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Classroom Management Model: For Second Grade By: Katie Yankey Education 370 Dr. Jean Hawk Bridgewater College April 30, 2013

CMM for 2nd Grade K. Yankey Having effective classroom management is crucial to survive and achieve the goals of any school year. The teacher needs to remember to be prepared for anything that could occur in the classroom, but the reality is, it probably will. Student and teacher behavior in the classroom determines the amount of learning that is actually able to get done. If the student or the teacher is unable to maintain a positive behavior in the classroom then neither will be able to function properly, and then this conflict will result in the lack of learning for the other students. Pre-service teachers learn about the benefits of positive classroom behavior and I think that this is very important. As a teacher, I am the main model for how I want the students in my classroom to behave. This means that every morning when I enter my classroom I need to put my own worries in my worry jar. I need to give my students my best attitude, because whatever the personal problems that I am having, it is not their fault. Those children depend on me to be positive, so that I can help lift them out of whatever personal turmoil that they are going through. I want the students to know that when they enter my classroom they can always expect a smile. I want them to know I will always be fair in any situation, and will not take sides. I will be the teacher that will ask for both sides of every story or conflict, and find a resolution that positively benefits both students. I will talk through my feelings with my students when I am having a problem, so then that way they will learn how to handle their own feelings. For example, if I am upset with one student or with a situation that my class is dealing with; I will tell them how I feel (angry, sad, hurt, etc.) and then how I am dealing with those feelings. I will promote that students practice this model of handling situations, so then that way they will not keep their feelings pent up. As a teacher I think that is

important that I do not think that behavioral problems are all students, and that they are the only ones who need to work on their behavior. Teachers are just as guilty of bad behavior as students are and sometimes are guiltier. When I have my classroom I expect that I will always give my students my best, so then that way they know I expect their best. Teachers giving their best behavior is very important and influences students behavioral outcomes. Student behavior determines how the class is going to run for the day. If the students are all in a good mood then the day is more likely to run smoothly. If the students are in a bad mood then the class will most likely be disruptive and unproductive. The mood of the kids is the most important thing. It is hard for students to forget about the problems that they are facing outside of school, and as a teacher we need to be aware of this. We cannot expect that learning how to add fractions is more important than being evicted from a home, so as a teacher we should not pretend that these problems do not exist. I learned from the novel, Educating Esme, the idea of creating a worry jar (Codell, 1999). It allows students to write down whatever is worrying them when they enter the classroom, so then that way they can feel that the issue is off their chest. Even though this does not solve their problems, it allows them to tell someone their problem, which emotionally helps them deal with their issues. By doing this it eliminates the chance for daydreaming distractions and more chances for authentic learning. Disruptive outbursts can also interfere with learning, so as a teacher it is important to figure out what is the cause of the outburst. For some students it may just be energy, so allowing this student an extra opportunity to get out their wiggles will help them in return be able to focus and participate appropriately in the classroom setting. Disruptive behavior can also be a behavioral issue that needs to be addressed in a disciplinary way. In a situation such as this one, I would tell the student exactly what behavior they are doing that is inappropriate, and ask the student to figure

out why this is inappropriate and a way to improve on this situation. Teachers need to figure out which disruption that it is, and need to address it accordingly so then the student is able to stop the disruptive behavior and pay attention. Behavior and learning within the classroom depend heavily on one another. If learning is not appropriate then behavior will reflect as disruptive and unproductive, whereas when behavior is inappropriate then the students ability to learn is going to be hindered. Behavior and learning also tie into not all students, but also teachers. It is important that teachers and students work together as a team on appropriate behavior, so then their learning will increase. Behavior is not the only part of the classroom that plays a role in a students learning process. Schools, families, teachers, and students also play a role in a childs learning. Each piece plays an equal role in a childs learning, however it is not impossible for the child to be missing one and still be alright, but it will just make this students journey more difficult. For a child to be at the top of their academic game, then they need the school, their family, their teacher, and their classmates to help them learn. For a child to be successful in their educational journey the school needs to have a positive inviting climate. Upon entering a school, the child needs to see that the outside of the school has been taken care of. This also applies to the inside of a school. Schools need to have students art work hanging from the walls, and a playground area ready to be played with by a ton of students. The school needs to have a front office area where visitors should have to sign in or have some form of safety routine set up to protect the students. The school needs to give the students opportunities to participate, so they can form a relationship with it and want to attend school every day. The school also needs to have friendly staff members. Once a student

