Running head: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PORTFOLIO

Classroom Management Portfolio

Meghan Avrett
George Mason University
EDUC 511
Mattix-Foster
November 30, 2015

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Classroom Management Portfolio

Philosophy of Education
The purpose of education is to give students equal and deserving opportunities to reach
their fullest intellectual, social, and emotional potential in life. Horace Mann, an American
education reformer, envisioned the common school as the great equalizer and the creator of
wealth undreamed of (Oakes & Lipton, 2003, p. 5). Similar to Manns vision, I believe that we
educate our students because we want to teach them that if they are determined, nothing stands in
their way of creating the life they dream. I believe every child, regardless of race, culture,
gender, ability, and social class, can learn to persevere and become great problem solvers,
creative thinkers, and people who possess a deep appreciation for life-long learning. Quality
education is the foundation children need to become successful contributors to our global society,
and as a future educator, I believe is my duty to invest in the whole child to ensure they acquire
high morals and empathy for others. My educational philosophy and classroom management
style will guide me as I lead my diverse group of students to become the best they can possibly
be, and these traits will dictate how and what I will teach on a daily basis.
A major component of my philosophy of education is that I believe children learn best in
a safe and structured environment- one that encourages inquiry and allows all students to take
risks that will facilitate their individual growth. Mrs. Mercer, my 5th grade teacher, was very
approachable and made my class feel like we, including her, were all learning together. That type
of risk-free environment gave me the permission to think more creatively and push boundaries in
my thought processes because I knew it was all right if I failed some of the time. That is the type
of environment I would like to emulate in my classroom because I believe students can learn an
immense amount from their mistakes and failures. However, in order to truly create this positive,

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risk-free learning environment, a structured classroom management style is needed to ensure

predictability and organization. My management style includes a discipline plan with rules,
consequences, and rewards and also requires a consistent schedule to minimize chaos. I believe
that managing a classroom in this way will give my students a sense of stability and help them
understand my behavioral and academic expectations.
As a future educator, I also firmly believe that I have a commitment to social justice,
which requires me to educate my students to develop cultural empathy and awareness. I believe
it is my role to expose students to injustices in the world and teach them how to respond to and
take action against them. In order to create a positive classroom climate that encourages a
commitment to social justice, my management strategy will implement culturally responsive
teaching, which emphasizes important student qualities such as kindness, empathy, and
tolerance. Furthermore, I believe that by embracing cultural differences and helping students
learn what is morally right and wrong, these young children will have the tools they need to go
out into the world with their own strong commitment to social justice.
Additionally, I believe all children learn in different ways, and it is my responsibility to
adapt my instruction to meet my students unique needs. My classroom management style
supports differentiation methods, such as tailoring instruction to fit my students diverse learning
styles, abilities, and interests. For example, knowing that I have visual learners in my class
would prompt me to use diagrams, charts, and graphic organizers to teach particular lessons.
Also, if other students are kinesthetic learners, I would make a point to give them resources that
would allow them to use their hands and manipulate objects for a better understanding of
content. Lastly, for my students who have communication disorders, learning disabilities, and/or
physical or mental disabilities, I would scaffold instruction to fulfill those students specific

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needs because I stand by the principle that inclusion is the ultimate goal. I believe that managing
classroom activities in a student-specific way will ultimately keep my students more engaged
and allow them to experience meaningful learning.
Potential Management Strategies
Establish a Discipline Plan
No child can learn amidst chaos and unpredictability. In fact, I was a rule follower as a
child and found myself getting quite anxious when there was disorder in the classroom. I believe
that in order to create a safe and structured environment where real learning can take place, I will
need to implement a discipline plan. An effective discipline plan is fair and consistent and lets
students know what is type of behavior is expected of them. Additionally, it focuses on three
main components- rules, consequences, and rewards. Lacaze, McCormick, and Meyer (2012)
explain, knowing and understanding the consequences ahead of time is paramount to improved
cooperation and achievement, so I will establish both general and specific rules for student
behavior on the first day of school (p. 3). Some examples of general rules are respect others, be
helpful, and take care of classroom materials. Examples of specific rules would look more like
read silently when you finish work early and keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself. I will
frame these rules as expected behaviors, but if they choose to break these rules, there will be
clear and appropriate consequences. I will establish consequences that go from mild to more
severe and will fit the crime. Examples of these consequences include giving the misbehaving
student a reminder, a verbal reprimand, a type of removal punishment, an office referral, and
lastly, a call to parents. My strategy for delivering these consequences is to do so privately,
immediately, consistently, and equally among students. I also understand that I will need to
modify the type of consequence in order to make it effective for each student. For example, if a

