Claire Gilbert

EDFN 440 – Management Plan

If the Classroom Management course has taught me anything, it is the importance of

having plans and procedures in place for everything that might happen in the classroom or school

setting. Having a well-developed and thought-out management plan makes the day-to-day

schedule go more smoothly. Several different parts go into a classroom management plan, and

each one needs to be considered before an effective teacher can even think about entering a

classroom. The following eight sections cover different aspects of a classroom management plan

including what makes a teacher effective, the psychological needs of students, the importance of

relationships, expectations and standards within the classroom, procedures that will need to be

taught, appropriate reactions to behaviors, and the difference between management and

discipline.

What is an Effective Teacher?

The main characteristics of an effective teacher are constantly trying to grow,

accommodating their students, and holding their students accountable. Teachers need to reflect

on the lessons they teach to decide whether the way they are teaching the content is helping the

students in the best way possible. When the reflection shows that the lesson has not been taught

in a way that all of the students understood, the teacher then needs to come up with a new way to

teach the content to accommodate the alternative learning styles of the students. An effective

teacher needs to be able to find inspiration and embrace changes that will benefit the students

(Lam). It is also very important for teachers to expect the students to put forth effort into their

education as well and to hold them accountable to any expectations that have been established

within the classroom. In an article on Georgetown University’s Center for New Designs in
Learning and Scholarship website, there are eight attributes of an effective teacher listed:

positive, prepared, organized, clear, active, patient, and fair (Top Qualities of an Effective

Teacher). Each of these qualities are important for an effective teacher to have.

In my pursuit of becoming an effective teacher, I will work to have the qualities listed

above. I will enter the classroom each day with a positive attitude and be prepared for the events

of the day. I will be organized to keep the day from turning into chaos. I will also try to find

ways to explain complex ideas in simple and clear terms to my students. I will always have

stimulating tasks for my students to do that will help them retain the information I teach. When a

day does turn chaotic, I will strive to stay patient with my students and myself. I will constantly

think about how fair my expectations are for each student. And I will not be afraid of failing.

When I reflect on my lessons, I will embrace the changes that I will have to make to improve as

a teacher.

Students’ Psychological Needs

Students are at school to learn math, reading, science, and other subject matter that will

help them excel in life after school. And while there is a lot of content to be covered, students

cannot learn anything if their basic psychological needs are not being met. Maslow’s Hierarchy

of Needs lays out the psychological needs of humans in the order in which they need to be met.

There are five sections: physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging, esteem, and self-

actualization. Each section of the pyramid is elaborated on in the image shown below from an

article found on ThoughtCo (Hopper). Without the solid base of the first four needs being met,

there is no way that students can be expected to actively pursue self-actualization. That being

said, a person is not often truly happy when one or more of their needs is not being met. In a

video posted by The School of Life, it is noted that one cannot survive off of the top tiers of
needs alone, and while a person could survive with only the first one or two tiers of needs being

met, they will not be living a very whole and happy life (The School of Life).

In my classroom, I will work to put my students’ psychological needs before the content.

It is important to me that my students know that I am someone that they can come to for help

with any problems that they are having in or outside of school. I will always strive to help my

students in any way I can or refer them to people they can trust to help. Another way I will

ensure that my students’ needs are being met is by setting up a good classroom environment. The

first level of need is a more primal set of needs that I might not have much control over other

than having a snack drawer for students that come to school hungry. The next three levels of

needs can be met within the classroom as long as I provide the right environment. In my

classroom, there will be an automatic expectation of every student to show each other kindness

and respect.

Adult and Peer Relationships

As a teacher, I need to make connections and find people who will support me within the

classroom. One place to look for support is my fellow teachers and administrators. The other
place would be the adults that take care of my students when they are not in school. To be able to

ask for support, a positive relationship must be established. “Mutual respect among coworkers

leads to better solutions in the workplace as each member of the team values the input and ideas

of the others (Building Good…).” Fellow teachers will be willing to offer advice and teaching

materials if there is a positive relationship because they know that you respect and trust their

opinions and ideas.

