Classroom Management Plan

Classroom Arrangement

Classroom Arrangement Rationale

My room will be arranged around the marker board / projector board at the front of the
classroom. Each of the students’ table / desk chairs can easily be turned to face the screen
when doing work at the front of the classroom. It is important that none of my students will have
their back to the screen.

The teacher desk is at the front of the room, facing the students. With my desk in the front of the
room, students will know that I am always available to help as well as allow me to be more
readily available. I will also be near the supply cart, materials, and mailboxes to monitor these
areas since they are shared amongst all students in the classroom. The area of the mailboxes is
also a place where students will be handing in assignments.

The student storage cubbies and closet area is the place where students will leave their
materials such as notebooks, folders, books, pencil boxes, etc. This will give more space on
student tables to work individually as well as with peers.

I prefer students to be at tables rather than desks because it facilitates cooperation more than
an individual desk might. However, if the classroom that I am in does not have tables, I will still
set up my classroom into pods, similar to what I have drawn out above. The tables will be
spaced in the room with enough space to walk in between and maneuver around. I also have a
few flex seating options for students who need to work away from tablemates for a time being.
This allows students to have space to calm down when agitated or a place to work quietly when
their peers are frustrating them. Flex seating around the classroom is also for students who
choose to work independently during different times of the day. It is important that students
understand when they are allowed to work at flex seating and when it is necessary for them to
work with their tablemates.

In the back corner, I will have our classroom library. It is important for the library space to be a
quieter area and cozier. I will have a small rug and some cushions or small bean bags for
students to get comfy reading in the library. This is to encourage comfortable reading time within
the classroom.

The walls around my classroom will have class posters to aid learning such as an alphabet wall,
word work wall (with all the vocabulary words we are learning), student/class-made posters, and
student work. It is important to display student work within the classroom to foster confidence
and pride in their work.

Classroom Management Plan

A teacher’s philosophy of education influences nearly every decision they make about
classroom management. A few of my priorities as a teacher dictate how I approach maintaining
a learning atmosphere in the classroom. Below are are my priorities as a teacher in a
classroom:

I want students to understand and discover their abilities. This means students get
consistent encouragement from me. I will praise the positives rather than focusing on all of the
negatives. In other words, the positive behavior gets more attention than the negative behavior.

I want students to learn skills relevant to their lives. This means I will provide meaningful
lessons that connect to students’ personal lives and experiences. I will show students how the
activities and assignments provided improve their lives.
I want students to see the good in other students. This means that students will learn their
responsibility in our community of learners. Students will learn that their actions affect everyone
around them. Students will learn to build up others around them so they, too, can benefit from
learning.

These simple guidelines will be emphasized at the very beginning of the school year and
reviewed often throughout the school year. They will also be on a large classroom poster at the
front of the classroom. Below are the standards students will strive to reach each day in my
classroom:

Our Learning Community Rules

1. You CAN do this.
2. Do your very BEST.
3. HELP your neighbor.

I will take several steps to practice and maintain a positive learning environment before moving
onto consequences for poor behavior. Below are the steps I will take:

Step 1: Narrate the room.

I will narrate the room to acknowledge the positive and desired behavior in the classroom. I will
state my observations aloud focusing on students who are following our learning standards well
and to remind others to do what is expected. This might look like, “Kay is working hard and
taking her time on her letters,” or “Billy and Haley are finished so they are helping their friends at
their table.”

Step 2: Personal reminder.

When these standards are not followed, I will verbally remind students of the appropriate
behaviors to help make our classroom a community of learners. I may also use a nonverbal
reminder such as close proximity or gently tapping on their table to remind them of the expected
actions based on Our Learning Community Rules.

Step 3: Personal behavior conversation.

I will have a conversation with the student to discuss the problematic behaviors and how it takes
away from their own learning experience as well as their peers’ learning experiences. We will
discuss what might be causing the problem and brainstorm some possible steps to take away or
ignore the possible cause(s). We may also discuss a “secret” sign or a code word that I can give
the student as a reminder to follow the expected behaviors. At this step, I will also have a short
conversation with parent(s) about their child’s behavior and what we are trying to do to get them
back on track.

Classroom Consequences
If I have moved through the first three steps of my classroom management plan with a student
and the behavior persists, I will move onto the following stages of classroom consequences.
Step 4: Personal hallway conversation.
If the student continues to behave poorly, I will ask the student to discuss the situation in the
hallway with myself. At the next opportunity I have, I will talk with the student about the causes
of the behavior and what we can do together to help them follow the expected behaviors within
our classroom. I will invite the student to join the class again when they are ready to follow our
classroom community guidelines.

Step 5: Losing privileges.

If the behavior persists after the hallway conversation, the student will begin to miss out on
classroom privileges. This may be losing free-time, losing flex seating, losing the chance to sit
on the floor with the class (must stay at table spot), or losing recess time. Of course, this
depends on the severity of the behavior and what the student will respond to.

Step 6: District discipline.

If the behavior persists, I will either enforce the district’s policy for problematic behavior or send
the student to the principal’s office where the district’s discipline system will determine the
consequence.