Classroom Management Plan
Nicolas Van Camp
EXC 620 08/05
August 9, 2005
Classroom Management Plan
General Description of Program and Classroom
Description of Classroom Population
Mr. Van Camp's class at The Country School is an academically oriented high school class primarily for High Functioning Autistic/Asperger students. This class is clearly in the mild to moderate category of special education. The 7 students in the class range in age from 14-17 and are in grades 9-11 this academic year. Four of the students are clearly Asperger with a fifth closer to the Autistic side of the spectrum. The other two students are Learning Disabled. One with low IQ and an anxiety disorder, the other with Attention Deficit Disorder. Five of the students are Caucasian …show more content…
and here is one Asian and one Hispanic in this class. There are also five boys and two girls in the class. English is the primary language for all students.
Levels and Types of Instructional Support The classroom staff consists of a Special Education Teacher who is working on an emergency Special Education Permit. The teacher also has a clear professional Single Subject Credential and a Master of Education degree in Crosscultural teaching. The class also has one fulltime aid that has three years experience in this special education environment. Additional services include a Speech and Language Therapist, who provides both consultative and direct services to all students in individual as well as group or in class sessions. An Occupation Therapist visits the campus weekly. Services for referred students include observation/testing, diagnosis, and development of sensory protocols.
Classroom Schedule Students are in attendance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week. The daily schedule is as follows:
9:00-9:45 Yoga - Sensory integration 9:45-10:15 Math
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-11:00 Reading
11:00-11:30 Science or History
11:30-12:00 Lunch
12:00-12:45 P. E.
12:45-1:00 Break
1:00-1:30 Keyboarding
1:30-2:00 Daily Oral Language or Writing
2:30-2:45 Reward
2:45-3:00 Wrap-up
Classroom Rules
The overarching classroom rules are school wide and are respect centered. Respect others space/property, respect others opinions/thoughts and respect others efforts/work. The student is expected to come prepared to class with appropriate class materials and a willingness to learn. The students are expected to behave respectfully to the teacher and to other students. Furthermore, the student is expected to accept the consequences of misbehavior. Logical consequences are results which consistently follow certain behavior. They are explained in advance and agreed to by the students. It is hoped that by understanding the consequences of disruptive behavior, that students will make better choices. Consequences should be related to the misbehavior so the students can see the connection.
Theoretical Background and Approach
Basic Theoretical Approach/Philosophy and Assumptions Underlying Classroom Management Strategy
The core philosophy behind the classroom management strategy in Mr.
Van Camp's classroom is that all children can learn. It is the teacher's job to create a warm nurturing environment based on the principal of mutual respect, where the students are appropriately challenged to stretch their academic limits while at the same time developing functional social self help skills.
Behavior is a concern because it is closely related to effective learning from both the student's and teacher's perspective. When a classroom is free of disturbances, students can use classroom time for learning activities. Learning occurs in classrooms where the time allotted for instruction is used for teaching. When time is used interacting with students' whose behaviors are not focused on the lesson, less time is available to learn. One student's behavior can use other student's learning time by distracting them or by taking the teacher's and aid's time away from the lesson. When the entire classes' behavior meets expectations, then learning can be maximized.
General Expectations and General Structure for Classroom …show more content…
Management
The classroom design and structure help facilitate the Classroom Management Philosophy. The high student staff ratio in the class is used to advantage. During group instruction the teacher is positioned facing the students and the and the aid sits behind the students to facilitate their full participation. Some of the students require occasional prompting by one or the other to be fully involved. The classroom routine is kept consistent from day to day.
A visual copy of the daily schedule is posted in the room to allow students to follow and anticipate the progress of activities. It also helps keep the staff on track in terms of time management throughout the day. The curriculum is designed to address core academic skills, as well as fulfill individual IEP goals for each student. Basic self help and social skills are integrated into each activity. Visual supports are routinely used with each activity in order to gain and hold students attention, build language skills, and foster an increased comprehension of what is being
said. The classroom is part of the high school wing of the Country School. The module contains two classrooms connected by another room utilized by either class for time outs or quiet individual study. The classroom is arranged to create distinct functional work areas where all materials needed for specific activities are readily accessible.