The reason it is so important to create positive relationships with my students’ families is

that those are the people that are responsible for my students when they are not at school. Those

people know things about the student that might help me come up with a plan for how to

approach the student when teaching or working on behaviors. A teacher named Liz Kleinrock

was interviewed about her views on family-teacher relationships. She starts each year off by

having the parents fill out a survey that asks questions about the student’s hobbies, what their

schedule looks like before and after school, and how the parents view education and their own

experiences with education (Van der Valk). I love that each question on the survey had the

purpose of either helping the teacher get to know her students better or her students’ families

better. The information that she got from the surveys allowed her to gauge the type of home life

and support from home that each student had and to plan accordingly. The article goes on to talk

about how Kleinrock further establishes the relationship by writing to each family something

positive about their student within the first couple of weeks (Van der Valk). This shows the

parents that she is not only going to be reaching out with negative comments and that she does

see the positive behaviors as well. As I get into my own classroom, I will implement a parent

survey similar to the one above and will work hard to discuss the positive behaviors of students

with their families as well.

Standards and Behavior Expectations

I believe classroom standards and expectations should be discussed and agreed upon as a

whole class. This lets the students be a part of the decision process and take ownership of the

rules. It also makes it much easier to remind any student who breaks the rules of how they agreed

at the beginning of the year what rules to implement. Another benefit of including the students is

the development of trusting and respectful relationships. When the students are included it shows

that the teacher values their opinions on the subject. That being said, I think it is also wise to

enter into any discussion of expectations with a solid, well-thought-out list of the expectations

you will want to be represented. Instead of telling the students point-blank what is expected of

them, guide the conversation to make sure each of the expectations are covered within the

discussion. Some generic expectations might be as follows: follow classroom rules, be on time

and prepared, respect yourself and others, follow directions, actively participate (Cox). And

while these are great expectations to have, once the students get involved the wording might

change to better fit the mindset and behaviors of the students.

At the beginning of each year, I will lead a discussion with my class about what they

think I should expect from them and what they should expect from me. It is important to not rush

this conversation as it will set the tone for the rest of the academic year. I hope to help my

students think through why each expectation and rule we develop would be important to have in

our classroom. After we have established the list of expectations it will be my job to enforce

them. A teacher named Jimmel Williams was interviewed on his practices of enforcing the

classroom expectations and I appreciate the way he does this. While he appreciates and

acknowledges that his students have struggles outside of the classroom, he does not let them use

their situations as an excuse to not get their work done or to fall short of an expectation
(opportunityculture). I will support my students through their struggles, but I will be doing them

a disservice if I allow them to make excuses.

Procedures

Five procedures that I will have as the teacher are to prepare for the next day, greet each

student in the morning, transition times, discipline routines, and time fillers. To be prepared and

organized for the next day, I will have a checklist of things to do before I leave at the end of the

night. This will ensure that my classroom is clean and ready for the next day’s activities. The

checklist will include changing the date, updating the daily schedule, setting out morning work,

tidying up workspaces, and finding materials for tomorrow’s lessons. My second procedure is

greeting every student by name in the morning. This is an important one because it makes the

students feel seen and as though they belong. To make sure I do say “good morning” to each

student, I will carry a checklist with me and check off students as I see and greet them. The third

procedure is for determining how I will transition between lessons and activities throughout the

day. It is important to have a very solid plan in place for transitions or lots of time will be wasted

moving from one activity to the next. In my classroom, I will have my students give me their full

attention, I will give the instructions, and I will have the students repeat the instructions back

before I release them to get ready for the next lesson. My discipline procedure will help me

determine how I will deal with out-of-line behaviors. The students will get four warnings

throughout the day. The first will be just a warning. The second will be five minutes off of their

recess which they will spend talking to me so we can discuss why they are acting out. The third

will be another warning. And the fourth will result in ten minutes off of recess which will be

spent going to the office to call a parent and informing them of the events of the day. Each day

the students will start with a clean slate and new opportunities to prove they know how to
behave. And finally, I will need a procedure for filling time. One way I might need to fill time is

if I miscalculate how long a lesson will take and there is time left over that I do not have

anything scheduled. I might be able to move on to the next activity, or I might have to put in a

short activity to fill the time. If that is the case, I will have an academic-based activity for the

students to do to keep them thinking. Another way I might need to fill time is when some of my

students are still working and others are finished. I will need a different activity for the students

that have finished to do while the other students finish up. Some activities that I might have the

finished students do are independent reading, late work, review games, or other games on iPads.

