My Personal Classroom Management Plan - Scott...

Scott Taylor 1

My Personal Classroom Management

Plan

Scott Taylor 2

1) Introduction

Enclosed in this folder is my classroom management plan. This document is my

guideline for how I will be running my classroom, as well as some procedures, and it also

contains some brief outlines of the 8 models of classroom discipline. Its purpose is to

remind me of my beliefs and values for how to run my classroom. If ever I feel like I am

getting off track, then I can refer to this document as a reminder of how I believe my

classroom should be run. This document will change over the course of the years. New

rules will be added, new procedures due to arrangement of the school, and possibly some

new preventative, supportive, and corrective disciplines will enter this document in later

years, but for now this is how I believe my classroom will be set. I have organized it to

start with the 8 models, followed by a summary of who I think I am, and how I will

benefit the classroom. Next I have included my discipline plan, and how I will set up my

classroom in terms of disciplinary issues. I find myself to be more of a preventative

disciplinary, always looking for ways to stop bad behaviour before it occurs. I will keep

this document close to my desk at all times, preferably in a file cabinet, or on a shelf, so I

can readily access it at any time. I intend to act upon everything that I have stated;

knowing that the only way it will work is if I actually use it. I realize that some situations

call for different forms of discipline, so some of my procedures may not be useful the odd

time, but overall I will stick to this plan closely, and when necessary stray away a little.

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2) The 8 Models

Behavior Modification

• B.F. Skinner founded behavior modification. He realized that one could modify

behavior with simple reinforcers. With his research, he “formulated

reinforcement strategies to be used by teachers in the classroom.”

• Underlying Assumptions:

o Behavior modification believes that humans respond to external stimuli,

and are “regulated by environmental influences that satisfy basic needs.”

o Believe that “for students to behave appropriately, they must receive

guidance from their teachers.”

o “Students cannot learn to be responsibly self-governing,” instead “they

must be managed by someone who can arrange reinforcers appropriately.”

o Unmanaged behavior can lead to an increase in discipline problems.

o “Humans have no will.”

• Important Aspects of Classroom Application:

o Corrective Discipline

The corrective discipline focuses a lot on ignoring the bad

behaviour and rewarding the good behaviour.

Reinforcement – reinforcement requires using a stimulus to

reinforce a behaviour. For example, you may offer candy to your

class as a reward for handing in their homework on time. By doing

this every so often the kids will most likely hand in their

homework so they don’t miss out on getting candy.

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Extinction – if a previous bad behviour that tended to be reinforced

is consistently ignored, then the behaviour may diminish or even

completely disappear. For example, if a student acts

inappropriately in class because he/she likes to see you get upset,

then ignoring the behaviour may not entice him/her anymore, and

therefore may stop.

Time-Out – some children get positively reinforced for their bad

behaviour through laughter or applause from the other students.

Separating the child from the other students by using a time-out

will remove him/her from the stimulus that is enforcing the

behaviour. However, time-out “works only if the time-out

situation is less reinforcing than being in the classroom.”

Punishment – it is probably the most used strategy. Punishment

can involve taking something away from the child that they really

like. For example, a teacher could not allow a student to go

outside for recess because of misbehavior. A teacher could even

state this at the beginning of the class to as preventative measure to

stop his/her students from misbehaving.

o Preventative Discipline

In behavior modification, “correcting problems is emphasized

exclusively.”

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The best way to prevent in behavior modification is to state clearly

what you expect, and to have a set plan of what rewards you will

use to manage your student’s behavior.

• Strengths:

o It is a very simple method to use, and the “results are immediate.”

o “It accommodates most teachers’ desire to maintain control.”

o “Students can feel successful while they obtain rewards.”

o Works with all age groups.

o Is very consistent.

o “Standards of behavior are uniform, consistent, and clear to all students.”

• Weaknesses:

o “The results may not last long.”

o May seem like bribery to some people.

o The rewards may become more important to the kids than learning.

o “Students do not get the opportunity to clarify emotions, weigh

alternatives, decide on solutions, or develop their intellect.”

o “Rewards undermine intrinsic motivation.”

o “To use so much control in a democratic society may be unethical.”

o “Students may not learn how to govern their own behavior.”

• Thoughts:

o I find behavior modification to be a very effective model. Even though I

find ignoring bad behaviour to be a very difficult task, I do believe that it

can be effective with certain students. Children love to be rewarded, so

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using that to help keep order over a classroom is really a smart idea.

However, I find that preventing bad behaviour would be even better than

correcting bad behaviour. Sadly, behavior modification offers little to no

methods of prevention, which I find to be its only downfall.

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Assertive Discipline

• Lee Canter is the founder of assertive discipline. He began as a child guidance

specialist, who then went to look at school discipline.


o Students must be forced to comply with rules.

o Students cannot be expected to determine appropriate classroom rules and

follow them.

o Punishment will cause students to avoid bad behavior and engage in good

classroom behavior.

o Good behavior can also be encouraged by positive reinforcement.

o For proper classroom management, parents and school administrators

must help to enforce rules.


o Applying Assertive Discipline:

Establish positive student-teacher relationships

Establish rules or expectations

Track misbehavior

Use punishment to enforce rules/expectations

Implement a system of positive consequences

Establish strong parent support

o An Assertive Teacher Will…

Identify wants and feelings in interpersonal situations

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Verbalize wants and feelings in a straightforward way

Persist in stating wants and feelings

Use a firm tone of voice

Maintain eye contact when speaking

Reinforce verbal statements wit congruent nonverbal gestures

• Scale of Assertiveness:

o Non-Assertive – wishy-washy, don’t draw the line in the sand, fail to be

clear about expectations.

o Assertive – confident, clear, establish limits and enforce them

o Hostile/Aggressive - anger, aggression, excessive control

• Positive Consequences:

o You need to show positive response to good behavior

o “Catch them being good” philosophy

o They should be rewards that students want and happen immediately

o They should be rewarded as often as possible

o Teachers need to do some advanced planning to offer rewards.

o Sometimes group rewards are used.

o Examples: Personal attention, positive notes or telephone calls to parents,

awards, material rewards, home rewards, group rewards.

o Need to have a balance between punishment and rewards.