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student enjoys the attention that comes with being reprimanded, I might employ removal
punishment by requiring the students to sit out during recess to reduce misbehavior rather than
increase it. On a positive note, when students choose to follow classroom rules, they will be
appropriately rewarded. Sometimes these rewards will be concrete reinforces, such as positive
praise, smiley face stickers, free time, and even special events like field trips (Ormrod, 2013). In
summary, the purpose of my discipline plan is to create an organized environment that minimizes
behavioral distractions and maximizes opportunities for student learning.
Show Respect and Positivity
In addition to my discipline plan, I believe a second management strategy I will employ
is creating a warm classroom climate through my personal actions as a teacher. Exhibiting a
warm demeanor is done in hopes that my future students feel safe and comfortable to take risks
and learn from each other. One of my personal actions to create a positive classroom climate
includes showing my students authentic respect, which builds a sense of community in the
classroom. Some simple ways I will accomplish this is by saying please, thank you, always using
students names, smiling, and showing love on a daily basis. I will convey a sense of authority
not by raising my voice but by remaining calm, clear, and collected during times of disorder.
Additionally, I will focus as much as I can on reinforcing desirable behaviors rather than
punishing undesirable ones (Ormrod, 2013, p. 280). I will do this because I do not want my
students to be fearful of making mistakes and being punished for them.
Aside from general day-to-day actions, I will also make an effort to get to know each
student on a more personal level. One strategy to accomplish this is to dedicate the first week of
school to an All About Me project. I will have students choose a format that inspires them
(poster, skit, song, letter, 3-D model) and ask them to express who they are. This would be an

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ongoing project that they would present to the learning community at the end of the first week.
My purpose of employing this strategy has two purposes. First, it allows me to gain a deeper
understanding of my students hobbies, interests, likes, dislikes, fears, and strengths. Secondly,
this All About Me project gives students a sense of belonging and, ideally, would make them
feel like a valued member of the group. Ultimately, my hope is that if I make an authentic effort
to know my students as individuals, they will feel respected and valued enough to take risks,
which is a strong foundation for a positive learning community.
Foster Student Motivation
I am aware that keeping students motivated to learn and on task can be a difficult
undertaking for teachers. Grabbing students attention at the beginning of the lesson is one
triumph, but how does an effective teacher keep a student engaged and motivated day in and day
out? One strategy to ensure student motivation is the use of external rewards to motivate students
extrinsically. According to Ormrod (2013), extrinsic motivation is motivation resulting from
factors external to the individual and unrelated to the task being performed (p. 336). Although
the ultimate goal is to help students become individuals who are intrinsically motivated, Ormrod
goes on to say that in some situations, extrinsic motivationmay be the only thing that can get
students on the road to successful classroom learning and productive behavior (p. 336).
Therefore, when appropriate, I plan on using external factors to motivate my students to exhibit
positive behavior and accomplish productive learning. One scenario in which an extrinsic
motivator would be a helpful tool to promote positive behavior is the use of peer mediation. In
this situation, students who consistently demonstrate important IB Learner Profile elements in
the classroom, such as caring, communicator, and reflective, will have the opportunity to serve as
a peer mediator. A peer mediator is a position that is highly sought after because students get the

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chance to resolve a conflict between their peers, which gives them a sense of purpose and
responsibility. From my fieldwork observations, when students know that they might have the
opportunity to become a peer mediator, they do become more motivated to be caring, reflective,
and thinking individuals.
Another way I plan on developing my students intrinsic motivation is through studentteacher relationships. Ormrod (2013) explains, when students have positive, supportive
relationships with teachers, they have more intrinsic motivation to learn (p. 426). One way I will
cultivate a positive relationship with my students is through two-way dialogue journals in which
each student will keep a journal and write informal messages to me throughout the year. It is
through these two-way dialogue journals that I will learn each students likes and dislikes and
engage in meaningful conversation with them. I think that these journals will help me track their
social and emotional development and also help build a stronger relationship.
Implement Culturally Responsive Management
To ensure that my future students have equitable learning opportunities, I plan on
implementing a variety of culturally responsive management strategies. Being a culturally
responsive manager requires that I think about ways the environment can be used to
communicate respect for diversity, to reaffirm connectedness and community and to avoid
marginalizing and disparaging students (Metropolitan Center for Urban Education [MCUE],
2008). One intentional action to promote this belief is to display photos in my classroom that
reflect the cultures of each of my students. I believe that when a student sees his or her own race
and/or culture represented in the classroom, they feel appreciated. Also, the more students are
exposed to difference cultures, the more likely they will cultivate tolerance and understanding for
each others differences too.