Procedures that I would have for my students are the morning routine, lining up, noise

levels throughout the day, getting help on homework, and the end of the day routine. In the

morning, I would want my students to know exactly what is expected of them as they enter the

classroom so I would not have to repeat the instructions for each student. As the students enter

the classroom each morning, they will be able to look at the board and see a list of tasks that are

ordered in the order of which they should complete them. The second procedure that my students

will need to know is how to quickly and quietly line up. I value this procedure because lining up

seems to always be a challenge for students to do quietly. When I ask my students to line up, I

will expect them to quietly push in their chairs and find their spots in line. This brings me to the

third procedure of the different noise levels that the students might use throughout the day. I will

have five levels of noise: 0- no voice, 1- whispering voice, 2- group work voice, 3- presenting

voice 4- recess voice. Level 0 will be used when we are doing individual work or transitioning

between activities to ensure speedy transitions. Level 1 will be used for talking to neighbors,

which will be permitted as long as it does not interfere with the students’ ability to complete their

work on time. Level 2 will be used when the students are working with a partner on group work.
Level 3 will only be used when the students are either presenting a project to the full class or

there is a full group discussion happening. And Level 4 will only be permitted when the students

are outside playing and is the only time their voice should be above a regular speaking voice.

The fourth procedure for students to know is how and when they can get help on their

homework. If a student does not know how to do a question they should first use the resources

they have in their desk and around the classroom. Then they are allowed to ask a neighbor for

help, and if they still do not know they can raise their hand for help from me. If a student is being

asked for help, they will first try to point out different resources that the confused student might

be able to use to find the answer and if that does not help, they can try to explain how to get the

answer. Finally, the students will need to know the procedures to follow for the end of the day.

When it is almost time to go, I will announce to the class that they need to get ready for

dismissal. This includes cleaning up their area, putting their homework in their folders and then

in their backpacks, clearing their desks, putting their chairs up, getting any jackets/winter gear

on, and waiting by their desk for me to call them to be dismissed.

In the classroom, certain procedures will be in place to make sure the day runs smoothly.

These include using the classroom library, when and how to use the pencil sharpener, when and

how to use the restroom, when and how to use the drinking fountain, and classroom supplies

rules. First, the students will be divided into five small groups that will each be assigned one day

of the week that they will get to go to the classroom library and choose new books for their book

boxes. When they are finished with books, they will need to put the books back in the bins they

found them. Second, students will be able to sharpen pencils in the morning and will have to wait

to sharpen any pencils until independent working time or right before recess. When they are

using the sharpener it should not take any more than five seconds for each pencil, and they will
lose the privilege of using the sharpener if it becomes an issue. For restrooms and the drinking

fountain, students will be permitted to use both before recesses and in case of emergencies.

Students are allowed to bring water bottles that they should fill during the same times. When

students are using the restroom there should be no fooling around and it should be a quick in and

out trip. When students are using the drinking fountain they should be courteous of other

students and not use the fountain for very long when they know other students are waiting. And

finally, when students are taking out, putting away, or caring for supplies within the classroom –

whether it belongs to them, their classmates, or the school – they should treat the materials with

respect. This means students should not get anything out without asking permission, especially if

the supplies do not belong to them. If any students start destroying supplies, they will no longer

have the privilege of using the school’s supplies.

Motivation and Maximizing On-Task Behavior

In Daniel Pink’s talk at the RSA, he identified three factors that lead to better

performance: autonomy, mastery, and purpose (Pink). Autonomy refers to the idea of students

being able to decide for themselves what to work on. In the video, Pink described how a

company allowed the employees to work on whatever they wanted with whomever they wanted

for one day out of the quarter, and it was on this day that many new ideas and inventive solutions

emerged (Pink). Within the classroom, it is not plausible to give students an entire day to do

whatever they want, but I could set aside an hour occasionally for them to develop their ideas

and share them with the class. I think this would be a wonderful way to get students thinking

creatively and also to get them to take charge of their own time and ideas.

