Documentation and Communication Plan 

In the classroom, there are multiple layers into making the most efficient class possible so that the students can learn and the teachers can teach. The rules, procedures, and classroom routines have to be laid as the foundation for a successful school year so that everyone benefits from our time in that environment. A positive and structured classroom culture is critical in order to allow the most learning and growth. Therefore, I will have two main plans involving detailed strategies for documentation and communication in order to provide the most facility possible.  

Rules and Consequences

The first part that is essential to a functioning classroom is the structure of rules. According to Marzano (2003, pg.13), “It is not possible for a teacher to conduct instruction or for students to work productively if they have no guidelines for how to behave or when to move about the room, or if they frequently interrupt the teacher or one another”. In my classroom on the first day of school, I will help my students be involved in the rule-making process. I will split them into small groups and have them articulate different rules. Then, the whole class will vote for four or five rules to be established as our foundation. Marzano (2003) suggests that including students in the rule-making process helps their overall behavior and learning. I will have strict rules if instruments are involved since I am in a music setting. Moreover, I have to make sure the students understand the importance of caring for the instruments that they borrow. Once the rules have been decided upon, the class will show examples of what to do and what not to do based on what they decided. The rules then are a part of the social agreement in the classroom environment. I chose to do this because I know the school system pays a lot of money so the students can have those instruments. Also when my students create the rules, it does not come from only the authoritative perspective. The students make their rules out of respect for each other. In an ideal situation, I will try to be as proactive as possible in making sure my students accomplish and obey the rules they set in place. However that does not always happen in the classroom, so I must be prepared with steps of disciplinary actions.

 If a student happens to break a rule, the first thing I will do is to give the student a verbal warning. If the inappropriate behavior continues, I will document the specific details in a chart that goes along with attendance (See Figure 1). This can easily be on a clipboard that I can just mark on. As the misbehavior continues on, I will add more layers of interference. For example, I would contact the parent(s) and have the principal if necessary. But if a student threatens the safety of other students, then I will document more details in a more informational format (See Figure 2) and have a specific course of action. The first step being to temporarily remove the student from the environment. Then I would follow up with that student and specifically communicate my side and ask questions about why they decided to continue behavior. Moreover, I believe that any student should not miss class time at all. This idea comes from the practices of restorative discipline. According to Milner (2019, pg.133), “Instead of  removing and excluding students from their educational setting as punishment, a restorative discipline approach supports students coming to terms with how their actions may have affected others, taking responsibility for these actions, and continuing to learn and grow.” As a result, my goal will be to try my best for them not to be suspended from the classroom if possible. These types of situations will be on a case by case basis and will be followed through with the necessary faculty or administration needed. The reason why I believe these steps and documentations are important is because I have to be able to fully describe an incident if needed to a parent/guardian and administration. Furthermore, if other documents are needed, such as a referral notice, I will have to adequately supply why my student was removed from the classroom. But again in an ideal situation, I will use as many proactive strategies as possible to prevent any small issues from becoming more serious. Milner (2019) suggests that using affective language as a part of the classroom management process will help problems be fixed on their own before other things happen. Affective language simply states how I am feeling because of the student’s behavior. 

Figure 1

Figure 2

Procedures and Routines

Sometimes behavioral issues originate from boredom or the student did not know what to be focusing on at that moment. One routine that I will include into my classroom is having the students unpack and prepare their instruments as the rest of the class enters. The steps will be laid out on a poster at the front and back of the room in case the students need a reminder. The steps simply include grabbing their instrument, opening the case, and preparing to play the instrument. This means that they can warm up and practice individually before the entire class plays together. While routines are a needed component in order for my classroom to function, another key element to maintaining structure is having the students know the various procedures. The ones that I will go over include: fire drills/alarms, lockdown drills/situations, and dismissals. One procedure I will teach my students is how to turn in any written homework assignments. This procedure is that, during their warm up time, they can put any papers into the slot with their class period number on it. This simple step can help them be able to handle their tasks without me constantly asking them to turn in their homework. 

Communication

While the classroom internally functions with the rules and procedures, I have to communicate using methods outside of the classroom to my students and their parents/guardians as well. For my students, there are a lot of options to communicate with them. Many school systems implement Learning Management Systems such as: Google Classroom, Schoology, and Bloomz. However if I have a choice as a way to communicate with my students, I would choose Schoology. Schoology has a way to post reminders, link assignments, show grades, create folders with different types of assignments or documents needed all while keeping everything sorted by class period. This prevents me from accidentally mixing up any assignments or paperwork between classes. This method also works great for the students because they can check anything that they want to while at home. (Most school systems have issued laptops and/or tablets for online learning due to the pandemic.) Another method of communication I will include with my students is emails or sticky notes that specifically have comments in ways they had great behaviors or behaviors that need to be adjusted. I like this method because I may not have the time to specifically say to each individual the good or bad behaviors that they have. 

     One strategy to mass communicate with parents/guardians is through a system called Remind. This system allows me to send parent/guardian figures a text message without them knowing my real phone number. It is perfect for communicating reminders like when assignments are due, what to practice, and if there are any documents/forms that need to be completed. In order to communicate with the families separately, I will most likely have the students give me their guardian’s email address and phone number. This also helps if there is an emergency situation, I can notify the guardian(s) directly and immediately. The other potential way I could receive guardian contact information is through the open house. However, this can not be effective for everyone because sometimes the guardian works late at night or other circumstances arise and they can not attend the open house. But despite the challenges, it is essential for me to communicate things to the parents/guardians. Most parents/guardians are concerned with how their child is doing in class and if there are any issues. My plan is to send emails mainly if there is any unwanted behavior in the classroom or I notice something concerning the child’s behavior. Sometimes different life events occur that cause a child to have unusual feelings that are out of their typical personality. Another way to make contact with the parent/guardian(s) is to use the parent-teacher conference days that many school systems provide. I like being able to have a conversation with the guardian about why their child is not reaching their full potential. Sometimes email messages or phone calls are ineffective because the guardian may not always be available. For that reason, I am mainly concerned about contacting guardians if there is an emergency, the child’s grades are not good, or the child’s behavior is consistently inappropriate. But while these are the main focus, I definitely plan on following up with updates if the student was well-behaved or contributed to the class in a productive manner. I think that most parents/guardians would appreciate having positive praises for their child.      

Conclusion

In conclusion, a well-rounded plan that is going to be my classroom guide includes multiple strategies and ideas. Every aspect of my classroom has to be able to function as I align my methods to the reasons behind why I want to incorporate these accessible resources. I feel strongly about making sure that I not only document the specific details for behavior, but also communicate these disruptions or patterns in the classroom. I want to ensure that my students can receive the best education possible in the best environment possible.  

References

Marzano, R. J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, D. J. (2003). Classroom management that works: Research-based strategies for every teacher. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 

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. a SAGE Company.