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Jessi Strom: #11

April 23rd, 2015
Education 370- Hawk
My Classroom Management Model
In my future classroom the most important thing is that students
understand why working together as a community of learners is vital to
making each and every day the best it can be. If we can create that
community by working together, the overall learning environment will be
more fun and efficient. I agree with some aspects of the Win-Win Discipline
theory produced by Kagan, Kyle, and Scott and Harry Wongs ideas on being
prepared and organized to create good classroom management.

Beliefs about the purposes of behavior management in schools:

I believe there are a couple of purposes of behavior management in
schools. The first is so students develop accountability skills and can learn to
distinguish between positive and negative behavior. If students are aware of
expectations set by the teacher and can work towards meeting those
expectations every day they will become more accountable for their
behavior. They will understand the consequences and rewards that can come
from their actions and make their own decisions on how they want their days
to go. This correlates with the overall goal of win-win discipline- that students
become empowered with skills that they can carry with them, out of the
classroom (Kagan, Kyle, & Scott, 2004). The second purpose of behavior

management is so things dont get out of hand and take away from learning
time. The more behavior problems that occur during a day the less academic
learning time there is available (Wong & Wong, 2001). When a teacher has to
stop and address behavior for an extended amount of time it can either take
away from teaching the actual lesson or can distract other students from
their work. This is why it is crucial that rules and guidelines for school
behavior along with classroom behavior are clearly stated/posted within the
classroom and gone over thoroughly several times throughout the year.
Harry Wong suggests a maximum of five rules clearly stated and visible
throughout the room that cover the essentials of positive behavior (Wong &
Wong, 2001). This way all students know what is expected of them when
they are in the classroom and in other areas of the school and can refer to
them when needed; this should help cut down on behavior problems. The
last purpose I have for behavior management is that it helps communication
between students and their peers and students with their teachers. Problem
solving techniques can be implemented into a behavior management plan so
that when there is a conflict between two students they can find different
ways to work it out on their own, this then goes back to them becoming
more accountable. The teacher should be able to effectively communicate
their guidelines and expectations to students and the students should be
able to talk out problems with their teacher when they arise. This will also
help cut down on behavior issues because the students can use their words
to resolve issues before they get out of hand.

Beliefs about the bases of classroom management:

There are several factors that can contribute to the bases of classroom
management including the role of the school, families/caregivers, and
teachers and students. The role of the school plays a role because it is where
children come to learn and better their education. The environment
surrounding should ensure they are doing that in the best way possible. The
families and caregivers can influence classroom management because
communicating with the people the child spends their time with outside of
school is very important to your classroom running smoothly. Having a
classroom management plan that includes the caregivers of your child and
working together with them is crucial to their individual success. I think both
of these factors do contribute heavily to classroom management and success
in your classroom, but in my opinion the most important factor is definitely
the students and teachers and how they work together. Like I stated
previously, creating a community of learners will be the most important goal
in my classroom and that all falls back on the students and teachers. If
positive relationships can be created between teachers and students and
between students and students, school will be more enjoyable for everyone.

Personal behavior management style:

When it comes to my personal behavior management style, I feel as
though I most closely follow the theory of Win-Win Discipline. In this theory

Kagan, Kyle, and Scott say that is very important that both the teachers and
students needs are met (Kagan, Kyle, & Scott, 2004). I think as a teacher, I
need students to equally work with me as I work with them. I will do
everything in my power to meet their needs as the teacher by being there
for them, communicating my expectations, modeling appropriate behavior,
and regulating the class. But in order for a positive classroom environment
they need to meet my needs of behaving appropriately, paying attention
during class, working hard on material/trying their best, communicating with
me and one another, and striving to meet new goals. If they can do this and
work together with me, the year will go very smoothly. Some attributes I will
have when it comes to classroom management is trying to meet a three on
the assertiveness scale, this means not being too hostile while also not being
too easy-going and relaxed but being assertive enough where the students
respect your authority (Evertson & Emmer, p.183). I also want to be
organized and prepared for as many situations as possible. I would like to
create a management and disciple plan as Wong talks about in The
Classroom Management Book. These are two separate books that are kept by
the teacher that lists daily procedures and class rules/expectations (Wong &
Wong, 2014). Its a great organization technique that is a good reference
point for me as the teacher and gives guidelines for substitutes or foreign
persons to the classroom to follow. As a teacher, I also hope to be friendly
enough where students feel comfortable to come to me for guidance and
dont feel scared/threatened by the fact that I am the authority in the class.

