Classroom Management Reflection

Paige Marks
Jennifer Munger
EDFN 440 D30

My approach to classroom management is building relationships while being

open and honest about my expectations for students. I’ve noticed as a student teacher
and probably will hold true my first couple of years teaching that I’m slower to
reprimand students, partially because I don’t always know how to approach the
situation and partially because I don’t always recognize the problem. For every inch a
student is given they will take a mile, so it’s important to be proactive in addressing
inappropriate behaviors. To do that without making a student feel cornered and singled
out it’s important I have a relationship built with them, so they know I have their best
interest in mind.
As of now I have been teaching in classes that have already have a general classroom
management approach instilled in them, so I haven’t had to do a lot of work with
cracking down on behavior issues. This said, there are things to consider when
enforcing and disciplining behaviors. Fifth graders do not have their executive function
skills completely developed so often times there is a reason deeper than laziness or
rudeness behind the problem. I always plan to hear out students and focus on helping
them improve to prevent further disruptions in the future. Consistency in classroom
management is important, as well as teacher discretion.
One idea for developing a classroom management plan would be spending a day
to have the students split into groups and choose three rules for the classroom they
think are important. Once the groups have a rule narrowed down, they would vote on
the top five rules, and these would be printed on a poster and become enforced
classroom rules. When students break this rule, I can point out that they chose and
agreed upon this rule so there is no reason not to follow it. I would also include my own
rules on a separate list which would depend based on what the students chose. I believe
that students helping other students creates increased learning for both of them, so I
want to focus on working together in my classroom which also goes along with building
a positive community and pleasant place to be.
Classroom Management Reflection
Paige Marks
Jennifer Munger
EDFN 440 D30

A few rules and procedures I plan to implement in my classroom are that I expect
students to participate and follow instructions. One of my biggest pet peeves is when
students say things like “wow that was so easy I don’t know how anyone wouldn’t know
that” so I want to talk about how everyone understands things differently, at different
paces so we should always be respectful to our classmates no matter what. I plan to
have assigned seating because this can help students both behaviorally and
academically if the seating is strategic. Using a verbal cue seems to work well in
classrooms I have been in and this would be something I would want to try as well.
Again, these are easier rules and procedures to enforce when students look at the
teacher respectfully due to the relationship that has been built.

Having routines is also a great classroom management strategy, because

students, whether they admit it or not, thrive in predictable environments. Often times
the hardest days to keep students on task and focused are days when there is a switch
in the school schedule. In reading I would love to do balanced literacy because I have
seen many set schedules with rotations and effective teaching strategies incorporated.
The students begin to look forward to it, as I remember looking forward to “lit circles” in
elementary school. In math I have saved and remembered many math routines such as
“my favorite no” and “what number am I thinking of” that could easily be an
introduction to begin the class routine daily.

Another thing to keep in mind is how I will interact with parents. Parents care
about their child’s success and take offense if the first conversation I have with them is
a negative one. To insult a child is to insult their parent. One way to prevent starting
problems with parents that I want to do is to call them the first week of school and tell
them how excited I am to have their child in class and tell them one positive interaction
I had with their child. I also want parents to feel welcome and included in their child’s
education, so I want to share a website with updates on our classroom learning and
activities and always allow them to give me suggestions and come help in the classroom.
They could submit suggestions through a google form on the class website.
Classroom Management Reflection
Paige Marks
Jennifer Munger
EDFN 440 D30

One last thing I think would be awesome to improve my classroom management

would be to use gamification. Gamifying a classroom gives students the competition
piece to be productive in their academics as well as their behavior. If a student loses
points for their entire team due to inappropriate behavior it causes them to reflect
more and think twice about poor decisions in the future. Students are more
academically engaged when the class is gamified which in general creates better
participation, focus and enthusiasm creating a better environment. Gamifying a
classroom is not an easy task and might take at least a year to be developed adequately.