Classroom

Management Plan
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT

Andrew Rivas
FALL 2018 | ASU WEST
Table of Contents

Self-Introduction …………………………………………………………………. 2
Classroom Arrangement ………………………………………………………….. 3
Illustration ………………………………………………………………… 5
Procedures ………………………………………………………………………… 6
Beginning Class …………………………………………………………... 6
Ending Class ………………………………………………………………. 6
Transition between Activities …………………………………………….. 6
Managing Student Work ………………………………………………….. 6
Student Absences …………………………………………………………. 7
Late Work ……………………………………………………………….... 7
Grading and Recording Student Work ……………………………………. 7
Communicating with Parents ……………………………………………… 7
Consideration of Diverse Learners ………………………………………... 8
Rules and Consequences ………………………………………………………….. 8
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………… 9

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Self-Introduction

My name is Andrew Rivas. I graduated from Alhambra High School before attending
Phoenix College. I then transferred to Glendale Community College where I received an
associate’s degree. I am currently a third year student in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers
College’s iTeachAZ program. I attend classes at Arizona State’s West campus.

Teaching was not a career path I took seriously when I was growing up. The thought of
finishing school just to have to go back for the rest of my life was not very appealing to me. It
was not until I was asked to coach my younger brother’s Little League baseball team that a
future in education became real for me. The challenge of bringing kids of different abilities and
backgrounds together took hold almost immediately. I began by gauging what each player could
do well and what they needed to work on. From there, I began to formulate a practice schedule.
I set short term and long term goals for both the team as well as individual players. I had to find
different methods to get through to different kids. I had to adjust the practice plan on the fly, all
with the goal of getting the most out of each player so they could be successful. As much as I
loved the technical aspect of coaching, it did not top my list. The relationships I formed with the
players were incredible. I had become invested in my players. Every high they celebrated, I
celebrated with them. Every low they felt, I felt with them. By the end of the season, I realized
that the best part of my coaching experience was the kids. This is why I want to become a
teacher. I want to bring the best out of my students. I will set goals and do all I can to help them
reach those goals. In this process, I will not lose sight of the fact that they are humans dealing
with life. I hope to forge relationships that will have a positive impact in a student’s life, as well
as in their academic success.

I want to provide my students with a structured learning environment. The students will
know what we are doing and why we are doing it. They will know where they need to be and
how we are going to get them there. This will done in a comfortable environment based on
mutual respect. They will understand that they are there to learn while I understand that life is
just unfolding for them and that military-like discipline is not always necessary.

Working with diverse students can be very challenging. Learning styles, abilities and
personal and cultural backgrounds are all elements a teacher should recognize. I believe,

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however, that to teach diverse students does not mean that one has personalize each lesson to
each individual student. Differentiation is not necessary. I believe objectives and expectations
should be uniform. According to Dr. Harry Wong, if a student does not succeed in learning the
objective, your first step is to reteach it. Secondly, you check for understanding, then teach it
again and again.

Classroom Arrangement

The classroom arrangement I chose is based on proximity and mobility. Proximity will help
discourage unruly behavior before it occurs. Mobility will allow me to get from student to
student with minimal obstacles. This allows me to “work the crowd”. As Fred Jones says,
“Work the crowd, or the crowd works you.”

The foundation of the arrangement is Fred Jones’ idea of the interior loop. Students’ desks
will be in row and column form. The two outside rows on either side of the room will be
together and the three inside rows will be grouped together as well. This will allow students to
work with partners with minimal movement. There will be five aisles going from one side of the
room to the other, with the third and fourth being the most generous. There will be four aisles
going from the front to the back of the room. Students will place their bags on the back of their
chair to minimize both aisle clutter and distraction. There will also be table in the last row rather
than a group of three desks. This is so I can accommodate a student that may need it. All desks
will be facing the white boards and projector screens at the front of the room. This will keep
students in a comfortable position to observe instruction without having turn and contort their
bodies to see what is being taught. The flag will be in the front of the classroom, to the right of
the white boards. If the pledge is to be said, students can just stand where they are. Again,
movement will be minimal. The Bill of Rights and the Constitution will be next to the flag. I
feel that that is just a natural grouping.