gets on the bus in the morning they need to be greeted by a friendly face and feel they are safe and cared for. Then when the student gets to the school, I think they need to be greeted at the door of the school or bus stop by a teacher, staff member, or principal. By having students be greeted with a positive interaction first thing in the morning it will then in return promote them to have a better day. Schools need to have hallways that are covered with artwork, class work, and interactive hallway activities. A school with a positive environment also needs to have a library filled with books that are organized and easy for students to find. There needs to be posters and pictures all over the walls of the library to help engage students in trying to read need books. It is also important for libraries to consist of an appropriate amount of computers, so that students are able to do efficient research. Cafeterias in a school are also important for students. Areas such as a cafeteria need to be structured and have sufficient supervision (if at all possible classroom teacher eat with his/her students). Gyms, music rooms, and art rooms along with any other setting in which the students are emerged in during the day need to be stimulating for children. Each room needs to have the appropriate materials to help benefit all students in their specific learning needs. Having a school with a positive environment helps to make students want to be there every day, but it can also help increase parent/family involvement. Students need to see that families and schools are a united front. Schools cannot do their job by educating children without the participation of families when it comes to their childs education. Schools need to keep parents informed of the school activities that are scheduled throughout the whole year. Schools need to coordinate fun family nights, where parents and students can come to school together in the evening and participate in an educational event. Schools also need to promote and encourage parents, grandparents, and family members to come in and even just have lunch

with their student. When students see that their families are becoming involved in the school community, then it will tell them that their families truly care about their academic success. This will make kids try harder to achieve better grades, because they will not want to disappoint a family member. Teachers can also promote family involvement by just having their students create a project for a specific family member. Students can make a card or write a paper about specific family member, and then invite that member to their class to show them what they created. Communication is the most important tool to promote family involvement in the school. This does require some research on the schools part to know what the best ways to communicate with caregivers are. Schools need to be open to communicate with families in a variety of different methods, because this is the key to family-school involvement, which will then help promote student learning. Students not only need their family involved in their school setting to achieve, but they also need to have positive interactions from their peers. Students need opportunities to learn from one another, so this requires a lot of group work, group projects, and even just whole classroom discussions. As a teacher it can be difficult for us to relate to the student, because of the age barrier. This can then make it harder for teachers to try and make material relatable to students, but when one student brings up a relatable topic then it can in return benefit the whole classroom. Students learn from other students how to interact with one another. This is a crucial social skill for children, because they are expected to understand how to work with other people in our society, and school is the training tool for this. Students need to know how to work in collaborative teams as well as individually, so they depend highly on each other. Students need each other to learn pro-social interaction skills, and sometimes need other students to behave appropriately so that they can learn. Students need to be put in a classroom

where the other students want to learn as well, so that they will not be distracted by behavioral outbursts or have the teachers attention diverted from them. However, this is highly unusual, so the students depend on the teacher to keep the distracted student engaged, so that everyone is able to learn. Students also need to build relationships with one another that may not necessarily be academically related. As people we all want to build friendships in our lives, and children are no different. They thrive on the friendships created in schools, because outside of school there are not as many opportunities to create friendships for some students. Children also need to feel safe in their classroom. If a child is frightened of another child, then the scared child is not going to be able to learn. Teachers need to be aware of these negative relationships, so that if particular students cannot be in the same class together they can be separated. Having positive student to student relationships in the classroom help strengthen learning as well as build developmental friendships. Schools, families, and students play a huge role in the learning success of all students, but the most important role in the learning process has to be the teacher. Teachers are normally the first adult relationship outside of family members that a child will develop. In todays society teachers do more than just educate students; they are students mothers, caregivers, therapists, counselors, discipliners, friends, enemies, and role models. Students depend on their teachers to help them build better lives for themselves than what they could ever imagine. A teacher is a childs personal cheerleader, who goes to any length to try and help push that child beyond any success they thought imaginable. Teachers are there for children to confide secrets in and know that every single one will be kept. Teachers are the ones who effect and can change any of the roles that are important to a childs learning success. If the teacher is teaching in a school with a

negative climate, and yet he/she is able to maintain a positive classroom climate then that school role is almost being met. If the teacher is teaching in a school that does not promote family involvement, and yet the teacher goes out on a limb to try and have families involved in the classroom then that role is being met. If students in the classroom are being disruptive or used to individual work, then the teacher can change that by control the disruption or create more group work activities. Without a good teacher then a childs academic success will be hindered. As a teacher I want my classroom to be almost over stimulating for children. I want there to be computer areas, a reading jungle, a science discovery center as well as a social studies adventure area, and even a math problem solving station. I want the schedule to be posted on a bulletin board where students can clearly see it, and for it to be updated daily, along with the classroom student roles (line leader, paper helper, door holder, etc.). I want one bulletin board to be designated to the highlight student of that week and it will feature an All About Me Poster created by each student. Each week or so the poster will be changed, and a new student will get to be highlighted. I want there to be posters everywhere along with inspirational quotes. I want the students to have the opportunities to be as hands on as possible in my classroom no matter what the outside school environment is like. In my classroom I want to encourage parents and family members to be as involved as possible. During Grandparents Week I want to personally invite the grandparents in and have them be involved in the classroom lessons on their visit. I want to have a family night before school starts, and call to personally invite each one of my students and families to come meet me and the classroom before the first day. I want to have communication folders that I send home every week with my students that have important forms for parents, as well as just student returned work. I will update my PowerSchool grade book as frequently as possible, so that

parents can easily see what grade their child is getting. I want to even have parent folders in my classroom, where I can put all the information I know about the parents in. It is a place where I can put all the notes given to me by parents, as well as keep track of the notes that they send back to me. I want to try and encourage parents to participate on field trips, because that is a time that I will need them, but the students also enjoy having them along. As a teacher that wants to have parent involvement it is important that I figure out the best way to communicate with them, and be accessible to them. Not only in my classroom will I need a lot of parent involvement and a stimulated classroom, but I will need students who all want to succeed. I have a pet peeve against people who do not want to try, and I do not think I can keep this a secret from my students. I need students who are hard workers, although it does not matter how truly smart they are. I can handle students who may not be on grade level, because I am willing to give them one hundred percent of my time and attention to help them do better. However, I know it is not the best to say, but when it comes to a student not being on grade level, and is unwilling to work, then I am unwilling to help them. I will still try to help this student, but I will subconsciously not give that student as much help as I will the student who is trying. I have noticed this habit of mine during my 303 field experience. I work with two students who are both extremely below grade level in reading. The one student tries so hard. He will work nonstop for the full hour. If there is a word he does not know, he does not want the teacher to give him the answer. He will try to sound it out over and over again until he gets it. I have found this to be one of the most rewarding teaching experiences, because he really wants to succeed in school, while the other student I work with is the exact opposite. In my opinion I believe that he could be categorized as a Linda Alberts, Avoidance of Failure student (Garling, Porter, & Yankey 2013). He will initially do

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everything that he can to get me off track and let him not do work. When reading he looks at the first one to two letters in a word, and then makes up the rest of the word. He argues with me over words being right or wrong, and does everything he can to avoid reading. This student is however, a very sweet boy. He hugs me after every class, and really is a joy to be around just not when it comes to completing school work. After experiencing these two students I can easily conclude that I need students who want to be successful. In my classroom I will not only need students who are willing to try, but I will need students who are not really quiet. I enjoy getting to know my students, and having them tell me everything. I think it is hard to form a relationship with a student that I have to pull teeth with just to know their name. I want my students to understand when they can and cannot talk, because I will give them plenty of time to talk. I believe that students learn from each other, and this is mainly done through socialization. I enjoy entering a classroom where the students are all talking and interacting, because I think this illustrates learning more than entering a classroom where you can hear a pin-drop. There are moments however, when the students will be entered in independent work, and at that moment if they are pin-drop quiet then I will be okay with it. In my classroom I will not only need students who enjoy communicating, but I want all their different personalities to click well together. I cannot handle students being mean to one another, so as a teacher it will be very difficult for me to not lose my temper when one child picks on another. I understand that the students will not always get along, and personalities will at times get tense, but I want my students to be willing to work out their differences. I want to implement a weekly class counseling session, similar to that in Educating Esme (Cordell 2001). I want the students to be in charge of directing and solving the problems of their peers, so this

