Classroom Management Portfolio

Lisa Battistone
Management Style and Philosophical Belief:
According to many approaches to classroom management, I have
formed my own philosophical belief. Based on the text Classroom
Management That Works by Robert Marzano, effective management
procedures are directly reflected when it comes to student achievement.
Without effective teachers, the classroom environment halts students abilities
to flourish. On page 3 of this text, there is a graph that demonstrates the
correlation between being in an effective school and having an effective
teacher on student performance when they enter the class at the 50th
percentile. An effective school meant high overall achievement, and an
effective teacher referred to strong classroom management techniques and
strategies. This graph showed that after two years a student who began at the
50th percentile would drop to the 37th if they are in the most effective school
but have the least effective teacher. On the other hand, if a student has the
most effective teacher in the least effective school, the student ranking would
raise to the 63rd percentile. This research clearly shows that effective
classroom management has an impact on the achievement of the student.
According to the quiz What is Your Classroom Management Style? I am
an authoritative teacher. Based on this quiz, authoritative style is defined by
placing limits and controls on the student but also allowing them room for
independence. Explaining why things are the way they are, administering fair
and thought out reprimands, and showing a genuine interest in my students
are all qualities that go along with the authoritative approach. I also scored
equally in two categories that are very oppositedemocratic and
authoritarian. As strange as it is that I can be both of these equally, it makes
sense to me. I feel as though it is important to determine expectations for
students and, especially at the secondary level, hold students to those
expectations, teaching them responsibility for their actions. I think that both of
these styles are extreme, and I dont agree with everything fully. However, I
believe that it is important to make students feel important and give them a
role in the structure of the classroom (the democratic side) and then holding
the students to the decisions that they made (the authoritarian).
In my classroom, I will be working with students to determine what the
class expectations should be. In order to do this, I will present my own
expectations and what I believe the rules and consequences should be. If the
students find these unfair or if they would like to make suggestions for
changes, I will listen and then we can meet at a common ground. This way, I
am showing the students that what they have to say does matter, that I am
willing to listen to what they believe, and that I am open to their suggestions. I
dont want students to feel as though I am the only voice that matters, but I

also dont want them to think that a rule they come up with like no homework
ever will be okay. I want them to see that I am going to take their education
seriously, so they should too. By allowing them to make suggestions for the
rules and consequences, I am able to show them that we are going to be a
team in this room. This addresses the authoritative approach because I am
placing the final limits, but I am giving them the opportunity for independence
and responsibility. According to Glassers Choice Theory, if students have a say
in what goes on in the classroom, they are more likely to be passionate and
take pride in their work, take responsibility for their learning, and increase
their self-esteem in the classroom because they feel as though they have a
voice. I want my students to be excited to come to my classroom and to be
passionate to learn something new. By giving students a choice, I am showing
them that they are as much a part of the structure of the class as I am, and
this in turn encourages them to take responsibility for their work and learning.
Artifact for Philosophical Belief:

The above image shows my result from the quiz What is Your Classroom
Management Style? As I mentioned earlier, the authoritative approach gives
student structure but also allows them to experience responsibility. Instead of
just handing out a consequence, I will explain why that is the consequence

and what the misbehavior was. The results also state that teachers often
guide the students through projects instead of telling them exactly what to do.
This is a happy medium between allowing students to do whatever they want
and giving them no direction and lecturing for the full class and giving them
specific guidelines. I want my students to explore the concepts that I teach
them, and I want them to feel comfortable. This is where taking a genuine
interest in my students comes into play. If the students feel like I care about
them, they will respond to me in a better way.
Establishing Positive Classroom Culture
By establishing a positive classroom environment, students will feel
comfortable and in turn be more willing and open to the information that I
have to offer them. I believe that it is extremely important to make students
feel welcome in the classroom. I want students to feel that they are able to
come and talk to me about anything they may need help with because I know
the teachers that I had growing up helped me immensely. Feeling like teachers
genuinely cared about me, I was more willing to put forth extra effort in their
classes. I felt like my teachers respected me, and in turn I wanted to respect
them, and thats what I hope to build in my own classroom. In order to
establish this kind of relationship, I want to spend time at the beginning
getting to know my students by having them fill out interest forms, like the
one below. By having students complete an interest form, I am able to find out
more about them outside of the classroom, but also ask them questions that
may pertain to their performance in my class. One thing I strongly believe in is
talking to my students about concepts that are not only useful in my content
area of English. I want to implement a policy where I do not talk to my
students about class in the hallways, in the cafeteria, or in the bus line unless
they come to me. When I see students outside of our determined time, I will
ask them questions about how their sports game went the night before or
what is happening in their favorite TV show, and I can use the interest forms to
determine that information.
I also feel that it is important I allow students the chance to know each
other. Since I want to teach in an inclusive classroom with both students with
disabilities and general education students, I think that it is important to
establish a level of respect at the beginning. This would entail putting a
section in the syllabus and having students sign a contract saying that the
classroom is a safe zone and that no one will intentionally say anything that
would hurt someone else. I want my students to feel comfortable in my
classroom and that means not intentionally putting anyone else down. Having
students agree that those things
will not be tolerated in my classroom will help to establish that comfortable
climate.