The teacher’s desk will be at the back of the room, in the corner. It is in the back so that is
does not create a barrier between the teacher and the students. The computer will be at my desk
as I will be the only one in class that will need to use it. I will keep both the locked cabinet and
file cabinet next to my desk, against the wall. I believe this is the most secure location as well as

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the most convenient. The bulletin board will be in the back of the classroom. It will include
important classroom announcements such as assignment due dates and test days. It will also
include school announcements such as rule changes, club/sports information and holidays.

The homework station will be near the door, against the left wall. This is so students can
hand in homework as they enter class and pick up homework assignments as they leave. The
material cabinet will be on the left side of the classroom as well. This will allow students in the
column closest to the cabinet to retrieve materials for the rest of the class. This will eliminate
clutter and keep students from having to cross the room to get materials. The bookshelves will
be at the back of the room. This allows the last student in each row to get books for the rest of
the members in their row, cutting back on student traffic. Trash cans will be placed at the front
of the room, near the door and next to the teacher’s desk. The trash by the door and the teacher’s
desk are high traffic areas. It is best to have a place for everyone to dispose of waste. The trash
in the front gives the students another option if they do not feel like walking to the back of the
class.

Lastly, I have a lounge area on the right side of the classroom. It can be a nice area for
students to relax after completing classwork. The idea of being able to relax on a sofa in class in
quietly a great motivator to get your work done. It was for me when I was in school, so I
incorporated into my room.

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Procedures

Beginning Class

At the beginning of each class, I will greet each student, by name, at the door. Dr. Harry
Wong believes that greeting students at the door establishes a positive relationship with the
students. It also helps prevent misbehavior before it starts. As students enter the class, they will
place homework into a basket at the homework station near the door. The materials needed, if
any, will be placed near the homework station so that students may pick them up before heading
to their assigned seats. When seated, students will place all electronic devices in their backpack
and backpacks will be placed on the back of their seats. Bell work will be on the overhead
projector and the class agenda will be written on the board. Students will be given five minutes
to complete the bell work, during which time I will take attendance. As students are finishing up,
I will go over the class agenda. We will then start the day’s lesson.

Ending Class

To end class, I will have a designated student ring a bell at the five-minute mark. The closure
will be a group question regarding the day’s lesson. At that time, I will go over homework
which will be written on the board. I will also give reminders regarding upcoming due dates,
quizzes and tests. The ticket out of class will be the day’s bell work. Students will place their
bell work into a basket on the counter near the door before they leave.

Transitions between Activities

Being able to transition smoothly between activities is crucial as a lot of time can be wasted if
not done well. In my class, I will use a timer for all activities. Whether it is moving into groups,
completing activities or going back to their seat, they will have time limits. This will help ensure
that we stay on track with our agenda. The auditory signal I will use when I need their attention
will be a double clap, followed by the phrase “Eyes on me.”

Managing Student Work

As I stated earlier, homework will be turned in as the students enter the classroom. Material
such as worksheets, whiteboards and markers will be placed on the counter near the homework
station so that students may pick them up on their way to their seats. If books are needed from

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the cabinets, the student at the end of each row, closest to the book cabinet, will get them. This
will keep classroom traffic to a minimum and reduce opportunities for students to get off task.
Keeping students on task is the reason why I will not hand back graded work until the end of the
lesson. If done before, students would be checking scores rather than listening to the lesson.

Student Absences

If a student is absent, it will be their responsibility to acquire the work missed. I will have
five folders in the filing cabinet, one for each day of the week. After each day, I will put the
day’s work in the corresponding folder. After a week, the work in the makeup folders will be
discarded. If a student misses more than a week of school, provided the absences are excused, I
will maintain a separate folder so that the student does not miss any assignments.