Classroom Behavioral Goals One of the primary goals of the room is that all individuals will treat each other with mutual respect. It is crucial that staff model this behavior. A second, though equally important goal is that each student will take responsibility for him/herself and the environment.
Teacher Practices
Teacher-Centered Behavior Management Techniques
Teacher centered behavior management techniques which are integrated into the structure of Mr. Van Camp's room including supporting student behavior through the use of consistent routine. Observation and recording of student behavior is done routinely in order to discern whether the class routine and activities are appropriate for the students, and achieving the desired behavioral response. The routine/environment should be altered if needed based on the results of observations.
Methods of Increasing Behavior
Goal 1: Raising hand before requesting assistance Students in Mr. Van Camp's class frequently ask questions during independent seat work without waiting their turn or raising their hands. More than one student is often speaking at once and students yell the teacher's name to get help.
For three days Mr. Van Camp and the aid counted and recorded the number of times students asked for assistance without raising their hands. For the three day period, the average number of times was 15 per class. Hands were raised only an average of 5 times.
The teacher has decided that this is disruptive and that the first step in dealing with the problem is to create a plan which will increase the number of times that students raise their hands to request assistance.
A behavior plan was formulated and implemented as follows:
1. At the beginning of class on Monday the teacher will remind students that the teacher and aid will no longer provide assistance during seatwork unless students have first raised their hand to signal that they need help.
2. Watch all students for the target behavior (who raise their hand before requesting assistance and how often).
3. Record the behavior on tally.
4. Acknowledge that you've seen their hand raised.
5. When a student raises their hand call on them as soon as possible.
6. Thank them for raising their hand and provide praise.
7. Provide assistance.
8. Ignore those students who call out without raising their hands.
The teacher will use verbal praise immediately following hand raising. When students ask questions without raising their hand or waiting to be acknowledged they will be ignored.
Goal 2: Raising hand before contributing or responding to classroom discussions.
Students in Mr. Van Camp's class frequently neglect to raise hands during the heat of a classroom discussion and often speak over one another. The result was a chaotic environment that precluded constructive discussion.
A simple behavior plan was formulated and implemented as follows:
1. At the beginning of the next classroom discussion Mr. Van Camp drew a tally sheet on the board without comment.
2. Over one side he drew a crude smiley face and on the other a frowning face.
3. After opening the discussion with a question Mr. Van Camp proceeds to silently add hash marks to the board tally as the discussion progresses.
4. Every student that raises their hand is acknowledged and called on in order. Every raised hand and response results in a hash mark under the smiley face.
5. Every time a student blurts out a thought without raising their hand results in a hash mark under the frowning face.
Without explaining the rules of this game the students quickly grasp the concept and are drawn into appropriate behavior.
Methods of Decreasing Behavior
Goal 1: Reducing tardiness N. has a difficult time getting to class for every period. Although most classes are in the same room, there are morning and afternoon breaks as well as transitions for lunch and P.E. She apparently enjoys the attention she gets making grand entrance to the class.
A personal behavior contract was formulated and implemented as follows:
1. At the beginning of the week, Mr. Van Camp or the aid notes and records the location of N. at the beginning of each class.
2. Once a baseline of N's tardiness is established, then a self monitoring chart is drawn up that has + or _ notations for the beginning of each class.
3. When N. has improved her in seat performance then she is rewarded with 5 minutes free time at the end of the day for each period improvement over baseline.
4. If N. performs below baseline levels then she looses 5 minutes of her break time.
By self monitoring N. becomes aware of the connection between her location at the beginning of class and the amount of personal reward time she can receive every day.
Samples of Reinforcers Appropriate to the Classroom Population
Both tangible and social reinforcements are used in the class. Tangible rewards include candy, pretzels or crackers for correct and appropriate responses. Especially commendable behavior may warrant an occasional donut from the teacher's lounge.
