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Lillie Michael

ED327

Dr. McAllister

5 April 2023

Classroom Management Paper #2

In this paper, I will discuss my classroom management philosophy and the types of

management strategies I want to implement within my future English classroom through my own

practicum experiences and textbook research.

To me, culturally responsive teaching is creating a classroom community that is

representative of each student within the classroom. Culturally responsive teaching means taking

the time to create personal relationships with students to learn about their various cultures,

experiences, and perspectives, and incorporating that knowledge into everyday learning.

As educators, we are responsible for creating a classroom curriculum of high-engagement

and custom-fit lessons that fit students' individual needs as well as developing a curriculum that

represents worldviews and the individual backgrounds of students. In the textbook, “These Kids

Are Out of Control” by H. Richard Milner IV, Heather B. Cunningham, Lori Delale-O’Connor,

and Erika Gold Kestenberg, they state how culturally responsive approaches will “...draw them

(students) into participation instead of encouraging resistance”(Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 90-91).

I have learned through my Zionsville West Middle School (ZWest) career mentor teacher (CMT),

Kristy Pavlata, the importance of creating custom-fit lessons. For example, Pavlata has an

English as a New Language (ENL) student in one of her classes. During a test on Act II of

Romeo and Juliet, Pavlata modified the writing section of the test for this student. Pavlata gave

this student a theme and directed the student only to write five to six sentences with her ENL
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instructor. This student struggles with writing in the English language and therefore Pavlata

modified the exam to fit the academic needs of this student.

The four elements of effective instruction are the following: critical reflective practices,

high student engagement in content, building class community, and positive framing.

Critical reflective practices allow educators to engage in reflection. This is important as

“...teachers sometimes contribute unknowingly to classroom management problems, particularly

when responding to the behavior of racially, ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse

students (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 59). To avoid these issues, critical reflective practices

encourage educators to teach outside of their “cultural lenses” and adjust their actions to fit the

needs of all students.

When it comes to high-engagement lessons teachers should use “...content knowledge

and pedagogical content knowledge to select the most relevant and responsive content methods

to engage a particular group of students in learning” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 79). By utilizing

this strategy, I learned my ZWest students were highly engaged when learning through games.

Therefore, I centered two of my full lessons around games. For example, I used the online game,

Gimkit, as a way for students to review Act II of Romeo and Juliet. I noticed students were

extremely engaged while playing Gimkit, as it was a type of learning they enjoyed.

An important component of building a classroom community is establishing the

classroom as a “safe space” for learning. In the textbook, they discuss the importance of creating

a community where students can grow and learn, “Teachers can create a classroom environment

where students can become more accustomed to the cycle of making errors, getting feedback

from the teacher and peers, and continuously improving their work” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p.
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90). I want to create a classroom environment where students understand it is okay to make

mistakes, as schooling is a place of growth and learning.

Positive framing allows teachers to create learning environments that foster student

participation. One way to do this is by calling positive attention to student success both in and

outside of the classroom, “Even if students had not always been successful in the classroom,

teachers can call attention to success students have had in other areas of their lives” (Milner IV et

al., 2018, p. 84).

A warm demander means being a personable, empathetic, and supportive educator who

refuses to give up on their students, while still holding students accountable and creating

classroom expectations that will be respected and upheld, “Warm demanders give and earn

respect, providing a space for their students’ whole humanity in persistent ways every day”

(Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 111). There is no doubt students will experience good and bad days,

however, how educators approach/handle these days is what matters. The text also discussed how

when students are having bad days, rather than removing them from the classroom, warm

demanders “...appreciate students’ struggle and process, giving them the space and

encouragement to remain in the classroom community and work through it” (Milner IV et al.,

2018, p. 111). As educators, we bear the responsibility to push students beyond their comfort

zones and invite them to face challenges – all aspects of a warm-demander educator.

Restorative discipline is an approach to discipline that “...builds upon the foundational

idea that schools are places where students are expected to make errors and learn from them”

(Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 133). One method of restorative discipline is circle processes. Circle

processes gather students into a circle and allow educators to “...strengthen relationships, discuss

issues that affect school community members, or resolve interpersonal conflicts” (Milner IV et
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al., 2018, p. 138). Circle processes are a great way to bring students together and allow educators

to build a community where students can be vulnerable.

At ZWest, I have observed my CMT use the restorative discipline method of affective

language. Affective language “..expresses feelings or emotions related to specific behaviors or

actions of others” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 139). For example, in my fifth-period class, there is

one student who consistently struggles with staying on task. Therefore, instead of Pavlata using

ineffective language such as “stop it” or “knock it off,” she uses effective language such as

“(Student name) I am frustrated that you are distracting your peers from learning today. Here,

Pavlata is focusing the statement on a specific behavior (distraction) and is allowing this student

to see the consequences of the behavior (peers are off task). Pavlata also spoke to this student

privately, instead of delivering this comment in front of the entire class – all guidelines of

effective language.

Teacher-to-student relationship building is greatly impactful on student motivation, “At

the end of the day, effective teaching depends heavily on one thing: deep and caring

relationships. Students are often more motivated to engage in learning when they feel that their

teacher truly cares for them” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 112). When it comes to my own

relationship-building strategies, I want to attend my student's extracurricular activities as well as

conduct student interviews to learn more about my students' lives, passions, cultures, etc. The

influence relationships can have on student learning is astronomical, “The classroom culture and

curriculum should build on the knowledge gained from learning about students. Doing so as a

daily persistent practice has students feel more fully acknowledged as an integral part of the

classroom community” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 113). In order for students to engage in

learning, they need to feel worthy, respected, and have a sense of belonging.
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When it comes to dignity, we can allow students to maintain dignity by being aware of

student trauma, “Educators, unaware of trauma and its impact, may see these learning and

behavioral challenges as disrespect, disabilities, or defiance, thus resulting in either inappropriate

labeling of student ability or harsh disciplinary sanctions” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 39-40). We

can not label students a certain way due to a lack of knowledge regarding students’ experiences.

All students need to be treated with dignity and respect and that starts with education on our

student's backgrounds.

The involvement of families and the school community are important factors of

classroom management. When it comes to family relationships, I will frequently update families

on positive news regarding their children to acknowledge that I see their child’s many assets

(Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 122). As for school community, I want to build partnerships with

community members/organizations and allow them to be a source of support, “One-way

community organizations can support students in schools is by offering social services needed by

students and their families” (Milner IV et al., 2018, p. 126).

Lastly, in my ED491 class, I read the textbook, “The Positive Classroom” by Muriel K

Rand on classroom management. In the text, Rand discusses the importance of educators

“staying calm” when it comes to behavioral management, “It is essential to stay as calm as you

can because your anxiety and negative energy will transfer to the child. The child needs you to

stay calm to regain control! (Rand, 2012, p.142). If a harmful behavior were to arise in my

ZWest classrooms, I would work hard to stay calm when approaching the student. I do not want

to enhance this student's behavior and therefore I would get down to the student's level, speak

using “I” statements, and maintain a calm voice.

This is my classroom philosophy. Thank you!