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In addition to making the classroom environment more supportive of student diversity, I

will make an effort to understand the cultural backgrounds of each student. Gaining general
knowledge of students cultural backgrounds helps teachers respond to their students needs
because they have an understanding of their unique behaviors, cultural norms, etiquettes, and
beliefs (MCUE, 2008). In other words, knowing my students cultural backgrounds will help me
better understand the reasons for their behaviors as well as their learning processes. One way I
will gain an understanding of my students cultural upbringings is by consistently
communicating with parents through telephone calls, e-mails, and conferences. During my
interactions with parents, I will create a warm, nonjudgmental atmosphere where I will gain as
much knowledge about their culture as possible with the intention of using it to better support
their child in the classroom.
Differentiate Instruction
A final management strategy I will implement in my future classroom is differentiated
instruction, which abandons the one-size-fits-all mentality in favor of modifying how you teach
to meet the needs of your students (Zarillo, 2012, p. 96). At the beginning of the school year, I
will be responsible for a group of students who may be the same age but will certainly differ in
their levels of cognitive and emotional development. My future students will be extremely
diverse in terms of language, culture, academic ability and social development. Therefore, it is
my responsibility to modify my instruction to meet the unique needs of each individual student.
According to Zarillo (2012), one simple way to differentiate instruction for students with
learning disabilities is to use prompts and cues. For example, if I was teaching a lesson on the
Dust Bowl, and the lesson task was to read a text and define the human and environmental
causes, I would present the student with the disability a text containing pre-bolded words. In

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other words, I would bold, highlight, or underline key words or phrases, like poor-farming
techniques or drought that would guide the student to understand the causes of the Dust Bowl.
Also, for this same student, I would provide many verbal reminders while giving directions on
the assignment. Zarillo (2012) explains that a common prompt is remember to, which is used
while giving directions on the assignment and helps students remember the task at hand (p. 111).
Providing prompts and verbal reminders during a lesson are examples that show how
differentiated instruction can benefit struggling students in the classroom, but this strategy can be
used to modify activities for gifted students as well. One way to tailor instructional activities for
gifted students is by having my advanced readers read more difficult texts and answer questions
that required critical and creative thinking (Zarillo, 2012, p. 114). For example, if most
students were asked to define the causes of the Civil War, I might provide a gifted student with
an alternative question that asked him or her, How would life be different had the Confederates
won the Civil War? Both examples of differentiated instruction will require creativity and
flexibility on my end, but I am committed to implementing this management strategy because I
believe it will give each student the opportunity to develop at their own rate.
Reflection
In conclusion, in order for my students to be inspired about learning and reach their
fullest intellectual, social and emotional potential, I must constantly reflect and improve upon my
own teaching methods and classroom management strategies. One of the most important things I
have learned through my observational experience is that the most powerful teachers strive to do
better for their students and believe that there is always room for improvement. For example, if a
behavior management strategy is not working, they change it. If a colleague has a better solution,
they are quick to adopt it. These effective teachers never hesitate to modify and tailor their craft.

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Most importantly, as a future teacher, I must always ask myself whether or not my strategies
truly mirror my philosophy of education and if they allow each and every student the opportunity
to thrive.

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References
Metropolitan Center for Urban Education. (2008). Culturally responsive classroom management
strategies. (Contract #007052). New York, NY. New York State Education Department.
Oakes, J. & Lipton, M. (2006). Teaching to change the world: Schooling; wrestling with history
and tradition. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Odom LaCaze, D., McCormick, C., & Meyer, L. (2012). Classroom behavior and management
for teachers. National Forum of Teacher Education Journal, 22(3). 1-3.
Ormrod, J. (2013). Educational psychology: Developing learners (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Merrill.
Zarillo, J. (2012). Teaching Elementary Social Studies: Principles and Applications (4th ed.).
Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.