Classroom Environment Plan

Victoria Leindecker
Grand Valley State University - GTC Program
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 1

When someone decides to become a teacher, some of the first questions they should ask

themselves are these: What kind of teacher do I want to be? and What steps will I take to become

that teacher? The wonderful part of those questions is that there is not one right answer. There is

not a ‘one size fits all’ method of teaching or classroom management. If there were, it would

probably be because we had a ‘one size fits all’ bunch of students. Thankfully, that group of

students does not exist. Every group of students has their own strengths and weaknesses.

However, there are things that all teachers can apply with every group of students to bring about

respect, kindness and caring into his or her classroom.

Creating a classroom community is a good start. In Alfie Kohn’s book Beyond Discipline

from Compliance to Community (2007), he defines community as:

A place in which students feel cared about and are encouraged to care about each other.

They experience a sense of being valued and respected; the children matter to one another

and to the teacher. They have come to think in the plural: they feel connected to each

other; they are part of an “us.” And, as a result of all of this, they feel safe in their classes,

not only physically, but emotionally. (p. 101-102)

It would be hard to disagree with Kohn’s statement, but bringing the concept to life is a

bit more challenging. It requires a good deal of self reflection and questioning. Kohn (2007)

suggests a good place to start your questioning is asking yourself what you believe about the

nature of children and how your current actions reflect your beliefs. After much reflection on

my own beliefs regarding the nature of children, I believe that children are inherently good.

However, just because I believe that children are inherently good, doesn’t mean that they have

all had the same experiences or are in the same stage of development.
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 2

Young children are developmentally egocentric, shown by the work done by Piaget

(McLeod, 1970). Piaget suggests that children struggle to see things from a point of view that is

not their own until they are past age seven, when they are still in the preoperational stage of

development. This means that some children act thinking only of themselves because they are

not developmentally able to think about a perspective that is different from their own. The result

is children that are self centered but not selfish. Being selfish suggests that the child is aware of

how their actions are affecting others and still continue to do them for their own gains. With

older children (past age 7), they may have learned to use power rather than reason, due to their

experiences, and to be aggressive rather than compassionate. With this in mind, I believe that

students can be taught to treat others with care, respect, and kindness just as they can be taught

any other school subject with: modeling, guidance, patience and practice.

One way to approach modeling behavior is by introducing class meetings specifically

designed to resolve issues. This type of meeting is often referred to as a social problem solving

meeting (Bennett, 2017). A meeting of this variety should happen every single day, take about 15

minutes and be a time for the students to discuss ANY subject that they choose. The meeting is

designed to promote students working together to define the problem, find alternative solutions,

choose a solution and evaluate the implementation of the solution. It encourages independent

problem solving, appropriate communication, and student control of self. Building a system of

inner discipline and conflict resolution skills helps students be more independent and

responsible. Meetings need to be led and modeled by the teacher in the beginning but should be

in constant transition from teacher leadership to student leadership appropriate for grade level.

By giving students responsibility for their problems and the solutions, it gives them autonomy.

These meetings can, and should, be used to identify student needs and reasons behind
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 3

misbehaviors that are causing disruption in the classroom. It is a good time for the teacher and

the students to get on the same page and work through issues that may be causing difficulties for

either the teacher, student(s) or both.

All people have needs, including students. These needs, as defined by Curwin and

Mendler in their book Discipline with Dignity : New Challenges, New Solutions (2008) include

the need to feel connected, competent and in control. These same needs are reflected by Kohn

when he states that all people need autonomy, relatedness, and competence (Kohn, 2006). In a

social problem solving meeting, students feel autonomy or control over themselves instead of

feeling like they are a victim of their environment. This need for control should be respected as

often as possible by the teacher to give students the maximum sense of ownership for themselves

and their learning. This includes student participation in the curriculum planning process, student

led discussions about how the classroom should be and student led conversations on how to

resolve issues. The teacher will ask questions and bring up issues that spark conversation about

why things happen or are done in the current way. Discussion helps students identify the main

problem and allows them come up with solutions that can be tested and evaluated. Student

participation in matters that affect them supports the creation of responsible, principled people.

Principled individuals employ strong decision making skills. Students will learn how to

make good decisions by practicing making decisions and evaluating the consequences. Teaching

with Love & Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom by Fay and Fay (Fay & Fay, 2016) gives

the teacher tools to practically provide the students with decisions and choice. The approach puts

the focus on the child learning from their actions and the results, both positive and negative. The

teacher and students establish classroom values that act as a guide to solving all discipline issues

on an individual basis. By maintaining the same values in all situations, the teacher stays
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 4

consistent by having the ability to apply the class values in the way that best suits the particular

situation versus having non-negotiables that cannot be applied to all students in all situations.

However, the need for control cannot be looked at alone. Most problems that arise will

involve others and the way they are feeling. People have a need to feel connected or related.