• Strengths

• It is simple to use.

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• The teacher can enforce his/her own personal desires.

• Parents and administrators are involved in the process.

• Weaknesses:

o Having their name on the board may entice students to act up who otherwise

may not have.

o Students may become angered when warned, so may go farther than they

previously would have.

o Having their name on the board may embarrass the student.

o Fails to promote self-direction in students.

o It fails to deal with the underlying causes of discipline problems, such as

emotional illness, divorce, poverty, racism, and so forth.

Thoughts

o I do believe that this model can be very effective. Showing the students that

you are in charge is very important. However, I believe that without

consistency this model will fail, and only make some of the students try to

push harder back.

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Logical Consequences

• Logical consequences was thought up by Rudolf Dreikurs, who believed in

democratic procedures.

• Underlying Assumptions

o Inappropriate behaviour is motivated by a need to gain attention, exercise

power, exact revenge, or display inadequacy

o If the motive for attention is satisfied, inappropriate behaviour associated

with other motives will not be manifested.

o Inappropriate behaviour can be terminated by helping students find

legitimate ways to satisfy their needs.

o Children can learn to understand their own motives and consequently

eliminate misbehaviour by having teachers help them explore why they

behave as they do.

o Students behave more appropriately in the classroom when they suffer the

logical consequences of their behaviour.

o Presenting students with a choice between two alternative behaviours

offers a sufficient basis on which they can learn to be responsible.

• Important Aspects of Classroom Application

o Types of Consequences

Natural consequences

• these are the consequences that occur naturally as the result

of an action. We learn easily from natural consequences

because they are inextricably linked to the action

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Punishment

• punishment does not need to be linked to the action at all. It

is simply the response of the person in power.

Logical Consequences

• logical consequences are consequences that are chosen by

the teacher or the class as a logical response to a particular

misbehaviour.

• Student’s Motives for Inappropriate Behaviour

o Gaining Attention

primary form of inappropriate behaviour

o Exercising Power

when needs for attention are not met they try to engage in a power

struggle

o Exacting Revenge

when needs for power are not met children claim to have been

dealt with unfairly and seek to get even

o Displaying Inadequacy

children who fail to develop a sense of self-worth through

attention, power, or revenge often give up and portray themselves

as inadequate

• Types of Attention Seeking Behaviour

o Active constructive

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Goal is to get praise and maintain superiority: tattle, exceedingly

cooperative, conform readily, success oriented, perfectionist

o Active destructive

goal is to get immediate and continuous attention: want their own

way, grumpy, defiant, class clown, bully, pestering other.

o Passive constructive

goal is to get others to serve them: charm, manipulative, plead

helplessness, vain, cute, flattering, clingy, self-centered

o Passive destructive

goal is to get help or to make others concerned about them:

bashful, dependent, untidy, self-indulgent, lazy, lack concentration,

claim tasks are too hard, lack of positive action

• Corrective Discipline Procedures

o Teachers attempt to understand student’s motives.

o Students are helped to understand their motives.

o Students are helped to exchange their mistaken goals for useful ones.

o Students are encouraged to become committed to their new goal

orientation.

o Students are taught to apply logical consequences.

o Group discussions regarding class rules and problems are held.

• Preventative Discipline

o Ensure that everyone’s needs for attention and acceptance are met.

o Avoid reinforcing or provoking misbehaviour.

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o Develop a trusting relationship between you and your students.

o Find value in each of your students.

o Be flexible enough to maintain a positive attitude about every student.

o Engage students in planning logical consequences.

o Allow students to work at their own pace, be spontaneous, be enthusiastic,

explore personal interests, and accept responsibility for themselves.

• Strengths

o Promotes a degree of autonomy for students.

o It incorporates a preventative approach to discipline.

o It helps students to understand why they behave as they do.

o It helps students to learn correct behaviour.

o It promotes mutual respect between teachers and students.

o It relies on logical consequences instead of arbitrary punishment and

systematic reinforcement.

o It helps teacher focus on causes for behaviour before they take action.

• Weaknesses

o Teachers have trouble determining the actual motives of their students.

o Students may not admit their real motives, either because they believe that

their motives are unacceptable or because they do not know what they are.

o Teacher may find it difficult to respond to students in a non-controlling way.

o Teachers may have a problem dealing with the complexity of engaging in a

dialogue with their students.

• Thoughts

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o I really like the logical consequences model of classroom discipline. I really

like how it allows the student to think about why he/she had something taken

away from them. It reminded me a lot of my own elementary experience. For

example, when I was in grade 4, we had these single desks that the teacher

would just put beside one another so we had a table partner. One day I was

just in one of those moods, and I would shake my leg up and down, which

would cause the table to squeak continuously. I kept doing it, and kept doing

it to try and get a response from my teacher. After about two minutes of this,

my teacher just calmly walked over to my table, pick it up, and moved it to the

other side of the room. I had to write with my books on my lap for the

remainder of the day, and I knew why I had to. So because of this experience,

I see how effective this model can be. I also really like how it is very focused

on the preventative nature of discipline.

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Democratic Discipline

• Clifford H. Edwards, the author of the classroom management textbook, started

democratic discipline. During his doctorial studies he created an interest in

classroom discipline.


o Children of various ages can learn to express themselves in caring ways

and develop good relationships with their peers and teachers.

o With the help of their teachers, students can organize learning experiences

of higher caliber, which have acceptable content and an appropriate level

of sophistication.

o Students can learn to satisfy personal and social needs effectively while

internalizing critical human virtues and academically achieving at their

highest potential.

o Student’s natural way of learning is to constructively engage in inquiry in

an effort to solve problems with which they are confronted.


o Teachers are responsible for…

Building the community

Communicating effectively

Promoting relationships

Helping students define learning project

Helping to identify methods for learning

Explaining the community concept

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Modeling the writing of research proposals, preparing reports, and

conducting research

Leadership


Discipline “problems” are handled at class meetings

When the group is functional, groups are self-monitoring and self-

correcting.

