Cole Eder

Professor McAllister
ED 327
23 March 2022
Classroom Management Plan

Vision for my Future Classroom:

When I think about my future classroom, I see a space that makes room for everyone;

their identities, their beliefs, and their areas for growth. A massive part of what I believe about

classroom management is that students need to feel comfortable within the classroom in order to

essentially buy-in to the learning experience and truly engage with materials. Underlying all of

my goals for my future classroom, therefore, is a focus on identity affirming practices.

What I hope comes across through this plan is an emphasis on allowing students to be

social and have the opportunity to interact with students from a wealth of different backgrounds.

I know I will have students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different areas of the

district, and possibly different countries and/or native languages, so having as many

opportunities for students to interact with those different perspectives is something that I hold to

be one of the most important things moving forward. Especially as a social studies teacher,

having a social, diverse classroom will provide me with a repository of cultural knowledge that

will not only help me be a better teacher, but will help students learn to become global citizens

and converse with a multitude of ideas.

Beneath the firm foundation of identity affirmation lies a basic goal of respect. The goal,

of course, is for this respect to be mutual. With that being said, I believe the classroom is a

pathway to developing that respect, so while it may not be there right at the start, everyone will

be involved in a process of becoming respectful through the interactions they have in class. My

goal is to have a classroom full of respectful behavior and conversation, but these things require

a respectful understanding of everyone in the room. This is part of why I believe so strongly in
making sure everyone feels as though their identity is seen and affirmed in the classroom. These

ideas are all in the process of becoming, and I think respect and affirmation in the classroom, as

they build and develop, will help each other grow more and more as the year progresses. With all

of this in mind, practice is key. While content is important to the students’ days at school, they

need the time to practice these social skills as they prepare to move forward in their lives.

Because of this, one of my goals is to implement this kind of practice into the activities students

do in my classroom.

There is an elephant in the room as someone going into social studies education that I

think needs to be addressed with regard to classroom management. The obstacle of eurocentric

textbooks and lessons is one that desperately needs to be overcome in order for more students to

feel seen in the classroom and become more engaged in what they are learning. For me, my goal

to overcome this obstacle means turning away from “great man” history and instead look to the

students I have in class to inform what things are discussed and how that discussion happens. I

think it is both a goal of mine and a responsibility to learn more about my students to get a

feeling for what matters to them and to see how I can work those things into my own instruction.

Overall, my goals for a positive learning community ultimately revolve around giving

students agency in their learning through honest and open discussion and identity affirming

practices. Throughout everything that I do, I want students to be able to interact with one another

and share their perspectives in order to develop into global citizens for an increasingly global

world. This respect goes both ways. As an educator, I need to model those behaviors and show

that level of respect and understanding for all students in order to help them develop those skills.

If there are problems in the classroom, it is important that I ask myself if there is something more

I could do to help rather than placing blame on the student without any kind of reflection.
Beliefs and Philosophical Foundations:

My beliefs that form the basis of my goals for classroom management stem from theories

surrounding social learning and the needs of students. Vygotsky’s ideas of social constructivism

as well as Erikson’s stages of development and Gardner’s multiple intelligences are all critical

components that have informed my beliefs about education and how a classroom should be

structured. Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory claims that knowledge is socially constructed

when students are able to interact with peers and educators through everyday conversation, both

formal and informal. With this theory in mind, I believe that students should be allowed ample

time to socialize with their peers and that the classroom environment should be organized in such

a way that social interaction is encouraged. This would mean that students are organized into

groups not only for activities in class but also when they are seated in class on a regular basis.

Vygotsky’s idea of the Zone of Proximal development is also critical to this approach. By being

arranged in groups, students will have an increased chance of interacting with a more

knowledgeable other that is different from me, the educator. This will promote student

interaction amongst themselves and will be a pathway toward sharing their different life

experiences as a way to increase learning and engagement, as learning becomes focused on a

“support network” of “additional source[s]” (Larson, 2017, p. 33).

Another critical theory that informs my beliefs in Erikson’s theory of stage development.

