Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 1

Classroom Management Plan

University of Utah
Heidi Reyes-Cairo

Philosophical Model

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 2

I have often heard from those that arent as familiar with teaching that being a teacher is a
walk in the park. Teachers tell students what they want them to work on and they get the
summers off. However, a teacher spends hours planning, debating, discovering, contemplating,
differentiating, making rules and creating management plans to balance out a classroom setting.
How does one obtain an effective classroom management plan? According to Thomas R.
Kratochwill, Rachel DeRoos and Samantha Blair, a teacher begins by establishing and sustaining
an orderly environment in the classroom, increases meaningful academic learning and facilitates
social and emotional growth and decreases negative behaviors and increases time spent
academically engaged. A teacher must set rules and boundaries the very first day of school and
discuss with the students the three tiers of school rules. Tier one is the schools universal
expectations for behavior. Students need to know what is acceptable and unacceptable for the
school as a whole. Tier two is the rules and expectations that I as the teacher will set within the
boundaries of my classroom and tier three is individualized based programs that are implemented
for students who cannot adhere to the tier two rules and expectations.
Throughout my student teaching experience I have learned that student teaching is hard.
In fact, it is really hard. As a student teacher you are teaching under the umbrella of someone
else. Their rules take hold, their routines take hold and we are teaching in a shadow. The students
react differently to student teachers than they do for the more experienced teacher. As student
teachers we want to try new things and implement exercises and theories we have learned
throughout our education career, yet we are limited. However, what I have taken from all of this
is what I like in a classroom and what I dont want in my own. I have come to realize that I dont
want to be as firm or negative, I want to be flexible and create an environment where student and
teacher work together to create the best possible setting for learning. I have learned that as a

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 3

teacher I must be more firm at the beginning of the school year and discuss with my students
what is expected in my classroom and as the year progresses and the students know what is
expected I can loosen my strings. I believe that in the classroom when the teacher and student
have mutual respect for one another and work together to solve problems the world/classroom
revolves more smoothly.
With that being said, as a future teacher I am interested in Spencer Kagans discipline model.
Kagans model is a win-win situation. This is a model where a teacher works with students to
solve problems, focuses on short-term and long-term solutions and helps students make
responsible choices. Kagan falls under an interacting model and uses a medium control
approach. I believe this is the philosophical model of discipline that I relate to the most and can
see working in the type of classroom I want. I want students to know how to be responsible, to
work out their own problems and set goals to become the best that they can be. To see students
achieve such a thing is an amazing accomplishment for a teacher. I have a desire to create a
classroom community within my classroom. Nichole Meade, a third grade teacher wrote an
article that really stood out to me titled, Creating Community Connects Kids-Seven Quick Tips
to Help Your Students Feel Connected. I was really drawn to the areas in her article that talked
about focusing on the positive in the classroom, creating class rules with the students and
upholding the rules. As a teacher I want my classroom to be our classroom. I want the students to
be a part of the rule making. I want to talk about what self-starters should look like and what they
sound like, what transitions look like and sound like, what walking in the hall looks like and
sounds like and post it on the board for all to see. I want the classroom to be one of a positive
nature. I want the students to recognize it is a place of creativity, safety and learning. I have
never liked calling students out individually to clip-down or recognizing them for something

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 4

they shouldnt be doing. I want my students to know what to do in any situation to enhance their
learning, not just doing what is right to please me for a reward. As a result my students should
understand the rules and expectations because they helped create them. If they choose not to
follow those rules they will be held responsible by discussing with me the rule they chose not to
follow and how they can better themselves next time. Those rules will be set in place all year and
as a teacher I will uphold those rules. Harry and Rosemary Wong also suggest that along with
practicing procedures and expectations for the first 2 weeks of school a teacher must set their
priorities straight and that the first priority of an effective teacher is when class begins, it is not to
take roll of the students that are present and absent; it is to get the students to work. Effective
teachers waste no time. Teachers should always have a starter in the morning or a routine that the
students can fall into to help the day begin and run evenly.