Teachers do not overtly monitor students nor impose punishments

or consequences

Teachers should lead, guide, and support students through

discussions to deal with discipline problems.


Preventative discipline should start with class input into the

rules/norms for behavior. The list might need to be reviewed and

revised as issues come up in the classroom and as students become

more familiar with this type of learning.

Maintaining a very high level of engagement in learning

Planning elements of a successful learning community

Working with students on the development and maintenance of

relationships within the classroom

o Inquiry Learning

Allows students to explore questions they are curious about

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If held to a high enough level of rigor, there will be a

correspondingly high level of learning.

Student input leads to a higher level of interest and commitment

Working together develops cooperative learning skills and fosters

better relationships

The teacher’s role becomes one of coach and facilitator – He or she

brings knowledge and experience to the table and uses it to help

students make wise choices.

• Strengths

o Learning communities provide a valid way for satisfying students’ needs.

o Learning communities provide an authentic format for teaching students

how to live successfully in a democracy.

o Learning communities can enhance student relationships and prevent

bullying.

o Learning communities accommodate students’ natural inclination to be

self-governing.

o Learning communities are compatible with constructivism, the most

accepted learning theory.

o Learning communities provide for authentic assessment of student

achievement.

o Learning communities provide a way for students to satisfy their

legitimate interests, become intrinsically motivated, and achieve at higher

levels.

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o Learning communities help student acquire skills in solving critical

personal and social problems.

o Students can become more able to validly regulate all activities in the

classroom and protect the learning environment.

• Weaknesses

o Promoting learning communities requires teachers to make adjustments in

their behavior and teaching practices (Hmmm? Why is that a weakness?).

o Considerable effort is required to make necessary adjustments to the

teaching practices (Hmmm? Is this different than the first one?)

o Forming a learning community requires considerable time and

commitment.

o Opposition can be expected from those who prefer schools to continue to

function as they have traditionally.

o Employing learning communities may run counter to individual teachers’

• Thoughts

o I like the idea of this model, and how it allows for students to take control

of their own learning, and how it promotes curiosity and question asking.

However, I do find that because it is the author’s model, he really beefs up

the strengths of this model, while mentioning few weaknesses. I just

found that a little odd.

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Teacher Effectiveness Training

• Thomas Gordon, who is a clinical psychologist that believed in patients solving

their own emotional problems, developed this model.


o Human beings are self-regulating and can thus learn to manage their own

behavior.

o Students commonly rebel when their teachers actively regulate their

behavior.

o Rewards and praise may undermine intrinsic motivation.

o Students can solve their own problems when teachers listen to them.

o Students will alter their misbehavior when teachers deliver appropriately

constructed I-messages.



Sometimes, students will need you to intervene and help them

solve a problem.

When that happens:

• Define the problem.

• Generate possible solutions.

• Evaluate each solution.

• Make a decision.

• Determine how to implement the decision.

• Assess the success of the decision.

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Making a Trade

• Try to find an alternate but more appropriate activity in

which the student could engage.

Modify the Environment

• Make changes to the activity, or move to a different area of

the room.

o Active Listening

Listen

Try to understand what the student has said and repeat it back to

check for accuracy.

Use this process to clarify the underlying message.

Gives you a moment to judge to see if what the student said makes

sense.

o I-Messages

Clearly communicate what is causing the problem. (non-blaming)

State the concrete effect that the behaviour is having on you.

State how it makes you feel.

o Shifting Gears

Switching from one response to another can cause a swift change.

If used too often it can slowly diminish.

• Strengths

o It promotes autonomy and self-regulation for students.

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o It promotes good student-teacher relationships.

o It allows students to deal with personal problems and feelings.

o It helps teachers communicate their needs to students so that students can

appreciate how their behaviour affects others.

o It helps students understand that teachers have needs and feelings just like

they do.

o Helps with a lot of prevention strategies.

• Weaknesses

o Teachers may find some difficulty changing their role from directing and

controlling students to actively listening.

o Teachers may have difficulty accepting value differences between

themselves and their students.

o Transmitting I-messages instead of you-messages will be understandably

difficult for teachers to master.

o A more comprehensive preventative discipline approach may be needed to

help teachers avoid having to deal with the number of possible problems

likely to surface.

• Thoughts

o Teacher effectiveness training is one of my favorite models thus far. I

really like how focused it is on the preventative discipline, rather than the

corrective discipline. I also find that switching gears is a great way of

moving past conflict. I find that changing the tone of a situation almost

instantaneously can be highly effective.

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Reality Therapy/Choice Theory

• William Glasser is a psychiatrist who rejected classical psychotherapy for a more

behavioral approach. He has practiced his reality therapy a lot with juvenile

offenders. Glasser believed on focusing on the present solutions, and not

dwelling on the past.


o Human beings are basically self-regulating and can thus learn to manage

their own behaviour.

o Children learn to be responsible by examining a full range of

consequences for their behaviour and making value judgments about their

behaviour and its consequences.

o Avoiding an exploration of motives will help children accept

responsibility for their behaviour and not make excuses.

o Human behaviour consists of an effort on the part of each individual to

satisfy needs for love, power, freedom, and fun.

o Each person has a unique way of satisfying needs.

o Children cannot be forced to change what they believe about how to best

satisfy their needs.



5 Step Process:

1.Identify inappropriate behaviour

2.Identify the fully range of consequences

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3.Make value judgment about the best solution

4.Create a plan

5.Help students to stick to the plan

Visions of Need Fulfillment

‐ We all have different pictures AND we believe firmly in the

wisdom of our pictures.

