconsequencesfortheirbehavior.Feedbackiscrucialfor
studentstoknowwhentheyarebehavingappropriatelyandwhentheneedtomakechanges.Oftengiving
positivefeedbackthroughcueingortheuseofproximitycaneffectivelymanagestudentbehavior(Brinkman,
Forlini,&Williams,2009).However,whenthesetoolsarenotworkingtheuseofaclipchartoraclassroom
dojowherethestudentscanmovepositivelyupandnegativelydownthroughoutthedayprovidesthemwith
feedbackandopportunitytomanagetheirbehavior.However,keytothissystemistogivequickpositively
phrasedpromptsMoveyourclipupbecauseyouhavebeenontasktheentirelesson,orMoveyourclipdown
becauseIhaveremindedyouaseveraltimesthatwhenIamtalkingyourvoiceisoff.Lastly,withtheclipchart
studentsshouldreceivelogicalrewardsandconsequences.Logicalconsequencesincludelossofprivilege,
reparation,andpositivetimeout(
Wilson,2013)
.

ClassroomFloorPlan

SupportiveLearningEnvironment
Buildingapositivelearningcommunityintheclassroomisanothercrucialelementofwhatistaughtat
thebeginningoftheyear.Studentsabilitytolearndependsoncreatingasupportiveclassroomwherestudents
canfreelyexpresstheirideas,collaborate,andsharepersonalknowledgewithanother.Creatingthislearning
communitybeginsbyteachersandstudentsbuildinghealthyrelationshipswitheachotherthatarebasedontrust
andrespect.Thisiswhygettingtoknowyouandteambuildingactivitiesarekeytostartingtheschoolyearright.
Organizingtheseatingarrangementsintogroupsandassigningweeklystudentsjobssuchasgroupleader
allowsstudentstolearntoberesponsiblecitizensoftheclassroom.Partofbuildingaclassroomcommunityis
alsosettingasetofgroundrulesforclassdiscussions,groupandpairwork,andforresolvingconflict
Communitybuildingshouldcontinuethroughouttheyear.Studentoftheweekisagreatwaytoto
continuetoleteverystudentfeellikeavaluedpartoftheircommunityastheysharetheirinterestsandverybest
workintheclass.Lastly,providestudentswithanopportunitytocelebrateandsharetheirwork(ieauthorschair)
withotherstudentsastheycompleteprojectsandassignments.

InstructionalManagement

SchoolStarts

8:35am
SelfStarters:Math,Journal,Phonics(DailyNews)8:409:05
ReviewMathandDailyNews(Phonics/fluency)
9:059:25
VocabularyInstruction
9:259:45
BasalStoryComprehensionstrategy
9:459:55

AMRecess
10:0010:15am
BasalStoryComprehensionstrategy
10:1510:35
SmallGroup/LearningCenters
10:4011:35

Lunch

11:4512:20pm

ClassSwitch(Spanish/English)
12:20
SelfStarters:Math,Journal,Phonics(DailyNews) 12:3012:55
ReviewMathandDailyNews(Phonics/fluency)
12:551:10
VocabularyInstruction
1:101:30

PMRecess
1:301:45pm
BasalStoryComprehensionstrategy
1:452:15
SmallGroup/LearningCenters
2:153:10
SchoolsOut
3:20pm

Akeypartofinstructionalmanagementisfirstasateacheristomanagetheirtimewiselyandplana
cleartimeframefortheiractivities.Everydaythelessonscheduleshouldbepostedontheboardforboththe
teacherandthestudentstofollow.Teacherscankeepstudentsaccountabletotheschedulebysettingtimelimits
forworkusingatimerandaclock.Infactresearchhasshownthattheuseofananalogclockisthemosthelpful
inteachingstudentstomanagetheirtimebecausetheycanseethetimetheyhavestartedandthetimetheyneed
tofinish.Furthermore,studentscankeepteachersaccountableandkeepthescheduleandtimefortheteacher.

Secondly,thereneedstobesmoothtransitionsfromoneactivitytoanother.Beforetransitioningstudents
needclearinstructionfortheirexpectationsofthetransition.Thismeanstheyareexplainednotonlythe
proceduralsteps(leavetherug,sitdown,getoutyourbook,andturntopage...)butwhatitlooksandsoundslike
(quietlywalktoyourseats).Thesesmoothtransitionsaretaughtthroughexplicitexplanationsandpracticewith
students.
Lastly,akeytoinstructionalmanagementisusingthe
Big8PrinciplesofEngagement
duringalesson
(Brinkman,Forlini,&Williams,2009).Threeoftheprinciplesholdverytruetomyinstructionalphilosophy.
Thefirstistosetexpectationsbyprovidingstudentswithlearningobjectivesandpositivecuing.Providingthese
learningobjectivessetsthetoneandstartsoffthelessonright.Positivecuinggivesstudentsagentlerreminderof
yourexpectationsandmaintainsanupliftingclassroomenvironment.Secondly,teachersneedtocarefullytask
theirlessons.Thismeanshavingkeypointsplannedsothatimportantkeypointsareaddressedinthelessonand
questionsareshapedsothattheyhighlightthesepoints.Taskingalsoincludeshowstudentswillbeinvolvedin
lessondiscussions(pairshare,smallgroup,orwholegroup)taskingwiselycanaidtheteachertoobtainthe
lessonobjectivewhilekeepingthestudentsengaged.