They want to feel like they belong, are cared about and affirmed in who they are. A large piece

of teaching others about being caring is modeling this. Teachers who are respected become

major role models for their students. How the teacher acts will be reflected in how their students

act. Therefore, to create a caring, respectful and kind classroom, the teacher must also act and

react using those characteristics. In an article written by Jim Fay titled What’s More Important:

GPA of Character? (2008) Fay states that teachers should always respond first with compassion

or empathy. This includes situations in which the teacher plans on enforcing discipline. Fay says

this is key because students will not feel the need to blame and will be more likely to learn from

their mistake (Fay, 2008). In my adult life, I find that when someone responds to my behaviors

with compassion and concern, I am much more likely to share what is happening and work with

the person to find a solution. I do not see any reason that a child should be treated differently

than how I would hope to be treated. Therefore, teaching students by modeling how one should

act towards another, can be one of the most powerful tools a teacher has in his or her arsenal.

As teachers, our overarching goal is to teach students educational content. A big piece of

successfully learning content is feeling competent. All humans have the need to feel competent.

People have a desire to learn new skills and then apply the new skills successfully. Student

success is largely on the teacher and his or her ability to provide work that is perceived as

challenging, but not impossible. When students feel successful frequently, they will begin to see

themselves as successful and therefore capable of solving any problem. When teachers provide
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 5

tools for solving problems, asking appropriate questions and working together to reach a

common goal, he or she is giving them tools to be successful with future challenges. Since all

children are not exactly the same, teachers need to differentiate to reach all students at their

current ability level. Activities need to be developmentally appropriate, fair, and productive and

relevant. Students who perceive what they are learning as relevant and meaningful will work

harder towards accomplishing goals and connecting their learning to their life. If teachers can

help students use prior knowledge and connect it to current learning, the students are more likely

to acquire the knowledge in ways that will allow them to practically apply it and use it in new

situations.

To help children feel connected to their learning, it is critical for the teacher to give

students choices. These choices have to be authentic, not a choice between the lesser of two

things the child perceives as terrible options. Asking the students to share their opinions and

inviting them into the process of making decisions about content, gives them real choices that

encourage student ownership of their learning. One of the places that a teacher has opportunity to

give authentic choice to his or her students is, in the way the room is arranged. In my classroom,

I would like to fill the room with flexible seating. Students should have the freedom to sit where

they choose and work in whatever way works best for them. When planning on having flexible

seating, the teacher must be explicit about encouraging discussions about how individuals like to

be treated. Flexible seating cannot be successful without a community of cooperation, work ethic

and kindness.

Not everything in the room filled with flexible seating options is flexible though. In order

to be successful, it is essential for all tools to have a place. When tools have an organized storage

system that students understand, it will save the teacher time looking for tools, passing out tools
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 6

and managing tools. Students can become self sufficient, allowing the teacher to have more time

to present material. Teaching responsibility and management of supplies helps students learn to

keep organized themselves, a critical skill for success in the future. When a teacher does

everything for their students, two things happen. One, the students do not learn how to do it for

themselves and two, the teacher ends up doing more busywork in the long run. He or she ends up

doing a job that the group of students could have done faster once is was taught and practiced.

Not only is it important that the classroom tools be organized, it is important that the

teacher has materials and plans organized so that teaching is intentional and well thought out.

When the teacher is well prepared for the day, it gives the students a sense of confidence and

security. When there is a defined purpose for the activities and that purpose or reason is shared

with students, both teacher and students can be working toward the same goal at the same time.

Wong and Wong wrote in their book The First Days of School (2009) that our goal as teachers is

not to stump our children, but rather open up the wonder and joy that comes from learning. To do

this we must share both the WHAT and the HOW (Wong & Wong, 2009). Being fully prepared

to teach is not only about the curriculum. A large part of preparation is accounting for down

time, transitions, students who finish early, order of activities and time management. All of those

things, and many more, go into being well prepared.

Teaching is a complex, ever changing career. It requires its members to be flexible and

lifelong learners. Teachers must be ready for anything and everything, and be willing to be

honest and open. Teaching requires patience and a never ending supply of kindness and fresh

starts. At the end of the day, everything a teacher does must be for the good of their students.

The students, after all, are the reason we do all that we do. For their successes and failures we
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 7

feel as our own. Ultimately, I love teaching and kids. I want that to show in everything I do in

my classroom and I want my students to know that they are valued and respected.
 ClASSROOM ENVIRONMENT PLAN 8

References:

Bennett, T. (2017, October 23). How to Have a Kinder, Gentler Class. Lecture presented

at Fire Up Conference in MI, Grand Rapids.

Curwin, R. L., Mendler, A. N., & Mendler, B. D. (2008). <i>Discipline with dignity : new

challenges, new solutions</i>. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Fay, J., & Fay, C. (2010). Teaching with Love & Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom. Love

and Logic Press.

Fay, J. (2008). What's More Important: GPA or Character.

Kohn, A. (2006). Beyond discipline : from compliance to community, 10th anniversary

edition. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Preoperational Stage. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/preoperational.html