‐ Sometimes the pictures that we have of ourselves are different

than the pictures that others have for us.

‐ We do not picture failure. We picture success. Our pictures

make sense to us; otherwise, we would not have them.

‐ Sometimes our pictures do not match with reality.

Boss Management vs. Leader Management

‐ Boss

• Teacher establishes the task and the standards

• Teacher tells rather than shows

• Teacher is the only evaluator

• Teacher uses punishment to curb resistance

‐ Leader

• Teacher encourages students to discuss the quality

• Teacher fits tasks to the skills of the students

• Teacher provides models and allows students to

evaluate their own work

• Teacher is a facilitator

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• Teacher solicits opinions

• Teacher explains teaching strategies

• Teacher makes it clear that there will be no

punishment or criticism

• The Connecting Place

• Like time-out but with a person

• The goal is to solve the problem

• Adult acts as a friend

• Student is in control of his/her activity but must remain in the

room.

• Teacher checks in

• Preventative Discipline

o Set goals as a class

o Set rules together

o Set norms for operations together

o Everyone needs to commit to making it work.

o Decide together what the consequences will be, if someone

doesn’t conform to the mutually agreed upon rules.

• Strengths

o Reality therapy and choice theory promote a high degree of

autonomy and responsibility for students.

o They help students see a wide range of possible consequences

for their behaviour.

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o They allow students to determine solutions to their own

discipline problems.

o They help students understand their needs and how to satisfy

these needs legitimately.

o They help teachers avoid promoting rebellion.

o They delineate clearly what a teacher needs to do for every

misbehaving student.

o Problem behaviours can be handled in classroom meetings

involving the entire class, which helps all students understand

the various discipline problems and what to do about them.

• Weaknesses

o It is difficult for teachers to help students satisfy their need

for control without feeling threatened themselves.

o It is difficult to react properly when communicating with

students about their inappropriate behaviours.

o It is difficult to avoid giving responses that encourage

students to make excuses for their bad behaviour.

o It is difficult to help students experience the true sense of

autonomy implied by control theory if outside influences

dictate what is taught in school and how children should be

disciplined.

o Classroom meetings may consume more time than is

desirable.

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o It may be difficult to help students who do not want to be in

school to make plans to improve their behaviour.

o Students may not have the necessary skills to make plans that

will help improve their behaviour.

• Thoughts

o This model is great for allowing students to monitor their own

behaviour. The elementary school I went to must have

somewhat followed this model because we had a room that

was just like the connecting room. However, in our school it

was called the opportunity room, and it contained a desk and

two chairs. It was connected to the principal’s office, and

once we were in there we would be by ourselves for a couple

minutes and then the principal would come in and talk to us.

He would go through the steps to identify the problem that we

had, and after awhile our teacher would come in.

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Judicious Discipline

• Forrest Gathercoal started judicious discipline, and has a bachelors degree in

music and a J.D. from the School of Law. He teaches educators about law at

Oregon State University.


o School is an appropriate place to prepare students for living in a

democratic society.

o Students can learn to responsibly use their personal freedoms as

guaranteed by the Constitution.

o Students can learn to regulate their personal behavior so that it does not

violate compelling school interests.

o Students can help create valid rules for the classroom.

o Consequences provide a better way to improve the classroom behavior of

children than punishment.



Should be commensurate – equal to the misdemeanor

Should be compatible – shouldn’t interfere with other rights and

freedoms

Should be applied in a way that fits that case and that student

Consequences might include: an apology, cleaning up the mess,

returning stolen property, restitution, community service,

counseling, parent conference, re-writing the assignment

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Seven Questions are used to design discipline:

‐ What needs to be learned here regarding the situation?

‐ What is my role as a mentor/educator in resolving the

problem?

‐ What additional information is needed about the student

and the events surrounding the situation?

‐ What strategies can I use to get this student to talk about

the problem?

‐ How will the student perceive what I am trying to do – help

with the recovery or punish the misbehaviour?

‐ How will the problem’s resolution affect the other members

of the school community?

‐ How can I keep the mutual respect needed for a strong

professional relationship intact as important issues of the

problem unfold and workable solutions take form?


Individual differences with respect for the rights of others

Citizenship responsibilities

You can do what you like as long as it doesn’t interfere with

someone else.

Focused on rights and responsibilities

Recognizes the liberties that are granted to those who participate in

accepted rights and responsibilities.

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Training to live successfully in a democratic society

Classroom Rules:

‐ Should reflect consideration of property loss or damage,

legitimate educational purpose, health and safety, serious

disruption of an educational process

‐ Should be comprehensive AND specific

‐ Students should feel positive about them

‐ Students should understand how the rules help them to

navigate difficult situations.

Classroom Meetings:

‐ Norms established for calling meetings

‐ Seated so that there can be face to face interaction

‐ Participants names should be left out

‐ Teachers lead the meeting

‐ Participation is by choice

‐ Teachers and students should record their thoughts and

goals in a journal.

• Strengths

o It provides students a more valid sense of how violation of their rights

may be addressed after they leave school.

o It helps children understand how the legal system works in a democratic

society.

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o It helps students learn to balance their rights against compelling school

interests.

o It helps students get a truer picture of their rights and responsibilities in a

democratic society.

o It provides a format for students to become actively involved in school and

community affairs, including learning the operation of the legal system.

• Weaknesses

o It takes considerable time for students to become involved in the school

wide aspects of judicious discipline.

o The application of personal rights and compelling school interests may be

confusing to students when they exit the school at graduation.

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Jones Model

• Fredric H. Jones is a psychologist. He promotes his classroom management

program through a train the trainers approach. People who are trained in this

program, then go on to train their colleagues.


o Children need to be controlled to behave properly.

o Teachers can achieve control through nonverbal cues and movements

calculated to bring them closer and closer to students physically.

o It is appropriate to pressure students to behave by reducing the time they

are allowed to spend in preferred activities.

o Reinforcing good behaviors will increase their frequency.

o The involvement of parents and school administrators in classroom

discipline helps the teacher gain control of students’ behavior.

o Stopping instruction to deal with discipline problems helps eliminate these

problems.