Physical Environment

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 5

This is an idea of how I would like my classroom to start out. I would like the students to start
out in communities and then the dynamics of the room will change every so often. I have seen
many different formations that tables can take and I would love to change up the room to keep
things fresh and new. I would also like to dispose of the clip chart idea. It seems to work for
some teachers, but others not so much. I have seen management styles that revolve around selfcorrection/monitoring and positive statements and I love that style of teaching so much more. I
dont want to micromanage my students, I want them to understand why they are behaving
correctly and I want them to choose to behave that way, not because of a reward.

Managing Student Behavior

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 6

To promote order in the classroom and provide a conductive learning environment I will
implement the Big 8. The Big 8 are instructional practices that teachers should use in their
classrooms each day and during each lesson. I have noticed that when I take the time to use each
one carefully and individually the class seems to run more smoothly. There will always be days
that arent perfect, but that just means that we can try again the next day and a different approach
to how we used the Big 8. As a teacher I have noticed that good student behavior is a domino
effect when I use cueing. Cueing is an excellent way to manage student behavior. Cueing is to
give positive reminders to those that are doing what they are supposed to. An example of this
would be, I like the way that Bobby is sitting so quietly on the rug. As teachers we are to
support expectations with positive statements. Tasking is another way to manage student
behavior. Tasking is to ask and direct by shaping questions and devise activities to engage
students. I have noticed my class is better behaved and listen to my directions more when they
are interested and engaged in what we are learning. They want to do well by me so that they can
keep doing what I have set up for them. Signals also manage student behavior. Signals
encourage students to show me when they are ready or finished with the activity that they are
working on. Many times I have noticed that my students dont need to be reminded. I have
several students who know that when they are finished they raise their pencil in the air and the
rest of the class follows suit after they see their peers. To manage students time is another great
way to manage their behavior. When students have a specific time frame to finish something they
are working on they are more likely to work hard, quietly and try their best in order to beat the
timer. To do this a teacher must set and define clear time requirements. An example of this would
be for the teacher to say, You have 10 minutes to finish cutting out your spelling words and
gluing them in alphabetical order.

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 7
Respectful, Supportive Learning Environment

When I have my own classroom I want my students to love coming to school, to love
learning math or any other subject, I want them to feel like they are confident and smart and that
they are capable of reaching for the top. In order to do this I need to create a respectful and
supportive learning environment. To begin, I will make sure that I have a positive teacher-student
relationship. There may be students who will drive me crazy and get on my last nerve, but as a
teacher I still need to see the positive in each student. I can look at what they have accomplished
for the day or the week and give the students praise for what they have done. I want a classroom
where students take responsibility for their own actions and work. To do this I can model and
show the students what I expect of them and how I want them to work. I can ask questions that
cause the students to think about their actions and ask them what they think should be done if
they have done something unacceptable. I want to create an environment where I can promote
students self-esteem and help them feel valued. This is where as a teacher I can praise them for
working hard or completing an activity or showing how we act when we are at school. To create
a supportive learning environment I can model for the students how we support one another.
When a student gets recognized for good behavior or something else, we express our excitement
for them and try not to get jealous. Group work is an amazing way for students to work together
and feel supported by one another. They are conversing, thinking, helping and learning together
to come up with the best solution to a problem that they have been given.
In my future classroom I will also have English Language Learners who will need the
extra help and scaffolding to help them succeed. I will do this by creating differentiated
instruction, using visuals, repetition, examples and other supportive means to help those students
understand the task.

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 8
Facilitate Instruction

To facilitate instruction in my own classroom I will also implement sections of the Big 8.
In order for my lessons and instructions to have success I need to set clear expectations for my
class. This is done by letting the students know that as a teacher I expect results in real time. I
will make sure that my students understand and follow directions. When we go from one activity
to another I need to make my transitions smoothly. This is where I will guide the students to
make efficient physical and mental movements from one activity to another. Prepare the students
for what they are going to be doing next. Bring them back to earth and move to the next
activity. I will want my class to develop good habits, so I will turn procedures and expected
behaviors into good habits. When a student realizes that what I want is a good thing, they will
follow suit because they know that it is right.
During my instruction I will use proximity as I teach. This is where I will vary my stance
or movement. I will walk around the students as they are learning or as I am talking to keep their
attention focused on where I am going. When a teacher is standing at the front of the classroom
the entire lesson they are dominating the front of the room. When a teacher walks around the
room they are keeping eye contact and moving strategically around their students to keep
everyone on task. The delivery of ones instruction is also very important. This is where I can use
my voice to keep the students engaged in what they will be learning. I will make sure to say my
instructions in a clear and student friendly way and raise and lower my voice to keep interest.
Lastly, I will use attention prompts to keep my students attention where I need it to be. This can
be verbal, non-verbal or the way that I stand.

