1

Benchmark - Academic Success Plan

Latoya S. Wharton

College of Education, Grand Canyon University

ELM-510: Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments

Dr. Renee Winter

November 3, 2021
 2

Introduction

Becoming a great educator does not happen overnight. It is important for present and

future educators to develop skills that will help promote a safe and exciting learning

environment. One of the most important things to introduce and maintain throughout the year is a

great classroom management plan. To ensure you have effective classroom management skills,

you need to make sure you are aware, patient, set boundaries, and have good instinct skills to

manage your classroom (Rabadi & Ray, 2017). Throughout the paper, we will discuss how to

motivate and engage our students, create an effective learning environment, and collect data. We

will also focus on ways to establish and maintain positive relationships between school, staff,

and parents, and evaluate the effects of professional decisions and actions form the school staff,

families, and their students.

Classroom Management Plan

Motivational and Engagement Strategies

As an educator, you may find it sometimes difficult to find things that will motivate your

students. When students are motivated, they tend to learn more effectively. They will be more

likely to obtain information, participate in class, and pay attention to the lesson being taught. In

reference to research from (T. Staff, 2021b), when it comes to collaborative learning, it is

important to group the students, and then establish the goals of the group and to also establish the

individual goals and how each student will be held accountable for their tasks, both individual

and group. The use of scaffolding and allowing the students in the group to take responsibility

throughout the entirety of the activity. Open communication helps promote trust and motivation

amongst the students. When students are able to communicate with other members of their team,

it encourages the students to participate and be more engaged in the completion of the work.
 3

Engaging Learning Environments

The way your classroom is setup is an important component of creating an effective

learning environment because having it set up the right way supports both the teacher’s teaching,

and the student’s way of learning. According to research from (Tom, 2020), every part of your

classroom should be use for activities that helps support learning. In order to support both

teacher-focused and children-focused activates in the classroom, the structure of the desk will be

placed in small clusters turned so that students are able to see the teacher in the front of the

classroom. Having the desks arranged in small clusters will also assist in the collaboration of

students with each other.

For students to be effective listeners and learners, and to also create a good learning

environment for students, the values and routines of the classroom must be taught. In this

classroom, students will recite our pledge daily, which says that students should be respectful,

responsible, safe, and ready to learn. This involves students using kind words and manners,

listening, and following directions, and staying in their own space, always keeping their hands

and feet to themselves. These rules will be always displayed throughout the classroom, with

reminders being spoken to students who struggle with following the rules.

Data Collection

Every student in your classroom is unique their own way. Students may differ in their

unique strengths, background, and the way the learn and retain information. It is important for

teachers to observe and collect data on each student in their classroom to help better support their

student’s learning. During the school year, data will be collected through both formative and

observational data. Administering different quizzes, question and answer drills, and end of unit

evaluations is a great way to evaluate students and collect different formative data. Observing
 4

students during small groups, while they are interacting with other students, and while they are

completing independent work is a great work to collect different observational data. Keeping a

cumulative file of data on each student will teachers develop a better understanding of each

student. For example, if a teacher has a student who is struggling with staying on task, and being

motivated to learn, they may refer to different data collected by previous teachers and discover

that a student may have experienced a traumatic event or may have a new diagnosis that affects

their learning or mental stability. Having this information will allow the teacher to group the

students according, and possibly alter their deliverance on instruction in the classroom.

Communication Management Plan

Positive Collaborative Partnerships

Developing and maintaining positive collaborative partnerships is important because it

creates that space for everyone to come together to share knowledge and problem-solve different

situations. Within the list of stakeholders, each group has a shared responsibility to help engage

families in ways that are meaningful, and culturally appropriate to meet each family’s needs

(Family-School-Community Partnerships | National Center on Safe Supportive Learning

Environments (NCSSLE), 2020). Communication is key to building that partnership with

families. Constantly communicating negative new to parents, and only contacting them when

something is wrong, will not help build that trust with them. Offering up suggestions and advice

can help parents assist their children at how with their learning.

To keep everyone up-to-date, weekly newsletters will be posted on the class page to

highlight the different activities and lessons coming up, along with any other helpful information

that parents should know. Incorporating quarterly workshops for reading, language, and math

will help parents understand the curriculum, and how to better help their child understand the
 5

subjects. Collaborating with other members of your team is crucial to making sure there is

support when you need it, and to also offer up guidance and information on different topics and

lessons you may not be familiar with. Teachers should incorporate team planning days, PLCs,

and ways to share their ideas on how to teach a lesson. Google classroom will be an essential

part of the way lessons are planned and shared. With Google Classroom, parents will also have

access to assignments assigned, assignments that are missing, PowerPoints shared, grades, and

different readings and lessons that are taught in class or virtually. Most students are hands-on

learners. Administration can setup a math or reading night at local grocery store or restaurant

where teachers can incorporate different learning activities into grocery shopping or ordering

food at the local restaurant. There is different funding that would help pay for these activities so

that parents aren’t coming out of pocket to participate.

In every school setting, we have students who have experienced traumatic events,

struggle with mental disabilities and managing their emotions, and students who feel alone. The

guidance counselors at the school will collaborate with the teachers, families, students, and other

professionals to provide whole group lessons, as well as collaborating with the same stakeholders

to provide guidance and other services to students who are struggling with different things.

Effects of Professional Decisions and Actions on Students

Every decision an individual makes influences others involved. This is no difference

when it comes to decisions made by professionals. The decisions made by professionals can

affect the families of students, students, other professionals, and potentially themselves. Making

effective professional decisions can be beneficial to other teachers and professionals in the

school setting. It would also be beneficial to the students and their families because it affects the

student’s learning environment. According to new research from (Partnering with Families and
 6

Communities, 2021), when decisions to focus on school improvement goals are implemented,

they work incorporating different involvement both at school and at home. The decisions are also

implemented by improving activities that interested the student and their families, and also

improved recruitment for volunteers at school (pre-covid), and at other locations. In all,

professional decisions and actions are responsibility for the learning of all students in the school

setting. Those decisions help bring out the students strengths and weaknesses, helps educators

learn how to better help them, and provides families with resources to better assist their children.
 7

References

Family-School-Community Partnerships | National Center on Safe Supportive Learning

Environments (NCSSLE). (2020). National Center on Safe Supporting Learning

Environments. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from

https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/training-technical-assistance/education-level/early-

learning/family-school-community-partnerships

Partnering with Families and Communities. (2021, July 2). ASCD. Retrieved November 3, 2021,

from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/partnering-with-families-and-communities

Rabadi, S., & Ray, B. (2017, November 14). 5 Principles of Outstanding Classroom

Management. Edutopia. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from

https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-principles-outstanding-classroom-management

Staff, T. (2021b, October 8). 20 Collaborative Learning Tips And Strategies For Teachers.

TeachThought. Retrieved October 30, 2021, from

https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/collaborative-learning-tips-and-strategies/

Tom, T. (2020, May 14). Classroom Management for an Effective Learning Environment.

TeachHUB. Retrieved October 31, 2021, from https://www.teachhub.com/classroom-

management/2019/05/classroom-management-for-an-effective-learning-environment/