Classroom Management Project

Kolton Boyer
Secondary Methods
Spring
1. Management Style and Philosophical Beliefs:

Classroom Management Style Score

One of the main take aways that I had from my practicum and from class was that one of
the best ways to maintain a productive and positive atmosphere is building strong relationships
with students. Having a strong presence, or assertive behavior, in the classroom, like I saw first
hand, was instrumental in the maintenances of a harmonious classroom. This assertive
behavior is described as the ability to stand up for ones legitimate rights in ways that make it
less likely that others will ignore or circumvent them (Emmer, Everston & Worsham, 2003). In
class we had discussed the statistic, 8 out of 10 say they could be more effective teachers if
they did not have to spend so much time on disruptive students.
When I took the assessment to find my classroom management style I had some
interesting results. Of each four types Authoritarian, Authoritative, Democratic, and Laissezfaire there could be a possible 15 points. The category I got the highest score in is Authoritative
with a score of 15. The next was democratic with 9. I scored 4 out of 15 points in both
Authoritarian and Laissez-Faire questions. What this means to me is an affirmation of what I
thought. I generally think that it is best to let students have freedom in the classroom to talk with
peers and such, but there needs to be an understanding and expectation of getting work done.
While I believe that students should have the ability to work independently, and in
groups, with minimal intervention there will be times in which students will stray from their tasks.
Canters assertive discipline model is one of the closest approaches I have found to my beliefs
due to the expectation of good behavior and the recognition of both good and bad behaviors.
Another is Jones approach to using non-verbals, but I disagree with the stance that the
students shouldnt be rewarded until they behave properly. There are times when students
need to be praised for tasks so that they can have a win to get back on a good course. One of
the main parts of the Jones model that I do like is that it revolves around floating throughout the
classroom to use proximity to help keep students on task. Anymore serious of violations of the
established classroom rules/policies would be dealt with based on the severity.

2. Establishing a Positive Classroom Culture

Beginning of the Semester Survey

Welcome to 8th Grade Science! I look forward to our semester working together and would like to get to
know you better. Please fill this survey out so that I can find out more about your interests.
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draws the pictures.
writes the words.
videotapes the performances.
acts it out.
sings a song.
takes pictures.
comes up with the ideas.
organizes the information.
presents information to the class.
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fiction (not real) stories.
non-fiction (real) stories.
comics.
fantasy stories (dragons, knights, fairies).
action stories.
fairy tales.
about sports.
books about people and countries
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Thanks for completing my survey. It's going to be a

great semester. Mr. Boyer
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Google form at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IZ_zPJ2T45wlLeo3DnifC_41YELvbtVx7hiEuRqMHmU/viewform?
usp=send_form

To develop a positive classroom culture there needs to be two approaches. One aspect
is creating an environment that is fun, rigorous, and safe. The other is to establish fair policies
and rules with the students input. At the start of the school year I would like to give the students
a survey about their interests. This survey would be both academic and personal so that I can
get a sense of what is important to each student. The survey would also serve to establish the
resources available to the student. To create a more rigorous environment I would have the
students complete a concept map so that pre-existing knowledge amongst all of the students
can be covered much more quickly.
Making the classroom safe is going to be driven through policies and practices. Letting
students know that critical behavior is okay, but personal attacks are not, would be one way to
help with create a safe environment. While a certain amount of student safety can be afforded
in the policies, creating good practices will go further for students long term behaviors. Giving
the student chances to use technology and discussion appropriately, with scaffolding, they will
derive more long term benefit.

3. Developing Classroom Rules and Procedures:

Late Work Pass

Attach this coupon to the assignment for 90%
of full credit.

Late Work Pass

Attach this coupon to the assignment for 90% of
full credit.

Due date of the assignment:_______________

Which assignment: __________________
Student's Signature:_________________
Parent's Signature:__________________

Due date of the assignment:_______________

Which assignment: __________________
Student's Signature:_________________
Parent's Signature:__________________

One of the first activities I would do with students is to create rules and policies for the
classroom. Their input would be valuable for both the rules themselves as well as for the
repercussions. The subjects we would come up with rules and repercussions for would be:
1. Tardiness
2. Profanity
3. Outbursts
4. Hall Passes
5. Latework
6. Food and Drinks
7. Expectations for independent work
8. Expectations for when there is a substitute
9. Extra Time
The students would be able to set reasonable expectations for their class. In the future the
rules from other classes could be read to give them an idea of what direction to take. For the
class I would offer a late assignment pass that would get them 90% of the full credit. The pass
would need to have a parent signature so that there is communication with the parents.
Students would also need to set the expectation for discipline as well. When detentions are
brought in, when parents are contacted, etc. To help avoid there being down time, I would like
to have a full semester project that the students are building towards so that they can work on
parts of it during down time. This semester project would help substitutes guide the class during
down time as well. The worked would also be more productive than just normal busy work.
There are some rules that would be given to students due to being tied to school
policies. Others would be dependent on if the class is blended. If the class is blended some of
the rules I would have would be:
1. All activities and comments need to be respectful.
2. You must report any activity you find disrespectful.
3. All information used needs to be cited appropriately.

