Classroom Management Philosophy

I define classroom management as a personalized system that a teacher uses to

keep the classroom and students organized so that effective learning can occur. This
involves making sure the students are on task, all materials are prepared, the
environment is safe and organized, and much more. The purpose of classroom
management is to make the lessons and classroom environment in general run as
smoothly as possible so that maximum learning can take place. For example, in the
Jones Model, it states that 50% of instructional time is lost because students are off task
or otherwise disturbing others. The purpose of classroom management is to make sure
this doesn’t happen. Another purpose would be to clearly identify what the behavioral
and academic expectations are for the class. It is important to make sure that the
expectations are communicated with the students so that good and bad consequences
can be put in place and followed.
The classroom culture in my class will be strict but flexible. I will base my
culture off of the Glasser Choice Model in the aspects that the student should hold
responsibility, they must acknowledge their choices, and they can control their behavior.
I agree with these aspects of the model, but I do not agree with the aspect that teachers
who truly care about their students accept no excuses for bad behavior. This is where
the flexible part of my classroom culture will come in. I think that students should have
consequences for their mistakes, but they should also be given the chance to make a
mistake and to not be scared of making mistakes in the classroom. Sometimes there is
a deeper issue when bad behavior occurs. I do not think it makes someone a bad
teacher if they take that into consideration. I want my classroom culture to be a place
where students know and follow the rules but they are also comfortable in the
classroom, and we can work together to get to the desired behavior of the students. My
classroom culture should also be smooth running. The students should be able to work
on their work without disruptions for behavior correction. I will watch all of the students
in the class, smoothly correct bad behavior subtly when they occur, keep the lesson on
task at all times, and keep the students busy. I agree that these are all aspects that are
important in the classroom, but I think once you are an experienced teacher you learn to
do all of these things at once. I think some of them mesh together and they don’t all
need to be separate steps as the Kounin model suggests.
With my current knowledge on child development, I know that children develop at
certain rates cognitively and kinetically. In this aspect, I would follow after the Curwin
and Mendler model. I think it’s important to provide instruction at levels that match
student ability and listen to what the students are thinking and feeling so that they feel
important and understood. It is a learning process for them, you can not punish students
for not being able to complete a task that they may not be developmentally ready for
yet. This is why I want my classroom to be flexible and have a general sense of
understanding.
I will encourage my students to be responsible in the aspect that they take
accountability for their actions. I will define and promote a general sense of respect
between the students and me so that we can interact in an appropriate manner. I will
highly encourage my students to always be honest about their actions, concerns,
problems, and anything else so that we can work through anything affecting them. I will
also encourage my students to be driven, they need to know the boundaries of when its
okay to goof off and when it’s time to get down to work in the classroom. This way we
can achieve the maximum amount of academic performance. As the teacher, I will
accept the role a role model for the students every day in the classroom, as according
to Ginott. I will also establish a relationship in the atmosphere of openness and trust
with the students like Gordon recommended. I will be firm in my expectations
behaviorally and academically with the students, but I will also have a sense of
understanding when needed. The student's role in the classroom will be to always follow
the class rules and expectations to the best of their ability. They should know the
difference between when it’s work time and play time. They should always be open and
honest with the teacher and never afraid to make mistakes and better themselves.
I believe a good classroom management system is important for all teachers to
have so that the students know what is expected of the behaviorally and academically
because all classroom cultures are different. Having a good classroom management
system will help me stay on task, get the most out of my instruction time academically,
and have systems put in place for the consequences when students misbehave or
display outstandingly good behaviors.