• Common Misconceptions:

o Students already know how to behave when they reach your class.

o Teachers should avoid spending too much time going over the rules

because doing so takes too much time away from the instructional

program.

o Rules are general guidelines.

o Announcing the rules of the class will ensure that they are understood.

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o If you do a good job teaching your rules at the beginning of the school

year, you will not have to refer to them again.

o Discipline is essentially a matter of strictly enforcing the rules.

o Students inherently dislike and resent classroom rules.



Rules, Routines, and Standards

• Teach rules like you would any other subject.

• Rules need to be periodically re-taught throughout the

school year.

• To enlist the support of the students, they should be

involved in a discussion about:

o what characterizes a good classroom,

o what their role should be,

o obligations and responsibilities for teachers and

students

o what kinds of behaviors can ruin a class.

Classroom Set-up

• Seating arrangements – arranged so that the teacher can

easily access each student’s desk

• Student-Teacher relationships – warm, open, trusting,

teacher should share openly with students and should invite

information from students, teacher should model learning

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• Discipline shouldn’t take up too much time either in

planning or in execution. Make it quick and simple.

Classroom Strategies

• To avoid the situation where the teacher becomes trapped

teaching an individual at his or her desk:

o Use praise-prompt-leave sequence

1) Comment on what the student did well,

2) Give short explicit instructions about

what to do next,

3) Leave

o Use say-see-do teaching – organize the class into a

series of short mini-lectures

1) Explain a brief part.

2) Pair it with a visual.

3) Let them try it.

• Strengths

o It specifies a set of steps to follow in dealing with discipline problems.

o It tells exactly how far to go in applying discipline techniques.

o It defines the role of the teacher as well as the role of administrators in

discipline.

• Weaknesses

o It does not promote autonomy in students.

o It is difficult for some teachers to apply the techniques as specified.

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o Some teachers are uncomfortable getting as physically close to students as

the procedures dictate. Close physical proximity may also produce violent

reactions in students, causing some parents to intervene on behalf of their

children.

o PAT may be less educational than Jones supposes.

o Jones’s insistence that instruction should be stopped when discipline

problems arise is contrary to what many educators would recommend.

Many classroom disruptions are encouraged when teachers terminate

instruction to focus on discipline problems.

o Allowing the misbehaviour of individual students to penalize the entire

class may cause some students to be overly submissive and others to rebel.

o Jones’s approach, through some of its backup systems, promotes a

‘tattling’ relationship between teachers and parents and can stimulate

hostility between parents and teachers or the school.

o It encourages teachers to be aggressive and controlling instead of helpful

and supportive.

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3) Who Am I?

After doing the Myers-Briggs test I found out that I am an ESTJ personality type,

or known also as a guardian-supervisor. When I fully understood what each trait was, I

came to realize that it explains my personality fairly closely.

The Myers-Briggs test said that my strength of the preferences for extroversion

was 11%, which I believe to be very accurate. In my own opinion I believe that I am an

outgoing person, who enjoys being around people the majority of the time. However, I

do like a bit of down time, where I can relax and just listen to music or read. I also

believe that the 11% is a good representation because I am the type to be talkative around

people that I know, but more shy and reserved around those that I don’t. For example, in

large groups or in a classroom setting I am quite shy, and usually never venture past my

tablemates in conversation. This, however, is if I don’t really know many others in the

class. Strangely enough I am very outgoing when I am in a group of people that are

significantly younger than me, which will be beneficial once I step into a teaching role.

My friends would probably look at my 11% and disagree with it entirely. To them I am

the most energetic and outgoing of the group, and I tend to get looked to when they want

something organized, or if one of them wants to acquire a girl’s name that they are too

intimidated by to approach. However, they probably believe this because they never see

me in a setting where I am in a group of people that I barely know. Taking all three

views into consideration, I would probably believe that my own interpretation of my

extroversion is the most accurate. However, I do believe that the Myers-Briggs test did a

very good assessment of it.

Scott Taylor 36

One thing that I have always known about myself is that I like to be organized. If

things aren’t organized, then I eventually become worried. I try to organize my day and

my week with what I need to do specifically. To be completely honest, the only reason I

organize myself during the school year is so that I can make sure that my weekends are

free. It may be a bad reason, but it has allowed me to view the weekend as a relaxation

period. One of the articles about my ESTJ personality said that I was an organized

person, so once again the test was accurate. However, once again my friends would say

that I was very unorganized. I understand their argument because all of my stuff seems

quite scattered, and without a doubt out of place. I just think I have a different way of

doing it, and it has worked for me so far so I’ll stick with it until it fails me. My strange

way of organization may need to be tweaked slightly once I enter a classroom, but I will

have to see how it works in that setting first.

I am also a really caring and approachable person. These are two traits that my

friends and I all agree on. I am the type who will put whatever I’m doing to the side to

listen to anyone’s worries or problems without hesitation. This has been something that

my parents actually implemented onto me. They taught me from the very beginning to

always be caring, even if the other person has no care in the world for how you are

feeling. I am very glad that I followed their approach because it really has made me more

friends than enemies. I also believe that my caring side has allowed me to be so

approachable. In reality, if I had no care in the world for anyone’s thoughts or feelings,

then there would be no reason for them to want to come over to me. These qualities will

also help me in the role of a teacher. If I was unable to understand that all children have

different personal and home problems then I wouldn’t be able to deal with the sporadic

Scott Taylor 37

world of the classroom. If I had to pick two qualities that were my best, I would have to

say that these two are mine.