Social rewards take the form of constant appropriate praise and verbal recaps of successful actions.
General Considerations when Administering Punishment Punishment tends to be a fairly ineffective method of altering student behavior. While there are times when it is necessary to a student from an activity, timeouts are used sparingly and are generally an opportunity for a student to take a break from escalating agitating behavior. When used, time outs consist of placing the student in the adjoining room with an adult. When the student regains his composure he is allowed to reenter the classroom.
Discussion and Group Behavior Management Techniques
Discussion and group behavior is an opportunity for students to experience and practice social skills that are in important element of the Country School curriculum. Every group activity and discussion is prefaced by reference to classroom rules on respect. Positive reinforce is implemented consistently by acknowledging appropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior is ignored.
Cognitive Behavior Modification Strategies
Modeling and shaping are the primary strategies utilized in Mr. Van Camp's room. Adult and peer modeling is utilized continuously through the structure and rules of the classroom. Shaping is important to foster appropriate behavior while extinguishing disruptive behavior.
Administrative Support and Other Support Programs
Parent Training Initiatives
The Country School is a private NPS that is most often selected by proactive, informed parents. The parents come to the country school with an awareness of their child's needs and deficiencies. The parents are an integral part of the students support team and an equal partner in establishing and achieving student goals.
Home-School Collaborative Strategies Daily communication logs are completed for all students and remain homework notebook binder. Parents may return the log with comments or concerns when needed. In addition mini conferences regarding student progress are conducted by phone or in person and may be initiated by either the parent or teacher.
School Discipline Plan
There is a school wide commitment, on the part of all staff, to establishing and maintaining appropriate student behavior as an essential precondition of learning. The Principal takes responsibility for dealing with serious infractions, but she delegates responsibility for handling routine classroom discipline problems. Students often need encouragement to improve their behavior and assistance in learning how to do so.
Positive outcomes have been achieved by utilizing a holistic approach involving parents, administration, teachers and student in applying discipline sanctions.
EXC 620 08/05
August 9, 2005
Classroom Management Plan
General Description of Program and Classroom
Description of Classroom Population
Mr. Van Camp's class at The Country School is an academically oriented high school class primarily for High Functioning Autistic/Asperger students. This class is clearly in the mild to moderate category of special education. The 7 students in the class range in age from 14-17 and are in grades 9-11 this academic year. Four of the students are clearly Asperger with a fifth closer to the Autistic side of the spectrum. The other two students are Learning Disabled. One with low IQ and an anxiety disorder, the other with Attention Deficit Disorder. Five of the students are Caucasian …show more content…
and here is one Asian and one Hispanic in this class. There are also five boys and two girls in the class. English is the primary language for all students.
Levels and Types of Instructional Support The classroom staff consists of a Special Education Teacher who is working on an emergency Special Education Permit. The teacher also has a clear professional Single Subject Credential and a Master of Education degree in Crosscultural teaching. The class also has one fulltime aid that has three years experience in this special education environment. Additional services include a Speech and Language Therapist, who provides both consultative and direct services to all students in individual as well as group or in class sessions. An Occupation Therapist visits the campus weekly. Services for referred students include observation/testing, diagnosis, and development of sensory protocols.
Classroom Schedule Students are in attendance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week. The daily schedule is as follows:
9:00-9:45 Yoga - Sensory integration 9:45-10:15 Math
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-11:00 Reading
11:00-11:30 Science or History
11:30-12:00 Lunch
12:00-12:45 P. E.
12:45-1:00 Break
1:00-1:30 Keyboarding
1:30-2:00 Daily Oral Language or Writing
2:30-2:45 Reward
2:45-3:00 Wrap-up
Classroom Rules
The overarching classroom rules are school wide and are respect centered. Respect others space/property, respect others opinions/thoughts and respect others efforts/work. The student is expected to come prepared to class with appropriate class materials and a willingness to learn. The students are expected to behave respectfully to the teacher and to other students. Furthermore, the student is expected to accept the consequences of misbehavior. Logical consequences are results which consistently follow certain behavior. They are explained in advance and agreed to by the students. It is hoped that by understanding the consequences of disruptive behavior, that students will make better choices. Consequences should be related to the misbehavior so the students can see the connection.