There are several ways to encourage students to stay on task throughout the day. A few

ideas include having students set personal goals, using timers, assigning accountability partners,
and giving benchmarks on longer assignments (Moss). When the students set their own goals,

they are more invested in reaching those goals. I would also check back in occasionally to see

how well their goal is coming along and offer advice that might help them achieve their goals. It

will be very beneficial for both my students and me to use timers in my classroom. When there is

a visible clock counting down the time left to work, most students will be able to use that to

develop their time management skills to get their assignments done. For me as the teacher,

having the timer counting down where the students can see will remind me to give the students

time warnings when they are running out of time. Another way to encourage on-task behavior is

by assigning accountability partners. Throughout the day, the students will check in with their

partners and discuss what they have gotten done and what they still need to get done. And

finally, on longer assignments, I will put in benchmarks for the students. This means that once a

student reaches a certain point in the assignment, they will be allowed to have a short brain break

before getting back to it. Each of these techniques will help the students develop their skills of

time management, accountability, and taking quick breaks before getting back to work.

Responding to Inappropriate or Off-Task Behavior

To properly respond to a student that is displaying inappropriate or off-task behaviors, I

will first need to know my student and understand why they might be acting out. By knowing

and understanding the student and their background, I will be able to better decide how to react

to the misbehavior. The majority of students know when they are doing something they are not

supposed to, but do not know how to ask for the help they need in the correct manner. In an

article that was focused on how to manage a middle school classroom, many suggestions are

listed for a teacher to do or what not to do. The suggestions that I think I would implement into

my management strategy are refraining from using sarcasm, not expecting students to sit still for
long periods, and not becoming attached to any routines (Englehart). Most students, especially

younger ones, do not understand sarcastic comments. When they hear them they assume the

person is being serious. This kind of confusion could result in hurt feelings and a strain on the

relationship between the student and myself, so I will work to avoid using sarcasm entirely. A

common misconception of older students is that they can sit still for longer periods because they

are more mature. All students need to get up and move throughout the day to stretch their

muscles, especially middle school students because most of them are experiencing large growth

spurts at this point in their physical development. One way I will be able to get my students up

and moving is by doing interactive exercises or dance videos as a brain break. This gives the

students a chance to get some energy out and to stretch before getting back to work. And finally,

I will not get attached to any routines I set in place. If for some reason a routine is not working

for a student and is causing them to act out, I will work to change the routine to something that

works better.

The Difference Between Management and Discipline

The difference between managing a classroom and disciplining a classroom is that the

former is proactive while the latter is reactive. If I have a well-developed classroom management

plan and all of my procedures, expectations, and routines in place and teach my students how

they are expected to act, I will more than likely see fewer behaviors. And when there are fewer

behaviors, I will not have to spend as much time disciplining my students. Another difference

between management and discipline is how much control the teacher has over the class. When a

teacher has a really solid management plan, they do not have to be in control of the students as

often as a teacher that relies on discipline to keep the classroom in order. And when the teacher

does not have to be in control all the time, the students can learn more than the teacher originally
intended. In an article published in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, a high school

English class got in trouble for not bringing their books to class and the teacher decided to turn it

into a teachable moment of how the students need to take responsibility for their actions. A

month after the lesson, one of the students told the teacher that they had learned that they have

power over the situations they are in (Miller). While this was not the main idea of the lesson the

teacher was trying to get across to her students, her student had still taken more away because

she did not limit their learning to just the ideas she wanted them to know. Another big part of

having a management plan is enforcing the consequences in place for breaking rules or not

meeting the agreed-upon expectations.

While discipline is a reactive mindset in the classroom, I do believe effective teachers

need to have a plan in place for how to discipline students whenever it might be needed. In

Jimmel Williams’ interview, he stresses the importance of never giving up on your students and

never letting your students give up on themselves. He also talks about how his classroom is a “no

excuses” zone (opportunityculture). Students know right away that no matter what excuse they

try to use, the result will be the same – get your work done or you get no credit. I will use a

similar approach for all of my expectations and rules by being consistent with the consequences.

I will discuss with each student that breaks a rule, talk through why they did it, and further

discuss why they need to deal with the consequences of their actions.
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