Running head: STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Student-Centered Behavior Management System

Jessica Conrad
Texas Womans University

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Student-Centered Behavior Management System

Section I
Classroom management is one of the most critical roles in establishing an effective
learning environment for students. In classrooms where there is a poor classroom management
system in place, teachers and students suffer. Well-managed classrooms allow teachers to teach
effectively and promotes student learning to the greatest extent. Having a system set in place
prior to stepping into the classroom is essential for new teachers, as it helps determine the level
of student achievement. I believe that classroom management is one of the biggest factors in how
our students flourish and succeed academically. In order to put our students academic success
first, well-constructed management systems are a necessity.
Philosophy of classroom management. I believe all students are capable of learning if
given the right tools and classroom environment. My philosophy on discipline is rules and
consequences. I feel that in order to have an effective classroom, teachers need to present their
rules and expectations of the class starting on the first day of school. Rules and expectations
should be short and concise. There has to be a balance between the authority figure of the
classroom and a role model and confidant that students can confide in. Students should be placed
in the classroom by the teacher to prevent disruptions and to help aid struggling students with
higher achieving peers. Classrooms should be set up in a way where students feel open to
discussion and not closed off. My goal as a teacher is to provide a technology friendly classroom
environment where students are engaged in cooperative learning. I believe that being able to
incorporate real-world experiences into the learning environment will help my students develop
their own understanding of material being presented. Creating a diverse curriculum I believe will

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

help reach all students in the class which will allow them to build off of their strengths. My end
goals as a teacher is to have my students college ready, prepared for the global workforce and
have enlightened their social awareness.
Ethical standards. Setting expectations at the beginning of the year creates an
environment where students know what is expected out of them, which in turn will help with the
way that I will present and conduct myself in an ethical and professional manner throughout the
school year. Students need to respect the teacher-student relationship, and by modeling ethical
and appropriate behavior in class towards students and colleagues, I will be able to set a good
example for my students. Having a well-organized class and a set plan for classroom
management, I will be able to exercise due diligence over my students. By exhibiting appropriate
and respectful behavior in class, I hope to deter any embarrassing or disparaging comments by
other students. My zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior will discourage any intentional
remarks. Confidentiality is an important aspect of the teaching profession, and I hold to high
regard keeping my students personal information safeguarded. I plan on doing this by only
discussing student information with the student and guardians or other professional staff if
necessary or required by law.
Teacher responsibilities. Teachers have to show students that they own their classroom
from day one to help deter behavioral issues in the classroom. The approach that I would take in
regards to teacher responsibilities would be an assertive discipline and BEP/RTI approach. The
assertive discipline approach places great emphasis on teacher control, which is paramount in
classroom management. Setting up consequences and following through with them is important
in controlling the classroom where the teacher can be efficient in her instruction. At the
beginning of the year, the teacher should establish rules that students must follow at all times,

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

develop supportive feedback that students will consistently receive for following the rules, and
define corrective actions that will be used consistently when a student chooses not to follow a
rule (Wolfgang 96). Growing up, I was always told to treat others as I would want to be treated.
Teachers have to be models for the behavior that they want from their students, yet still be firm
with the classroom discipline. Knowing our students is vital, as there are several different social
and socioeconomic factors that could influence a childs behavior in class. While I believe every
student should have the same consequences when breaking a classroom rule, by knowing our
students, this could inform us if we need to approach the issue in a different way. At risk
students may have had poor peer relationships, low academic achievement, chaotic home
environments, or any of a multitude of other reasons (Wolfgang 42). During my observation this
semester, I had the privilege to meet Mrs. Saunders, an 11th grade U.S. History teacher. Mrs.
Saunders approached her class with an assertive approach, yet still managed to gain the respect
from her students. She knew her students and respected them, but was still firm in her
expectations. Her classroom was one of the most well behaved classes and most efficient that I
have observed over the past year. In my personal classroom management system, teachers
should have the following responsibilities to ensure a classroom that is effective:

Be socially aware of students in class that require more attention

Be a positive system of support for all students
Monitor students and collect data on a daily basis to assess the need for further

intervention
Model appropriate behavior
Use I statements to issue warnings/reminders
Have classroom rules set in place with corrective actions that apply to each rule

Student responsibilities. Students need to learn how to be responsible for themselves

and figure out how to problem solve on their own. By approaching student responsibilities with
the BEP/RTI and Love and Logic models, students are able to be held accountable. They need to