Theoretical Background and Approach
Basic Theoretical Approach/Philosophy and Assumptions Underlying Classroom Management Strategy
The core philosophy behind the classroom management strategy in Mr.
Van Camp's classroom is that all children can learn. It is the teacher's job to create a warm nurturing environment based on the principal of mutual respect, where the students are appropriately challenged to stretch their academic limits while at the same time developing functional social self help skills.
Behavior is a concern because it is closely related to effective learning from both the student's and teacher's perspective. When a classroom is free of disturbances, students can use classroom time for learning activities. Learning occurs in classrooms where the time allotted for instruction is used for teaching. When time is used interacting with students' whose behaviors are not focused on the lesson, less time is available to learn. One student's behavior can use other student's learning time by distracting them or by taking the teacher's and aid's time away from the lesson. When the entire classes' behavior meets expectations, then learning can be maximized.
General Expectations and General Structure for Classroom …show more content…
Management
The classroom design and structure help facilitate the Classroom Management Philosophy. The high student staff ratio in the class is used to advantage. During group instruction the teacher is positioned facing the students and the and the aid sits behind the students to facilitate their full participation. Some of the students require occasional prompting by one or the other to be fully involved. The classroom routine is kept consistent from day to day.
A visual copy of the daily schedule is posted in the room to allow students to follow and anticipate the progress of activities. It also helps keep the staff on track in terms of time management throughout the day. The curriculum is designed to address core academic skills, as well as fulfill individual IEP goals for each student. Basic self help and social skills are integrated into each activity. Visual supports are routinely used with each activity in order to gain and hold students attention, build language skills, and foster an increased comprehension of what is being
said. The classroom is part of the high school wing of the Country School. The module contains two classrooms connected by another room utilized by either class for time outs or quiet individual study. The classroom is arranged to create distinct functional work areas where all materials needed for specific activities are readily accessible.
Classroom Behavioral Goals One of the primary goals of the room is that all individuals will treat each other with mutual respect. It is crucial that staff model this behavior. A second, though equally important goal is that each student will take responsibility for him/herself and the environment.
Teacher Practices
Teacher-Centered Behavior Management Techniques
Teacher centered behavior management techniques which are integrated into the structure of Mr. Van Camp's room including supporting student behavior through the use of consistent routine. Observation and recording of student behavior is done routinely in order to discern whether the class routine and activities are appropriate for the students, and achieving the desired behavioral response. The routine/environment should be altered if needed based on the results of observations.
Methods of Increasing Behavior
Goal 1: Raising hand before requesting assistance Students in Mr. Van Camp's class frequently ask questions during independent seat work without waiting their turn or raising their hands. More than one student is often speaking at once and students yell the teacher's name to get help.
For three days Mr. Van Camp and the aid counted and recorded the number of times students asked for assistance without raising their hands. For the three day period, the average number of times was 15 per class. Hands were raised only an average of 5 times.
The teacher has decided that this is disruptive and that the first step in dealing with the problem is to create a plan which will increase the number of times that students raise their hands to request assistance.
A behavior plan was formulated and implemented as follows:
1. At the beginning of class on Monday the teacher will remind students that the teacher and aid will no longer provide assistance during seatwork unless students have first raised their hand to signal that they need help.
2. Watch all students for the target behavior (who raise their hand before requesting assistance and how often).
3. Record the behavior on tally.
4. Acknowledge that you've seen their hand raised.
5. When a student raises their hand call on them as soon as possible.
6. Thank them for raising their hand and provide praise.
7. Provide assistance.
8. Ignore those students who call out without raising their hands.
The teacher will use verbal praise immediately following hand raising. When students ask questions without raising their hand or waiting to be acknowledged they will be ignored.
