Mr.

Donny Hughes

Classroom Management and Communication Plan

The following analysis outlines my personal philosophies concerning classroom
management and effective communication. Although many of the topics and structures
laid out in this work are what I consider to be ideal, I do understand them to be just that:
ideal. Therefore, I cannot expect to be able to implement all of these things, especially
when adapting these to specific school policies. This then is a framework only for what
would be implemented, not necessarily what could be.

Management Style and Philosophical Beliefs
As a teacher, it is critical to have a clarified set of classroom management skills.
An effective classroom management plan can be used to create a framework that
promotes critical thinking and learning while at the same time prevents some of the
most difficult challenges teachers can face everyday. The purpose of classroom
management should be to construct an environment in which student expectations are
made clear in order to prevent or handle student misbehavior appropriately and to
prevent student misconduct preemptively to ensure the best learning environment for
all. Without such a system, there can be no structure in a classroom and there are
higher chances for student regression therein. If there are no standards set in place with
positive learning goals in mind, students will not be ready to learn nor will they want to.
If there are no measures to confront issues in the classroom, more problems are likely
to arise. However, these measures should not be used to control the students
absolutely, but to help guide them and maintain their motivation for learning.

In light of this, Ive chosen a style that reflects student autonomy and teacher
control in order to create a safe environment for students to learn. My beliefs of
classroom management reflect an authoritative style. I believe that the teacher should
always have ultimate control in the classroom; however, this is not to say that students
have absolutely no control. Students should have some control in their learning and
should take ownership of how they should act in the classroom. Students should know
why they are doing something in the classroom, or at least know the purpose, so that
having them take part in deciding what they are doing gives them motivation to follow
me as a teacher and leader. There are also certain parameters that which students
would not be able to go beyond. This would reflect my control of the classroom.

Concerning discipline, it is important once again to give students an
understanding of why they may or may not do certain things. Explaining why a student
behavior isnt appropriate for a classroom is imperative in preventing or stopping the
continuation of said behavior. Also, setting expectations often and early is an effective
practical way to instill effective classroom management in your classroom. It is better to
have a few solid standards for students to go by and to be enforced than to have a lot of
good ones that are never enforced. This is because if a student knows what to expects
from you as a teacher and knows the consequences for not following those
expectations, they will most likely monitor themselves without you having to remind or

Mr. Donny Hughes

correct them often. Therefore, I would be stricter towards the beginning of the year and
set the disciplinary tone of the classroom to have a better chance of having a controlled
environment in the classroom.


Establishing a Positive Classroom Culture
In order to quickly establish a positive classroom culture, I plan to start with
informal icebreaker activities within the first week. I believe that these sorts of activities
allow students to get comfortable with one another and they set the tone for the
classroom culture for the rest of the year. I would specifically use a Match and Meet
activity to let students interact with one another for fun and to see each others
personalities come out. I think this is an effective activity for students to see that the
classroom that I am creating does not have to be strict and orderly all of the time, but
rather we can loosen up and have fun at times when appropriate.

I would also introduce myself and to an extent let students have a look into my
own life. I would share my backstory and some of the things I am involved with in order
to show a more personal side of myself. I would most likely do this in a PowerPoint
presentation to quickly go through a short biography. This lets students feel as if they
can relate to me on a more personal level but within reason. This can also spark
conversation between the students and me so that relationships can more naturally be
built.

Developing Classroom Rules and Procedures
To begin developing a set of classroom rules and procedures, I would begin with
constructing a syllabus and going through it on the first day of class with my students.
This way, students would know all of the expectations of the class and its layout, or at
least they can be held responsible for knowing them since it would be presented to
them in depth.

Of the policies that would be put into place where they do not have as much
control, the first would be concerning students leaving the classroom. Students must
always ask permission to leave the classroom and must provide reason for leaving as
well. I want them to ask permission because I want to know where they are at all times
since I am responsible for their well-being when they are scheduled to be in my class. If
a student is missing during my class, I am responsible as the teacher. Once they have my
permission to leave (with reason), they must sign a log, which would be located next to
the door. In this log they would record the time they leave and the time they return.
Another policy where I would have more control is late work. Late work would
not be accepted in my classroom unless there is a considerable circumstance that
prevented the student from turning in their homework. I think that students should be
responsible for turning in their work by the deadline because the deadlines I would put
into place would be reasonable. I would try to make it so that the responsibility is totally
on them for turning in their work through the deadlines I select. However, I would allow
students 2 late work passes per semester in case things come up for them personally. It
is unfair to expect from them perfect performance because I wouldnt hold myself to

Mr. Donny Hughes

the same standard. They would be able to use these passes on any assignment that I
give them as long as they staple it to the work they give me.

