DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 1

Description of Classroom Management Plan

Erika Martinez

College of Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

EDSC 408: Classroom Management Secondary Education

Professor Wagner

April 29th, 2021

 
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 2

Grade Level: 12th grade

Subject Area: English Language Arts

My Teaching Philosophy: Classroom Management

         If I had to describe my approach to classroom management in one word, that word would

be person-centered. This is because I believe classroom management should be “grounded in the

notion that positive outcomes accrue when we value the personal dignity and integrity of

students . . . invite them to engage through intrinsic interest, offer trustworthy advice and

directives, and provide them with the resources and support necessary to achieve ends that are

meaningful and fulfilling" (Doyle, 2009, p. 156).

Classroom Arrangement

According to Will Weber, classroom management is “that complex set of strategies that a

teacher uses to establish and maintain the conditions that will enable students to learn” (1994, p.

234). As such, managing a classroom begins with arranging one’s classroom in a way that is

conducive to one’s instructional activities and overall goals. For me, this means arranging my

classroom in a way that keeps high-traffic areas free of congestion, allows me to see all of my

students, keeps frequently used student supplies and teaching materials readily accessible, and

keeps instructional displays and presentations visible to all students. 

Because the main activities within my classroom will include instructional activities such

as presentations and teacher-led discussions, I will arrange student desks facing the whiteboard.

That is because the whiteboard will be the main instructional area in my classroom. This will

probably look like rows of individual desks facing the front of the classroom. I will then place

my desk in the back of the classroom, where I can see all of my students. 
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 3

This also means placing a singular communal supply station in the center of the

classroom. That way, all students can go there for any necessary supplies or classroom materials.

After all, this arrangement is conducive to a presentation-based classroom. 

Additionally, instructional displays will be placed high enough on the walls so that they

are visible to all students, but not so high that they become difficult to read.

Classroom Rules

In my classroom, students will participate in the rule setting process. This will “promote

student ownership of the rules and student responsibility for their own behavior” (Emmer &

Evertson, 2017, p. 52). My students and I will set classroom rules on the second day of the

school year. On this day. I will lead a discussion on classroom rules during which I will ask for

suggestions for rules it would be important for everyone to follow when the goal is to create a

climate that is conducive to learning “and in which all students feel comfortable about

participating” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p. 53). “Student participation in such a discussion will

demonstrate the reasonableness of the guidelines and their wide acceptance” (Emmer &

Evertson, 2017, p. 53). Because I will be setting classroom rules with my students, I do not know

what these rules will include. However, I imagine they will include classroom rules such as

being respectful of others and always doing one’s best. 

I will communicate classroom rules to the parents/guardians of my students by posting

them on the class website immediately after they are set. Similarly, I will communicate

classroom rules to the administrators at the school that I teach at by posting them on the walls of

my classroom. 

Since students will have participated in the rule setting process, I will not have to

communicate classroom rules to my students at the beginning of the school year. However, I will
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 4

almost certainly have to remind students of classroom rules throughout the course of the school

year. I can remind students of classroom rules both verbally and nonverbally. For example, while

I can certainly inform students of the classroom rule(s) that they are breaking (or even ask them

to inform me of the rule(s) that they are breaking), I can also just point at the rules on the wall – a

nonverbal cue.

Classroom Procedures

Every day, class will begin with a warm-up and end with an exit ticket. (The warm-up

will usually be about five to ten minutes of journaling on the previous night’s reading

assignment.) The instructional activities in between these two activities will vary. Some days, I

will be presenting information. Other days, students will be presenting information. Other days,

students will be using the information that I have already presented to complete an assignment

independently, with a partner, or in small groups. Similarly, there will be days that students

participate in teacher-led, whole-class discussions and days that they participate in student-led,

small-group discussions.

Grading (Including Assessments)

I am a firm believer in rubrics. Any time that students are assigned an assignment or a

project, they will be provided with the rubric that I will be using to grade that assignment or

project.

In terms of assessments, I will assess my students using a combination of formative and

summative assessments. The warm-ups and exit tickets, for example, will serve as daily

formative assessments, as the journal entries will assess students’ knowledge of the previous

night’s reading assignment and the exit tickets will assess students’ knowledge of the

information I presented during class. While warm-ups and exit tickets will be graded on
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 5

completion, there will be formative assessments that students will be graded on (e.g. a short,

multiple-choice quiz on the previous night’s reading assignment).

Because I will be teaching English Language Arts, summative assessments will often

take the form of essays. However, I will also assign creative projects that allow students to

express themselves through art.

Maintaining Student Focus

My approach to maintaining student focus involves maintaining activity flow. I will

maintain activity flow by preventing misbehavior, managing movement, and maintaining group

focus. According to the class textbook, misbehavior can be prevented with the skills known as

withitness and overlapping; movement can be managed with momentum and smoothness, and

group focus can be maintained by making use of group-alerting, encouraging accountability,

and/or increasing “the degree of participation” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, pg. 133). After all,

"[when] lesson flow is jerky, with frequent interruptions and side trips, there is more competition

for student attention from cues external to the focus of the lesson and therefore a greater

tendency for students to go off task” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p. 129).

         My approach to maintaining student focus also involves maintaining student interest. After

all, when students are interested in a lesson, they are more likely to pay attention to it. Therefore,

my approach to maintaining student focus alsoinvolves creating interesting, well-paced lessons.

