Classroom Environment Plan
Choosing a method of classroom management can be difficult. I have noticed that in each class period the climate of the room changes depending on the students in the room. Some classes need an assertive teacher to take command and ensure that the boundaries will remain in tact. Other class periods, there is no thought given to keeping control of the student behavior. Instead, management of the classroom consists of driving the content to a challenging level in order to keep students engaged. Therefore, I think it is productive to have several strategic measures to manage the classroom. The three models of classroom management I would choose to use are the instructional approach, assertive discipline, and behavior modification.
Establishing a culture for learning
First and foremost, I enjoy the subject area of my class. If I could create a classroom full of compelling activities that engaged each student I would certainly choose the instructional method. Alfie Kohn (1996) himself admitted, that upon reflection the discipline problems he experienced in his class were not because the classroom policy for student behavior failed to control the students, but was due instead, to a curriculum that failed to properly engage the students (p.3) I think the primary goal for all teachers should be to create ways for students to learn the material by incorporating some level of fun and intrigue to keep the students on task. James Cooper (2006) indicated that good lesson plans promote each students opportunity to be successful by gaining their interest in the subject and by giving them the motivation to learn (p. 245). The instructional method is advantageous in a class setting where students have a strong desire to learn the subject.
However, despite the teacher’s effort to attract students to become engaged in the lesson, there will still be a select group of students who will not buy into the arrangements made by the teacher. In order to address this population of students, I believe the instructional approach needs to be supplemented with a classroom management strategy such as assertive discipline to provide a method of approaching students who choose not to buy into the instructional approach.
Managing student behavior
I believe the comprehensive goal in education is teaching students the significance of responsibility. Responsibility can be measured in several distinct ways including: responsibility for their own academic performance, for their own personal character development, and responsibility to the community. As a teacher, I intend to convey the importance of responsibility to my students. In order to manage student behavior in my classroom I intend to incorporate the methods of Love and Logic developed by Jim Fay. An administrator once asked, “If teachers won’t teach and students can’t learn, what is the point of education?” His answer was character. Fay (2006) wrote, “Life provides a limited number of opportunities for children to build character and learn how the real world works. Make the most of them” (p.2). I like the love and logic approach because it puts responsibility in their hands and forces them to decide on their character.
Giving students the chance to make mistakes that they are able to learn from when they are young will generate young adults who understand the implications of their actions before the consequences are much greater. Harry Wong advises spending more time on discussing consequences rather than rules. According to Wong (2009), consequences are not punishments because students had a choice to behave in a manner that would result in receiving consequences for their actions (p. 153). I believe that instilling character in students is one of the greatest lessons that a student can learn in school.
Assertive discipline is also an effective way of establishing classroom boundaries. According to James Cooper (2009), the teacher has the right to establish control of the classroom and to administer a policy that creates the expectation of student compliance and reveals the consequences for students who choose not to comply (p. 240). My mentor teacher explained that his philosophy is that each student has the right to an education. When a student infringes on another students right to learn, they have revoked their rights for their own education and must be given the choice to correct their unruly behavior or be receive the consequence for their actions. I have also learned from my mentor teacher that the expectation must be clearly stated and frequently reinforced.
Creating an environment of respect and rapport
In addition, I believe creating a sense of community in the classroom is an effective way to establish a culture for learning. According to Chris Kenward (2009), community in the classroom is effective when a teacher acts with empathy and responsiveness, and also is authentic, accepting, and warm. I intend to employ the use of the social contract for students who feel they have additional needs with regard to class discussion, visual impairment, or learning needs. I intend to limit the social contract to only include the special needs of the students in each classroom with the intent that my classroom policies will encompass issues related to respect, class procedures, and environmental factors associated with learning.
Managing classroom procedures
The classroom procedures I intend to incorporate into my class will be to establish clear expectations for each class session. According to Harry Wong, three to five classroom rules are most effective. I plan to have a sign indicating students are to be in their assigned seat when the bell rings, to have all their books and materials with them in class, and no cursing or teasing will be tolerated (Wong, 2009). On the first day of class I plan to inform each student what is expected from them in terms of behavior when the bell rings. The students are expected to be seated and working on the Anticipatory set question that will be at the front of the classroom. I intend to incorporate the anticipatory set into the daily assignment so students understand the value of getting started when the class period begins. Each class will conclude with a check for understanding assignment that will be handed in to the teacher as an exit slip. I also intend to use the pink slip strategy used in Mrs Seroyer’s class (Wong, 2009) where the student is required to complete a pink slip for each assignment they choose not to complete. This provides a great resource for conferences to explain why the student has failed to complete the class assignments. The slip is a student’s own admission of accepting the responsibility for their outcome in the class.
Organizing an online environment using Moodle
I plan to incorporate Moodle into the classroom as a guideline of the classroom content. Using Moodle creates a standard resource for learning both in and out of the classroom. My students will become acclimated to the use of Moodle through my own modeling and demonstrated use of its features. Moodle allows for transparency between teachers, students, and parents regarding unit goals, lesson structure, and assignment due dates. My plan for Moodle is to provide an outline of the current unit plan including the assignments and due dates in order to create a tentative schedule. All Power Points, documents, and class activities will be posted to the site the day of their intended use. This will allow all class resources to be available at home to the students in the event of lost class documents, class absence, or additional study. Also, Moodle provides the teacher the opportunity to guide students with additional resources to promote further self-learning in the content area.
Creating a classroom environment plan will, ultimately, be a process of trial and error. There will be a great amount of evaluating processes and procedures over the course of the first few years to find a way to handle every classroom situation. However, for a beginning teacher it is important to have a procedure to follow rather than reacting to problems as they arise. Creating a classroom environment that is conducive for student learning is the ultimate goal. The challenge for the teacher is create that environment with principles that develop character and responsibility in every student.
Bibliography
Cooper, James M (2006). Classroom Teaching Skills (8th Edition). Houghton Mifflin Company.
Fay, Jim (2000). What’s More Important: GPA or Character? Retrieved October 25, 2009 from
Kenward, Christoper (2009). Classroom Climate Control: Its’s Cooler than you Think! Power Point Presentation 9-10-2009. EastGrand RapidsPublicSchoolsSchool Social Worker.
Kohn, Alfie (1996). Beyond discipline Education Week Novermber 20, 1996. Retrieved on 9-20-2009 from
Wong, Harry and Rosemary (2009). The First Days of SchoolCalifornia: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Wong, Harry and Rosemary (2009). UsingThe First Days of Schoolwith Cheronda Seroyer [computer software] California: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
Classroom Environment Plan
Brian Andrews
EDG 638
Facilitating School Environments
Fall 2009
Dr. Rosemary Cleveland
November 3, 2009