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Classroom Management
By: Cora Fitzgerald

EDFD 2100 Educational Psychology

Jeff Jones

12-1-2014

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After researcher different types of classroom management plans and also talking to
different teachers about their classroom management I realized a lot of them are somewhat the
same. I have also learned from experience in my own job that it is very important to know what
your feeling is on management of a classroom.
The first one Im going to talk about is the Classroom Management Plan by Dave
Wiggins. He talks about Assess, clarify, and communicate is need and expectations. I believe that
this is true student and teacher desires, rights and expectations should be openly discussed on the
first day of class and reviewed occasionally as a preventive measure. If the students are unaware
of what the teacher expects out of them then they will be clueless on how to behave and perform.
With that said Mr. Wiggins states that the student is expected to come prepared to class with
appropriate class materials and a willingness to learn. The students are expected to behave
respectfully to the teacher and to other students. Furthermore, the student is expected to accept
the consequences of misbehavior. (Wiggins)
The next Mr. Wiggins says to create a warm and nurturing classroom climate. From
experience I was always more eager to learn in a classroom where I felt welcomed and a
classroom that honestly felt safe. There are always those classrooms where you feel nervous to
answer a question wrong and so you end up not learning as much. In the article Wiggins says
each student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.. (Wiggins) if you as a teacher
give a students a reason to like you and respond positively to you then that student is going to do
whatever he or she needs to do to show you how he is learning and what he is learning, its called
relationship. Having a relationship with your students is the most important thing because
sometimes you are all they have.

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Another classroom management plan that I liked was Lower Elementary Classroom
Management Plan, by Sarah Smalley. She states, change a students location if he/she cannot
behave appropriately next to certain peers or needs to be closer to you to stay engaged.
(Smalley). I agree with what she says. If there is a problem then it needs to be fixed so that the
student isnt affecting others learning as well as their own. She also says to, make eye contact
directly with a child to let them know his/her behavior is unacceptable (Smalley) For me that
might be hard just because I have a really hard time with eye contact myself, it makes me feel
uncomfortable. The last thing that I really liked from her classroom management plan was the
fact she says to have routines. Now I am all about planning and routines because it makes life so
much easier, but after working with lower elementary students I realized not always do the plans
you have go through.
There was one classroom management plan that I found was not something that I totally
agree with. The one Im talking about, talks about taking classroom group work out of the
picture if one student is having troubles with it. There are a couple reasons why I dont agree
with this. One is as a teacher I shouldnt have to punish the whole class if one student doesnt do
well in group work, now it would be different if the majority were having troubles with it. I feel
like there are other ways you can handle this situation. One way is to place him in a group that
may fit the student better. Next reason I disagree with this is because its good for students to
learn how to deal with situations they may not prefer. Another thing that I didnt about the
classroom management is the fact that they required the students to vocally participant
(Pinterest)Like we talked about in class, some students are vocal and arent the type to speak out
but that doesnt mean they dont understand the material or that they arent listening.

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My personal attitude about classroom management is pretty simple. I believe that what
goes on in my classroom will be my responsibility and by working with students, I will be able
to create the best environment for education, safety, understanding and it can even be
entertaining. By keeping things optimistic, I believe that students will learn more and will get
more out of each lesson.
By treating each student with respect and learning to understand each of them, I believe
that I will be able to communicate with them. Opening up a positive discussion that encourages
thoughtful relations will lead to better understanding and motivation in my classroom. While I
realize that some form of punishment may be needed if a student repeatedly acts out in class, I
would much rather understand why they are acting out in the first place and work with them to
correct the problem before things get worse. But if this seems to be a problem they will know the
consequences because it will be something I discuss at the beginning of the school year and I
will in force it right away. With that said, I will have my own particular set of rules, preventative
actions and rules for my class but I will also follow the school policy.
My number one goal is to treat students with respect. I will treat my students as they
should be treated and I will show my respect by speaking to them as I would like them to speak
to me. If a student behaves in a way that does not earn them my respect, I will attempt to work
with them to correct the problem. Respect in the classroom is very important to me because if I
have their respect and they respect me then I feel that I as a teacher will get more out of them. I
want my students to feel comfortable in my class room and know that they are in a safe place.
The next goal of mine is to create a positive environment. The lesson plans, homework
assignments and even exams must work together to create a positive practice that students will

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want to take part in. I will plan my lessons to fit an environment where education and learning
come first, while trying to keep things as fun and interesting as possible. The reason this is
important for me is because so many students are lost in the school systems because its not fun
or sometimes its way above their head or its too easy for them, so it becomes boring.
Another goal is to share my rules up front and talk about them (no matter the grade level.
Students should not be held accountable for breaking rules or doing things wrong that were not
explained to them. On the first day of class, and occasionally throughout the year, I will explain
to them what the rules are and what I expect from them. My rules wont be strict rules but the
rules I have laid down for them I expect them to follow as well as follow the school rules. The
reason its important to talk about the rules throughout the school year is make students alert of
my expectations in order to point out when they are doing something I am not satisfied with.
Some of the rules I will have are, One, always be honest! For example, if you dont
complete your homework, dont copy someone elses work. Being honest with me will be best
for everyone and will gain respect from other students and me, as the teacher. Second respect
opinions. I want discussions and disagreement but all students need to respect the opinions of the
other students in my classroom. And no making fun of someone or making them feel bad. The
third rule will be, no cheating. I will expect all students to turn in work that is their own. This
also doesnt matter the grade level. I believe that every child has a interesting way of doing
things and analyzing different things, I want to see that. Also as a teacher I want to know what
you know and dont know, so that I can help you and the other students understand it better. My
last rule will be to have fun! If students arent having fun then they probably arent learning. The
reason I say this is because children in elementary school need to be learning in fun ways so that

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it sticks with them. Yes, there are times that it has to do serious learning but I wont be afraid to
let my students fun.
Now if I do happen to have some problems with students I will try and point out to them
without making a scene that they need to stop. I can do this by reminding the whole class of the
rules. Hopefully this doesnt happen but if it gets bad or if it is something that is repeatedly
happening then I will arrange to talk with the student and possible his parents.

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Bibliography
Pinterest. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/162059286566419486/.
Smalley, S. (n.d.). The Twenty Ten Theme. Retrieved from
http://sarahsmalley.wordpress.com/244-2/
Wiggins, D. (n.d.). Classroom Managment . Retrieved from
http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/~dwiggins/plan.html