Late Work

I will accept late work for two weeks. The first week, the student will receive 90% credit for
work they turn in. The second week drops to 50%. After the second week, the work will not be
accepted, and the student will receive a zero. If a student has an excused absence on the day an
assignment is due, their timeline will be moved a day. However, if the absence is not excused,
the assignment will be considered late, and they will still have to abide by the original timeline.

Grading and Recording Student Work

I am very aware of how much students enjoy receiving graded work. I believe it is a very big
motivator for some students. For this reason, I will return work as soon as possible. Daily work
such as bell work, worksheets and homework will be graded, recorded and returned the next day.
Assessments will be graded and recorded within five days. The reason for five days is I am a
believer in partial credit, so tests and quizzes will take a more time to grade. Overall grades will
be posted weekly on the bulletin board with ID numbers rather than names.

Communicating with Parents

Keeping parents engaged with their child’s education is paramount. I will contact each
student’s parent at least once a month to update them on their child’s progress. I believe that
phone calls are the best form of communication, but I am aware of how impractical that may be.
Email will be heavily utilized. However, in certain circumstances, a phone call will be

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necessary. Praising a student for their effort or their behavior in an email is not the same as the
parent hears it from the teacher’s mouth. That is the same for the other side of the coin. Telling
a parent that a student is not doing what they are supposed to be doing in an email does not raise
the same level of concern as if they had heard it from the teacher directly.

Consideration of Diverse Learners

The needs of diverse learners will always be a top priority in my classroom. All IEPs and
504s will be followed. My procedures and expectations will be made clear. I will follow Dr.
Harry Wong’s model of teaching procedures. That is, I will state, explain, model and
demonstrate the procedure. I will practice it with students. And I will reinforce it throughout the
year. Through this practice, I hope to aid my diverse learners so that they have a clear
understanding of what is expected of them.

Rules and Consequences

Classroom Rules

1. All electronic devices will be silenced and put away unless the teacher says otherwise.
2. Only one person speaks at a time.
3. Hands, feet and other objects will be kept to ourselves.
4. Appropriate language will be used at all times.
5. Students will listen with their eyes and ears.

Consequences

1. First offense: The student will be given a warning and will be reminded of the rules and
expected behavior.
2. Second offense: The teacher will call home, with student present, to notify parents or
guardians of behavior.
3. Third offense: The student will be given detention.
4. Fourth offense: The student will receive an administrative referral.

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All offenses will be documented using violation forms to show that due process was followed.
The teacher reserves the right to skip steps based upon the severity of the violation.

I believe that my rules and consequences reflect my philosophy by setting the structured
environment I want in the classroom. The students will be able to gain comfort within that
structure. This is the goal, that students feel comfortable in my classroom. I believe that will
shine through in their learning. Along with the negative consequences, I will also have positive
consequences. There will be both individual and classroom rewards (I prefer rewards to positive
consequences). According to Dr. Fred Jones, positive reinforcement will strengthen good
behavior.

The rules and consequences will meet the needs of diverse learners by aligning with district
policy. They will follow all IEPs and 504 plans. They will be taught at the beginning of the year
in a very clear manner. They will be retaught throughout the year, as often as they are needed to
be. As Rick Lavoie states, clarity is extremely important so that disabled learners can grasp what
is expected from them. All rules and consequences will be posted in the classroom at all times.
In some cases, index cards containing the rules and regulations can be kept at a student’s desk as
a reminder.

Conclusion

In the time I have spent creating this classroom management plan, I have learned a great deal
about what it takes to be an effective teacher. Using this plan as the foundation, I will build a
structured environment that will be conducive to student learning. A structured classroom will
also benefit myself as the instructor. If I, the instructor, can operate efficiently, that will only
help my students in their learning. And at the end of the day, helping my students that is the
ultimate goal.