Students that I will be working with in my career will be at a very important stage in this theory:

identity versus role confusion. Because students at this stage will be moving through “a series of

identity crises … tied to self concept” in order to figure out what they believe, having a

classroom that promotes a multitude of perspectives and ideas will allow students to think

critically about the kind of person they want to be (Larson, 2017, p.31). This stage of Erikson’s
theory is also why I believe in identity affirming practices. Students need to feel as though the

identities they are taking on are validated within both the interactions they have in class with

students and educators, but also through the content being taught as well. For example, if a

student is exploring their racial identity and I as an educator avoid discussing prominent voices

from that group, the student will feel as though their identity has been invalidated and silenced,

and will be less likely to engage with the lesson.

Another theory that I believe strongly influences my beliefs is Gardner’s multiple

intelligences theory. Society at large “tends to value linguistic skills … and logical-mathematical

skills,” and schools are no exception to this rule (Larson, 2017, p. 34). While this may be a

dominant way of thinking within the school at large, I want my students to be able to express

their learning in a way that will fit their strengths by providing “a variety of activities that focus

on one or more intelligences” in order to not limit the ways in which students think about the

world (Larson, 2017, p. 35). Additionally, this theory supports student engagement by giving

students multiple pathways to success embedded within an activity. Many intelligences can be

utilized within a lesson, and each can be practiced, but more students will show success rather

than only those with strengths in linguistics and mathematics.

The philosophical foundations for my beliefs are centered around social learning and

knowing a student’s full context. In many ways, these theories relate to my experience training in

anthropology; I have come to greatly value the influences of culture on daily life and beliefs,

making me tend to prioritize these ideas in education. A student is more than what they show in

the classroom, and approaching students in a more holistic way can allow educators to become

better at teaching, but it can also help students become teachers for their peers as they share

experience and cultural knowledge to others without such experience.

Challenging Learning Environment:

To meet students’ academic needs, instruction needs to be focused on the students. This

means that a majority of my instruction will rely on social learning strategies such as cooperative

learning as a means of utilizing each student’s diverse backgrounds for the betterment of

everyone in the classroom. Additionally, I will encourage students to reflect on their experiences

in the classroom both as a way to guide my lesson and as a way to show their own understanding

and perspectives on topics discussed in class.

Cooperative learning fits with my own beliefs about instruction and has research backing

it to show its effectiveness in the classroom. Utilizing small, heterogeneous groups “encourages

students to work together and to more actively participate” (Larson, 2017, p. 198). Not only will

working with these groups meet a developmental need for social interaction, it will also give a

chance for students to voice their ideas more frequently as opposed to whole group discussions

where limited time means not all students will have an opportunity to give their thoughts and

interact with their peers.

Cooperative learning can also help decrease competition and increase understanding

between students, especially when heterogeneous groups are used. Group members are

interdependent and, if cooperative learning is facilitated properly, will each have a role to play

that is essential to overall success (Larson, 2017, p. 203). While the set up may take some time,

the benefits are numerous and also meet a developmental need of structure and limits while still

allowing students to inquire freely. Research on cooperative learning shows that students who

“depend on each other and work together to attain group goals lead[s] to higher achievement”

(Larson, 2017, p. 199). By utilizing heterogeneous groups that include both different cultural

backgrounds and ability groups, students will be more likely to engage with one another in ways
that allow peer teaching to happen and encourage “deeper levels of understanding” for everyone

in the group (Larson, 2017, p. 204). This type of learning can be utilized for a wide range of

learning activities, meaning that students can be exposed to various styles of learning that will

allow all of their strengths to be utilized.

Beyond cooperative learning, I will create a challenging learning environment by creating

space for critical reflection, both by the students and myself. By using activities such as

journaling, discussion, and research projects (Milner et al., 2018, p. 67-68), students will be able

to reflect on their interactions with peers and their participation in class as a means of

considering how their beliefs have shaped their perspective of others and themselves (Milner et

al., 2018, p. 67). These activities allow students to think critically about their own learning and to

generate further ideas for inquiry, giving them power over their education. Not only does this

practice encourage more focus on learning in the classroom, it can also lead to students feeling

more empowered in and connected to the whole school, their community, and broader society

overall (Milner et al., 2018, p. 67).