ClassroomSafetyandWellness
Itiscrucialthatallstudentsfeelphysicallyandemotionallysafe.Thisiswhycreatingandkeeping
classroomrulesiscrucialforcreatingasafeclassroom.Asaclasstheserulesshouldbeformulated,allowing
studentstoworkingroupstocreateskitsorpostersthatmodelcollaborationbehavior.Secondly,implementation
ofschoolwidecommunityrulesisagreatwaytoensurestudentsafety.Schoolsincludeconflictprevention
proceduressuchasKYHFOOTYaswellasconflictresolutionproceduresofStop,walk,andtalk.Ifstudents
stillrefusetofollowtherulesafterbeingtaughttheseprocedures,thenparents,teachers,andstaffneedto
collaborateonasolutiontoensurethesafetyofall.Thismayentailcreatingalternativeseatingarrangementsand
recessschedules.Furthermore,behavioralplanswithclearconsequences,rewards,anddailyfeedbackarehelpful
inallowingstudentstomanagetheirbehavior.
Studentwellnessisneededforallstudentstolearn.Inthebook:
Teasing,Tattling,Defianceandmore
,
theauthorexplainsthatstudentsmisbehavebecausetheirneedsarenotbeingmet(
Wilson,2013)
.Theseneeds
include:basic,socialemotional,academic,anddevelopmental.Teachersneedabouttheirstudentslives:home,
academic,social,andemotional.Inthiswayteacherscanensurestudentsneedsarebeingmet.Addressingthese
issues(i.e.providingsnacks)canensurethewellnessofthetargetstudent,aswellasthesafetyofotherstudents
whoareaffectedwhenthetargetstudentmisbehaves.
Lastly,itisateachersresponsibilitytobewatchfulofstudents,lookingforanysignsofneeding
additionalassistance.Teachersarewithstudentsonadailybasisandtherefore
areinagreatpositionto
make
observationsandreportsignsofneglectandabuse.

InteractiveCommunity:Parents,Colleagues,andStudents
Achildseducationisvitallyaffectedbythequalityandcharacteroftherelationshipbetweenhomeand
school.Parents,teachers,facultyandthecommunityarekeypartnershipstoeducatingchildren.Reflectively,
effortswillbemadetohaveopenandpositivecommunicationbetweenallpartiesinvolvedinthestudentssocial,
emotional,andacademicdevelopment.Frequentletters,emails,andnewsletterswillbesenthomeinforming
parentsofclassroomcurriculumandupcomingevents.Anopeninvitationforparentstobecomeinvolvedinthe
classroomeitherthroughteachersupportoreventoaddtoourclasscurriculumthroughteachingalesson.
Parentsliketobeupdatedontheirchildsprogresswantingtoknowthetheirprogressandneeds.Itisagoalto
sendstudentupdates(besidesreportcards)hometoparents.ClassDojo,isaquickaneasywaytokeepparents
apprisedofhowtheirchildisdoing.Lastly,itismygoaltoworkcloselywithparentsandcolleaguesasateam
onimprovingstudentacademics.Providingaworkshopwhereparentscancometolearnhowtheycanaidtheir

studentsintheirschoolwork.Furthermore,asateacherIwanttobeinvolvedintheschoolsinitiativesto
improvestudentlearning.

Summary
Thefoundationofthisclassroommanagementplanisfoundedbythedevelopmentaltheoristsof
Bandura,VygotskyandKagan(Charles,2011Green,&Piel,2010).Thesethreedevelopmentalmodels
combinedinterweavetheuseofmodeling,collaboration,andscaffoldingwithinthesocialrealmtoteach
students:learningskills,behaviormanagement,andsocialskills.Furthermore,thesefoundingprinciplesareseen
throughoutthisclassroommanagementplan:instructional,classroom,andbehaviormanagement.Sincethis
managementplanpositionslearninginthesocialrealm,itfurtheremphasizestheneedforcollaborationandthe
maintenanceofapositivelearningenvironmentwithastrongsupportivecommunity.Thispositivelearning
environmentismaintainedthroughtheteachersapproachtodiscipline.Asaresultthedisciplinemodelofthis
managementplanisacombinationoftheguidingandinteractingmodel.Furthermore,theplanusestheideasof
Wilson(2013),withtheawarenessthatmeetingstudentsbasicneedswillmaintainapositiveenvironmentand
usingnaturalconsequencestomaintaindiscipline.Lastly,thisclassroommanagementplanusesthe
Big8
principlesofEngagement
asaninstructionaltechniquethatpositivelyreinforcesbehavioralandlearning
expectationsproperuseoftheseprincipalskeepstudentsengagedandminimizestheneedfordiscipline
(Brinkman,Forlini,&Williams,2009).

References

Charles,C.M.(2011).
Buildingclassroomdiscipline(
11t
h
ed.)
.
Boston,MA:PearsonEducationInc.

Brinkman,A.,Forlini,G.,&Williams,E.(2009).
Helpteachersengagestudents:Actiontoolsfor
administrators
.NewYork,NY:Routledge
.
Green,M.,&Piel,J.A.(2010).
Theoriesofhumandevelopment:Acomparativeapproach(2nded.)
.
Boston,MA:Allyn&Bacon.
Wilson,M.B.(2013).
Teasing,tattling,defianceandmore
TurnersFalls,MA.Northeast
FoundationforChildren.