Classroom Management Plan

Effective classroom management is critical to establishing an environment that is conducive to students’ learning. I establish a well-managed classroom by setting the tone that my class is for learning, by developing a mutually respectful rapport with students, by preventing misbehavior with engaging lesson plans that effectively meet the needs of all students, and by motivating students to develop mastery of learning objectives. 

Organization

An effective teacher must be organized in order to be prepared to deliver quality instruction to students each day.  I employ the following strategies to organize myself for instruction and my classroom for learning:

• I always start each day with a well-prepared lesson plan that includes more learning activities than I need for my class period, in case students finish their lesson early or I need to change course during instruction based on assessment of students’ needs.
• I will establish the following positive and enforceable rules in my classroom:
• Always be respectful of others.
• Always participate in classroom activities/assignments.
• Always put forward your best effort.
• I begin each day by greeting my students at the doorway to my classroom, signaling to students that they are entering a learning environment.
• I assign "do now" work for students to complete as they enter my class each day, immediately transitioning students into the learning mode as they take their seats. 
• I post learning objectives and the agenda on my blackboard each day to help guide students’ learning and to keep the class on schedule. 

Discipline

An effective teacher must create a safe classroom environment where students understand misbehavior will not be tolerated.  I employ the following strategies to effectively manage discipline in my classroom:

• I clearly communicate classroom rules and my expectations for behavior on the first day of school, and as needed thereafter, to set the tone for my classroom that learning is the top priority. 
• I  consistently and fairly enforce consequences when students violate class rules/school rules. 
• I keep consequences for misbehavior equitable to the level of transgression. 
• I praise my students in public, but discipline in private.
• I manage all misbehavior in my classroom during or after class, only sending students to the office if the offense is of such a nature that it requires doing so (fighting, threat to self or others, etc).
• I employ the “management by walking around” strategy in my classroom, as proximity of the teacher discourages misbehavior and time off-task.
• I build positive relationships with each individual in my classroom, in order to learn and best respond to the needs of each student.
• I utilize assertive, but non-aggressive body language to communicate to students that I am calm, collected, but definitely in charge of the classroom. 
• I communicate to parents and administrators if I am having discipline issues with a student so that a teamwork-oriented solution can be formulated. 

Instruction

An effective teacher delivers high quality instruction that is tailored to the learning needs of each student.  I will employ the following strategies to effectively teach my students:

• I  plan all lessons in the backward design format to ensure summative assessments and learn-by-doing instructional activities foster students’ mastery of learning objectives. 
• I methodically conduct formative assessments to evaluate my students’ progress in mastering learning goals, through the use of questioning strategies, journaling, and portfolios. 
• I differentiate instructional strategies and/or instructional materials that I deliver to students based on my assessments of each student’s learning needs.
• I  utilize tiered assignments as needed to adjust the complexity level of assignments, in order to provide developmentally appropriate and compelling levels of challenge to students of all readiness levels. 
• I assign extension activities to students as needed as a form of differentiation. 
• I  develop unit lesson plans to meet the needs of students with different learning styles, incorporating activities that involve cooperative learning, individual assignments, reflection, discussion, art, music, presentations, movement, reading, writing, and problem-solving. 
• I utilize rubrics when grading written exams, projects, research papers, writing assignments, and presentations to ensure my grading is objective.
• I offer students immediate verbal corrective feedback during guided practice to ensure students are learning concepts accurately and that they are completing their work efficiently.
• I offer written corrective feedback on all assignments turned in for grading, so that students can reflect on feedback to improve their performance on the next assignment.
• I strive to teach all students to be independent learners, through effective use of praise and prompting strategies and also by using Visual Instruction Plans (visual prompts that answer students’ common questions, allowing students to work independently if I am not immediately available during class). 
• I utilize experiential, learn-by-doing activities during guided practice, in order for students to practically apply what they are learning. 
• I teach in Say, See, Do (input-output-input-output) cycles.
• I instruct step one of a concept and then provide students an experiential activity to complete that reinforces what I just taught. 
• Once students have mastered step one, I teach step two of the concept and then I provide students another experiential activity to complete that reinforces this step. 
• This method of teaching, as opposed to lecturing, keeps students actively engaged in learning throughout a lesson. 
• I utilize cooperative learning activities and group discussion often during instruction, as students’ learning is enhanced when they have an opportunity to learn from their peers.

Motivation

An effective teacher creates a classroom environment where students are motivated to cooperate, to participate, and to diligently complete assignments in an efficient and accurate manner.  I will implement the following strategies to motivate learning in my classroom:

• I build mutually respectful relationships with all students, demonstrating that I genuinely care about their individual progression as students. 
• I establish equably high expectations for all of my students and I will equably encourage all students to realize these expectations.
• I work as needed with students before and after class to address areas where they are struggling in my classroom and I work cooperatively with these students to identify instructional strategies that will better suit their needs.

By developing a classroom management plan that integrates effective organization, discipline, instruction, and motivation, I am able to minimize misbehavior and instead use classroom time to focus on my primary job: teaching students and facilitating learning.