Concerning policies the students would have more of a say in, having food and
drink would be up to their discretion. If they decide that their period is a period where
they need food due to an awkward lunch schedule, they may have snacks. The same
policy would be applied with drinks, and they would overall be able to decide as a class
as long as they are respectful of each other. Drinks would always have to be capped as
well.
They would also have choice in work time procedures. I would allow them to
work either in groups or individually when there is time to work on assignments. They
could use the back of the room or anywhere else as a study space. I want to give them
autonomy in these things so that students feel as if they have some sort of control in the
classroom, but yet still know that I have the ultimate decision-making abilities.

Monitoring the Classroom and Responding to Student Misbehavior
To set the expectations for monitoring student behavior, I would begin by having
the students sign a behavior contract after reading through the syllabus. They must
acknowledge the rules and agree to follow them so that they can be held accountable
for their actions. This goes along with preventing student misbehavior through
preemptive measures. There is also a section where parents acknowledge the
procedures that students are to follow. Students need to have their parent or guardian
sign the contract and return it to me. By doing this, the parents are aware of what the
students are being asked of and can bring up any concerns with me from the start.

I would also monitor student behavior with a hierarchical series of warnings. The
first and least serious would be nonverbal warnings. These would be any type of
correction that does not require verbal communication. One example of this can be
hand gestures. The next type of warning would be verbal correction. These would never
be utilized in the middle of class to shame or bring attention to a student behavior, but
rather to make known that a correction needs to be made to the whole class. The
students would know that they need to hold one another accountable for their actions
and monitor themselves in order to be successful in class.

The general principle that I would stand by concerning classroom management
would be as long as a students behavior doesnt effect anyone elses learning, it is most
likely permissible; however, as soon as their behavior effects someone elses learning it
is considered as misconduct. I want to follow this because I want students to take
responsibility for their own learning. If they decide to not be engaged or not participate
in any way, that is their choice and they will experience the effects of their actions.
Students will in a sense reap what they sow in my classroom.

Parents as Partners
I plan to make my classroom as open to the parents as to the students I have. I want my
classroom to be a place that parents can be comfortable in just as much as the students
can. A main component of this notion is for my classroom to be open to all. In the
beginning of the year, I want to make it known that parents may visit the classroom to

Mr. Donny Hughes

see what is happening with their childs learning most of the time. Besides days with
assessment, parents may visit with a given notice. There would be a policy of notice with
which parents must contact me at least one week in advance if they wish to visit the
classroom. However, I want to make this option to visit the classroom available as much
has possible for them as well, so there is some flexibility within reason.

I plan to incorporate parent contribution in homework as well. Not in the sense
that parents need to complete any work, but rather students must utilize their parents
for information in their work to some extent. For example, students would have to ask
parents about their family heritage or interview them about what they do for a
profession. The purpose of implementing tasks such as this is to integrate parents in
student learning. Parents become not only aware of what students are doing in class,
but also involved.

To keep in contact with parents, I will provide a monthly newsletter in which I
include information on in-class assignments, projects, and progress. This is constructed
for the parents that may not be able to come and visit class. It is also a more convenient
way to use parents as partners because it doesnt require much of parents to be
involved in the classroom. This way, the option for parents to come and visit is always
open; however, they arent required to visit to get information because it is sent to
them anyway. This gives parents some autonomy in how involved they would like to be
in their students learning.

Classroom Layout
I used this classroom setup to support my policies about student autonomy in
the classroom, which will help my overall classroom management. This setup reflects
aspects of Social Development Theory in that students converse with one another at
group tables in order to learn from one another through their experiences. This is a
given privilege and responsibility to sit and work together with which they must hold
each other accountable for in one anothers learning. They have choice because they get
to sit where they would like to at these group tables, but this is a privilege that is meant
to promote learning not to let students have absolute autonomy. After they would find
seats they like, within a week, they would have to sit there for the semester. I have the
tables grouped for sizes of around 4 so that all students can participate equally in group
work and which decreases the potential for social loafing. Also, there is a reading corner
in the back, which is meant to be used during free work or reading time. This is a way to
allow students to experience a more informal side of the classroom so that they create
better relationships not only with me, but also with each other. I only have one
computer as well because most of the work we would do in class would not require
each student to use one. It would be primarily for printing work or doing other tasks
that dont require much time.

Mr. Donny Hughes