After all, according to the class textbook, “[interesting] well-paced lessons are a key to holding

students’ attention: unimaginative or confusing lessons with limited opportunities for student

participation are boring or frustrating to students, and they will create the conditions for

discipline problems to develop” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p. 120).

         My approach to maintaining student interest also involves being enthusiastic about the way

in which I am teaching a lesson! After all, according to the class textbook, “[my] enthusiasm

about the lesson is contagious and signals to students how [I] feel about its importance. If [I] find

it interesting and exciting and [I] communicate this excitement to [my] class, students will

probably respond with interest” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p. 135).

Encouragement

I will encourage students by making sure all students feel included, as feeling included

tends to increase motivation. I will do so by accommodating all students. For example, I will

accommodate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners alike. 

Another way I will encourage students is by verbally praising participation. While I will

certainly let students know if their answer to a question is fully or even partially incorrect, I will

praise them regardless. As long as they have provided a genuine and thought-provoking answer,

I will find something to praise – and do so – even if it is a simple, “thank you for participating!”

Managing Problem Behaviors

I will manage problem behaviors within my classroom using a combination of minor,

moderate, and extensive interventions. Because many of the strategies in the moderate and

extensive categories “involve some form of punishment, such as [the] use of penalties,

withholding desired activities, [and] detention” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p. 233), I hope to

manage most problem behaviors with the use of minor interventions. Such interventions include

the use of nonverbal cues, proximity, group focus, and “I-messages”. However, I am well aware

that moderate and extensive interventions are, at times, unavoidable. For example, if a student’s

behavior becomes disruptive, moderate intervention may be necessary. Similarly, if a student

does not respond to the strategies in the moderate category – meaning that their behavior is still
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 7

disrupting their (as well as their peers’) learning - extensive intervention may be necessary. I will

manage these problem behaviors with moderate and extensive interventions that do not punish

the misbehaving student(s). For example, instead of sending the misbehaving student(s) to the

dean’s office, I could create a daily behavior report card on which I would grade them on their

behavior. 

Other minor intervention strategies I plan on using include getting the activity moving,

redirecting the behavior, providing needed instruction, issuing a brief desist, and giving the

student a choice.

Fostering a Positive Classroom Environment

I will foster a positive classroom environment by “communicating positive expectations

to students, providing them with opportunities to contribute to the management of the class,

praising good performance, and at times using additional rewards” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p.

179).

I will also foster a positive classroom climate by being considerate and respectful of all

students – regardless of how they are behaving. Rather than punishing misbehaving students, for

example, I will manage problem behaviors in a way that communicates that I care about the

student’s success and value their presence in my classroom. After all, “a classroom in which the

main consequences are negative ones will not have a positive climate” (Emmer & Evertson,

2017, p. 233).

If punishment is unavoidable, I will punish students in a way that will not have a negative

effect on the classroom environment. I will do so by “[incorporating] additional incentives or a

reward system into [my] overall classroom management” (Emmer & Evertson, 2017, p. 233).

Working With Parents/Guardians

On the first day of the school year, I will send my students home with a form. This form

will be due at end of the week. On this form, the parents/guardians of my students will be asked

to write down their contact information. While I am well aware that this information will already

be available on Infinite Campus, I firmly believe I have a responsibility to reach out to the

parents/guardians of my students directly: that way, they can inform me of their preferred form

of communication as well as the best time(s) for me to contact them. Before contacting

any student’s parent/guardian, I will refer to these forms – which will remain locked in my desk

at school. While I myself would prefer to email the parents/guardians of my students, I will be

contacting them based on the information that they provided me with on these forms. For

example, if their preferred form of communication is an email, I will email them; alternatively, if

their preferred form of communication is a phone call, I will call them. However, if the

parent/guardian of one of my students does not answer when I contact them through their

preferred form of communication, I will contact them through any other form of communication

I can. Similarly, I will try to contact the parents/guardians of my students at a time they informed

me they would be available. 

I will also maintain a class website that the parents/guardians of my students can access

at any time. I will provide the parents/guardians of my students with a link to this website on the

form that I send home on the first day of the school year. This website will include an “About

Me” page on which the parents/guardians of my students will find information related to my

education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as well as my experiences as an educator for

the Clark County School District. The “About Me” page will also include my contact

information. This website will be updated at the beginning of every quarter. At this time, I will

upload a course syllabus onto the class website. The course syllabus will include a schedule for
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 9

the quarter. Additionally, any time I make an announcement in class (e.g. a change in the course

schedule), I will also be making that announcement on the class website.

Conclusion

Above all else, I believe classroom management should be a “socially situated,

humanistic practice rather than the exercise of discipline techniques” (Doyle, 2009, p. 156). I

sincerely hope that the way in which I plan to manage my classroom reflects this belief. 

 
 DESCRIPTION OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN 10

References

Doyle, W. (2009). Situated practice: A reflection on person-centered classroom management.

Theory Into Practice, 48(2), 156-159. 

Emmer, E.T., & Evertson, C.M. (2017). Classroom management for middle and high school

teachers. New York, New York: Pearson. 

Weber, W. A. (1994). Classroom management. In J.M. Cooper (Ed.). Classroom Teaching Skills

(5th ed.). Lexington: D.C. Heath, 234-279.