Physical Arrangement Of The Classroom

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Presented to: Mr. Sajid Mehmood

Prepared By: Maimoona Nazneen

M.Sc Linguistics

"For teaching to be enjoyable, you must be able to simply relax and teach. Classroom management must be built from the ground up so that most problems do not occur." – Dr. Fred Jones.

It is important to create a discipline plan that creates the necessary behavioural conditions of an orderly classroom. Teacher’s authority is not enough to merit good behaviour from all students. Students need structural parameters and guidelines that set clear, concise expectations. The classroom transforms into a constructive place of learning after the discipline plan is implemented. Fred Jones, researcher and author of the popular book Tools for Teaching, found that 50 % of class time is lost due to student misbehaviour, and that approximately 99% of those typical classroom disruptions result from pupils talking without permission, daydreaming, making noise or wandering around the room. This lost teaching and learning time can be avoided by having a systematic approach to discipline and classroom management in place right from the beginning. The trick is developing a plan that is not only consistent and effective, but is also easy to use.

Classroom management is the ability to effectively and efficiently lead a classroom towards specific goals and objectives. It is the cumulative term for all the procedures, rules, planning and organizational strategies a teacher uses to prepare the classroom for learning and maintain a learning environment. This is done by organising the students using routine procedures and assignments to keep them engaged so they will not be inclined to cause disruptions

My Philosophy:

In evaluating my philosophy for my future teaching career, I have been very seriously considering my values and beliefs about discipline, my own management style and the social goals for my students. As organization is one of my top priorities as a student, I will strive to be as organized as possible when I start my career. My goal is to organize the logistics of my classroom so that I can make my classroom student-centred instead of teacher-centred. I value the education process, and young minds and new ideas never cease to intrigue me.

In order to be as organized as possible, the structure of my classroom will be variable, allowing me to change parts of my plan from year to year. I think that management plan is a work in progress and what I value now as important points to address in my first management plan may eventually come easily to me with experience and other issues of management may require more attention than those I have addressed.

I have visited various classrooms for the purpose of observation. My experiences in the classroom have largely influenced what I am currently considering as major components of my management and organizational plan. I have seen both sides of the spectrum in terms of structure: one class was so structured that the structure itself dominated the classroom and learning was not taking place. The other classroom was absolute chaos and the teacher had no control over her students, and she did not care to create structure to enhance their learning. My view of discipline in the classroom encompasses all of the experiences I have had in these classrooms. I understand the importance of structure and having genuine concerns about student well-being. If I can understand my own values on classroom structure, I will make a reliable management plan that I can use.

I believe good classroom management makes learning easier. The students are responsible for their own education. It is teacher’s job to provide the students with content, encouragement, incentives and support. In addition, I rely heavily on the old saying "Honesty is the best policy." I am a very honest person, and I respect people who are also honest. I will create a classroom community in which all students know that being honest is best, and that lying is not an option for getting out of trouble or for resolving a conflict. With these experiences and expectations, I will enter my classroom knowing who I am as a teacher and how I will use my life experiences to help me be a guide for my student’s educational experience.

Description of Positive Learning Environment:

I believe positive learning environment is:

Place students come to learn with few disruptions or distractions.

Teacher provides environment where students can be successful.

Respectful and honest environment

Place where everyone is doing their best

Place where students are not afraid to express their ideas

This can be obtained by:

Demanding respect to be shown to everyone at all times with no expectations

Enforcing the class rules and procedures

Giving praise freely

Encouraging students to pursue their personal interests in an academic setting

Physical Arrangement of the Classroom:

I will arrange the students’ desks into table groups for two reasons:  this arrangement frees up the maximum amount of space in the rest of the classroom and, this arrangement provides more working spaces when the students perform group work.   In addition, I can utilize many different teaching strategies in a day necessitating easy movement of supplies and students in the room.  Table groups provide the space needed for daily classroom activities.  In addition, I require my students to work in groups about once a day.  Table groups provide a good meeting place for students who need to work together.

            My desk would be in the front corner of the room farthest from the door and faces the back of the room.  From this spot, I can easily see the entire classroom as well as the hall outside of the classroom. However, I do not spend much time at my desk during the day.  I normally stroll through the classroom answering questions and helping students stay on task. 

Classroom rules:

The first component of my management plan is to establish classroom rules with my students. I will do this on the first day of school with the students sitting in a circle. I will ask for ideas as to what rules we should follow in our class, and we will make a list as a class and fit all of the rules into approximately four general rules that address the issues my students mention. The rules will be discussed in the context of assessing what we think makes a safe classroom where we can learn and grow together and be friendly to each other. We will agree to these rules as a class and sign the rules poster. I will guide the discussion and the rules so that the class produces rules that include the following:

Be to class on time and ready to work.

Respect yourself and others.

Be in your assigned seat at all times, unless given permission otherwise.

Keep your hands, feet, objects and comments to yourself.

