CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY 1

Classroom Management Philosophy

Sophia Trejo

Department of Education, Vanguard University

EDUG 526: Foundations in Teaching Single Subject

Dr. Hittenburger

29 November 2022
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY 2

Student-Teacher Relationships

There are many roles a teacher can have for their students. A major role that teachers take

up is being a positive authority figure. As teachers, it is important to demonstrate and establish

an appropriate level of dominance through “clarity of purpose and strong guidance in both

academic and behavioral aspects” within our classrooms (Burden and Byrd 2019). A key factor

in a student-teacher relationship is showing respect to one another and more often than not,

teachers are the first to establish this. It may take time to have mutual respect between the two

parties, yet there are many means in which to create an environment within the classroom that

displays positive and appropriate behavior that will carry on with students inside and outside the

classroom.

Positive teacher and student relationships help enhance students’ social, emotional and

academic outcomes. Within these close relationships, teachers are able to provide these elements

for their students as it can aid a student’s “self-regulation and prosocial behavior and encourage

children’s self direction and autonomy in the learning environment” (Chen 2021). In a YouTube

video about classroom management, Dr. Jeff Kim highlights the importance of what he calls,

“catching students doing the right thing.” More often than not, teachers will single out—whether

intentionally or not—students who are misbehaving, who are not doing their work, and/or not

following directions (Kim 2021). In some cases, it may be best to track how much a student is

misbehaving—thus, the importance of knowing what ‘counts’ as misbehavior or and what

doesn’t—so we can keep a record with reasoning behind the appreciative punishment (Simonsen

2015). However, Dr. Kim points out that positive reinforcement is an impactful tool that is more

powerful than what meets the eye. Recognizing students for their respectful behavior, following

directions, etc sets an example for other students. Instead of calling out students by name who
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY 3

are not following instructions, it can be more effective when we point out the students who are

(Kim 2021). With this strategy, it lessens the need to scold students and constantly point them

out for their behavior. In this way, teachers are reinforcing desired behaviors in a subtle way.

Classroom Arrangements

There are many simple and effective ways teachers can create a positive and safe learning

environment from the physical set up of their classroom. The way in which the classroom can

have a great effect in the way students’ mindset when coming into the classroom. An easy way to

help students create a positive mindset that is ready to learn is through decorations. Posters with

encouraging phrases and classroom expectations, even a lighter color palette can improve a

student’s mood. It is also important to keep in mind the way a teacher can arrange students’

desks in the classroom. Tailored to your main type of instructional strategies, organizing seat

arrangements and other materials around the classroom can greatly benefit students in how they

learn (Burden Byrd 2019). For example, drawing from my personal experience in student

teaching, students are constantly having to discuss and collaborate with their peers on the text we

read as a class. In this situation, the physical classroom setup that will aid students best in their

learning is to have the desks arranged in groups where students can easily face each other when

instructed to discuss with their group members.

Conclusion

It’s important to keep in mind that students are like sponges: they soak up everything that

is given/shown to them and it can either positivity or negativity affect their growth as a human

being. Students need a positive role model in their lives and where will they better see how this

activity can be done other than the place they spend more than half of their lives at?
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY 4

Appendix 1
Classroom Management Plan
Physical In my Read 180 classroom, I plan to arrange a classroom that benefits students to
setup of collaborate and discuss throughout the class period. I plan to have desks grouped together
your consisting of four students in each group. I would also like to hang up decorations associated
classroom with English and things that can give students an insight to life outside of being a teacher
(i.e. musical artists I like to listen to). I would also like to have a wall/corner of the room
dedicated to a library where students are free to pick out and read a book of their choice for
independent reading time.

