In classroom management, clear communication and documentation are essential. Students need to understand how the classroom works and what is expected of them; in addition, they need reminders about the agenda and schedule (Milner et al., 2019). Parents want to know how their child is doing and what is going in the classroom. As teachers, we seek to simplify the way we communicate with students and parents. Having a documentation and communication plan early in the school year allows everyone to know what is expected and prevents confusion.
Rules, Procedures, and Documentation
Many schools must have rules and procedures that guide their operations in order to run smoothly (Marzano et al., 2003). These rules and procedures tackle a variety of topics, including attendance, student behavior, and dress code. Similar to schools, classrooms must have a system of rules and procedures to help students succeed and maintain an effective and positive environment to learn (Marzano et al., 2003). In addition, dealing with student behavior in the classroom is a significant problem for teachers. Having documentation of student behaviors allows me to identify patterns and triggers, allowing me to intervene before the troublesome behavior occurs again. Many behaviors can be effectively overcome by addressing the core cause, which is made clearer by documenting.
Rules/Norms and Consequences
In any setting, classroom rules provide the foundation for a productive and effective classroom. Rules differ from procedures in that they specify how the classroom should be set up, what types of behavior are acceptable, and how students should work together to achieve a common goal (Marzano et al., 2003). To put it another way, they set the tone. As a teacher, I will need to establish general rules for my classroom. My students are more likely to follow my rules if they also take part in creating the rules with clear and effective consequences (Marzano et al., 2003). At the beginning of the school year, I will share a short list of rules that I believe that is essential to the class. Then I will split the class into small groups in which each group will create a list of five rules that will keep the classroom environment productive, orderly, and safe. After the groups finish making the five rules, each group will share their rules, and their rules will be added to my list of rules. After the rules are set, I will decide with my students’ help what the consequences will be if any of us break those rules. Consequences may include: a verbal warning, name on board, short meeting with me, call to parents, or sent to the office. After the rules and consequences are made, I will post them on the wall as a reminder and also send a copy home with each student (Marzano et al., 2003).
Classroom management is critical to ensuring that my classroom runs well and that I can teach as much as possible. Having rules and consequences in place allows me to gain control of my classroom and ensures that my students understand what is expected of them and how to behave. When a rule is broken, I will take swift action to address the matter. From the beginning of the school year, it is essential for me to collaborate with the students to develop effective classroom rules and consequences to help establish a positive and safe classroom environment (Marzano et al., 2003). Creating the rules and consequences with my students can assist me in creating a learning atmosphere that is based on respect and affirmation. In addition, when creating the rules, I will have to figure out how to explain the purpose of each rule to students and check their effectiveness because this can determine if rules need to be changed and if the rules are helping the students succeed academically. Effective rules in the classroom project positive energy, and students are focused on learning. All students are aware of the classroom rules and expectations if the rules and consequences are concise and easily visible in the classroom (Marzano et al., 2003). Even coming back after a long break, the rules and consequences on the walls of the classroom help to remind students what is expected of them.
Procedures and Routines
To carry out good classroom management, it is essential to establish and maintain classroom routines. My classroom’s routines can increase students’ confidence and comfort by letting them know what they are expected to do in various scenarios. When working with my students, set routines are very beneficial, especially for those that need extra help regulating their behavior. At the beginning of the school year, routines are usually created and are regularly reinforced (Marzano et al., 2003). Routines also inspire students to be responsible for how the classroom runs. The routines ensure that both the students and I are responsible for ensuring that the classroom operates smoothly and efficiently, enhancing everyone’s learning chances.
One of the procedures I will implement in class at the beginning of the school year is the use of the restroom. I will first explain to the class the appropriate time to use the bathroom, such as during independent work or at the end of the instruction. When they need to use the bathroom, students must get up quietly, take the hall pass, and leave the classroom. Students do not need to raise their hands to let me know that they need to use the bathroom; however, only one hall pass is available, so I will know who went to the bathroom. If another student has an emergency that needs to go to the restroom, he/she can raise their hand and ask me so that I can write a pass for them to go to the restroom. When the student returns, they must hang the hall pass back up to its original position and quietly go back to their seat. For my students to understand, I will model what I want it to look like and then have a few students practice it. Having a restroom procedure is very beneficial as it allows me to maintain control in the classroom since it prevents too many students from going out all at once, limits how long they are out, and prevents disruption during discussion time (Marzano et al., 2003). It is important that I maintain control in the classroom while providing my students with an effective and efficient way to use the restroom.
Another procedure I will use in my classroom is the procedure for asking for help. I will first explain to my students when they can come to me for help. If a student has a question, they will first have to think about it and see if they know the answer. If they are still confused, then they will ask someone near them. If the other students are unable to answer the question, then the student can raise their hand so that I know they need help. After explaining the procedure, I will model it in front of the class, and the students will then take turns practicing it. This procedure allows students to interact and communicate with each other and reduces my burden because I can help another student (Marzano et al., 2003). When I am helping others, students can ask the surrounding students for help because other students may know the answer to the question. Having the students raise their hand for my help serves as a good form of communication because it doesn’t disrupt the other people, prevents students from calling out, and ensures fairness (Marzano et al., 2003).