Artifact for Classroom Culture:

Student Name ________________________________________________________

Student Interest Form

What is your favorite movie?

What is your favorite TV show?

What is your favorite book? Why?

What extracurricular activities do you participate in? Do you have any hobbies?

What is your favorite subject? Why?

What do you think is one of your strengths when it comes to schoolwork? (Example:
you are extremely organized, you are a leader)

Developing Classroom Rules and Procedures

When it comes to classroom rules, I struggle because I want students to
have a voice, but I also want rules to be consistent for all of my classes and
not have to worry about what would happen if my first period class has a
different rule for something than the 5th period class. I have decided that when
it comes to classroom rules, I will present a list that I think are fair on the first
day of class. If the students have different suggestions, I will allow them to
make suggestions. The second day, students will then vote on the final
amendments (hopefully a lot of the suggestions will overlap and students will
agree with each other) and I can make one final list that will be posted around
the room.
Some rules that I know I will want in my classroom include policies on
cell phones, tardiness, late work, and absences. Cell phones will not be
tolerated unless given permission. I realize that cell phones are what students
use to look up words they may not know or research things that they are
curious about. However, this will not be allowed while students or I am talking.
I will preface this by saying that when given in-class work time, students may
use their phones to listen to music or look up words, so they will be given
opportunities, they just should not be doing it without permission. When it
comes to tardiness, students will require to show a pass. If something
happens, like their locker gets jammed, students should come to me first, let
me know, and then I can help them get ahold of a janitor to help them open
their locker. If they check in with me first they will not penalized, but if they
are unexcused, whatever the school policy is (lunch detention, etc) will be
followed. Students will not be able to make up late work. I will be willing to
give students extensions if they talk to me at least 3 days in advance and they
show proof of multiple other assignments due that same day. In regards to
absences, students will have one day for each day absent to get their work
into me. Other rules and procedures are discussed in the section addressing
misbehaviors.
Giving students the opportunity to negotiate these rules with me will be
has been shown, according to the book Classroom Management That Works,
to decrease student misbehavior. I want students to feel like they have a voice
in the classroom, but I also want to have the final word, so by allowing
students to mend my own rules gives the classroom both. Students will be
given a sheet with detailed examples of the rules and policies that they will be
asked to sign and give back the bottom as a form of a contract. I will also
summarize rules and hang them around the classroom.

Artifact for Rules and Procedures

Miss Battistones Classroom Rules

I will be respectful to my peers.
I will be on time to class with the right materials.
I will hand in my homework on time.
Syllabus portion:
In Miss Battistones class, students are expected to
Show up on time. If you are held up in another class, please get a pass
from that teacher. If you have trouble with your locker or need to use the
restroom, come to my classroom first
Hand in assignments on time. Late work will not be expected
o If you know that you have a heavy course load the week that, for
example, a paper is due, let me know and we might be able to
work something out! This must be done three days in advance.
Complete assignments even when absent. You will be given one day for
each day missed to hand everything in (if you miss three days, all
assignments are due three days after you come back)
Only use cell phones during permitted times
Be respectful to peers. Everyone should be able to ask questions and
give answers without fear of being laughed at or judged.
If you need clarifications on anything, please feel free to come see me.
Please tear here after completing the bottom of this page:
----------------------------

I understand the policies listed above for Miss Battistones class.

