Classroom Structure, Documentation, and Communication Plan
Having structure and expectations in a classroom is essential for classroom management. Without structure in a classroom, students are more likely to misbehave, making it important for me to communicate clearly with the students and families I will contact (Marzano et al., 2003). To ensure clear communication, I will need to create norms and consequences and consistently document the student’s behaviors as I see fit. Below I will be sharing my ideas on how I will establish norms, consequences, and procedures for my classroom and how I will keep track of my students’ behaviors and keep in contact with the families of my students.
Norms, Consequences, and Procedures
Creating norms, consequences, and procedures is the root of good classroom management. Rules and procedures help with better behavior and stronger learning abilities (Marzano et al., 2003). In addition, having structure in the classroom gives students an understanding of what is expected from them. Below, I have established how I will create classroom norms/consequences and procedures I plan to implement in my classroom.
Creating Classroom Norms and Consequences as a Class
Before the class arrives, I will have a list of classroom norms and consequences that I believe are justified for the classroom. For example, some of the norms will be respecting your classmates and the teacher, completing all assignments, keeping your language clean, raising your hand if you have a question, using your time wisely, etc. Some of the consequences would be losing a reward (could be a class reward if several students are misbehaving), a private meeting with me, a phone call home, or, if things get worse, getting the administration involved. I do, however, want to implement restorative discipline, which is rooted in restorative justice and will allow my students to come to terms with and help fix the harm that they have caused (Milner et al., 2019). Once the students have entered the classroom, I will start class by discussing why classroom norms are important and how they will be our guide for what is expected of them for the rest of the school year. I will then present my classroom norms and consequences, explain them, and then put my students into groups of four and let them discuss what they liked, what they did not like, what can be improved, and what can be adjusted. I will have big pieces of paper on the wall with each category, and the groups will get four sticky notes where they can write something for each category. They will then put it on the big paper. Once they have done that, I will give everyone stickered dots. They will use these dots to put on the sticky notes they agree on. This allows students to read what others think and will show me what students are thinking. We will then discuss what they came up with and find ways to adjust and improve the norms/consequences so that everyone is satisfied with the outcome.
Creating classroom norms with my students will help create stronger relationships with me as an educator. Giving them the option to create the classroom norms shows that I value their perceptions and input (Marzano et al., 2003; Milner et al., 2019). It will keep my students accountable. They helped write the classroom norms/consequences, so if they break a norm, they are breaking a norm that they contributed to. Creating classroom norms and consequences with my students will show them how I work as a teacher and set the classroom guidelines right from the start.
Procedures
The first procedure I will have in my classroom is how students should enter the class and begin doing their warm-up. I plan on implementing a journal entry every morning before class begins. My students will enter the classroom, take their seats, get out their journals, and write about the prompt on the board. Some examples of the prompts I would use would be, tell me about a moment you were proud of yourself or who inspires you and why? The point of journaling right when they get to class is to get their minds moving and to practice writing. They will have around ten minutes (more or less) to write about the prompt. If they forget their journal, they will know exactly where the extra loose-leaf paper is, grab a piece, sit down, and begin working. Once they have finished their journal entries, I will ask if anyone wants to share what they wrote or may ask what they did or did not like about the prompt so that I can receive feedback. I am okay with students having small conversations at the beginning of class, but they are expected to complete their journal entries by a specific time I will design. For example, if the bell rings for class to begin at 9:00 AM, I will begin bringing the class in and discussing at 9:15. This gives me time to do attendance and for my students to write.
The second procedure I will have in place is the First Fifteen and the Last Fifteen. This will help implement bathroom procedures. It will be expected of my students to go to the bathroom during the first fifteen minutes of class and the last fifteen minutes of class. The beginning and end of class are usually filled with getting settled for class and then closing out of class. In my opinion, this is the perfect opportunity to get your bathroom needs out of the way. The middle of class is usually when the students get the most important information they need, so I do not want them to get up and leave to go to the bathroom and miss important information. Of course, if it is an emergency, I will let them leave to use the bathroom, but allowing them to get it out of the way or wait until the end of class will be beneficial for fewer disturbances and more learning. Depending on the school, they may need a hall pass. I would not mind if they got up and went to the bathroom, but if a hall pass is required, I will have two laminated hall passes with my signature, and the student can write their name on it with a dry-erase marker and go to the bathroom. Implementing procedures in the classroom, especially a bathroom procedure, is essential because, as an educator, without specific procedures, there will be more room for bad behavior and interruptions (Marzano et al., 2003).