In order to make this reflection effective, it will need to be modeled by me. I need to use

critical reflection as a way to consider how my own instruction is possibly leading to classroom

management problems and how my teaching has potential to grow and fit the needs of my

students while still focusing on their backgrounds. This process will help me make my

instruction more culturally responsive and adaptive to the feelings and concerns of the students

and their lives, especially once I lean into the experiences of my students, rather than staying in

my own comfort zone (Milner et a., 2018, p. 60-61). If I am asking my students to be open to

other perspectives, it is imperative that I do the same.

 Both cooperative learning and critical reflection provide opportunities for assessment that

go beyond a typical reading and writing exam. These methods allow students to explore ideas in

ways that interest them, rather than being forced into utilizing one predetermined pipeline of

thought. By encouraging students to explain why they think a certain way or choose a certain

topic to study can help deepen their understanding and showcase their learning. With critical

reflection and cooperative learning used together, students will have a plethora of avenues to

discuss their learning in ways that can be utilized for assessment, such as discussion, projects,

and more. These instructional strategies will provide a challenging intellectual environment

while also giving students the space to have a voice and to use their strengths to their own

benefit.
Establishing Rapport:

Establishing rapport with students is an essential part of gaining engagement and buy-in

to lessons and activities. Without trust, students will not be interested in joining the teacher on

the path to learning. I will establish rapport with students by giving them a voice in class

structure and by developing meaningful relationships with them both in the classroom and in the

wider school community.

The start of the school year is a critical time for establishing rapport with students. At this

time, I plan to work with students to set clear, high expectations that will guide us through the

class. Allowing students the opportunity to help establish rules and expectations, they will have

“greater ownership over their learning and behavior” which has been shown to lead to higher

levels of engagement (Milner et al., 2018, p. 102). Coupled with the students’ ownership of

classroom expectation will be my own persistent belief in high expectations for every student.

Milner et al. (2018, p. 107) notes how “when teachers have strong beliefs in their students and

have high expectations of them, students tend to live up to those expectations and achieve at high

levels.”

These high expectations cannot be a one-and-done deal, however. They need to be

continually referenced throughout the school year so neither students nor the teacher lose sight of

those expectations. In my observations of my cooperating mentor teacher, I have seen that she

routinely references both the expectations they had set early in the year, but also wider school

expectations that students are meant to live up to. This reminder is not done in a hostile way, but

is used as a moment for community building that avoids “becoming a personal power struggle

between the teacher and the student” and features the teacher as a “warm demander” (Milner et

al., 2018, p. 102, 111).

 Clear rules and high expectations are the foundation for positive interactions in the

classroom that help build trust. Trust is also gained through the teacher making persistent efforts

to get to know each student well throughout the school year. Trust is always in the process of

becoming, and therefore a teacher cannot stop developing those relationships once they feel they

have reached any kind of peak.

Some vital ways of showing students that their teacher cares include spending ample time

talking with students and allowing them to represent themselves in the activities they complete

for class (Milner et al., 112-113). A massive part of this comes from being involved with the

school community; attending sporting events, musical performances, or other events. My CMT

notes how she keeps track of when students have performances or games coming up, and will

take the time through the class to ask them about those experiences. This lets students know that

their teacher cares about them and values their success even beyond the classroom. Not only

does learning more about student interests and activities help develop trust, it also helps the

teacher know “how to group students” and to understand the “pressures and influences” that may

be affecting behavior in the classroom (Larson, 2017, p. 56). Establishing a continuous

development of trust, therefore, serves multiple practical purposes for educators.

