Katrina Handy’s Master in Teaching Portfolio

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-centered instead of teacher-centered. 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 realize that this 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. Such issues that I find to be of importance currently are choosing appropriate attention signals, correction procedures and encouragement techniques. In addition, I think posting a daily schedule, working on routines for both the start and end of the day, and working on transitions are also essential to structuring my plan as a useful tool for me.

My experiences in the classroom have largely influenced what I am currently considering as major components of my management 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 different classroom settings. 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.

My classroom experiences have impacted my approach to the type of rules I will make for my classroom. I always thought that one of my chief, non-negotiable rules was that every student must be to school on time. I can now see how problematic and narrow-minded this view is when thinking about different schools. I can see that no such rule should exist, as I would be putting students, some of whom have no control over their morning arrival time because of a parent driver, at a disadvantage.

One of my most important rules is to respect everyone and accept their differences. All students have different learning styles and prior experiences, and building an appreciation for those differences will be essential in creating a safe and accepting classroom community.

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.

Attention Signal:

For my attention signal, I am going to teach my students a rhythmic clap. I am using this type of signal because it gets students’ attention and it involves physical movement and a little bit of concentration. Students will get ready for each activity by starting with a clap, which sets the tone that we are here to work together on a task, and we are ready to learn. Teaching my attention signal will be one of the first things I teach my class. I want to start the first day by introducing my students to this important element of our highly structured class. I will use this signal for beginning activities, transitioning, and when I need my students’ attention throughout the day. Eventually I would like to make-up some words to go with the rhythmic clapping so that my students will really need to stop what they are doing in order to clap and rap along with me.

As noted in CHAMPs, my attention signal is going to be of the most critical components of my management plan (Sprick, 1998, p. 61). I think that getting and holding student attention will be a feat in itself, in a classroom where structure is necessary but not always accepted. I also want to have a signal because I have seen so many teachers get frustrated when they cannot get their class’ attention, making them become defensive.Maintaining a calm demeanor sets the tone for the activity. I want to remain as calm as I can in my classroom in order to demonstrate to my students that getting their undivided attention is a simple and necessary part of our school day.

Classroom rules/social expectations:

The first component of my management plan is to establish classroom rules and social expectations 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 three 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:

1. Respect your teacher and your classmates

2. Follow directions immediately

3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself

4. Always do your best work

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 Miss Handy’s classroom.

A potential 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.

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 instance, what we are working on that day in math. I have seen schedules that list the basic outline of the day: math, language arts, 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. There is not a day that has gone by when a student did not approach me and ask what we were doing that day in school. 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 teacher directed instruction, independent work and cooperative group work. As indicated by the CHAMPs method of classroom management, balancing these methods of instruction will “reduce the likelihood of irresponsible behavior” by keeping the students busy with educational activities (Sprick, p. 52).

Routines:

Repetitious activities can sometimes impede the school day as it may evoke comments such as “We’re doing this again?” However, having routines in which students can predict what will happen can ease the transition from the bus, car or the walk to school to the classroom. 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, put coats and backpacks away. 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. Then I will ask groups to get their backpacks and put away all of their materials. I will ask that they clear off their desks and the area on the floor around their desks so that the custodian does not have to clean up after us. As the students line up to go home, I will have my goodbye salutation: a piece of poster paper with four types of goodbyes: a handshake, high five, or smile. The students can pick any combination of these goodbyes when the leave. I want to have this goodbye so that I can be sure to have contact with each of my students before they leave for to go home. 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.

Transitions:

I find that it is difficult to stop a good discussion or lesson when it is time to move to a different task. However, such things must take place and having structured transition procedures in place for my class will be ideal for being efficient in moving from task to task. The worksheets found in CHAMPs will allow me to structure my transitions in such a way as to cover most the aspects that usually come up during transitions: “Can students talk during the transition? How can students get my attention? What is the purpose of the transition? Can students move during the transition? What is the desired behavior during the transition?” (Sprick, p. 128) I will teach my students the structure of transitions using direct instruction, teacher modeling, guided practice and then independent practice. I will teach transitions to look something like this: once a task ends, I will call all students to attention with my attention signal. I will then call out jobs “Number ones will turn in work, number twos will return art materials to the back of the room, number threes and fours will put away books, number fives monitor your group and be sure your team is following the instructions. There is no talking during this transition and if you need my attention please put your hand up. You have one minute.” I will then watch each student complete their job, keeping a close eye on each student to make sure the transition procedure is going smoothly. The jobs will change each week, giving the students an opportunity to do different tasks for their groups.

Encouragement Procedures:

In order to promote responsible behavior, 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 behavior. I will have a policy stating that any student who cannot demonstrate responsible behavior and reliably complete their job will have to give up their job title and a different student will get their job. I have seen such a job system in another classroom in which I worked and this system was 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 behavior with a Handy Helper Slip. While some behaviors are expected in all classrooms, I think that reinforcing the expected good behavior will increase the probability of seeing good student behavior. However, I know that some students will not care to earn a Handy Helper Slip, 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 behavior 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 Handy Helper Slip for demonstrating these behaviors, I will also let them know that I expect to see these behaviors all of the time, and they can earn a Handy Helper Slip when they are demonstrating especially good behavior.

These two procedures above are essential to a highly structured classroom, but it is also important to keep in mind the kind of reinforcement that comes naturally: verbal reinforcement. As specified by CHAMPs, a teacher must give a student three verbally reinforcing compliments to every one correctional statement (Sprick, p. 224). I plan to integrate verbal reinforcement into my lesson plans, so I can have both planned verbal reinforcement and spontaneous reinforcement throughout the day.

In addition to the aforementioned reinforcement techniques, I will also use non-contingent attention, intermittent celebrations and a lot of positive feedback (Sprick, p. 201). As a student I enjoyed receiving non-contingent attention, especially when I was working hard on task and a teacher noticed my effort. I hope to do this in my own classroom, as I know how rewarding it feels to receive attention when the student did not know he or she was about to receive any kind of attention. In addition to non-contingent reinforcement, intermittent celebrations and positive feedback are going to be important parts of my encouragement techniques. I enjoy rewarding good work and good behavior, and using intermittent celebrations is one way to show my appreciation for good work.

As I work in my classroom, I will maintain a positive attitude when I am teaching. I think one of the most important aspects of a classroom is promoting a positive atmosphere through a positive attitude. I plan to demonstrate how much I like to teach each day that I go to school. I have seen teachers who do not want to teach and this attitude creates a negative atmosphere where both the students and teacher do not want to come to class. I would like to create an environment in which my students want to be and want to learn.

Correction Procedures:

My goals for correction procedures will be to prepare ahead of time for most situations and be able to correctly diagnose the type of misbehavior that is occurring: “Is it early stage misbehavior? Is it awareness type misbehavior, or attention seeking misbehavior? Is it purposeful/habitual misbehavior?” (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 behaviors similar to the chart found in CHAMPs on page 313. My behavior chart will look similar to this:

Behavior to address when occurring, saying a short comment	Behavior Requiring Consequence	Behavior 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 misbehavior, but in the case that it proves to be ineffective, I will revise my chart accordingly. After this paper, you will find a more elaborated plan with specifics on the hierarchy of consequences for my students.

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 behaviors. 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 behaviors. I am going to make a contract on their second offense, because some students will stop a behavior after the initial verbal warning.

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 misbehavior will occur in my classroom, I am instituting this plan to assist me in dealing with these issues as they occur.

Reference List

Sprick, R., Garrison, M. & Howard, L. (1998). CHAMPs: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management, Longmont, CO: Sopris West.