Planning Before the school year begins, I would begin to gather some art materials and other
and stationary essentials for students to use and put back at each box at their table groups. I
organization would like to incorporate as much art and fun hands-on activities for students to participate
steps before in during discussions or note taking (i.e. doodle notes).
the school I will also try my best to provide materials for my students to use rather than them having to
year/class go out and spend the money themselves, if they are unable to afford it, forgot the material
starts at home to participate in class, etc.
I would also like to make a list of all the policies and rules I have for assignment deadlines,
attendance, restroom breaks, etc. While some of these rules will be flexible, I would like
students to get used to a routine in the classroom and for them to practice being responsible
(i.eg. only 4 restroom passes for each semester, putting materials away in their boxes after
using them, etc.).
I would also like to establish a way where I can be in contact with my students’ parents
throughout the school year.
Setting a I would like to start each class period by asking my students how their way has gone so far. I
positive find this to be effective in having students feel comfortable speaking in the classroom as well
learning as creating a safe space for everyone to share their thoughts and opinions. I would also like
tone to implement journal diaries. With this, I would give students the first 10 to 15 minutes of
(Growth the class period to write whatever they’d like to write. It will be their own journal and I will
Mindset) for reassure them that I will not read them. This allows students to be able to share their
your thoughts if they don’t feel comfortable sharing out with the rest of the class.
students I would also like to decorate my classroom with color and positive posters to help my
and students’ attitude positively change when they walk into the classroom.
classroom
Seating In my classroom, I will have students be in assigned seating. This will help students build
Arrangemen classroom structure, routine, and to help with classroom management. With assigned
ts to seating, students already know where they need to be once the bell rings. Students will also
enhance be seated in groups of four. I find that this will be easier for students to collaborate and
learning discuss with their peers about the various texts we will read during lessons.
(assigned or
open seating?
Groups, rows of
desks?
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Opening I will first open each class session with a small warm-up activity that will ease the students
class into the actual content of the lesson. These warm-ups will vary depending on the content.
routines (how Some will be reviewing the content from the previous lesson, watching informational
will you start YouTube videos, and/or doing a collaborative activity with their table group members to
each class
session so that prepare them for the rest of the lesson.
growth and
learning start
right away)
Positive I plan to have various amounts of discussion opportunities throughout my lessons. With this,
Behavior I will have expectations for my students who are presenting as well as those who are
Expectations listening and responding. For those who are presenting, I would like them to speak up in a
(what are 3-5 loud clear voice—this is mainly all that I expect from those presenting as they are still
expectations you
plan to working on their written literary skills. As for those who are listening (whether it be in whole
implement and or small groups), students will be expected to be respectful of those presenting. When the
how will you class is first introduced to presenting/sharing with their groups, we will come up with a list of
engage students
in respectful things we need to do when others are speaking. Some of those aspects will
generating/owni include things like: staying quiet, paying attention, writing down notes on what they heard,
ng those etc.
expectations)
There will also be times where I would like students to respond to their peers. Students will
be able to practice giving positive and constructive feedback to their peers in a respectful
manner. These practices can include sentence frames like: I really liked what you said about
___. However, I thought your points on ____ could be clearer. Or I thought your point on ___
was really well said. Great job!
All of these expectations and sentence frames will be up on the bullet boards/overhead
projector so that students can refer back to them while they are instructed to participate in
discussion time.
Procedure At the beginning of the school year, I will inform my students that once the bell has rung,
for attention they will need to be in their seats and ready to learn. If students are still talking and are not
getting and in their seats, I will give them a verbal reminder to get back in their seats and to quiet down.
class quiet If students are still unable to calm down, I will use the clapping system: If you can hear me
focus (how will clap once...twice...three times.
you bring When bringing students from small groups to whole group discussions, I will inform students
students back
from group work that they have said amount of time left to finish up their thoughts/discussions. This can
to quiet provide as a warning for students as they prepare to turn their attention back to me.
attention to you)
Addressing I will mainly monitor student behavior by walking around the classroom as much as possible.
off task I find that by walking around the room and checking up on each table group helps students
behavior not only get back on task (if they happen to start to get off task) and it allows for them to ask
(How will you me any questions once I’m within a closer proximity.
monitor student
focus and bring I also plan to implement the 4 Question strategy: What are you doing? What are you
them back to supposed to be doing? Are you doing it? What are you going to do about it? With this
focus on the strategy, students will be able to focus back to their learning if they get majorly off task.
learning at hand)
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY 6

Teaching At the beginning of the school year (preferably on the first day of school) I would like to
positive collaborate with my students to make a Positive Expectations chart. I will ask students to
social brainstorm what they think positive behavior looks like versus how negative/disrespectful
skills/addres behavior looks like. Once we have refined the list, students will be able to sign their names at
sing the bottom of the chart paper as they will be held accountable for knowing their own rules
behavior and positive behavioral expectations. If students begin to steer away from the expected
that does behavior in our classroom, I will remind them of what they signed.
not align One of the main aspects I will like to incorporate into my classroom is being respectful. I
with would like students to give me the same respect I give back to them. With the Positive
positive Expectations chart, I will like my students to practice being respectful in the classroom as this
expectations can bleed into other aspects in their lives. In turn, this can help create a safe space for all
(how will you students to feel welcomed, comfortable to share their thoughts, feelings, and concerns, and
help students
realign with it overall helps them become better human beings rather than academic achievers.
positive
behavior
expectations
when they go
out of
alignment)

