Caitlin Podratz

EDFN 440
April 11, 2021

Classroom Management Key Components

Area #1: Procedures/Structures/Routines
● Beginning Routine/Start of Class- Students will hang up their coats and backpacks
in the designated area. They will find their lunch cards then find their seat so they
are ready to start class.
● Quiet/Attention Signals-To get students attention, I will clap a rhythm and students
will repeat the rhythm. I will create additional rhythms if they are still needed to quiet
down the class.
● Physical Transitions (groups, pairs, labs, activities, carpet)- I will have students
transition by calling on tables or individuals to have students move. Partners will be
chosen in a variety of ways including: table partners, picking sticks, teacher chosen
partners, and student chosen partners.
● Dismissal or Lining Up- Students will be dismissed by my approval. I may do this by
individuals who are ready to go (in their seats, with things put away, being quiet,
etc.), by tables, or by having students answer review questions that I ask (practicing
math facts, reviewing activities from the day, etc.).
● Non-Verbal Cues (visuals, hand gestures, music)-Some non-verbal cues that I plan
to implement include: when lights go off, everybody freezes, thumbs up for ‘yes’,
thumbs down for ‘no’, and the sign language bathroom signal. The children in my
student teaching placement all have learned the bathroom signal and this cuts down
on a lot of our verbal communication and interruptions throughout the day.
● Giving Directions-Directions will typically be given verbally and include reminders on
the board. Directions will be gone through thoroughly then include a short recap
before dismissing students to start on their tasks. Before dismissing students, I ask
if there are any parts of the directions that need clarity and if every student knows
what they need to work on.
● Checking for Understanding-I always ask students if they have any questions before
dismissing them to a task. Along with this, I frequently will call on students to ask
them what activity they will be completing during their independent work time. Along
with this, I often go throughout the room to see what students are working on and if
they need help or have questions.
● Holding Ground/No Arguing-I thought our book provided many good tips for holding
our ground and saying no. One thing that stood out to me was on page 68. It said
 “most of the time, teachers don’t need to explain why they are holding their ground
with their students (Smith et. al. 2016).” Something else that stood out from the text
was having students find a later time to discuss the problem. The text suggested
having students meet with you after school or at lunch. By doing this, you are
putting the responsibility on the students and making them accountable for their
actions.
● Raising Hands to Speak-This is something that I think is so important, especially in
the lower elementary grades. I find myself continually reminding students to raise
their hands if they would like to answer a question or have something to say. If
students start blurting, I remind them that they need to raise their hand before they
can speak. I will then call on them if there is no one else waiting to share, or make
them listen to other students' perspectives before sharing themselves.

Our text was chock full of helpful information about teaching procedures. As a new teacher,
I plan to keep this information nearby as I am working on procedures in my classroom.
Something that the book mentioned, which I think is very important to keep in mind is that
“spending time on procedures in the classroom not only makes the classroom environment
run more smoothly, but also actually facilitates teaching content (Smith et. al. 2016).” When
teaching procedures, it is critical that students are involved in the process. The more that
students are actually able to practice, the more likely they are to remember them. One way
that this can be done is by following the “I do, we do, you do” model. First, the teacher
demonstrates whatever they are trying to implement. Next, students are able to practice
with the help and guidance of the teacher. Finally, students are tasked with practicing the
procedure on their own. One important thing to note is that procedures should be
presented in multiple formats (audio, visuals, hands-on components) and revisited
frequently.

Area #2: Engagement & Participation

● Variety (three or more activities per hour)-Giving students options helps to prevent
students from getting bored and becoming off task. There are multiple approaches
to having variety. One thing that has worked in my student teaching placement is
giving students a choice of tasks to be completed throughout the specified time
during the week. For example, our students have a list of activities that need to be
completed at any point during independent reading time throughout the week. This
allows them to choose what they are most interested in at the time and keeps them
more engaged.
● Collaboration (Students Talking/Peer Discussions)-I have noticed that when
students are able to collaborate they are often more excited and engaged in their
 learning. Along with this, it is important that students know how to work within a
group and listen to others thoughts and ideas.
● Movement (two or more times per hour)-Movement is a key component of learning.
Kids (and adults) need to move to refocus their brains. Activities that include
movement are more likely to be remembered than those where a student is
expected to sit still.
● Total Participation (all students think, write, share, or answer simultaneously)-The
text provided many different ways to achieve total participation. One of the things
they suggested was having students use whiteboards to answer the teacher. This is
something that I frequently do with my second graders. They love interacting in this
format and I am quickly able to see who is understanding the concept and who will
need additional help. Another strategy that the text mentioned was eight raised
hands. The concept here is that eight (or a number that works well for your class)
hands need to be raised before the teacher will start calling on people to answer. By
doing this, more students become engaged in the lesson. This is a strategy that I
would like to try out in my own classroom. I often call on the first few students who
raise their hands, which is typically the same three to five students. The eight raised
hands would increase interaction throughout the class.
● Rigor (higher order thinking and tasks required)-I believe it is important to
differentiate our tasks to meet the needs of each child. Some children are ready for
more rigorous tasks, while others will need the task simplified for them to
understand. While this is the case, I think that all children are capable of higher
order thinking (although it may take some time to build them up to that point.
● Instruction (explain, model, guided practice, independent practice)- I really like the “I
do, we do, you do” approach in teaching. In this approach, I am able to explain the
new content to students and give them examples of how to apply it. After
explanation, students are able to practice with assistance from me. Finally, students
are able to practice on their own. As they are practicing, I can circulate throughout
the room to see which students may need additional help.
● Questioning/Probing-Students should be asked more than just ‘yes’ or ‘no’
questions. Along with this, they should be asked why they think what they think. I
also believe that we need to encourage students to start asking questions.
● Group Work (roles and productivity)-I believe each student should have a section of
the work that they are responsible for. This holds each group member accountable. I
also believe that group work can be started at a very young age through small
projects and activities.

