This page contains my plan for classroom expectations and behavior management.
"Big 3" Expectations
1. Do your best 2. Be kind & respectful 3. Take responsibility for your own actions
Rather than have a list of rules, I frame my classroom code of conduct as expectations. These outline what I expect from my students and what they can expect from me. Through these expectations, we are able to hold each other accountable. If students are not meeting expectations, we can have a discussion of why they did not meet them and how they plan to meet them going forward. These "Big 3" are not negotiable and should be consistent with any school-wide expectations. I believe from experience and other teachers' shared experiences that framing rules as expectations contributes to a culture of ownership for your choices and mutual respect rather than power. For example, saying "in this class, we..." instead of "you must..." means I, as the teacher, will also meet these expectations. That sense of ownership aligns with my management philosophies on motivation and engagement as well as students having a sense of belonging in the classroom. Expectations also feel more authentic and less contrived than a list of rules, especially when paired with a discussion on why those expectations are important; this way, none of them seem arbitrary and thus less important.
Class Values
In addition to the teacher-set expectations, I will teach class values. These are statements that describe who we want to be as a class, myself included. Ideally, this would come from a class discussion during the first week of school. Not only is this a way to cultivate a culture of kindness and classroom community, it can connect to ELA lessons on character traits. Throughout the year, the class can reflect on these values and how their actions reflect them, which aligns with my teaching philosophy of helping students become their best selves, not just cultivating academic success. All expectations and values will be posted around the room as visual reminders of who we strive to be. Below are examples of class values. Click the images to view the source.
In this classroom...
Books open doors
Everyone deserves respect
Words have power
Everyone can learn
We're a team
We dare to be bold
We laugh daily
We think critically
We work hard
We learn from our mistakes
We share generously
We care deeply
We are flexible
We are present
We have growth mindsets
We show forgiveness
We practice compassion
We think globally
We contribute to our community
We can change the world
Behavior Management
My approach to managing behavior is a mix of reward, penalty, and win-win (Charles & Senter, 2012). Because I believe in behaviorism, I believe that every behavior has a consequence. Some consequences are reinforcing, some are punishing, and I contest that some are indifferent as well. I firmly believe that any consequences, be it reinforcement or punishment, should be logical, reasonable, and relevant. Most of my ideas on discipline come from Skinner, Kounin, Dreikurs, and Albert's theories (Charles & Senter, 2012). Although I believe in antecedent strategies and understanding the function of a behavior, which align with win-win management, I also believe that some consequences must be contrived in order to help teach appropriate behavior and teach replacement behaviors if necessary, which aligns with both reward and penalty. Below are some strategies that fit in with my philosophy on discipline. Click on the images to view the source.
Involving students in managing their own behavior is critical to teaching long term self regulation skills. When problem behaviors arise that cannot be corrected with redirection or simple reminders of the class expectations/values, a sheet such as these can help students process their emotions, analyze their own behavior, and correct it. This concept fits with my philosophy on student well-being, behavior supports, and student accountability.
"Brag tags" are one way to give students a tangible version of verbal praise. These are a reward, but directly relate to what the student did to earn a tag, rather than an arbitrary prize, and are something students can look back on for encouragement. This works especially for students who do not like the individual attention of verbal praise. Some are given to the whole class, like "Happy Halloween" tags, and others are earned by positive behaviors. By having sets of tags prepared, I can define for myself what type of behaviors or choices can earn rewards.
References Charles, C. M. & Senter, G. W. (2012). Elementary classroom management, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.