Lastly, I want to meet the individual needs of my students and be able to

depict behavior issues as discussed in the Win-Win Discipline theory. There
they focus on the different kinds of signals of misbehavior and how to correct
and deal with each one (Kagan, Kyle, & Scott, 2004). I really hope to work
towards a classroom where the students and I can be constantly working
together and learning from each other.
In terms of my preferences on student behavior, my main focus is that
students are working hard every day to reach their full potential. As long as
things dont get extremely loud, I dont mind a little bit of noise during work
that isnt an individual formal assessment. I think talking to each other about
their work helps them learn better and also creates an environment that isnt
so uptight and strict. When students feel more relaxed, comfortable, and
secure they are more likely to do better work. I also dont think that students
should have to raise their hand every time they want to get out of their seat,
thats very restricting and again creates an uptight environment. I believe
that students should be allowed to get up and move around during group
activities, informal class work, projects, etc. as long as theyre not being
distracting to me as the teacher or students around them. One of my big pet
peeves is that students respect each other. Even if they dont like something
about someone else, when they come in the classroom every student should
be respected and feel like they are safe in their environment. That being
said, bullying or ganging up on people will not be tolerated in my classroom
and students will know that from the start. Overall, I want the feel of the

classroom to be easy going and enjoyable for me and my students and any
behavior that distracts or takes away from that will have consequences.

Appropriate classroom rules/guidelines and processes for

determining them:
When setting rules and guidelines, I want to follow the idea of Harry
Wong that there should be five main rules that are set by the teacher and are
posted in clear view for students to see (Wong & Wong, 2001). However,
after those have been gone over and processed on the first day of school, I
will then ask students to brainstorm other ideas on what they think are
appropriate rules/behaviors to follow in the classroom. I will write them all
out on a poster and we will vote on which ones are the most important. We
will discuss them as a group and talk about which one of the main, broad five
rules each one falls under. I will discuss the importance of remembering
everything brainstormed when making decisions throughout the day and to
think about who all you are affecting when you make poor decisions. We
would pick and vote on 5-10 of the rules they came up with to add into the
discipline plan and students could get into groups and write them out on a
small poster. We would display this poster in a general area close to the five
main rules and refer back to them when necessary. Having students come up
with some more specific rules will increase their accountability and hopefully
make them want to follow them more since they helped come up with them.
After being in a classroom where Whole-Brain Learning strategies were

implemented, I think my five main rules would include three made from this
strategy:
1. Follow directions quickly
2. Makes smart choices
3. Make your dear teacher happy (Battle, 2015).
And two rules of my own:
4. Respect others
5. Stay focused and do your best!
In Whole-Brain Learning, there are gestures to go along with each rule
and the rules should be rehearsed about three times per day. When the
teacher thinks a rule isnt being followed, she can say the number of the rule
and the students respond with the rule and gesture to go along with it
(Battle, 2015). I think I would follow this aspect of the strategy as well
because it helps students become familiar with the rules and accountable for
knowing them. I would put these five rules along with some of the more
specific ones the students came up with I felt were very important into my
discipline plan.
I would also make sure the students knew the school policies and rules.
A lot of times these are the rules that get looked over because they are in
the handbook but dont often get discussed. I would just briefly run over
these rules with the students and discuss the schools policies on what
happens if those rules are broken.
Analysis, prevention, & support strategies:

Strategies to prevent misbehavior are important for me to incorporate

in my every day agenda. The first one I think of is setting goals for students
and developing a reward system for good behavior. Setting individualized,
clear, and reachable goals for students will allow them something to work
toward every day. This will be especially helpful for problem students, the
individualized attention will show that I care about them and want to see
them improve on their behavior. Secondly, I think being consistent with
procedures and consequences will prevent misbehavior because students
understand what is expected of them and consistency is promoted adding to
an efficient learning environment (Evertson & Emmer, 2013). I have also
been in multiple classes throughout my field experiences over the years who
participate in brain breaks. These are breaks throughout the day where
students can get up and move around after they have been sitting for an
extended period of time. I have seen it in the form of dancing to a song,
stretching, or doing a quick activity initiated by the teacher that involves
movement. These breaks are about 2-4 minutes long and allow students to
get out bottled up energy and re-focus for the next thing on the agenda.
I will promote positive behavior choices by modeling appropriate
behavior for students at all times. Being the primary person they look up to
during school hours it is important for me to follow the expectations I set for
them to create a good learning environment. I will also do this by creating a
reward system that consists of a symbol they can earn every time they show
positive behavior. More specifically, have index cards posted on a bulletin

board somewhere throughout the room where they can add little star stickers
every time I or another teacher sees them show a positive character trait or
follows the rules extremely well. Other teachers that they see throughout the
week (specials) will be aware of this reward system and can also give
symbols to the students. When a student receives 10 stars they get a letter
home to their caregiver explaining they reached the star student limit and a
small treat from a box only I have access too. They will then start over on a
new card and try to fill that one up. These letters home will also have them
work towards recognition by trying to make their teacher and caregivers
happy. If I see a student not getting as many stars as I think they can I will
use it to motivate them in an individualized conference where I positively
encourage them to reach their goals. This reward system will be described in
detail in the discipline book.
Like Ive stated several times throughout the paper, the most
important thing to me is that all my students are trying their best each and
every day. I will encourage and compliment them when I see they are
showing a great deal of effort, rather than only when they get an A. I want
them to know that I care and believe in them so they have confidence in
their abilities and strive to reach new heights. I want students to work
together as much as possible and also work with me to create a fun learning
environment that meets all students needs.

Response to misbehavior:

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Despite all efforts above, if a student misbehaves repeatedly, there will

be consequences for their actions. As a teacher, I will keep track of individual
records for behavior. There will be a tally system where if they break one of
the rules, they will get a tally. If they have three tallies by the end of the day
they will have to sit alone at lunch the next day, if they get five tallies or
more they will sit alone at lunch and get to walk laps for five minutes of
recess. This way it doesnt cut down on their physical activity for the day.
Never will they be taken out of specials for misbehavior or miss more than
half of their recess. The tally system is based off of class rules broken like not
staying on task, talking out of turn during instruction, not following
directions, etc. During the day, tallies can be earned back by positive
behavior star symbols. If a student gets a star symbol throughout the day
but already has a tally, instead of putting it up on their card, they just get a
tally removed. This way, students can turn around their days if they started
badly and make up for poor decisions.
If the behavior is worse than a simple class rule being broken or a bad
behavior is continuously recurring different consequences will be necessary.
If it is a behavior such as cheating, bullying, cursing, etc. an individual
meeting will be held with the student. In this meeting we will discuss what
happened and why it happened. We will go over the rules and why they are
important to follow and if applicable talk about how it made the other
person/people feel that were involved. Students will then need to write a
small letter to the teacher or person that they affected with their

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misbehavior describing the things we discussed in the meeting and will write
it during lunch along with walking ten minutes of laps at recess. If the case is
severe or recurring- my student, the principal, and I will meet to discuss
further consequences. All of these possible consequences to different
misbehaviors will be reported in the discipline plan so that punishments
remain equal for all students and I always have something to refer to. When
new misbehaviors occur, I will note them in the plan and what consequence
was linked to it.
If misbehavior was commonly occurring as a class, I would get the
groups attention by doing the Whole-Brain learning strategy of saying class,
class, class and they would respond yes, yes, yes and then say the
number rule that was being broken and have them repeat back the rule
(Battle, 2015). We could then discuss why that rule wasnt being followed
correctly and what we needed to do to fix it. If this kept occurring the whole
day as a group there would be a whole group consequence such as not doing
a fun activity we had planned, all walking laps for the first five minutes of
recess the next day, etc.

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References
Battle, J. (2015). Five classroom rules. Retrieved from
http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/index.php?
option=com_k2&view=item&id=160:five-classroom-rules&Itemid=127
Evertson, C.M., & Emmer, E.T. (2013). Classroom management for
elementary teacher (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Kagan, S., Kyle, P., & Scott, S. (2004). Win-Win Discipline. San Clemente, CA:
Kagan Publishing.
Wong, H.K., & Wong, R.T. (2001). How to be an effective teacher: the first
days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.

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Wong, H.K., & Wong, R.T. (2014). The classroom management book.
Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.