No food, gum, or drink in classroom

I will explain each rule and what it means to be a respectful friend in the classroom, who follows the rules of the classroom. I will review these rules each day for the first week, until the children are familiar with each rule and what each rule looks like in the classroom. In addition, I will hang up the poster with the classroom rules on it so that we can be sure to have a constant reminder of what it looks like to be a good citizen in the classroom.

A possible disadvantage to having my students contribute to the classroom rules is that I will have no rules for the first day of school (Sprick, p. 75). However, creating a sense of ownership among my students is very important for me as an initial step in forming my classroom community. I value the process of making my classroom rules as a group rather than making rules to force on my students. I want my students to understand that we are all part of our classroom community and that big decisions, such as classroom rules, should be made as a group.

Along with the rules of our classroom, discussing the social expectations of being a responsible citizen in the third grade and as part of a larger school will be a necessary component of my management plan. In a classroom and school needing such highly structured classrooms, letting students know what is expected of them socially is critical to attain the level of structure we strive to achieve. I will discuss the social expectations for certain tasks as they happen so that the students can be reminded of the rule as we perform each task. Such activities in which I will remind of our expectations as a part of our community are: lining up, walking to other classes, doing class work individually and in small and large groups, and having group discussions. I have two reasons for discussing social expectations as they take place: first I do not want to bombard my students with rules and expectations on the first days of school, and second, I want my students to remember these expectations and the best way to do that is to remind them of the expectation as we are performing the task.

Consequences (individual):

Warning

Last to leave class

Writing Assignment

Detention/ Call home

Office Referral

Call home (student will not be readmitted without signed behaviour improvement slip by student, teacher, parent, and principal)

Consequences (Classroom):

Impromptu quizzes

Silent work time

Class writing assignments

Rewards (individual):

Praise

Student’s work posted

Meal out or ice cream out coupon

Positive notes and Phone Calls Home

Homework Pass

Teacher helper

Student of week/month

A list from Quizzes on Friday

Rewards (Class):

Marble jar

Free time on Friday sometimes with food

Movie Day

Fun Review Game

Free seating at the end of class

Quiet talking allowed during work

Daily Schedule:

When I go to a class, I like to see a schedule of what we are working on for the day. I believe that all students should be given this courtesy of knowing what is going to be happening during the school day by reading a daily schedule of the day’s activities. I will always have the schedule posted at the front of the class, each day updating any changes in the schedule. In addition, I will list the specifics of the day. For example, what we are working on that day in math. I have seen schedules that list the basic outline of the day: math, English, Urdu, social studies, lunch and science. I would like to take the schedule one step farther and include some details about the day and what will be happening. In a way, my students will have authority over their learning, as they know the subjects and content that will be taught that day.

Not only are daily schedules helpful for students to see what is happening during a given school day, but my daily schedule will allow me to evaluate my the activities in my classroom, assuring that the type and variety of activities are appealing to different types of learning situations. Also, I want to find a good balance between teachers directed instruction, independent work and cooperative group work.

Routines:

Repetitious activities can sometimes hinder the school day as it may evoke comments such as "We’re doing this again?" To be specific, I will have a beginning of the day routine and an end of the day routine, so that I maintain consistency each day and convey the message that in our class, we use all of our time together to learn and we do not like to waste time.

For my start of the day routine, I will play music as the students walk in. I will play quiet music that sets the tone for the day: a warm and relaxing learning environment where we are safe and ready to learn. I will have a welcome message posted on the board with a list of housekeeping items to do before we get settled for the day: sharpen pencils, turn in homework. In addition to this everyday welcome, I will have a list of activities that students can work on from previous days of school, including plenty of options to accommodate those that have finished all of their work. Also, I will greet my students as they enter the classroom, talking to each student as they get settled for their day, ensuring that I get to see each student and have contact with each one first thing in the morning.

At the end of the day, I will take the last ten minutes to wrap up the day. I will post an end of the day wrap up list on the overhead for students to use a guide to get ready to go home. I will have mailboxes with the days handouts in them and my students can collect these handouts and place them in their "take home" folder. I will ask that they clear off their desks and the area on the floor around their desks. As the students line up to go home, I will say good buy to all of them. In doing this, I want to convey to my students that I care about them and I want to wish them a safe trip home and tell them that I look forward to seeing them tomorrow. I work with a teacher who currently performs this end of the day ritual, and the students really look forward to saying goodbye to her each day.

By having structured routines for the beginning and end of the day, I will be setting the tone for the school day (Sprick, p. 74). For the beginning of the day, I want to imply that we structure our mornings so that we can get off to a good start with our minds and materials ready for the day. At the end of the day, I want to bring the day to a close with daily routine to ensure that my students understand that every part of our school day together is as valuable as any other part.

Procedures:

There are a multitude of classroom procedures that quickly become routine for students.  These procedures provide classroom ownership for the students and help the day flow more smoothly.  Since we essentially follow the same routine every day, students know what to expect, thereby minimizing disruptive behaviours.