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way they will begin to learn to solve difficult conflicts later in life. I just need for all my students to be willing to solve their differences and be respectful to each other. My students are not the only ones contributing to the classroom setting, but my personality as the teacher also plays a major role. As a teacher I bring a very extroverted personality and a ton of creativity. I am normally always in a very happy outgoing mood, so I think that makes me easily relatable to the students. I believe that my lively personality is similar to that of my students, and makes children feel more comfortable around me. This will I believe, will make my students want to come to my class every day, because they know they will get to have fun while learning. I am also a very artist person. I try and incorporate this and my creativity into every lesson, because the more engaging the lesson the more the students will remember. I think my personality will work well as being a teacher, and I think it is one that students will enjoy. Even though I have a fun over the top personality, I will still have rules in my classroom. I think my number one classroom rule will be to respect everyone. I think that this is very important, because every student deserves to be respected by their peers no matter the circumstance. This rule also applies to students respecting me (their teacher) and the rest of the faculty and staff. I will be very strict about respect towards adult, because this is the way that I have been brought up. However, I do believe that if my students grant me their respect then they will have mine as well. I think a lot of people think that just because they are older than a child then they do not have to be respectful to them and their ideas. I do not believe this, because children are just as smart and deserving as adults, so they need to be treated the same.

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I will also have a rule of talking at appropriate times. This rule I believe will have to be practiced over and over again, so that the students understand when to raise their hands and when they can talk out loud. There will be times in my class when I am speaking or another student is talking that I will implement raising hands to talk. I will advice my students before that this is a hand raising time, but there will also be times in my classroom when I will advice them that they can talk at will. This will most be during classroom discussions, and during group work activities. I think that this will be a difficult rule to manage, but with second grade students (the grade I am hoping to teach) I think they will learn quickly when the appropriate time is for both actions. I will have a rule on hallway behavior and another rule on how to act when entering another teachers classroom. In the hallway I expect my students to be quiet and to walk in a single file line. This means they will be looking at the back of the students head that is in front of them. I will also have a rule that my students need to be quiet and respectful when entering another teachers classroom. They will need to wait at the door until the other teacher (librarian, gym teacher, music teacher, art teacher, etc.) advices them that they can come into the room. I also want the students to have the opportunity to add to the class rules. I will give every student an index card during the first week of school. They will not need to put their names on the card, so this is anonymous process, and then write down any other rules they would like to see added to the rules list. The index cards will then all be added to a hat where the teacher can then read the candidate rules to the class, and then they can all vote on the rules. The voting system is going to be similar to our own governments. For a rule to go into effect there is going to need to be a 2/3 majority, so for example if there are 18 students, at least 12 will need to vote

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in favor of the rule). However, there will can be a teacher veto, so in the end I will get the final say if the rule is appropriate for the classroom or not. My classroom will also have a late work policy. If a student does not complete a piece of work during class time they can then take it home for homework, and it will not be counted as late. However, if that student does not complete the work by the next day, it will be counted as late. Every day that a piece of work is late it will have one point deducted from it. I will be considerate and understanding when it comes to family circumstances and the student is unable to complete the work. I do not think that this rule is too difficult for second graders, because I will give them plenty of class opportunities to complete work, and I will not give a lot of homework. If I did not implement any sort of late work deduction then it would be unfair to the students who do complete the work on time. When students disobey my rules I will not be too strict on them depending on the extent of their rule breaking. If they just break a minor rule then that student will get a warning. Three warnings will then implement a color change. This color change chart will be hung in my classroom in an area where students can see it. Students will start on green everyday and can then move to yellow after they use up all their warnings. When a students color is changed to yellow they will then miss five minutes of their recess time and can choice to spend their five minutes walking the track or sitting out, both activities will be completed in silence. After a students color has been changed to yellow they will no longer receive any warnings. This means that after their next misbehavior they will then have their color changed to red. When a students color is changed to red they will then lose their entire recess for the day, and can expect a phone call home that night. I think that this will be an effective strategy, because the student

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will have four chances to correct their misbehavior in one day before they can expect a harsh punishment. The color change chart I think will work for dealing with minor misbehaviors, however if there is a serious offense I will skip immediately over the three warnings and yellow color change and go straight to red. A serious misbehavior will classify as hitting or hurting another student or person. In the case of a serious issue the students color will be changed to red, but I will also implement a Restorative Discipline strategy (Mullet, 2005). I will address the victim first and then the onlookers. Once I have addressed the other parties I will have a private discussion with the student offender. I will then call an immediate class counsel once the students have both cooled down, and I will lead this classroom counsel session. I will have the students discuss how they feel and then we will work toward possible ways to resolve the issue. I hope that this strategy can help solve major class conflicts. I know there will be days that my students will just be having a bad one, and it is my job not to let this change my view of them. I will give each student respect and will try my best to show them that this misbehavior does not represent who they are as a person. At the end of every day I will have my class and sit down on the carpet together and I will tell them if they were good or bad that day. If my class was good they will of course be praised, and be told that now that I know how good they can be then I expect to see them be that good tomorrow. If my class was bad that day, then I will tell them I expect to see them act differently tomorrow. No matter what action they make I want them to give me a thumbs up before leaving. On a good day the thumbs up will mean I will try to act as good if not better tomorrow, and on a bad day it will mean I will try harder to be better tomorrow. This will give the students ownership over