Documentation
In any classroom, even with positive interpersonal relationships and strong classroom management, there will be students who misbehave. There is no single solution to fix the misbehavior. Students misbehave for a variety of reasons, such as getting attention, boredom, personal problems, and others. Because the reasons for each student’s misbehavior are different, I will have to deal with the misbehavior according to the student and the reason. Every school district requires teachers to record appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. These documentations are helpful to schools, parents, and students. The documents are evidence of how the student behaves in class. As shown in Figure 1, I will need to document the type of behavior, when the behavior happens, what action I have taken, if I need to contact the parents, and if possible, what is the cause of the behavior.
Figure 1
Behavior Log
Note. This log is reserved for one student only.
Before each class, I will print out five blank behavior logs in case more than one student misbehaves. Each behavior log is assigned to one student. During class, I will have the logs beside me so that I can write down any unexpected behavior. In the notes section, I can write down the reason why the student is misbehaving. Having the logs beside me allows me to document the behavior right away and reminds me if I need to keep an eye on the student or have a small talk at the end of class. At the end of each class, I will put the logs in the binder designated for that class. I will use the behavior logs to record unexpected, persistent, serious, and emotionally problematic behaviors. With these behavior logs, I can talk to the parents and administrative with evidence in hand so that I can defend myself if needed. As a teacher, I have to be aware of sudden changes in my student’s behavior. Understanding the reason for the misbehavior allows me to continue to build relationships with students.
Communication Plan
Communication in the classroom is important as it makes learning easier and helps students succeed academically. Families and students want to know how well they perform academically and socially and what they can do to improve academic performance. With the advancement of today’s technology, communication has become easy and can happen within a few seconds. It is essential to communicate with students and parents at the beginning and during the school year.
Student Communication Plan
Many students have busy schedules because of things like sports, clubs, or other activities outside of school. As a result, students may forget to do homework, forget about upcoming quizzes or tests, and other important dates. To relieve students’ schedules, I will use Remind daily (Remind, 2021). Remind is an app and website that allows me to communicate with my students. Remind allows me to send text messages to individuals or the entire class. The students can then respond to the messages with questions and comments. This app can keep students up to date with what’s happening in the classroom. On the app, I will send messages about homework, schedule changes, feedback, quizzes, tests, behavior problems, grades, etc. In addition, I will send out handouts, photos, and assignments directly onto the app if any of my students need them, especially if the student is absent in class. Another thing about the app is that I can summarize what happened in the class so that even if the student is absent, no one is left behind. Using Remind every day is useful for students because it keeps them organized, up-to-date, and on track in their busy lives. Having Remind provides valuable assistance for my students.
In addition to reminding my students of dates and assignments, it is also important to have another way to communicate about their grades in class. Every three weeks, I will give a summary of their grades, including missed assignments and assignments they can redo to get better grades. For students who are failing or missing a lot of assignments, they will have a conference with me after school during the week I pass out their summary of their grades. At the conference, we will create a plan or schedule to help the student complete its missing assignments and any assignments that need to be redone. As shown in Figure 2, I will be filling out the hard-copy form as we discuss how to complete the missing assignments and other works.
Figure 2
Missing Assignments Form
Note. Each form is reserved for one student only.
On the form, I will document when the assignment is given to the student, the name of the assignment, when the assignment is completed, and the initials indicating that I have received the assignment. Once I finish filling out the form, I will scan an additional copy of it so that I can give it to my student. Having a copy of the form in my hands allows me to remember the plan and serves as evidence that I have talked with my student regarding their progress in the class.
Family Communication Plan
In addition to communicating with my students, communicating with their parents is also very important. Because parents aren’t always present in the classroom, regular talks with me can help them figure out what subjects their children excel at and which ones they struggle. Communication between parents and me begins at the start of the school year and continues throughout the year (Milner et al., 2019). Every two weeks, I will send out emails to all the parents to keep them up-to-date on what is happening in the school and my class, including reminders, important dates, and topics covered in class. If parents have questions or need clarification, they can email me.
Furthermore, I will be doing phone calls throughout the school year. Occasionally, I will call some parents and give them some good news about their children. Because parents are used to receiving phone calls for bad behavior, a positive phone call gives the students and parents a burst of positive energy. On the other hand, there will be unpleasant phone calls because there is at least one student that has problems with their grades or behavior. If I have to contact the parents, for better or worse, I will record it in a hard copy form, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3
Communication With Parents Form
Note. This form tells me who I contacted and why.
On the form, I have to document the date of the phone call, the student’s name, the parent’s name, the parent’s phone number, and the reason for the phone call. Once the communication between the parents and me is successful, the parents will be more involved in their children, thereby improving academic performance and forming a sense of community.
In conclusion, students should be able to discuss ideas, be creative, and concentrate on their academics in the classroom (Milner et al., 2019). To encourage positive behavior and create a happy learning environment, it’s critical to develop effective classroom rules, procedures, and documentation. Through the documentation and communication plan, I look forward to establishing a close relationship with my students and their parents that will last for many years. These plans will help me create a positive learning environment for my students and help me improve myself as a teacher.
References
Marzano, R. J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, D. J. (2003). Classroom management that works: Research-based strategies for every teacher. ASCD.
Milner, H. R., Cunningham, H. B., Delale-O’Connor, L., & Kestenberg, E. G. (2019). These kids are out of control: Why we must reimagine “classroom management” for equity. Corwin.
Remind. (2021). Home page. https://www.remind.com/