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 9
Classroom Safety and Wellness

To promote safety I will set clear rules that the students will need to follow each and
every day. An example of this will be that students will be taught to keep their hands, feet and
other objects to themselves. Often we hear that students hate rules that they have to follow, but
the basic line is that rules are placed and set to keep our students safe. To promote classroom
wellness I will implement procedures for when the students either leave the classroom or when
we come back into the classroom from being away. Students will use hand sanitizer after every
recess and before lunch. Students will use a bathroom pass when they need to use the bathroom
and a hall pass for other emergencies so that as a teacher I can see who has left the classroom.
Before we leave to go to library, computer, music or for any other activity the students will be
asked to create a line. I will make sure that the students know that we never run in the classroom
when we come to carpet or when we go to line up because people can get hurt. When the
students come to carpet or the leave their desks they will be asked to push in their chairs so that
others wont trip or run into a chair that isnt tucked in. Each day we will clean up the floor to
keep our environment clean and friendly. I will also teach the students to keep their desks clean
and organized so that they know exactly where their supplies are and where they need to be.
Another way to promote safety and wellness in the classroom is for the students to know
where they can go if they need a break. There will always be a student who has a melt-down or a
conflict and we will learn how to take deep breaths, calm ourselves and move to an area to take a
break. Students need to feel safe in their learning environment. Students need to be heard as well.
Students will be able to engage in conversation, participate and know that I am there to hear
them out if there is ever a serious problem.

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 10
Interaction

As a teacher we are constantly working and interacting with students, but what we need
to remember is that we are also going to be interacting with their parents as well. Keeping up to
date with parents is one way to keep order in the classroom. Parents need to know what is going
on, where their students are on the learning scale, their strengths, goals, homework and what I
need as their students teacher. When teachers and parents work together to help their own
student the student is more likely to succeed. To keep in contact with parents and colleagues
about what is happening in my classroom and where I am in the curriculum, I would love to be
able to put out a weekly newsletter that I send home with the students every Monday. However,
students are not the most responsible and letters get lost or accidentally thrown away or forgotten
about. I was also thinking that I would like to create a website or blog where students and parents
can look at together. The website/blog will have a welcome letter at the beginning, an
introduction of myself and then list the objectives that we will be covering for that week. I think
that the best way to go about this technological side would be to send a poll home to ask which
parents have access to internet at home and which parents do not. For the parents that do have
internet they will be able to see what I am posting on my website to help keep track of what their
students need to accomplish for the week. For those that are not capable of accessing the internet,
I will send home a hard copy of the newsletter. For my ELL students, I will either try to have a
translator available for questions or concerns or try to find some other technology based device
that I can use to translate the learning objectives for those parents. For SEPs students will have
binders dedicated to their work, goals and accomplishments that I will put together in order to
discuss with parents how their student has been doing and what we can work on together for the
next time we meet.

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 11
Conclusion

I am excited for the opportunity to have my own classroom and set a management plan
that I create into place. I am excited to implement all that I have learned and continue to learn. I
understand that each class will be different and have its own challenges and what worked for one
class may not work for another, but if I have the basics and the routine set in place I feel that I
can work around any class. I have learned so much from student teaching and observing other
classrooms and have really come to appreciate those teachers that know how to put an effective
plan into place. My hope is that I can continue to grow, develop and find what works for me so
that I can have a classroom where students want to be and a place where I want to be.

Management Plan

Reyes-Cairo 12
References

Blair, S., DeRoos, R., & Kratochwill, T. R. (2010). Classroom Management: Teachers
Modules. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/education/k12/classroom-mgmt.aspx

Meade, N. (2009). Creating Community Connects Kids: Seven Quick Tips to Help
Your Students Feel Connected. National Education Association. Retrieved
from http://www.nea.org/tools/15847.htm

Wong, H. and Wong, R. (2007). Effective Teaching...: How to Start a Class Effectively.
Retrieved from http://www.teachers.net/wong/OCT00/