Your Signature
_______________________________________________________Classroom Layout

When I was organizing my classroom via Classroom Architect, the first

thing I thought of was the arrangement of the desk. I chose the horseshoe
shape because, being an English class and going along with my Authoritative
style, I believe that this style is very conducive to lectures when they need to
happen, but since I dont see myself lecturing everyday or for the whole
period, I also see this arrangement being perfect for both whole group and
small group discussions. It is important to teach students how to effectively
discuss with each other, and one of the aspects of that listen is to listen and
be attentive to the individual speaking. In order to do this, the speaker needs
to be seen. A horseshoe shape allows for (almost) all of the students to see
each other. The desks are also easily able to split up into small groups being
that they are in mostly rows of four. Each row can then move to become a
table. Beyond the organization of the desks, I included multiple shelves by the
door on the right hand side. My thoughts for this was that they could be large
book shelves, with some levels including a library, but others having trays
for extra notebook paper, pencils, homework turn-ins, outboxes, and files for
when students were absent. With this placed by the door, students can stop
there on the way to their desk and drop off their homework, pick up any loose
papers that they have, and check what assignments they missed. I also
included a lot of shelves behind the teachers desk that can also include books
from the library, as well as the curriculum books that I may need throughout
the year. The storage cabinet in the book will be used for my personal
belongings and will be kept lock so that students cannot get into it. I placed
the teachers desk at the back because according to the book Classroom
Management That Works, in secondary classrooms it is nice to place the desk
where students can be observed without knowing they are being observed.
The desk in the back also assures teacher movement and prevents the

teacher from just sitting in the desk the whole class; it encourages the teacher
to move around an engage with students. The kidney shaped table in the back
will be used for teacher led groups and administering reading probes, which I
know I will need to do in inclusive classrooms or as a co-teacher. I can use this
table to do pullouts and still be able to observe the rest of the class. I can also
use this for differentiated instruction and students who may need more oneon-one attention. I place a computer in the classroom, although I am not sure
if that is something that will still be there. By the time I am in my own
classroom, this may be replaced with laptop cabinets or iPad carts. Lastly, the
rug with the beanbag chairs is used as a reading center for students. I placed
this at the front of the classroom because, being in plain sight, it will still
encourage good behavior since everyone will be able to view whoever is in
that area at the time. I also thought this would be a good thing to include in
the classroom in order to use as a reward. Students who were on task for the
whole period can go to the reading center for the last portion to work on
homework or read a book from the library.

Monitoring Classroom and Responding to Misbehavior

In order to respond to misbehavior, I first need to determine what the
misbehaviors include. Talking when other students are talking is something
that I will enforce. I want students to learn more than just the content in my
English class; I want them to learn to be respectful individuals and really bring
out that hidden curriculum. In order to be respectful you need to listen to what
others have to say. If I am spending a small portion of time lecturing, or
another student is giving a presentation, I will not tolerate side conversations.
This behavior, as well as others like working on other assignments instead of
what they are supposed to be doing for my class, using cell phones or listening
to music when not given permission, inappropriate language, and making rude
comments to their peers, will also be addressed in my classroom.
As far as responding to these behaviors, I will first address it on my own.
If students are having a hard time settling down and getting started, I will wait
silently at the front of the room and wait for them to be silent. I have realized
that students are intrigued when teachers are silent. Once the class settles
down, I will begin the lesson for that day. If there is a lot of side chatter
happening, I will once again be quiet and wait. On the third strike, I will speak
with individual students and ask them to be quiet. If students are engaging in
personal behaviors, like using their phones or not working on assignments that
they should be, I will walk over and stand next to their desk while I talk and
the lesson continues. If the student does not stop, I will take whatever it is
they are working on until the end of the period. The use of inappropriate
language or making rude comments to other students will be addressed
immediately.
I will make sure to address misbehaviors and how they will be
handled/the order that they will be handled in the syllabus, and then I will
have the student sign the last page of the syllabus stating that they
understand these issues. These will also be explained to parents at either Back
to School Night or conferences. First I will handle the situation silently, either
by waiting for the class to settle down or standing over students to see if they
can self-correct their own behavior. Then I will speak to students individually,
either at my desk in the back of the room or after class. I do not think
behaviors like working on a different assignment should result in a detention,
but if the behavior consistently happens over more than one day, I think it is
important to tell that student that I will be contacting the teacher for whatever
class they are working on and speaking with the parents. This brings me to the
next step. If I talk to a student and they either do not understand the issue or
it happens more than once I will do a call home or send an email. If the
behaviors continue, I will ask for a conference with the parents. The behaviors
that entail speaking inappropriately and being rude to peers will be an
automatic contact home and a conference if needed.