4. All assignments are due by 11:59pm on the date listed in the syllabus or given in
class.
5. Unless you are told otherwise, all coursework done online can be reviewed by
peers.
6. If you have difficulty with any technology it is your responsibility to report the
problem before the due date.
Other disciplinary infractions that are much more severe like weapons, drugs, or
bullying/harassment would be handled in conjunction with administration. Lesser disciplinary
issues would be handled at the classroom level.
The use of technology in class would also have guided lines. There would be a definite
BYOD (bring your own device) mindset in the class, but some days it simply would not be
needed. The use of a shoe organizer would provide a safe place for students to keep their
devices. The traffic light would also give students non-verbal cues as to when their device
should be used or not used. If there is a clothes pin next to the color in the traffic light the use of
technology would be dictated.

4. Classroom Layout

In the classroom I went with 6 tables that allow for movement around the students from a
variety of angles. The small central table is meant to provide a place demonstrations of lab
safety or to facilitate fish bowl exercises. The other rectangular tables could also be rotated to
form an overall hexagon that would be used for round table discussions. Also in the idealized
room is a nook that could accommodated one-on-ones where the student is shielded from the
rest of the class, but the teacher can still have line of sight. The nook would also allow an area
for small group work or a place where students could have less inputs to distract them. In one
corner is the teachers desk that allows for separation of lab materials. This total classroom
layout is meant to be collaborative while providing space for individualized attention. There are
also two presentation points so that differing views can be presented in the case of classroom
discussions.

5. Monitoring the Classroom and Responding to Student Misbehavior

Monitoring what can cause a problem,

not just the available what is visible.

Helping students feel secure so they

dont feel like they have to behave poorly

To help prevent poor behavior it is important to set students up for success. On the first
day of class it is important to help students understand expectations of rules and policies.
Creating a seating chart that discourages poor behavior is another way to help prevent students
from making a bad choice.
In all practical sense there are going to be times in which students misbehave, it is
inevitable. If prevention has failed, which it will, one of the first steps I would take is to react
immediately. This is possible by having withitness about what is going on in the class. To react
quickly it is important to be actively engaged with the class and move around. Another way to
help correct behaviors is to look for the reason the behavior is happening. As described in
Marzanos book the ability to look for the reason behind the behavior is important for objectively
looking at the misbehavior. Once the behavior is identified it is possible to identify what can
trigger the behavior in an attempt to prevent it. It is also important to evaluate what behaviors
need to be confronted. There are going to be students that are motivated by attention and or
power that will want to create conflict. The best way to diffuse these situations is to give the
students perceived choices and allow them a chance to self regulate.
Students need to understand the consequences of misbehavior. Ideally the students will
have had a chance to help develop the rules and the results of misbehavior at the beginning of
the semester or year. The consequences should be objective. While there should be uniformity
there should be discussions with students in a one-on-one setting to see what caused the
problem and to make sure it doesn't happen moving forward.

6. Parents as Partners
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Name of other adults in the household?

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Are there other children in the household? How many?*

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What is your student's favorite subject in school?* Examples. Math, Science, Art
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Is there something you would like me to know about your student?Write it here.
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Thanks for completing my survey. It's going to be a great year.

Mr. Boyer
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/17fG4p2L465T599cWQ5nttAgNaNPXc4e6_duw34G3p8/viewform?usp=send_form

Parent involvement is going to be one the cornerstones to my overall classroom

management plan. Most parents want the best for their child and feel amiss if they don't do
well. If those parents are involved in their childs education they can help to ensure better
results. According to a Huffington Post article by Alex Kuczynski-Brown Nearly one-quarter
23 percent of Americans attribute their failure to complete high school to a lack of parental
support or encouragement, (Kuczynski-Brown, 2012).
The first step to making a connection to parents would be to have them fill out a survey.
This survey would help to establish some main points of commonality. The questions would be
like the ones in the attached artifact. A second step would be to keep parents in the loop. In
section three there is a late work pass that includes parent interaction. The students would
need to get a parent signature in order to get the ninety percent credit. Third would be a
conducting parent teacher conferences without surprises. The idea of the conference would not
be to surprise parents with good or bad news, it would be to discuss ways to help each
student. The conferences should also be a chance for parents to ask questions.
With the prevalent use of LMSs I would like to allow parents access to the course
calendar if the system allowed it. Another way to help students through parent involvement
would be to provide them with a test prep/reviews. These preps/reviews would have questions
that could help the parents quiz their students. It would be important to provide bulleted
answers so that the parents are able to make sure the students have the correct answers.

References
Emmer, E.T., Everston, C.M., & Worsham, M.E. (2003)Classroom management for secondary
(6th ed). Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Kuczynski-Brown, A. (2012, November 15). High School Dropouts Worsened By Lack Of
Support, Becoming A Parent: Survey. Retrieved May 12, 2015, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/15/lack-of-support-becoming-_n_2137961.html