Claudio Terán Valdés

Pedagogical Management
Richard Allan Bair

Week 5 – My classroom management plan

 My classroom management plan

Philosophy of Management

In one or two sentences, what is my philosophy of classroom management?

My philosophy of classroom management is; being always kind, and open-minded, setting
clear rules from the beginning in order to foster an enjoyable class environment.

Behavior Expectations

What behavior do I expect from my students? How can I convey that to my student?

Students must know how to behave inside and outside the classroom, there are internal rules
in the school that students and parents are told from the beginning. Students must understand
the reason why they are at the school, and the function that we as the school community have
is to promote their understanding, knowledge and care, preparing and training them for their
future. If students are able to comprehend this, we should not have lots of cases of bad
behavior in the classrooms.

Pre-School Checklist

What things will I need to do before school begins each year/term/training?

There are several issues that we must consider before the year starts. For instance: Planning
(always key), syllabus design, planner format, the decision on which class book we will be
using during the year, worksheets, presentations and activities.

Classroom Slogan or Motto

What will it be (i.e., Respect, Cooperate, Participate)? Will I develop it on my own or ask for
student input?

Values must be fostered by teachers and students inside the classroom. In my view, respect,
honesty, tolerance, cleanliness, resilience and friendship are principles that I have  always
integrated in my practice. I believe that it is our responsibility to promote and teach these
kinds of values to our students since they are not explicit on the main curriculum.  

 Classroom Arrangement
How can I arrange my classroom most effectively (i.e., placement of desks for students and
teachers; location of bulletin boards, chalkboard, whiteboard, Smartboard, or other permanent
features)?

In my opinion, the classroom will be a kind of second home to our students. In that view, we
have to set up our teaching place in order to promote an effective learning space, it has to be
as clean and tidy as possible. Besides, students should take part in the “decoration” and
colors, considering test dates, school events and national festivities. Personally, I like having
inspirational quotes that I like changing monthly. 

Class Rules

What rules will I have to begin the school year/term? Will I ask for student input for all,
some, or none of the rules?

As I explained in question one, tudents must know how to behave inside and outside the
classroom because there are internal rules in the school that they are told to follow from the
beginning. Furthermore, promoting these rules and respecting them is key for everyone,
because rules will help us to maintain an effective environment inside the classroom. Some
basic rules are about having a proper behavior always, punctuality is key, respect among the
community, tolerance, never fight each other, never bully or abuse mentally or physically
someone, etc.        

Hierarchy or Consequences for Rule Infraction

What will I do when a student breaks a rule? Will I have a hierarchy of consequences?

There are certain protocols that we must apply if a case of rule infraction is presented. It will
depend of course, on the case, where and how it happened, etc. For instance, if a bullying
case is presented inside the classroom in front of me/us, the teacher will be responsible to
appeal for a protocol, however if this situation occurs in the bathroom, gym, or yard, the PEI
(proyecto educativo Institucional) team will carry this out as a serious case where another
kind of protocol will be implemented.   

Motivational Strategies

What strategies will I use to motivate my students? Will I rely on intrinsic or extrinsic
motivation?
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are necessary to successfully carry out a class. We
understand that all our students are different, they naturally have different ways of learning
and sometimes they lack strategies of studying or stay focused on a class, that is the main
reason why we must foster different motivational strategies like ice breakers, games, warm-
ups, etc.  

Management Procedures and Routines

What procedures will I use in my classroom (i.e., beginning the class, ending the class,
distributing materials, collecting materials and assignments, assigning student helpers or
assistants)? How often will I change the assignments?

I believe that this will depend on the place where you work and the way that teachers are
requested to address their lessons. For instance, in Cognita, the institution where I work, they
have a model which has to be implemented by all the teachers. This consists of; firstly, we
must start with a warm-up, activating previous knowledge, secondly, we present the new
content along with the objective of the class, thirdly, we present the new content, fourthly, we
show a guided practice explaining the content through examples, then students will do an
independent practice, finally we finish with an exit ticket. In cognita, this is “the” way that
teachers must carry out our work and we hardly ever are able to change it.

Instructional Planning

What lesson planning format will I use? What instructional strategies will I rely on? What
instructional techniques will I use?

Instructional planning is compulsory for us, we usually plan the year by designing a syllabus,
or sometimes we make a planner like a schedule. 

All instructional procedures must be explained at the beginning of the year and we usually
deliver copies to parents and students of our planning. 

What strategies will I use to:

 Develop a positive classroom management culture and climate: As I mentioned

before, clear rules must be implemented from the very beginning. These rules must be
fostered by teachers during the year.
 Build a community in my classroom: Students must learn to get along in the
classroom, we should promote that differences are good and normal since we are all
different. However, in order to cope as a group, all their members must think in the
course as a community.

 Communicate with parents/guardians: In the school, we have two meetings a year

with parents which are compulsory, nevertheless, if we have any urgent issue or
situation regarding their children, we will report the case immediately to their parents.

 Teach self-discipline and cooperation: This is considered as a part of the

community talk that we monthly have with our students.

 Teach rules and procedures to students: This is considered at the beginning of the
year. We present them to the parents and students as well.

 Deal with individual students and their differences: As explained before, there are
protocols that we and the PEI team can activate if any case is presented.

 Prevent discipline problems: The way we address this is by involving students in

improving their behavior by signing a letter in which they take responsibility for their
individual discipline problems. This will help to prevent future unwanted problems
with these kinds of students.

 Support my discipline program (e.g., physical proximity): We must support and

implement all the programs carried out by the school.

 Correct discipline problems (e.g., conflict resolution, zero tolerance): As it was

previously explained, the way we address this is by involving students in improving
their behavior by signing a letter in which they take responsibility for their individual
discipline problems. This will help to prevent future unwanted problems with these
kinds of students.

 Work with inclusion students in my classroom: The way we work with inclusion is
by the PEI team, they will help us carry every case out by implementing better
strategies to cope with these students that need special support. 

 Provide a safe classroom for my students and me: Absolutely, a safe classroom is
key for implementing a successful learning space for students. Everyone must be part
of this, as a community. A classroom is like a second home for students, therefore it is
our responsibility as a community to keep it clean, tidy, colorful, and updated with the
information that we consider important.