Clear, high, and student-led expectations coupled with community engagement means

that students will feel as though they are being seen by those with authority. In the end, the

power difference between teachers and students is a massive obstacle to developing trust, but

these methods work to share the power between the whole community. Reducing the chance for

power struggles between students and the teacher will help diminish the chances of behavior

problems in the classroom. If conflict does occur, the foundations for a strong classroom

community mean that a resolution does not resort to exclusion from the community.
Promoting Mutual Respect Among Students:

In order to promote mutual respect among students and allow for multiple backgrounds, it

is critical that the teacher not act as an authoritarian whose own style of learning forces each

student to be stuck in the same box. Instead, the teacher needs to act as a facilitator guide for

students by modeling various styles of learning and actively promotes diverse ways of thinking

through problems (Larson, 2017, p. 41). If students are going to respect one another and their

backgrounds, it is important that I as the teacher model that behavior and help students through

that developmental process. One of the first steps in this process for me is to make sure I always

think about students as individuals rather than thinking of each class as a homogeneous unit.

When I make plans for activities that students may need to work on outside of the

classroom, it is critical that I am aware of the students’ circumstances. It would be wrong to

assume that every student has the same access to resources at home, and I need to be mindful of

those kinds of disparities in order to provide alternative pathways for students to learn the

material (Milner et al., 2018, p. 85). In order to anticipate such occasions, my CMT recognizes

that although the school provides laptops for students who do not have a personal device, internet

access at home is still a possible area of disparity. Most of the assignments she assigns to be done

outside of class are ones in which print copies of materials can be made available to students

who need them.

Another critical aspect to ensuring a variety of student backgrounds and preferences are

being met is to offer multiple pathways for engagement. Throughout a lesson, or even within an

activity if it allows, students should have the opportunity to process information through

different modalities so that multiple strengths are being utilized (Milner et al., 2018, p. 74). In

my CMT’s class, she usually combines modalities into her activities, often by allowing students
to write about something they have read while also giving time to discuss their ideas with their

peers. In addition, my CMT often utilizes dry erase boards with maps on them for students to

visualize the information they are receiving and to show their understanding through drawing

rather than only through text. When students do work together in groups, my CMT is mindful of

which students get paired together and is open to students telling her when they are comfortable

or not in a group. In both the case of group work and considering access to resources, my CMT

has conversations with students one on one in order to keep potentially sensitive issues private.

For students in class, it is important that they feel seen by the teacher; that their identity is

being validated through the content being presented. It is critical for me as an educator to

highlight relevant issues for students and discuss how events from possibly hundreds of years

ago remain important to their lives today. When students are presented with “diverse texts that

connect to how [they] see themselves,” they will be less likely to “disengage from learning or

disrupt class” (Milner et al., 2018, p. 72). Being responsive to students’ identities is a matter of

classroom management as students who feel ignored by both content and classroom practices are

more likely to engage in disruptive behaviors that a teacher is likely to then misinterpret as being

the fault of the student, rather than the fault of a disconnect between the teacher and the student.

Students also need to feel seen by each other, meaning that it is part of my responsibility

to facilitate opportunities for students to engage with each other in meaningful ways that promote

positive relationships. One way I plan on doing this is by having students continuously ask their

peers questions and for feedback on their work. This will begin the process of creating a space

where students feel safe to ask for help and their peers will be comfortable giving that help,

rather than feeling threatened by a need to always be correct (Milner et al., 2018, p. 86). In the

cases where conflict does occur, any discipline needs to be restorative rather than punitive. If
students are having some kind of conflict, one solution is the circle process which allows

students to reflect on the values of their learning community and gives them a space to speak that

is focused on strengthening that community (Milner et al., 2018, p. 147). In this way, conflict

resolution is less about removing something from the community; it is about keeping the

foundation secure by including everyone and assuring that everyone has a place.

By providing content that contains relevant issues for students and an assurance of social

interactions, students will be able to interact more often with diverse perspectives in a positive

way that promotes mutual respect and understanding. Opening up multiple pathways to

engagement gives students with diverse strengths a chance to showcase their skills, rather than

being potentially barred from success by practices that rely mostly on linguistic or mathematical

skills. A classroom community will be built that highlights those strengths rather than leaving

students behind whose strengths have gone unnoticed and potentially ridiculed.