It is important to keep lessons engaging to keep students excited to learn and to help them
retain information. One thing that I would really like to work on from this section of
classroom management is increasing participation. I often find myself calling on the same
students to answer (the ones who always raise their hands), and as a result am not able to
gauge what other students are comprehending during lessons.

Area #3: Rapport/Connection

● Teacher Warmth/Friendliness/Approachability-Teacher approachability is key to
student success. Students need to feel safe and supported to thrive in their
environment. I believe this starts right away by the teacher making connections with
each child and building on these connections throughout the year.
● Teacher Enthusiasm/Energy/Excitement/Joy-If a teacher isn’t excited about what
they are teaching, the students surely won’t be excited to learn the content. It is
critical that we find ways to engage the learners in the content we have.
● Teacher Humor/Laughter-Laughter is contagious! Have fun in the classroom.
● Teacher Knowledge of individual students’ interests-It is so important that we get to
know our students and take an interest in their interest. Supporting students at
extracurricular events can show them that you are invested in them and their
interests. In the classroom, teachers can have students fill out interest surveys.
They can use this information to connect with students about things that interest
them.
● Teacher Respect and Appreciation for students-Respect is a two way street.
Showing respect towards students will help the students respect you as their
teacher. Show/tell them things you appreciate about them and what they are doing.
This will help them feel like they are a valued member of the classroom community.
● Teacher Encouragement of students-We need to be our students biggest
cheerleaders! We may not always know what is going on at home/outside of school.
Encouraging our students is a great way to continue to build our relationships and
show them that we care.
● Teacher sensitivity to student cultures and backgrounds-No two students are
the same. As educators, it is our job to learn about each of the students in our
classroom including their culture and background. The best way to do this is
by talking directly with the student and their family about what is important to
them.

I think my favorite part of being a teacher is getting to know each of the children in
my classroom and finding ways to connect with them. Each child is so unique and
has so much to offer to our classroom community. One area that I would like to work
more on is learning more about students' cultures and backgrounds. I think this
sometimes becomes overwhelming because we don’t know what we don’t know.
We want to do what is best for each child, but it can be daunting as we are just
getting to know each child.

Area #4: Behavior Intervention/Consequences

● Regular use of gentle redirects (proximity, warnings, the look)-If there is a student
that is disrupting or doing something they aren’t supposed to be doing, I will often
move closer to them. Sometimes, I will remove an object from their area if it is
becoming a distraction. Another thing that I have found that works with my students
is calling their name and giving them a stern look.
● Consequences are reasonable and equitable-I think it is important that students
have logical consequences. Consequences that are unrelated to the situation can
lead to students being confused about their behavior and expectations.
● Consequences are given as choices (you have a choice right now...)-I often give
students a choice before they are given a consequence. One thing that I frequently
encounter is students not getting their work done. Often, I give them the choice
“either this gets done now, or you will need to do it during recess.” Of course, I am
reasonable with my expectations, but there are many students who will simply sit
when they are supposed to be working.
● Teacher uses soft eyes, soft voice during conflicts-If you as the teacher are
frustrated going into a situation, you are going to escalate the situation even more.
Sometimes it's best to take a step back from the situation and revisit it later. I find
that if I am calm, I have a much easier time calming my students down.
● Teacher is firm, but also calm and compassionate (doesn’t yell or intimidate)-As the
teacher, if you are calm, you are more likely to have calm students. It is important
not to yell or intimidate students as that can escalate the situation.
● Consistent follow through with consequences once they are earned (doesn’t make
the same request over and over)-Consistency builds a sense of security. While
students may not like that you are consistent in following through with
consequences, it will help them establish security in their classroom environment.
● Arguments/debates are delayed, done in private-Arguments and debates do not
need to be done in front of the whole class. I always try to pull students off to the
side if I have something that needs to be discussed. Similarly, if a student tries to
bring something up in the middle of class, I typically tell them that it needs to wait
until later. Our book has great information about student arguments. “One benefit of
tabling student arguments is that students will often not follow through with their
 protest, because their original concern was more of an emotional outburst than a
logical disagreement (Smith et. al. 2016).”
● Progression up the hierarchy is swift but fair-If we say we are going to move a
situation to a higher authority, this should be done in a timely manner. Students
need to see that we are consistent with what we say.

This is an area that I would like to continue improving on. Consistency in our classroom
helps students feel secure in their environment. When we are inconsistent, students get
mixed signals about what their expectations truly are. I also need to continue working on
simply saying no and not feeling the need to justify my answer to students. Hopefully as I
become more experienced, this will become an easier task.

Source:

Smith, R., & Dearborn, G. (2016). Conscious Classroom Management: Unlocking the Secrets of

Great Teaching. San Rafael, CA: Conscious Teaching Publications.

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