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

be able to learn how to make their own judgments and learn from set consequences. I would
expect my students to be accountable for themselves as well as respectful to all. By having
target behaviors for all students to meet, it allows teachers and administrators to collect data to
determine if the school-wide discipline plan is working and which students need to be referred
for a more personalized behavior education program (Wolfgang 41). In addition to this,
students need to learn to acknowledge their own behavior then commit themselves to more
logical and productive forms of behavior (Wolfgang 161). One of the most important pieces of
advice that my mentor teacher, Mrs. Saunders, gave me was to make sure I follow through with
consequences. She stated that there are too many teachers who are more concerned about making
friends with their students rather than implementing a strict policy when rules are broken. This
teaches students to be accountable for their own actions.

Be on time, every time

Limit technological use to designated times decided by the teacher
Knowing consequences of problem behaviors in class
Be respectful to all classmates and the teacher
Solve personal and group problems to the best of their ability before approaching

a teacher/administrator
Hold personal conversations to the end of class
Do not pack up to leave class until instructed to by the teacher

Incentives. The student has the capabilities to be responsible but needs to learn moral or
acceptable boundaries of living (Wolfgang 161). In the love and logic approach in the
classroom, control needs to be a shared commodity between students and teacher. Allowing a
student to have a choice or control over their learning can be a useful tool when applying
incentives. A great motto that Wolfgang mentioned in the text was, teachers gain control by
giving some of it away (Wolfgang 166). Within the BEP-RTI model, the focus is on behavioral
reinforces rather than punishment. By giving students the freedom of choice and setting goals for

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

students to meet are encouraging incentives that can be used in the classroom and school that can
yield positive results for the teacher as well as the student. Both school-wide and classroom
incentives should be used to help deter problem behavior.
School-wide incentives

Pizza provided once a month to the class who had the highest monthly attendance
Students who have less than 3 absences for the semester will earn an extra ten

points on one final exam.

School money that teachers can award to students throughout the week when they
are caught displaying positive school rules and expectations. This school money

can be used towards the school spirit shop.

Candy/snack cart that goes around to eligible classes each Friday that gives
students the opportunity to buy items from. Eligibility will be based on a teachers

report of classroom behavior for the week.

If there is a 98% passing rate on STAAR testing, the principal will be duct taped
to the flag pole when students arrive to school

Classroom incentives

If students are on task all class period, the class will receive a ticket. Once the

class has earned 10 tickets, they will be allowed to eat lunch outside
Each time a student participates thoughtfully in a classroom discussion, they will
receive a token. Once they receive 20 tokens, they can turn them in for an extra 2

points on a test grade.

Allow students to choose whether to do the odd or even numbers for homework
Offer students the option to have free time at the end of class on Friday, or use the

time to complete class work that will be assigned as homework if not completed
When working independently, allow students the option to listen to music while
working if it does not interfere with their progress

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Interventions. Regardless of what approach a teacher takes when it comes to intervening

misbehavior, it is important to follow up with positive recognition when the behavior has
changed. My personal model for interventions has been pulled from the assertive discipline
model, BEP/RTI, and Cooperative Discipline model. Supportive feedback encourages behaviors
that are seen in class and can deter future misbehaviors. Do we need to look deeper though at the
problems that are being exhibited in the classroom? Interventions in the BEP/RTI model allow
teachers and parents to move beyond thinking about changing the students behaviors, but
instead to focus on what events precede the occurrence of the problem behavior. By having a
functional behavioral assessment, we are able to determine the ABC (antecedent, behavior,
consequence) of the problem (Wolfgang 46-47). What inner goals are causing the outward
behavior in class? The inner goals of a student that is showing inappropriate behavior in class
could come from the need of attention, power and control, or revenge. It is important to get to the
root of the problem, otherwise, the problem behavior will continue regardless of interventions
used. After monitoring the students behavior, there are several different interventions that I
would use to try and remedy the problems.