Turning in I will let students know ahead of time when assignments are due. I personally like to have a
Assignments set schedule of when assignments are due so that I am able to pace myself and work on my
/ time management skills. While I will have a deadline set for students, I will always accept late
Grading and work for particle credit. Some credit is better than no credit.
Feedback Giving my students feedback and grading as soon as I can is very important for me as it will
(what will be be for my students. Since I will be in an English class, grading assignments like essays,
your efficient
system for discussion responses, and other longer works will take longer to grade than assignments like
student short responses/quick writes.
submission of
assignments and
your feedback
on their
assignments)

Student One of the ways I will assign student roles in my classroom to help make the class run in a
roles in positive way will be through having a paper-passer helper. This can help students with
implementi learning about responsibility as well as helping students who have a hard time staying in
ng their seats.
classroom
managemen I also think it would be helpful for students to learn about responsibility through taking
t plan attendance. For this job/role, the position can be rotated to different students each class
(how will you session. I will make sure that every student has at least one turn at being the attendance
assign student monitor. This will be done at the beginning of the class period and I will have students have
roles in helping
make the class
access to either a digital or paper version of the attendance roster for them to fill out on
run in a their own.
positive way)
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY 7

What other I would like to incorporate reflective journals for my students. This can give students the
positive opportunity to write down their feelings, concerns, something exciting from this week,
routines and something they are looking forward to, etc. It can give them the break they need from being
procedures academically focused for the majority of the day.
do you I would also like to raffle tickets as incentives for my students who showcase positive,
anticipate respectful behavior, volunteer to share their answers, etc. By the end of each week, a
planning student can blindly pick a raffle ticket and the student can receive a candy, a school supply,
and and maybe even a homework pass. I’ve also seen how excited students get when playing an
implementi online game called Blooket. They get very competitive and have fun playing on their
ng in your chromebooks. With this in mind, I would like to offer this option as a form of encouragement
classroom? to my students if they can get their work done with some time to spare.
Appendix 2