Patience is also one of my qualities that I like about myself. It was never listed in

the articles about ESTJs, but I know myself that it is one of my traits. I would like to say

that I have a high patience level, because it takes a very long time for someone, or

something to frustrate me. In a teaching setting I have also been very patient. I have

taught swimming lessons for eight years now, and I know that not all kids will get

something right away, and that possibly only one trick out of a hundred will get that kid

doing what you want them to do. When this sort of situation arises I just keep trying new

techniques until something works. While I am doing this I try to be as supportive as

possible because I know that I didn’t know how to do a lot of the stuff when I was

younger. In my own personal opinion, patience is a must for a teacher. If a teacher had

no patience then not all of the children would get as close to the outcomes as they should,

and the teacher would probably reach job burnout at an earlier age. I will also admit that

sometimes it is hard to keep my patience, but I know that if I don’t hold onto it then I

won’t be of any help to anyone.

Overall, I think that the Myers-Briggs test was quite accurate in its assessment of

my personality. There are a few things that I believe could have been added or dropped,

but it was still close. However, I still believe that my friends and I are the best judges of

my personality. I am just glad that I know my personality will be a good fit with my

chosen career path.

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4.a) Why Did I Choose This Plan?

I chose to stick close to both the assertive discipline, and the teacher effectiveness

training models. I chose these models because I find that they will suit my style of

teaching. I believe that clearly stating your expectations for the classroom are essential in

preventing misbehaviour that usually occurs within the classroom. If they know the rules

and the related consequences, then they may rethink their behaviour before it occurs. I

also believe that changing the classroom from time to time will keep the student’s focus

on the task at hand, which is why I incorporated teach effectiveness training. I find that

assertive discipline and teacher effectiveness are fairly focused on prevention, which I

think is crucial. I think that these two models together, with possibly the occasional

borrowing from logical consequences, will help me create a positive and disciplined

classroom environment.

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4. b) 10 Beliefs Assignment I believe…

• That good classroom management is only good if it is followed consistently. As

soon as it loses its consistency, it becomes increasingly easier for it be strayed

away from.

• That if everyone, students and teacher, clearly knows the expectations then a

classroom can run smoothly.

• That children will respond positively to consistent, and expected discipline. If a

student knows what a teacher is supposed to do when responding to his/her bad

behaviour, but thinks that the teacher won’t follow through with it, then the

student may exhibit the bad behaviour because he/she knows they will get away

with it.

• That consequences must be fair and equal. If they aren’t, then students may not

respond to them, and therefore may act out more often, or in a worse way.

• That misbehavior stems from a child’s attempt to satisfy his/her needs, and once

that need is met, then the misbehaviour subsides.

• That an always-changing classroom is a great strategy for keeping students

engaged.

• That students can learn to become self regulating, if guided properly.

• That good classroom management is only as good as its implemented plan.

• In encouraging students for their work and progress instead of giving them praise.

I believe this because consistent praise may cause a student to think he/she is

above normal behaviour, or their work.

• That removing the stimulus causing the misbehaviour in the classroom will cause

the behaviour to stop, leading to the student deciphering his/her own behaviour.

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4. c) Preventative Discipline

• I will go over the classroom rules at the beginning of the year, so that every

student knows what they, and the expectations are. I will also post them on the

wall, so that they will always be visible.

• I will talk about what the consequences will be for breaking rules, and will

enforce them.

• I will have a system in place where I will add an extra number to one that is in the

corner of one of the boards whenever I think that the students are behaving very

well as a class. The number on the board will display the number of minutes they

get extra for a recess one day. Not all minutes displayed have to be used at once

(For example: We may use five of those minutes one day to extend a recess)

• I will have a monthly seating plan, so that students can have a change of

environment. It will also help me know who can work together efficiently, and

who cannot, which will help decide later seating plans.

• I will make sure to move around the classroom while teaching, having stations

spread out, so that students don’t have to spend too much time sitting and staring

in one direction.

• I will try to make my lessons engaging so that the students can readily focus their

attention on the task at hand.

• I will make sure that student’s needs are met, as to lower the possibility of

disruptive behavior.

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4. d) Supportive Discipline

I believe that recognizing when a bad behaviour may occur, and then intercepting

it before it happens is one of the best ways to manage the behvaiour of a classroom. I

also realize that this is not always possible, because some behaviour can be sporadic,

flare up instantaneously, and also it is very hard to watch every student all of the time.

However, supportive discipline is ideal if you are attentive enough and able to catch it in

time.

In the spirit of Teacher Effectiveness Training, I will try to focus on making

simple trade offs with the students in order to curve their misbehavior. If I catch a

student of mine becoming restless at his/her desk, it may be a sign that they may do

something disruptive. Ideally I would like to have something ready that I would like

taken to the office, for this exact reason. If I did have something I wanted taken then I

would ask the student to take it for me, as a way to engage them in something new to

satisfy their need. Hopefully that when they return after their short break they are ready

to focus their attention back on the task at hand. If I did not have something ready to go

to the office, I may engage the student in a short conversation by walking over and

kneeling by his/her desk. This would give them some positive attention, which may be

exactly what they wanted. Other things I would do to distract them from their possible

behaviour is ask them to go to another teacher’s classroom and ask to borrow a book for

later, ask if they would like to get a drink of water, or see if they would like to organize

something quickly for me. Any of those distracters may take the student away from their

boredom long enough to engage them back into the activity. I believe that these tactics, if

used in time, will help me to curve their possible misbehavior as it is close to happening.

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4. e) Corrective Discipline

As stated in my preventative discipline plan, I will go over the rules at the

beginning of the year, and mention what will happen if those rules are to be broken.