Goal 2: Raising hand before contributing or responding to classroom discussions.
Students in Mr. Van Camp's class frequently neglect to raise hands during the heat of a classroom discussion and often speak over one another. The result was a chaotic environment that precluded constructive discussion.
A simple behavior plan was formulated and implemented as follows:
1. At the beginning of the next classroom discussion Mr. Van Camp drew a tally sheet on the board without comment.
2. Over one side he drew a crude smiley face and on the other a frowning face.
3. After opening the discussion with a question Mr. Van Camp proceeds to silently add hash marks to the board tally as the discussion progresses.
4. Every student that raises their hand is acknowledged and called on in order. Every raised hand and response results in a hash mark under the smiley face.
5. Every time a student blurts out a thought without raising their hand results in a hash mark under the frowning face.
Without explaining the rules of this game the students quickly grasp the concept and are drawn into appropriate behavior.
Methods of Decreasing Behavior
Goal 1: Reducing tardiness N. has a difficult time getting to class for every period. Although most classes are in the same room, there are morning and afternoon breaks as well as transitions for lunch and P.E. She apparently enjoys the attention she gets making grand entrance to the class.
A personal behavior contract was formulated and implemented as follows:
1. At the beginning of the week, Mr. Van Camp or the aid notes and records the location of N. at the beginning of each class.
2. Once a baseline of N's tardiness is established, then a self monitoring chart is drawn up that has + or _ notations for the beginning of each class.
3. When N. has improved her in seat performance then she is rewarded with 5 minutes free time at the end of the day for each period improvement over baseline.
4. If N. performs below baseline levels then she looses 5 minutes of her break time.
By self monitoring N. becomes aware of the connection between her location at the beginning of class and the amount of personal reward time she can receive every day.
Samples of Reinforcers Appropriate to the Classroom Population
Both tangible and social reinforcements are used in the class. Tangible rewards include candy, pretzels or crackers for correct and appropriate responses. Especially commendable behavior may warrant an occasional donut from the teacher's lounge.
Social rewards take the form of constant appropriate praise and verbal recaps of successful actions.
General Considerations when Administering Punishment Punishment tends to be a fairly ineffective method of altering student behavior. While there are times when it is necessary to a student from an activity, timeouts are used sparingly and are generally an opportunity for a student to take a break from escalating agitating behavior. When used, time outs consist of placing the student in the adjoining room with an adult. When the student regains his composure he is allowed to reenter the classroom.
Discussion and Group Behavior Management Techniques
Discussion and group behavior is an opportunity for students to experience and practice social skills that are in important element of the Country School curriculum. Every group activity and discussion is prefaced by reference to classroom rules on respect. Positive reinforce is implemented consistently by acknowledging appropriate behavior. Inappropriate behavior is ignored.
Cognitive Behavior Modification Strategies
Modeling and shaping are the primary strategies utilized in Mr. Van Camp's room. Adult and peer modeling is utilized continuously through the structure and rules of the classroom. Shaping is important to foster appropriate behavior while extinguishing disruptive behavior.
Administrative Support and Other Support Programs
Parent Training Initiatives
The Country School is a private NPS that is most often selected by proactive, informed parents. The parents come to the country school with an awareness of their child's needs and deficiencies. The parents are an integral part of the students support team and an equal partner in establishing and achieving student goals.
Home-School Collaborative Strategies Daily communication logs are completed for all students and remain homework notebook binder. Parents may return the log with comments or concerns when needed. In addition mini conferences regarding student progress are conducted by phone or in person and may be initiated by either the parent or teacher.
School Discipline Plan
There is a school wide commitment, on the part of all staff, to establishing and maintaining appropriate student behavior as an essential precondition of learning. The Principal takes responsibility for dealing with serious infractions, but she delegates responsibility for handling routine classroom discipline problems. Students often need encouragement to improve their behavior and assistance in learning how to do so.
Positive outcomes have been achieved by utilizing a holistic approach involving parents, administration, teachers and student in applying discipline sanctions.