A Class Period Overview

Classroom Management Plan
Class Min Classroom Management Issues/Rules/Plans
Sched . Class Sessions Classroom Management Strategies
ule
0:00- Class Period Opening When students first walk into the classroom, I will be standing
0:15 at the door to greet my students and welcome them into the
classroom. As they walk into the classroom, I will gently
remind students to make sure that they are in their seats by
the time the bell rings.
Once the period begins, I would like to start the class time by
asking students how their day has gone so far. Once it has
been about 5 minutes of conversation, I will turn their
attention towards our agenda for the day. I will have the
objective of what they will be able to accomplish/achieve by
the end of the class period. I will also have their assignments,
activities, etc. in simple bullet points to help the students not
get overwhelmed depending on the workload.
From here, I will have students do a warm-up for the day. In
this case, they will be watching two fun, informational videos
about a literary term they will be using later on in our lesson.
Students will be informed to take out a half-sheet of paper and
before being shown the video, I will ask students to jot down
what they think the literary term means—even if they have
never heard of the term before they can make educated
guesses; for now, there are no wrong answers.
0:15- Class Period Segment 2 Before the video begins, I will ask students to write down:
0:30 Personification is _____. And An example of Personification is
___. I will inform students to pay attention to the two videos
as the information they need to complete the warm-up will be
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
Scenario 1: After receiving an
assignment for group work, one
group of students, male and
female, sit in the back of class in
a clump and talk. They are
positive towards you until you
ask them to focus on their
assignment, at which point you
start getting pushback. At this
point, however, their talking has
become a distraction from the
rest of the class and two of the
students seem to want to push
the boundaries of what they are
allowed to, despite their effects
on your ability to teach. How will
you work with these students to
provide a more positive and
workable solution so that they
refocus on their assignment and
learning?
0:30- Class Period Segment 3
0:45
8
within the videos. After this, students will have three minutes
to turn to a partner at the table group and share their
responses. I will remind students of our Positive Expectations
chart I have for them for when they have discussions. While
students have their discussions, I will walk around the
classroom to monitor student progress and, if needed, remind
them of our discussion rules for both listeners and presenters.
I will then ask students to nominate one person from their
table group to share at least one example or their definition of
the literary term.
When the warm-ups are completed, I will ask our
paper-collector to collect all the half sheets for me as we
transition to our main lesson for the day.
I will first give a warning to my students in the back to focus
back on their work. When I see that they continue to talk, I will
implement the 4 Questions strategy: What are you doing?
What are you supposed to be doing? Are you doing it? What
are you going to do about it?
If students continue to be off tasks and thus be a distraction
for other students, I will sit down with this group of students
and further assist them in the assignment. I would also inform
them that the assignment will be due by the end of class to
help motivate them to finish the task.
If the students are still reluctant to get back on track, I will
inform them to see me after class. Learning from previous
classes, informing students to stay after class will help students
get back on task if they think they will be able to avoid the
chance if I see them working and/or it causes some mystery to
it what they will be told. After class, I would like to ask the
students if everything is okay between us. I will also keep in
mind that these students have a life outside of the classroom
and they may be dealing with problems at home, family and
friend issues, etc. I appreciate that they were able to tell me
what they did and that I am here to support and aid them
anyway I can. I would also like to remind the students that
what they did was disrespectful to me and their classmates
and remind them of the expectations we have in the
classroom—not only my expectations for them, but their own
expectations for themselves.
I will inform students that we will be moving onto the main
portion of our lesson. For this lesson, students will be able to
read, annotation and analyze a poem for its meaning. Since
the majority of my class has yet to read a poem, let alone
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
0:45- Class Period Segment 4
0:60
Scenario 2: At the end of your
class right before lunch, your
students start to mentally check
out of class early, start talking,
and pack up about ten to fifteen
minutes before class ends. How
will you address this in terms of
your overall classroom
9
analyze one, I will do a cold read of the poem. I will reassure
the students that even I, an English major who loves to read,
still needs to reread a poem more than once to help me
understand the meaning of the text. By demonstrating a cole
read, this will allow students to do a multitude of things: hear
how a poem can be read, pacing, the pronunciation of words,
and start to get a surface level understanding of what this
poem can be about. While I read to the class, I will also be
walking around to simultaneously monitor students and to
make sure everyone can hear me.
From here, students and I will go through two of our main
vocabulary words that we need to learn to help us understand
the main idea of the poem.
During the second half of the period, I will read the poem out
loud again but this time, I will have students read along on the
lookout for any key words for phrases that they think
contributes to the main idea of the poem. They can underline
or highlight their main points and once I have finished reading,
I will have them share with their table partner at least one line,
phrase or two words that they think is a part of the main idea.
After students have done this, the class will then be divided
into three groups. In these small group rotations, one group of
students will be doing independent reading, another will be
doing time on their student apps, and the last group will be
with me as we further annotate and analyzeanalyze the poem
for its main idea.
Students will have the opportunity to share what they
highlighted and explain their reasoning. I will then guide
students to chunk the poem into sections and focus on one at
a time. I will then remind students of the literary term we
learned during our warm-up and see if they can spot any usage
of personification. With this, we can go from surface to deeper
level thinking and see what the author means behind the
figurative ge. language.
Students will know/already be in a routine where they will be
expected to turn in a ticket out the door. Students will not
know what they will be required to write down: an answer to a
question I will post, something they found interesting, a
concern they still have, etc. If students begin to pack up their
items before class is over, I will remind students that they will
need to pay attention as they will not know what kind of ticket
out the door I will have them do.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
10
management plans so that your
students learn out of habit to
stay engaged to the end of your
class, and how will you handle
this on this particular day to
make the change to better
practices?
While I plan for students to work on a lot of collaborative
projects, I will also remind students that TODs are an individual
assignment. Therefore, if they’re group gets down early, they
will have to wait until I post the TOD requirements on the
board and they cannot collaborate with their peers about their
answers.
For this TOD in particular, I will have students use at least 5
words to write a basic sentence that summarizes the meaning
of the poem.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
11
Resources:

Chen, S. Y., Lindo, N. A., Blalock, S., Yousef, D., Smith, L., & Hurt-Avila, K. (2021). Teachers’

Perceptions of Teacher–Child Relationships, Student Behavior, and Classroom

Management. Journal of Educational Research & Practice.

https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2020.11.1.11

Burden, P. R., & Byrd, D. M. (2019). Methods for Effective Teaching: Meeting the Needs of All

Students. Pearson Education Inc.

EdFamily. (2021, August 31). E17: Classroom Management--When to NOT Talk to a student

[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u_qEE5tfrM&t=1s

EdFamily. (2021, April 25). E4: How do you have strong classroom management? Part I

(Catching Kids Doing the Right Thing) [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHtwZ4VtYoA

Simonsen, B., Freeman, J., Goodman, S., Mitchell, B., Swain-Bradway, J., Flannery, B., Sugai,

G., George, H., & Putman, B. (2015). Supporting and Responding to Behavior:

Evidence-Based Classroom Strategies for Teachers. Classroom PBIS Strategies.