Being SPED I think it is important for me to note that I will likely have
students that have behavior plans (FBAs and BIPs), and the consequences for
these behaviors will be subject to change.

Artifact for Misbehavior:

Miss Battistones Syllabus: Page 4

Consequences for Misbehaving:
Misbehavior includes:
Speaking when the teacher or other students are speaking
Working on tasks that are not supposed to be done at that time
o This includes writing when you are supposed to be reading, doing
homework for other classes, or just sitting and not working
Inappropriate language
Derogatory or demeaning comments to other students
*If you need a clarification on any of the behaviors, see me and we can talk
about them.
Consequences for the misbehaviors listed above will result in the following order:
Warning in class
o Example: if you are talking while another student is trying to talk, I
will give you one verbal warning and ask you to stop
If the behavior continues, you will be asked to speak with me after class
If the behavior continues the next day, there is another conference the
possibility to for a lunch detention
Continuing behaviors after being discussed with me will result in contacts
home
o Phone or email contact will be made and conferences will be
scheduled based on teacher discretion

After reading the syllabus, I, ____________________________________, understand my

responsibilities in Miss Battistones classroom. I have read all of the policies and I
am familiar with the consequences for misbehaving.

Your Signature: ______________________________________________________

Parents as Partners
Parents play an important role in their childs education and it is
important that, as a teacher, I am willing to work with them in order to provide
the best for their student. I have learned that often times, parents have
certain expectations and misconceptions about their childs teacher, and it is
my job to address those right away. First things first, at the schools version of
back to school night, I will pass out parent information sheets, which address
things that they want me to know about their students, as well as the best
way to get ahold of the parent if needed. By allowing parents to comment on
their students needs or strengths, it makes them aware that I am genuinely
curious and really do care about their individual student.
Moving forward, I recognize that there will be two types of parents:
parents that will be impossible to get ahold of or that work more than one job
and find it difficult to come in and meet with me, and those parents who will
feel the need to contact me everyday asking about their students. In order to
address those parents in the first group, it is important that I express that I am
flexible to meet and talk with them. We can have phone conferences during
lunch breaks or in the evening even if I am not at school, I can come in early in
the morning, et cetra. For the parents that want to be overly involved, I can
ask them to get involved with the PTA, as lunchroom supervisors, and
whatever other opportunities the school holds for parent volunteers. Finding
them a place will make them feel important, as well as preoccupied.
When it comes to students and informing parents on student progress, I
want to make sure that I call or email each students parents every so often to
tell them good things that occur. I want to be able to send home student work
that gets good grades or brag to parents that their child helped out another
student that day. Showing that I am recognizing the positives reminds parents
that I am on their childs team.
A portion of parent involvement that may be unique for me as a teacher
is identifying the difference in an integrated classroom. I have been putting
together a parent resource packet (pictured below) about inclusion for parents
of both children with IEPs and those without. The way this packet works is that
there are multiple articles for different categories that I can make copies of to
give to parents based on their needs for their child. The purpose of this packet
and the resources in it is to give parents the means to discuss issues that may
arise in our classroom with their child. For example, there is one section that
addresses bullying and how to explain disabilities to students in the general
education setting. There is an article on helpful tips for how to get your child
to be comfortable around students who have a social disability and how to
include them in their activities. This would be a helpful resource to discuss at
the back to school nights and parent teach conferences when I explain that
the classroom is an integrated environment. A lot of students may not have

been exposed to that yet, and parents may want to talk about it with their
child on their own. This way, I am bridging that gap and showing that I am
going to be a supportive companion in this experience.
Artifact for Parents as Partners: