Management Plan
Procedures
01 Before the Class
Students can use the restroom before the bell rings. They must knock the door when coming back.
Do not rush into the classroom in clusters.
Pick up the necessary worksheet when entering the classroom.
Stow away the cell phone or put it into the Airplane Mode.
Get seated for the class.
02 Collecting Homework
Retrieve homework assignments from the locker before the bell rings.
Gently put the complete assignment paper (stapled) into the basket.
Please read the label attached to the basket. Misplaced assignment receives a deduction of 20%.
Always make sure to have the name on paper.
03 Getting Things Ready
The first 2 minutes of each class period is reserved for GTW. To clarify some questions, I will hand out what we need for the class and walk around the classroom. I will also make sure that everyone has their cell phone put away or at the pocket. This would be the platinum time to ask me questions.
04 During the Class
There are multiple things to pay attention to:
4.1 Noise Levels
At what moments during the class should students talk or collaborate? I will introduce the Color-Coded Classroom System (CCCS)* on the first day of class. The CCCS gives color signals to students about how they should behave.
Blue: Open Collaboration. Normal conversation is allowed.
Green: Collaboration with Normal Conversation. However, students must be seated in their assigned seats.
Yellow: Independent Work. Only whispering is permitted.
Red: Silent. No talking is allowed unless talking to the teacher about class-related things. Including when exams are in session.
4.2 Students Who Are Ahead
I will use the Heterogeneous Grouping method to make sure everyone doesn't have a large chunk of time to spare unless there's not much planned. For classes with juniors and seniors, they can work independently on other homework if they promise to not disrupt their classmates. The heterogeneous grouping method gives over-achievers opportunities to help those students who are struggling.
*The CCCS was adopted by my 10th grade Earth Science teacher Mr. Heder.
05 Use of Technology
Generally, students are permitted to use their laptops for academic purposes only.
If students want to watch YouTube, please bring headphones and sit on the last row.
Unauthorized use of cell phones will have consequences and/or loss of participation points.
Please avoid active typing on the keyboard when I am giving lessons.
06 Restroom Passes
Students must write their names on the whiteboard to use the restroom during the class time. For anyone who wants to use the restroom before the class starts, I will issue him/her an individual pass. Abuse of the Restroom Pass Policy constitutes a Major MB.
07 Group Work
Group work is not a time to entertain. Please be mindful of other classmates.
Follow the collaboration norms.
Try not to let one person do all the work for you. It's unfair.
08 Absences
Rather than punishing my students for excessive absences, I'd like to figure out what causes them to avoid coming to school. Possible reasons are:
Poor peer relationships
Overwhelming school work
Aversion of certain subjects
Low grades
Students with more than 20 absences in a semester will receive a failing grade for the first semester unless they can earn at least 90% on the final exam. Students' parents are notified once they have 5 absences, and parents must see the teacher if students have accumulated 10 absences.
09 Late Work
Generally, all students are treated the same way in my classroom regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, religion, and grade levels. I understand if you have a very dense schedule and may fall behind on doing homework at times. Everyone will get five Late Waivers per semester. If you use up all available waivers for the semester, every subsequent late work receives a deduction of 2.5% per day and the grace period is 20 days. After the grace period, students will receive a fixed score of 1.0 regardless of the quality, although they can submit it before the semester concludes.
10 End-of-Class
There are multiple ways for me to conclude the class of the day regardless of grade level and subject matter. In general, I have specific strategies for normal days, Fridays, and the last day of school.
10.1 Normal Days
I will give some formative assessments to wrap up the day, such as an exit slip (with easy questions) or TPS (Think, Pair, Share) activity. Students can pack their stuff one minute before the bell rings.
10.2 Fridays/Last Day
Students are allowed to relax and do homework for other classes without disturbing their fellow students. However, students cannot leave the classroom early unless with prior approval from the teacher and the front office.
Students Norms & RULES
In my classrooms, I expect my students to:
Be punctual and not leave the class before the bell rings.
Respect your teacher and classmates.
Pay attention to in-class activities.
Students who walk into my classroom with their lunch are asked to sit at the corner table and appropriately finish their food.
Set the cell phone to the Silent Mode before entering the classroom.
