By: Lauren Croasdale Spring 2012

What is your philosophy/belief about classroom management? My classroom management philosophy is that all students in my classroom should be given an equal opportunity to learn in a safe, motivating, and fun environment. This can be achieved by creating and implementing a very structured classroom management plan. Children love structure within their lives. Their classroom should be as structured as possible, so that the students know what is expected of them within the room and so that all students feel comfortable and can be successful. Classroom rules, procedures, and expectations should be discussed, agreed upon with the students, and implemented from the very first day of school. These agreed upon rules, procedures, and expectations should be consistent, so that each students is treated equally within the classroom and so that students quickly learn what is expected of them. Inappropriate behaviors should be addressed immediately within the classroom and the consequences should be consistent. Students should be aware of the different steps of consequences. Students should always get a warning and be redirected to positive appropriate behavior before consequences are implemented. On the other hand, students should also be acknowledged for appropriate behaviors. A token economy system can be implemented to motivate and reward students to always do their best within the classroom. Also, simple strategies such as saying, “Boys and girls, I love how Adam already has his math book out on his desk and is working hard.” This will motivate the rest of the students to begin to do the same. Overall, I believe that the key to a successful classroom begins with the teacher getting to know the students on not only an academic level, but a personal level too! I always greet my students at the door as they enter the room and ask them about their sporting events, girl scout meetings, what they did over the weekend, how their siblings are doing, etc. Asking them questions and giving them positive comments about their lives outside of school creates a sense of trust between the student and the teacher, as well as, a positive classroom climate.

My Philosophy Continued… Finally, I would use specific strategies to promote student success within my classroom. For example, a voice thermometer should be used in order to determine the voice level that is permitted for different lessons and activities. I believe that the teacher should allow the students, if appropriate, to determine what voice level they believe will allow them to be most successful. For easy transitions a bell or chime can be used to warn students that it is time to clean up and move onto their next activity or even just to redirect their attention to me for a minute. I would also promote students to use their manners and treat all of their peers with respect. As a teacher, I would always model how to use good manners and treat one another with respect. I would also use a strategy called bucket fillers, where students can fill other students’ buckets by writing something nice that they did for them. This will motivate the students to always treat each other with respect and do nice things for one another.

How would you go about setting up the procedures, rules, and expectations in your classroom? Class rules would be developed together as a class on the first day of school. –Help students brainstorm ideas of what a safe learning community is supposed to look like and provide examples of what it is not. –Limit amount of rules to 3-6 (Teaching as Leadership). –Keep it simple! Write clear and concise rules. –Once rules have been written and agreed upon, students will all sign the “class contract” showing that they agree to the rules of the classroom community (Teaching as Leadership).

Classroom procedures will be explained and modeled on the very first day of school. –Model what students should do for each procedure and also provide examples of what not to do (Dunbar, 2004). –Always provide positive reinforcement when students correctly follow procedures. Example: “I love how Sara walked in from recess and is already at her seat, reading silently.” Classroom expectations will be simple and clear. Positive reinforcement and consequences will follow the behavior immediately, so that rules, procedures, and expectations can be internalized quickly in the beginning of the school year (Teaching and Leadership).

How would you motivate and engage students in creating a positive classroom climate? Have student work prominently displayed in the classroom –“Top Dog”, “Fishing for Good Work”, “Revisions that Rock”, etc. Supportive and cooperative learning activities Desks will be arranged so that students will not be easily distracted and can work cooperatively with one another (Effective Lesson Planning). Bucket Fillers: Students and teachers fill out slips of paper and “fill” each others’ buckets when they see someone do something well in school (Painter, 2012).