Sticking to the rule’s consequences is a must, because straying away from them will just

mean that the students will not take them seriously. Consequences for minor

misbehaviours such as talking disruptively when they are not supposed to, disrupting

others, not staying in their desk when they are supposed to, etc, will result in a reduction

of their recess by 1 minute. A second offense will result in an additional minute being

added, and a third may result in a full recess being taken away. If the problem persists

then they will have to speak with the principal. For any behaviour that involves direspect

towards another student will be more severe. For disrespecting a fellow student, a

student will automatically lose their recess, where they will engage in an activity

appropriate for their grade level. For example: a grade 4 student will spend their recess

copying out pages from the dictionary; a grade 3 student will write an apology note

during their recess to the student who they disrespected; and a grade 1 and 2 student will

have to work on an extra activity sheet. No matter the grade level, a note will be written

in their day planner explaining what had happened, taken home, and signed by the

parents. As stated in my preventative discipline section, I will have a system in place

where I will add an extra number to one that is up in the corner of a board somewhere in

the classroom. If the class as a whole is being disruptive I will calmly walk over to the

number and decrease it by one. If the behaviour continues I will decrease it by 1 again,

and so on, until the behaviour subsides. This tactic will get some of the students telling

others to quiet down and behave, and slowly the class will settle itself. In some cases

Scott Taylor 43

however, an incident may occur that is not posted on the rule board, and may need to be

looked at differently. In these sorts of situations, I would implement the 6 stages of

problem solving, based from the teacher effectiveness-training model. I find that once

the problem has been identified, generating solutions, evaluating those solutions,

deciding which solution will work best, implementing that solution, and then assessing it

is the best route. This is because some situations will be different from the norm, and

may need some extra attention, or a different way of assessing it.

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4. f) Procedures and Routines

• Hand In Bin: I will have a hand in bin right on the corner of my desk, so that I

know who is handing in their organizer, worksheets, or booklets to me, and when.

The students will be told on the first day of school, and reminded for a few weeks

after, that every morning they are to hand in their organizers so I can check to see

if they were signed, and also to hand in any assignments or homework that was

supposed to be done the night before.

• Mailbox: I will have a stand constructed, consisting of roughly 30 boxes with a

students name taped inside. The order will alphabetical. The point of the mailbox

is so that I have a place to leave newsletters, personal notes, or anything else that I

see necessary for the students. Also, the students will check their mailbox right

when the get to school in the morning, and right before they leave to go home at

the end of the day. This will give them a routine of checking, so they always

know to do something as soon as they get to school, and right as they leave

school.

• Line Leader: Every week my classroom will have a different line leader. When I

say, “Would the line leader please go to the door,” the student who is that week’s

line leader will go to the door. This will be a cue for all of the other students that

we are about to leave the room as a class. The other students will start to pack

their things up where they are supposed to go, and will sit and wait. I will then

look around, and whoever is sitting quietly, ready to go, will get called to go stand

behind the line leader. One by one I will call upon the students until they are all

standing in the line. I will then go to the front of the line, and then lead them to

Scott Taylor 45

their gym class, music class, assembly, library, or to any other activity that they

are going to outside of the classroom.

• Mr. Potato Head Glyph: On my desk I will always have a Mr. Potato Head. The

reason for this is because I will use it as way to inform the students about what

they will be doing next. The only time it will be used is after recesses, or when

they return from classes such as gym or music. I will have a glyph board on the

wall for the first month of class, displaying exactly what each configuration

means to do. For example, a Mr. Potato Head with a smile and a hat might mean

that it is time for math class, and music might. I will take away the board after

that first month to see if the students can remember the configurations. At the

beginning of the year we will decide as a class what each subject’s configuration

is going to be. This will create the routine of the students coming into class,

checking my desk, and then getting the appropriate supplies out for that subject.

This will also give the students an activity for as soon as they enter the classroom,

which hopefully will get them excited for class.

• Morning Routine: Every morning the class will come in, hang their coats, hand in

their organizers, check their mailbox, and then have a seat. If a Smart Board is in

the room, then the students will also move, click, or ‘pop’ their name as a way of

doing attendance. We will then sing Oh Canada, and then the morning routine

will begin. If there is a Smart Board available in the classroom, then we will use

it for quick activities based around number of the day, as well as doing the

calendar. After all of these activities are done the regular subjects will begin.

Scott Taylor 46

• Home Time: Ten minutes before the end of the day I will tell the class to clean up

the room, as in putting away anything that we had used during the day. I will then

remind the students to check their mailboxes before they leave, as well as remind

them of any homework they may have. I will then let the bus students get ready 5

minutes before the bell rings so that they may get to the buses on time. This will

also cut down on the amount of commotion going on around the coat rack and in

the halls.

Scott Taylor 47

4. g) Rules

1. Respect will be shown towards your fellow classmates, and anything of theirs.

a. This will be one of the first things that I state on the first day, aside from

introducing myself. Hopefully the students previous teacher will have

already had this rule, so it shouldn’t be hard for them to understand this

one. I will have it posted on the wall, and respect posters will be scattered

around the room as well, to serve as a constant reminder.

2. Good manners must be used at all times in the classroom, and in the school.

a. I am strong supporter of using proper manners, so I will be enforcing its

use in my classroom. It will be posted right after my respect others rule. I

will discuss this on the first day of classes, and will also post phrases on

the walls that show proper manners. I will make sure that the students

know that “please” and “thank you” are to be used all of the time in my

classroom. I will also expect my students to raise their hands before they

ask a question, instead of just blurting out.

3. If you borrow something from someone, always give it back.

a. This is more of a pet peeve for me, so that is why it will be a rule in my

classroom. I will explain to the class that if they borrow something from

anyone in the classroom that they have to make sure that they give it back

to them in a timely fashion. This rule will also be posted along with the

other rules previously stated.

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4. h) Diversity Within the Classroom

In today’s classrooms, there is more diversity than ever before. Classroom

diversity can come in the form of gender, race, age, cultural, religion, and

exceptionalities. For persons with exceptionalities in my classroom, they will

accommodated. For example, a student who is in a wheelchair will have close access to

the door in case he/she needs to leave the room, and he/she will also be given a few extra

minutes to get ready before the bell rings if they feel like they need the extra time.