Consequences & Rewards
01 Why We Have Consequences?
As secondary school educators, we place equal emphasis on our students' social, emotional, and behavioral (SEB) growth as well as their outstanding academic performance. Students will have setbacks as part of their education in order to develop into mature individuals, and we cannot provide for their desires in order to keep a "positive" impression on them. In short, we will use active approach to behavioral issues to prevent stigma on the college application profiles.
02 Determination of Consequences
We categorize all behavioral misconduct (BM) into three categories: Minor, Major, and Significant. Minor BM is the least disruptive misbehavior and usually only the individual student's affected. Major BM is more disruptive and impacts fewer students. Significant BM is the most disruptive one, and it causes physical and emotional damage to a vast majority of the students. Our decisions are never arbitrary.
Examples of Minor BM:
(1) Browsing on YouTube, Amazon, or non-academic websites during the class time (if caught).
(2) Sleeping without snoring.
(3) Unauthorized but non-disruptive use of cell phone.
Examples of Major BM:
(1) Making noises when eating lunch or snacks.
(2) Chatting to the neighboring student or teacher during the instruction.
(3) Out of the seat to talk to someone.
(4) Repeated unauthorized use of cell phone.
Examples of Significant BM:
(1) Violent physical contact or hostility with anyone in the classroom.
(2) Destroy the classroom furnitures of laboratory equipments.
03 Consequences Tier List
Generally, there are five levels of consequences for different types of violations of classroom rules. Students who receive Level 1-3 consequences will not have their parents contacted.
Level 1 (Hand Gesture): A non-punitive reminder for the student to realize his/her disruptive behavior. Students who ignore the gestures will receive verbal warnings.
Level 2 (Verbal Warning): Another non-punitive approach to students' disruptive behavior. This is the most severe non-punitive consequence of misbehavior.
Level 3 (Revocation of Privileges): If students misuse the classroom equipment or abuse the course policy, his/her privileges are forfeited. For example, students who do not know how to collaborate with peers appropriately will be asked to complete the task individually.
Level 4 (One-to-One Conversation): Students who repeatedly violate the course rules (minor MBs) must have a one-to-one conversation (held privately) either before, after school or during my prep hours.
Level 5 (Referrals): Students will get a referral if: (1) violate the course rules repeatedly or (2) the behavior warrants a referral given the severity.
04 Why We Have Rewards
While failures and improvement are inevitable in the learning process, teachers should never cease inspiring and motivating students to achieve educational goals. Rewards give students motivation and recognition of good behavior and effort. In addition, appropriate reinforcement and rewards foster a positive relationship between teachers and students.
05 How We Reward Our Students
Students will be rewarded differently based on their behaviors and academic achievements. There are five levels of rewards/reinforcements used in my classroom.
Level 1 Reward (Verbal Compliment)
Example: "Nice work, Kathy!"
Used in every positive behavior exhibited in the classroom.
Level 2 Reward (Intra-Class Recognition)
Example: "Let's congratulate Tiara for demonstrating this learning task."
Used when students' work shows high levels of effort and correctness.
Level 3 Reward (Extra-Class Recognition)
Example: Mention how she/he exemplifies excellence to other classes/periods. Parents/Guardians are informed.
Level 4 Reward (Homework Pass)
Example: "Congratulations, Nicholas! Since you behaved exceptionally during the class and were always ahead of the learning tasks, you earned a Homework Pass!"
Awarded for consistently active participation and academic excellence. Students with one Homework Pass can miss one assignment at no grade penalty.
Level 5 Reward (Class-Wide Grade Bumps)
Example: If everyone in the classroom behaves appropriately for consecutive days, I will bump up everyone's grade by 2%.
To be eligible for this level of reward, the class must meet the following criteria: (1) earned an average of at least 90% on the most recent unit exam and (2) no students faced Level 4-5 consequences for 15 consecutive days.
06 How I Reinforce Positive Behaviors?
Before: The average score of the most recent unit exam is 57%. Students complain about they cannot pass the course.
Reinforcement: Hello class, if you can score at least 80% on the next exam (so that the average is around 90% giving that some students will ace the exam), I will issue everyone a Homework Pass. Deal?" I will also make sure that the review packet is highly similar to the actual exam to encourage active participation.
After: I will give verbal compliment (or intra-class recognition) if I see an increase of 5% or higher on the exam average. Homework pass for everyone if the exam average exceeds 90%.