Functional behavioral assessment

Teacher/parent/student meetings or phone calls
Changing seating arrangements
Individual meetings with students to help identify their mistaken goals
Use directive statements or actions to minimize attention
Refocus students off task by addressing them by name and asking questions
Use I-messages/statements
Isolate students whose behavior does not change (to the back of the room or

principals office)
Give warnings and follow through with consequences. Taking away extra credit
opportunities or not allowing students to participate in a fun group activity

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Lose points on a test or quiz if appropriate behavior is not being modeled during

test taking
Stay after the bell for a set amount of time
Refer students to the principals office if interventions are not working and it is

preventing the teacher from effectively teaching the lesson

Office referral guidelines. When setting up office referral guidelines, my procedures
would be framed by the Love and Logic approach. If interventions have failed to correct the
problems, the first step to be taken should be contacting the students parents. After contact, if
the problem is still persisting, students should then be referred to the counselors office. The
teacher and counselor should have a meeting first to talk about the functional behavioral
assessment that has been done. Once the student has had contact with the counselor, if the
problem still persists, the student should then be referred to the principals office for further
disciplinary action. I believe that there should be a process that teachers and counselors go
through to try and find the root of the problem that is causing the misbehavior in class before
sending students to such a high authority figure such as the principal. By working with the
student in trying to find the underlying cause of the behavior, we are helping our students
identify with reality and make decisions for themselves. Students should feel that teachers and
counselors are there to support them, not pass them off to the principal when they cannot handle
the problem anymore.
The behavior management/classroom management system that I have created is a great
tool for me to use when entering into my first year of teaching. It will allow me to focus my
attention on what is best for my students, their academic success. Having a well-managed
classroom will allow me to be an efficient teacher and promote my students learning. My goals
as a teacher are to have my students college ready, prepared for the global workforce and have

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

enlightened their social awareness. Without a behavior management system in place, none of
these would be possible.

References
Marzano, R. J., Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, D. J. (2014, January 1). Classroom
Management That Works.
Retrieved April 30, 2014, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103027/chapters/TheCritical-Role-of-Classroom-Management.aspx
Wolfgang, C.H. (2009). Solving Discipline and Classroom management Problems. Hoboken: John
Wiley & Sons.

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10

Section II
Classroom arrangement. Setting expectations at the beginning of the year creates an
environment where students know what is expected out of them, which in turn I feel will help
with the way that I will present and conduct myself in an ethical and professional manner
throughout the school year. Students need to respect the teacher-student relationship, and by
modeling ethical and appropriate behavior in class towards students and colleagues, I will be
able to set a good example for my students. Having a well-organized class and a set plan for
classroom management, I will be able to exercise due diligence over my students. By exhibiting
appropriate and respectful behavior in class, I hope to deter any embarrassing or disparaging
comments by other students. My zero tolerance policy for this type of behavior will discourage
any intentional remarks. Confidentiality is an important aspect of the teaching profession, and I
hold to high regard keeping my students personal information safeguarded. I plan on doing this

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

11

by only discussing student information with the student and guardians or other professional staff
if necessary or required by law.

STUDENT-CENTERED BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

12

Rules and procedures for 12th grade

Use of Room Areas

Shared material, bookshelves, drawers

o Bookshelf with class books will be to the right of the door when students walk in
o There will be a hanger on the cabinet door with pockets for students to put their
cell phone in when they walk into the class
o Each student will be assigned a number
o Students are to only use the book from the class set that corresponds to their
personal number
o Students will put their cell phone in the pocket that corresponds with their
personal number

Beginning the School Day/Starting Class

Distribution of materials/supplies
o There will be a table set up to the left when students walk into class
o Students will be responsible for picking up any handouts that are on the table
before going to their seat
o It will be indicated on the board if students need to pick up the class book
Ending the School Day/Class

Clean-up and putting away materials

o The last 3 minutes of class will be devoted to cleaning up from the day
o Students will put back their class set of books in numerical order
o Students will collect their cell phone from the wall hanger
o Students will turn in any class assignments that were to be completed during class
time
o Students will put together personal items and be ready to leave once the bell rings
Student Work/Assignments

Where to turn in
o All assignments will be turned into the basket that corresponds with their class
period by my desk
o Students will be required to turn in homework from the night before at the
beginning of class
o Students will be required to turn in class assignments at the end of class
Checking Process/Assignments

Students grading papers

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13

o Students will obtain a red pen to grade with from the basket at the front of the
room
o Students will switch papers with someone close to their seat
o Students are encouraged to ask questions if unsure if an answer should be marked
incorrect
o I will review grading only if requested by the student
Grading Systems

Returning work to students

o Students will be responsible for checking the assignment return basket to pick up
their work
o The papers will be grouped together by assignment and will be alphabetized by
last name
o Students are responsible for keeping the assignments organized
o Students who do not pick up their assignments within a week will have their
papers thrown away