Entering the classroom: walk in quietly, sit down, take out homework, begin working on Do Now

Pencil Sharpen: raise your pencil and I will give you a nod or a shake

Bathroom: hold it, the entire class will use a pass

Test Taking: students will keep their eye on their own paper & be quiet or minus 10-20 points with a check

End of class (teacher will dismiss the class not the bell)

If a class is missed: look in the designed binder for anything under the date you have missed. Take out one copy of everything, do it at home and return next day. Copy the notes from the neighbour during Do Now.

Encouragement Procedures:

In order to promote responsible behaviour, I will implement a job chart where students will have jobs throughout the week. I will have paper passers, overhead cleaners, board erasers, recyclers, lunch duty, and line leaders. I will introduce these jobs on the first day of school and assign jobs to random students. Emphasizing the importance of the jobs will enhance the students’ desire to have the job to demonstrate their responsible behaviour. I will have a policy stating that any student who cannot demonstrate responsible behaviour and reliably complete their job will have to give up their job title and a different student will get their job. This system is very successful in creating a sense of responsibility among students.

In addition to assigning jobs, I will have a reinforcement system in which I reward good behaviour. I expect each student to come to school prepared and ready to work.  If a student does just that, he or she gets paid for his or her efforts.  Every student has the opportunity to earn $5 a day for executing his job.  On Fridays, I will open the classroom store, containing such valuable items as:  candy = $15, colour pencils = $25, test freebies = $50, computer passes = $50, 4 cans of Pepsi or coke = $100 and out-to-lunch passes = $250.  Students can either spend their pay check right away, or save it in their checking account to buy a more expensive item later.  I think this incentive program has plenty of virtue.   They get to experience the concept of working to earn money.  In addition, students often comment on how hard it is to save money for the more expensive items.  (Samples are provided in appendix). While some behaviours are expected in all classrooms, I think that reinforcing the expected good behaviour will increase the probability of seeing good student behaviour. However, I know that some students will not care to earn money, and if that happens in my class I will institute a different system such as reinforcing unresponsive students with a stimulus that I know is rewarding to them (from an initial interview I will conduct with each student). Good behaviour includes: contributing to class discussion, working quietly in a group, helping out a friend in need, and getting good reports from other teachers. While the students will know that they can earn a Dollar Slip for demonstrating these behaviours, I will also let them know that I expect to see these behaviours all of the time, and they can earn when they are demonstrating especially good behaviour. Verbal reinforcement should also be given.

Dealing with Misbehaviours and Specific Problems:

My goals for correction procedures will be to prepare ahead of time for most situations and be able to correctly diagnose the type of misbehaviour that is occurring: "Is it early stage misbehaviour? Is it awareness type misbehaviour, or attention seeking misbehaviour? Is it purposeful/habitual misbehaviour?" (Sprick, p. 278). While I understand that situations will arise when I do not have a plan set in place, I will prepare as best as I can by having a contingency plan for a range of behaviours similar to the following chart. My behaviour chart will look similar to this:

Behaviour to address when occurring, saying a short comment

Behaviour Requiring Consequence

Behaviour to encourage

Talking without raising a hand

Throwing objects

Raising hands

Humming/noises

Being disruptive to the class

Saying please and thank you

Wandering

Becoming physical

Following directions

Wrinkling paper

Running in class

Working on an assignment

Sitting inappropriately

 

Working quietly

 

Ideally this chart will be effective in reducing the future probability of the misbehaviour, but in the case that it proves to be ineffective, I will revise my chart accordingly.

As a part of my correction procedures, I will also have contingency contracts. Since my classroom will be highly structured, I will institute contingency contracts for all students in need of reforming behaviours. I will make a contingency contract based on the interview I conduct with the student; after their second offense, we will make a contract for their behaviours. I am going to make a contract on their second offense, because some students will stop the behaviour after the initial verbal warning.

Discipline Theories Modelled:

My discipline plan emerges from three discipline models. In his Instructional Management plan, Jacob Kounin focuses on classroom management as the primary factor in good classroom discipline and believes that techniques that are engaging to students will keep them on task, thereby reducing misbehavior (Charles, 1999).  In his Noncoercive Discipline plan, William Glasser asserts that increasing student satisfaction with school is a deterrent to misbehavior and that schools should emphasize quality in curriculum, teaching, and learning (Charles, 1999).  I absolutely agree with both.  If a student is engaged in his work and satisfied with the environment, he is going to produce quality work and will not find the need or desire to misbehave. As a teacher, it is a daunting yet exciting challenge to find topics that fit a curriculum and appeal to students.

I have followed The Neo-Skinnerian Model in development of classroom rules, procedures, routines, and reward and punishment systems. Systematic application of reinforcement has been made in order to shape behaviour of children according to desired lines.

Conclusion

My management plan focuses on the students’ needs in my class. By organizing many structured components of the school, I am attempting to prepare myself for any discipline problems that may occur. I will organize many aspects of my class before the year starts, but I will also sit down with my students during the first weeks of school and have discussions about rules and expectations to determine what they need from me and from each other. While I know that some misbehaviour will occur in my classroom, I am instituting this plan to assist me in dealing with these issues as they occur.