How would you deal with inappropriate behaviors/discipline/consequences/ interventions? Consequences should immediately follow the inappropriate behavior and should be consistent (Dunbar, 2004). Redirect inappropriate behavior to positive behavior (Effective Lesson Planning) Steps for Repeated Inappropriate Behaviors: –Warning & Redirect to Positive Behavior –Change Student’s Seat Location –No Recess –Note and/or Call Home –Visit to the Principal

What strategies would you use for transitioning? Countdown Strategy: Countdown to 0 –Use verbal countdown, as well as, non-verbal (use your fingers) –Allows students to wrap up their conversations and what they are working on –Warns them that we are moving onto something new Ring a Bell (Painter, 2012) Songs: Sing a song that focuses on cleaning up, wrapping up a conversation, moving to the carpet, lining up at the door, etc. Verbal Reminder of Time Remaining

How do you acknowledge appropriate behaviors? Use verbal praise for students who are behaving appropriately (Effective Lesson Planning). –Example: “Wow! I really like how Adam already has his book out on his desk and turned to the page. I am looking to see who else is listening as well as Adam is.” Bucket Fillers “Yes! Slips”: Small pieces of paper are awarded to students who go above and beyond and demonstrate positive behavior. At the end of each month, students count how many Yes Slips they have been awarded and they then get the chance to pick out of the Yes Prize Bucket (Croasdale, 2012).

What techniques would you use to refocus students? Countdown Strategy Voice Thermometer: Students work cooperatively with teacher to collaboratively decide what voice level they should be working at. –Voice Level Examples: Silent, Whisper, Study Buddy, Indoor Voice Turtle Technique (Younger Students): "Ok, boys and girls: Turtle! Pull in your arms, pull in your legs, ask yourself your 3 questions: Where am I? Where should I be? What should I be doing? Now: pull out your arms and legs and put them in the right places!" (Wright) Radio Station Tuning (Older Students): "I think I'm getting static! Focus in, fine-tune those dials! Ask yourself? What exactly am I listening to? What is the main channel I'm tuning in on here?” (Wright)

How do you build a teacher-student relationship of trust? Get to know your students quickly (Dunbar, 2004). –Create unfinished work mailboxes for their desks the first week of school. Have students write their names and decorate their mailbox with pictures and words from magazines and the internet that describe their life. –Have students share out their mailboxes and their interests so that the teacher and the students get to know each student. –Incorporate their interests into lessons and activities. Individualize and Differentiate (Sears) –Individualizing assignments and differentiating lessons will allow all students to be successful at their own level and pace, which will build self- confidence. –Build on what the students already know. Ask students about what they like to do outside of school. –Greet them at the door each morning –Example: If they play a sport, then go and see them play in a game. Always speak positively towards students (Sears).

How do you build a climate of respect and cooperation? Treat each student equally and fairly. Get to know your students and let them know that you care about them. Allow students to work with their peers of various assignments so that the students get to know their classmates. Be consistent! Stick to the rules and procedures every day (Dunbar, 2004). Model appropriate behavior at all times –Appearance- Manners –Professionalism- Grammar

What factors promote a student- centered classroom? Arrange desks in a way that promotes collaboration –Groups/Clusters Create centers for different subject areas that promote student-centered activities (Painter, 2012). Voice Thermometer (Painter, 2012) Easy access to student materials (paper, pencils, crayons, scissors, etc.) Create a different areas of the classroom for different interests (library/reading nook, computer corner, connections, wonderings, and questions board, SMARTboard center, etc.).

How will you sustain a culture for positive learning? Consistently reinforce appropriate behavior Open communication with students and guardians Implement a tattle box or comment box (depending on grade level) where students can share their complaints and feelings. This will allow me to quickly deal with issues before they escalate into something larger (Croasdale, 2012).

References Croasdale, D. (2012, January 25). Interview by L. Croasdale [Personal Interview]. Dunbar, C. (2004, October). Best practices in classroom management. Retrieved from Effective lesson planning, delivery techniques and classroom management suggestions. (n.d.). Retrieved from Painter, L. (2012, January 27). Interview by L Croasdale [Personal Interview]. Sears, N. (n.d.). Building relationships with students. Retrieved from Teaching as leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved from Readings/CMC_Ch2_2011.pdf Readings/CMC_Ch2_2011.pdf Wright, D. (n.d.). Simple teacher techniques for impulsive & distractable students. Retrieved from