Cultural and religious views will be the most challenging to accommodate, mainly

when the holiday season comes around. No more than ever, more children in the

classroom come from families who do not celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving,

Halloween, and even Remembrance Day. For Christmas, the best way to accommodate

those who do not celebrate is to make crafts and activities winter themed, instead of

Christmas. In doing so, students can talk about Christmas if they wish to, but they can

also talk about Hanukkah, or any other holiday or event that takes place during the

winter. Halloween may be a little troublesome, but using the theme of fall may have to

suffice.

Gender is probably the most common diversity, and can be dealt with easily. I

will make sure that students are integrated well. To start off the school year I will set up

the seating plan so it is boy/girl/boy/girl. I will do this as a measure to hopefully prevent

the boys separating themselves form the boys, which young children tend to do.

Combining them right off of the start will get them used to eachother, and then hopefully

by the next seating plan I can make it so it doesn’t have to be boy/girl/boy/girl.

Scott Taylor 49

I think that if I am open to the needs and ideas of everyone in the classroom, then

diversity will not be a huge issue.

Scott Taylor 50

5) Positive Parent-Teacher Relations

Having a good relationship with your students’ parents/guardians is very

important for the teacher, parent, and student. A good relationship is based on many

things, such as communication, trust, integrity, openness, and truth. The most important I

believe are communication and trust. If you can set up a steady schedule of

communication early on, then the parents will likely feel more comfortable discussing the

normally harder to discuss topics with you, and vise versa. Always being available to

talk with the parents will also keep them informed about how their student is doing, and

may also prevent the parents from becoming upset if their student happens to struggle in

a particular subject. This open form of communication will also lead to a better sense of

trust between the two parties, which will also create a stronger positive relationship. The

student will benefit from a good parent-teacher relationship as well because if both sides

know exactly where the student is in their education, then both sides may be more willing

to be apart of it. To be able to accomplish this, I need to make it clear from the very

beginning how willing I am to communicate regularly with the parents. I will do so by

sending home a letter with the students, explaining how I will be available to

communicate frequently. I will also remind them when I make a house call within the

first few weeks of classes.

Scott Taylor 51

5. b) First Phone Call to Parents

• I first would like to introduce myself, and then give a brief overview about the

purpose of my call.

• I would quickly explain my 10 beliefs of teaching, and then let them know about

which models I follow.

• I would quickly explain the rules that I have within my classroom, and then

explain why I have those rules in place.

• I would then ask about their child’s medical history, such as if they were on any

medication, or if they have any allergies.

• I would then talk about what is going on in the classroom at that time. For

example, if we were working on measurement in math class then I would briefly

describe to them that that is what we were doing, and then tell them how we were

going about reaching that outcome.

• Next, I would discuss how their child was doing academically and behaviorally.

• Question the parents about the monthly meeting in my classroom (ie. What day of

the week would work for them, what time, etc)

• I would then ask the parents if they had any questions or concerns.

• Finally I would thank them for their time, and express how excited I will to speak

with them again.

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5. c) Guideline For My Parent-Teacher Conference

• Introduce myself, and ask parent(s)/guardian(s) to have a seat.

• Explain how happy I am that they were able to attend, and tell them why it is

important that they are there.

• Tell the parents about the outcomes they have been working towards, and explain

some of the activities they have been doing to help get them there.

• Pull out the student’s portfolio, and show the parents some of their best works,

and a few things that they need to improve on.

• After showing the parents their child’s portfolio, it would be the perfect time to go

over how their student is doing in the class. Discuss their strengths, as well as

what you think they may need to focus a little more on. Mention their behavior in

the classroom as well.

• Ask the parents if they have any questions, or concerns regarding their child, or

with me.

• Mention anything that may be taking place soon. For example, inform them of

any planned field trips, upcoming show and tells, let them know if their child

needs any particular materials for an art project that is soon approaching, etc.

• Finally, thank them for coming, and remind them that they may contact you at any

time.

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5.d) Communication

At the beginning of the year I will make sure that I give out my contact

information to all of the parents in my first letter home to them. I will also try and

organize a monthly meeting, where all parents can come and ask questions, or find out

what their children are doing. This would also be a good thing if ever there were a major

issue happening within the classroom, because then all the parents could get together and

talk about it, and come up with some solutions. I will first mention this meeting during

my first phone call to the parents. I will also be sending home a monthly newsletter,

stating everything that will be taking place that month. Hopefully these forms of

communication will work well enough, so that when it comes time for the parent-teacher

conferences, I can just focus on telling the parents about their child, without having to

talk about everything else.

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6) Conclusion

Firstly, I would like point out that this classroom management class has been very

beneficial to me. I came into the faculty of education with a mindset of how I thought I

would run my classroom, but I can proudly say that it has changed a bit. Learning about

the many models of discipline has sort of changed my outlook. I thought that I would be

more of a Behaviour Modification/reward system style of teacher, but now that I have

reviewed the models and then considered my own personality, I find that Assertive

Discipline and Teacher Effectiveness are more suited to me. I personally do not like

conflict, so having models that are dedicated to preventing bad behaviour before it occurs

is more than parallel to what kind of person I am.

I found that this assignment opened my eyes a little but more. It made me realize

that this is my plan, and if I stick to it, it will work. However, I do realize that the odd

adjustment needs to be made from time to time. I now know that I have to be watchful of

what my students are doing, and notice when they may become disruptive, but that in

cases where the behaviour has occurred without me catching it, that I need to be

assertive, not aggressive or passive.

This assignment will be close to my desk at all times, and will have multiple

copies. I will be glancing it over at least once a week to remind myself of what kind of

teacher I am, and also to remind me of my beliefs, because I know that sometime they

can be forgotten. I will be implementing my rules early on in the school year so that

everyone knows my expectations for the year. Doing so will also make me stick to my

plan, because once I tell the students that “This is how it is,” I can’t go back on it.

Overall, this is my plan, and this is who I will be as a teacher.

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