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Kevin Hoang

EDSC 440S – General Pedagogy in Secondary Schools

Dr. Josephine Pham

December 22, 2019

Classroom Community Plan Rationale

Part III: Rationale to Dr. Pham

1. Explain how you will communicate your classroom community plan to students and

families.

My classroom community plan will be communicated to students through multiple

modalities: in-person (during the first week of class and during Back to School night for the

parents), written in my syllabus, online (on my personal teacher website, on my faculty page bio

on the school’s website, and on my Google Classroom page for each class), and in-class

throughout the semester whenever necessary.

My classroom community plan will also be communicated to parents in-person, during

Back to School night, and in written form on my syllabus, which students will be tasked with

bringing to their parents to have signed during the first week of classes. Parents will also be

given links to the online sites where my syllabus will be posted.

2. Explain design of Classroom Community Plan for all subsections in Part 1 and

Subsection #3 and #5 in Part II.

(Part 1, Subsection A) The physical layout of this classroom encourages an equitable and

inclusive classroom by offering multiple modalities of representation, expression, and

engagement through its emphasis on multimedia presentation and small group discussion
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through which students can access content and express their understanding through multiple

modalities in order to better engage them in the content of the class. Furthermore, by keeping

students organized in small groups, it encourages inclusivity by creating a positive classroom

environment in which students can collaborative with each other and develop their voices as

scholars and learners.

(Part 1, Subsection B.1) The positively stated expectations call for students to respect

each other and themselves, two qualities that inevitably will lead towards a just and equitable

classroom. They encourage students to develop their own voices and to make sure that their

peers can have the chance to develop their voices themselves. They cast students as active

participants in the classroom, and not as passive observers or receivers of knowledge and

content.

(Part 1, Subsection B.2) In order to make sure that students meet these expectations, the

expected discipline is to simply pause class, without a major disruption like assigning detentions

or referrals, acknowledge the behavior that is being disruptive, and asking students to correct

their behavior to better respect their teacher and peers. This serves as a check to disruptive

students and as a reminder to the class as a whole about the classroom expectations; it also

makes students who are being disrupted, distracted, or disrespected by this behavior feel

affirmed, by acknowledging that their good behavior and engagement are not being respected as

they should be. Using a class-wide lunch-time detention means that students will learn to check

each other’s behavior, particularly if given warnings, and alleviates the concern of individual

punishments causing complaints like “Why me? _______ is talking too!”. Discussions with the

home and bringing in official administrative punishments is seen as the last resort for students

who continue to be disruptive and disrespectful; the ideal is for my classroom to be a self-
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sustaining learning community that does not need to resort to outside pressures and authority in

order to maintain proper behavior.

(Part 1, Subsection B.3) This plan removes the pressure of having to enforce a strict, by-

the-bell tardy policy on the teachers. Being less strict on the opening minute of class prevents the

constant fights over the bell that being strict would create and creates a more equitable and

inclusive environment for students who may struggle to arrive to class perfectly on time.

Because the teacher will not have to strictly and mercilessly enforce tardy policies for only a

minute’s worth of time, the classroom will be more of a positive environment and will reduce the

chance of students being hostile or disengaged from the very beginning of class.

(Part 1, Subsection B.4) Collecting work in a central location away from the teacher’s

main desk alleviates pressure on the teacher over a prolonged school year by allowing the

teacher to keep their personal desk organized and by allowing the teacher to not have to

manually handle hundreds of papers on a daily basis. Having students collect work at their

groups also allows students to assume leadership roles at their table and use their energy as an

asset by moving about the classroom. Having student volunteers return work, likewise, utilizes

high-energy students as assets and leaders in the classroom, and also alleviates the need for

teachers to have to return work themselves.

(Part 1, Subsection B.5) Accepting late work at a grade penalty encourages students to

still complete their work even if they have missed the initial due date. Assignments and

assessments should be assigned because they can teach something to students or develop a

school; therefore, completing assignments and assessments should, by definition, be a positive to

the development of students. This means that encouraging students to complete assignments

should be a priority over punishing students for not completing their work perfectly on time.
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Forgiveness and understanding will create a positive classroom environment and encourage more

responsible scholars.

(Part 1, Subsection C.1) Beginning each class with a call-and-response greeting routine

establishes a positive classroom environment, establishes an expectation for a respectful and

polite environment, and reminds students that everyone has a voice and that they will be

expected to be active and engaged participants in the classroom. Ending each class with a similar

dismissal acts as a sign to students that the class has completed and that they will be able to pack

up their things. Students will inevitably begin packing up their things in response to the bell, and

trying to make a habit of finishing class a minute or two early removes this distraction and

prevents the teacher from feeling disrespected by students packing up their things. In cases

where the teacher has to teach until or after the bell, establishing this expectation will also help

prevent students from packing up or standing up in response to the bell, and instead will develop

a habit in them of waiting for the teacher.

(Part 1, Subsection C.2) Having students perform their groupwork in pre-assigned and

pre-seated table groups builds a positive and inclusive environment because students will be

intimately familiar with their partners and thus be comfortable in working with each other.

Because assigned seats will be periodically shifted, students will gradually build a familiarity

with all of their fellow students around the classroom, thus building a very comfortable, positive,

and inclusive environment for all the students.

(Part 1, Subsection C.3) Teacher will be available to help students, answer questions, and

receive tutoring during lunchtime and after-school. This will allow teacher to talk to students

individually in order to learn about their needs and make adjustments and accommodations for

whatever is necessary, thereby creating an equitable and inclusive environment.

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(Part 2, Subsection 3) Students will, of course, be reading a variety of texts, in novel,

dramatic, short story, and poetic form. These texts will be accompanied by films, videos,

performances, and images in order to allow students to access content in different modalities and

to build a more inclusive environment that supports all types of students. Their assignments,

likewise, will consist of both formal written and spoken essays, paragraphs, and presentations, in

addition to more creative and multimedia/multidisciplinary assignments such as posters, creative

writing, and performances. This will allow students to express their understanding and to engage

with content in different modalities, as according to UDL principles.

(Part 2, Subsection 5) I will be available by e-mail to my students and their

parents/guardians, and therefore will check my e-mail regularly. Appointments will be able to be

made if in-person or over-the-phone conversations are preferred. I will make clear to my students

and to their parents/guardians that I will check my e-mail as the very first and last things I will

do to start and end my workdays at school, and will likely check my e-mail periodically at home

at night (and will check my e-mail at home more often when larger assignments are due). This

will allow them to communicate with me both in-person and over e-mail, in whichever way suits

them the best, and will thus allow me to remain in contact with my students and their families.