Documentation
Documentation is crucial for teaching. I tend to forget things easily, so when I begin to teach, I want to ensure that I document everything. For documenting, I want to have a chart for each class. The chart would be like Figure 1 below. It would have the student’s name and a blank space beside it with a date, so I remember when something happens if I have to write something down. In the open space, I will write about behaviors or things I noticed during that class period. It can be good and bad things. I would not write something for every student during class, but I would write things I noticed. For example, if someone is tardy, I will note that just in case they continue to be tardy. If there is a pattern of bad behavior, I will talk to the student/guardians to let them know about it and find ways to discontinue the patterns.
Figure 1
Documentation Chart
| Gabriella Montez | Date: |
| Troy Bolton | Date: |
| Sharpay Evans | Date: |
| Chad Danforth | Date: |
I also want to be specific when giving good feedback to the students and parents/guardians. Telling a parent/guardian that their child is doing great is a good thing to hear, but a lot of the time, they are going to want to know more. For example, instead of saying, “Gabriella was wonderful today!” I would say, “Gabriella was a big help today by passing out the worksheets, and she had a very positive attitude that uplifted the class!” Having the documentation showing students’ behaviors is beneficial to know what I am doing right and wrong as an educator. It can help give me insight into things I might have to adjust and things I should keep an eye out for. It can also help strengthen my relationship with my students. Effective instruction requires a supportive classroom environment and strong relationships with the students (Milner et al., 2019). Documenting when a student is looking down and then asking them about it shows the student that I was paying attention. It makes the student feel seen by the teacher, which is what I want for my future students.
Family Communication
It is important to communicate with the student’s families. Research shows that communication with families has led to higher academic achievement, graduation rates, and improved attendance (Milner et al., 2019). Before the school year starts, I want to reach out to all my students’ families by giving them phone calls and emailing them directly. First, I want to introduce myself to them, so they can get an idea of who I am as a teacher and how I plan to communicate with them throughout the school year. I then would ask them if there was anything they would like me to know about their child. This can give me insight into what I may need to do for the child in my classroom to ensure they succeed. I also want to reassure them that I value their input and want them to reach out anytime. Any information/communication I have gathered will be documented for future conflicts. I also want to give the family options for the best way they want me to reach them. I will send a google form, seen in Figure 2, for the family members to fill out regarding what they want and need in terms of communication. Milner and colleagues (2019) say that a form for families and their preferred communication helps establish solid and positive relationships from the beginning. Using Milner and colleagues (2019) questions for the form, I would ask for the names of the family members who should be contacted and their relationship to the student, preferred forms of communication, contact information, and the best time of the day to connect to them.
Figure 2
Family Contact Form
https://forms.gle/GrsBpsYuYsE22gou5
I want to implement positive feedback to the families about their children. Positive feedback goes a long way, and when the family hears it from the educator, it has much more impact. I want to have more positive phone calls than negative ones, so I want to make it a habit to call one family weekly and give them positive feedback on their child.
I want the families to keep an eye on grades so they can ask me any questions. I want to be consistent with my grading and have their grades uploaded a few days after submitting an assignment. Unless it is a major grade like a project/essay, all grades for the week will be submitted to Schoology (Schoology, 2022) by the Friday of every week. I also want to consider the families who do not use technology, so I would love to send the child home with grades on paper or have it mailed, whatever works better. Strong communication with the families will increase my connections with the students and give me an excellent opportunity to help the student succeed in my classroom.
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.
Schoology. (2022). Home page. https://www.schoology.com/