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their daily actions, because they are making the choice to put their thumbs up, and if for some reason that the student doesnt, I will discuss why they are not going to try harder. I want to daily promote positive behaviors, and plan to use different strategies to try and help students behavior well. I will use Fred Jones Zone of Proximity, because I know that this strategy does prevent students from misbehaving (Conley, Gentry, & Moran, 2013). I have seen it during my 303 field experience, because my teacher uses this strategy a lot. The Zone of Proximity states that the student is less likely to misbehavior when the teacher is near, so if the teacher sees a student begin to misbehave, then he/she will stand near that student. I think that this strategy will provide the students with opportunities to correct their misbehavior before they get in trouble. I will also use strategies by Linda Albert, because I really agree with her idea of cooperative discipline (Garling, Porter, & Yankey, 2013). I really agree with her theory and how it is composed of effective student-teacher relationships, because that is the basis in my opinion of good classroom management. Linda Alberts model discusses the importance of using the Three Cs in the classroom: Capable, Connect, and Contribute. Students need to feel capable in the classroom. They need to feel like they can complete the work at hand. If the work is too easy or too difficult then the child will not be an effective member of the classroom environment. Students also need to feel like they are connected to the rest of the classroom. Students need to form relationships with each other as well as with the teacher. Students need to then feel like they have and can make a contribution to the classroom and school. The teacher needs to provide a multitude of opportunities for the students to contribute their talents to the classroom community. Albert also says that student misbehaviors are divided into four different categories: avoidance of failure, power-seeking, revenge-seeking, and attention-seeking. If a teacher is able

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to categorize a students misbehavior into one of these groups then the teacher is able to find an effective strategy to help that student. The different misbehaviors all require different treatments, but most importantly the teacher needs to remember the relationship built between them and the student. Not only are the relationships important between teacher and student, but so are the students basic needs. Teachers need to be aware that children have basic daily needs that need to be met. This concept of meeting a students basic needs can be found in Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. There are different tiers to the hierarchy, and each basic need has to be met before the individual can reach total satisfaction. This is extremely important in the classroom, because students have to have their most basic needs met before they will be able to learn. I will always try to give my students a time for snack, so that they will not be hungry. Hunger is a huge factor in learning, and when a child is hungry they are unable to learn. Students also need to feel like they are cared for. The teacher can provide the child with this requirement when he/she is in the classroom. Maslows Hierarchy also talks about meeting the basic need of the childs safety. Children need to feel safe wherever they are, and this is extremely important in the classroom (McLeod, 2007). I will also try and use parts of Mullets Restorative Discipline, which was explained earlier and how I will incorporate this with severe disciplinary actions in my classroom. I think the key to effective classroom management is a flexible and willing to change and adapt teacher. The students in our classes are going to be changing every year. This means that we will constantly be experiencing students from different backgrounds and up-bringings. It is our job to integrate these students into our classroom to create a positive learning environment and a loving classroom community. As teachers we will be facing new situations every day, and

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we will be responsible for managing them. I think it is important that we know we will make a few mistakes when it comes to teaching, but teaching is such a learning process. Every day we will have to try and learn from the day before, so that we can help make our students succeed, because in the end their success is the most important factor. I look forward to the day that I enter my own classroom, and I know that it is mine. I will enter that room with a ton of ideas and management strategies that will most likely need to adjusted, because my students will be different than the ones that I have now as a preservice teacher. Then when I start my second year of teaching, I will most likely have to adjust my management strategies again for the new set of students I will be teaching. This excites me, because even though I will no longer be taking classes I will still be learning from my students.

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References Amstutz, L., & Mullet, J. (2005). The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools, Intercourse, PA: Good Books. Conley, M., Gentry, H., Moran, N. (March, 2013). Fred Jones: Positive classroom discipline, poster presented in EDUC 370, Bridgewater College. Codell, E.R. (1999). Educating Esme: Diary of a teachers first year. Chapel Hill, N.C: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Garling, H., Porter, D., Yankey, K., (March, 2013). Linda Albert: Cooperative discipline, poster presented in EDUC 370, Bridgewater College. McLeod, S. (2007). Maslows hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.