Pamela Mancilla

EDU222
Field Experience #2- My Classroom Management Plan

Philosophical Statement
As I continue to observe my present and past mentor teacher’s way of organizing their
own classrooms, I have also started developing my own. Classroom management is the term
often used to describe the process used to create an environment where any student can learn and
create. In my future classroom, I want to create a place where the students have a good
relationship with their teacher, students feel free to create, and they are heard. Having an
environment like this will provide a safe environment where students are able to grow not only
from my knowledge, but from their peers as well. These are some of the elements that will be
generating an effective classroom management plan.
Room Arrangement
The present educational career I’m working towards is becoming an art education teacher
for elementary level classrooms. Therefore, when I start to envision my future art classroom
arrangement, I start with what resources I would like available to my students. The first would be
professional artist grade desks and chairs. Although I have started with the simplest of things, a
desk and comforting chair can mean the difference between a piece of work that is proportionally
correct or not. Often, artist grade desks have an option to be tilted to a certain degree so there is a
better view compared to the composition being flat. Continuing with the desks and chairs, I
would arrange them in a horseshoe or circular shape with my desk integrated. The reason for this
is that I would like for my students to know that I’m always available to help them. From my
own experience, art can be intimidating to some and having the instructor at a far distance never
makes it easier to ask a question. Therefore, I would like for my students to know I’m there and
that my attention will always be placed on them. This desk arrangement will also aid me in
creating a space where all students feel safe to create. Often desks that are placed in rows can
give students an idea as to what the other one is doing, which may make them question the value
of their own work and I don’t want to welcome attitudes of the sort in my classroom. One
additional resource that is similar to the use of artist grade desks is the inclusion of easels and
drawing horses. Using these instruments in addition to the desks will not only expose students to
more resources but it can be an experience that students who want to pursue art can utilize. There
are art stores filled with instruments and tools that sometimes students don’t know how or when
to use and I would like for my classroom to be a place where they could learn those instrument’s
artistic value.
When individuals, and perhaps even I, walk into a room the second thing they take a look
at is wall decoration. On the plain walls of my classroom, I would like to include posters that aid
my students. These posters can range from how to mix paints to important steps to take when
creating value and correct proportion. The visual aids will first be talked about as lessons in class
and then hung up in the area most visible to students. I plan to first talk about the topic before
placing visuals because in that way, students recognize its value and remember to view it as they
are working on projects. The most important wall decoration that I would like to emphasize is
the gallery wall space prepared to hang up student artwork, which can stand in the classroom’s
back and side walls. This space will be prepared with frames, hammered in nails, and
appropriate lighting focused on the pieces. The gallery wall space will be utilized to hang up
artwork for classroom critiquing or for student artwork exhibitions. The way this space will aid
students is not only to make students proud about what they have accomplished but to emphasize
that they can be artists or excel in the career of their choice. Exhibiting work in that matter
should be a motivation to them that they are capable of achieving great things.
I strongly believe that a classroom should be the extension of a ‘home’ or a second home
to a student, which was something I always found during my schooling. I will achieve this
feeling through the inclusion of basic resources that may not always be available to students. One
of two ideas and the one I like most is producing a ‘creativity and resource’ corner. In this
corner, I will include comfortable seating in the form of couches and soft carpet that can remind
students of home. Additionally, I would like to include shelving units with artist and art books.
The purpose of this combination is to give struggling students a little push if they are having
difficulty generating ideas of what artwork to make. Couches can aid in this process too, but
these materials are mainly geared towards students who may not have had enough sleep due to
complications at home or in school. Students will have this space available after having talked to
me through some solutions in terms of completing a project. The second resource or idea that I
would like to make part of my classroom is the presence of computers or tablets. Technology is
rapidly growing and its connection to art can be of help to students. For example, students may
be able to print references from these computers or research information. These are some of the
resources and arrangements that I would want to incorporate in my classroom in the near future.
Classroom Rules
Classroom rules have often been placed by solely the instructors in the classroom, but I
would like to do differently. In my future classroom, I would like to give students the
opportunity to create some of their own rules to follow. Doing so will give them a sense of
accountability and responsibility for following rules they set up on their own. What this might
look like is that I can introduce three expectations I will hold for them and the class will be
responsible for creating another three expectations. They will be placed in three groups in which
they will all have a chance to voice ideas and then vote on what rules they would like to keep.
The expectations I will ask of my students is to, one, always offer constructive criticism. In may
occasions, we are quick to judge and point out negatives, but we forget to also emphasize
positive aspects of a piece of work. I would like for my students to learn this important skill. The
second expectation will be to never be afraid of taking risks. Art in many cases can create
products that the own artist never expected but it all came with pushing yourself to experiment
with new material or subjects. I don’t want my students to be afraid to try. Lastly, I want to value
effort. Art can be frustrating to some, but I want to reward those who, although they don’t see
themselves as artists they tried as hard as one.
 The finalized list of expectations will be hung at the door of the classroom and on the
most visible wall to the class. The same list of rules will also go home to parents for them to sign
and keep them informed of what I expect in my class and what their students have also set as
expectations for themselves. Since this information will be viewed by the parents, I would also
like for the parents to inform me of any expectations they have for me as their student’s teacher.
This is one method to making sure my parents are also participating in their child’s learning. In
addition to these rules, I will also ask students to create a list of expectations for me. Often, we
don’t know what qualities students look for in their teachers or what they would like for us to do
while in they’re in the classroom. Receiving a list from my class will not only make me aware of
what they need, but also creates an equal environment where we all are able to voice opinions.
Classroom Procedures
Classroom procedures touches on how to arrange lessons, assessments, and grading in a
way to benefit the student. In my future classroom, my lessons will always start with reviewing
what was learned the day before and then connecting that to new information. This will serve as
small assessments informing me of what was retained and if I need to modify the way class
material is being presented. My interest in art education means that most of my teaching will
involve demonstrations made at my desk that will be utilized as examples to follow for the
students. After demonstrations, students will have the opportunity to practice the technique
learned through worksheets created by me. These worksheets will serve as the ‘homework’ for
the lesson. I don’t believe in assigning homework to do outside of the classroom because I may
impede on student success. Every student’s situation at home differs and some may not have the
necessary tools to complete the work at home due to financial or other situations. Therefore, all
work is done in class.
Assessments can be done in a variety of forms. The type of assessment that I will use the
most to measure student understanding are projects. After one or two lessons, there will be an
assigned project that will look to combine two techniques and look for student understanding of
them. Throughout the process they will explain ideas behind their work and how they effectively
express the techniques we learned in the lesson. This final project will culminate as a student
show, where students will have the opportunity to exhibit their work not only to their peers but
also to family and friends. Grades will be given based on effort shown, if the student effectively
applied the technique, and if the piece was done in a way that demonstrates craftsmanship. I
chose these specific areas to grade because they most relate to what is expected in higher
education art classes. If any students are interested in pursuing artistic careers, I would like for
them to feel prepared. Furthermore, they are skills that can benefit students no matter the career
path. Being able to express ideas and producing work that is well crafted is required at any job.
These projects are another way to check for student understanding.
Believing in All Students
As an educator, having mastery on the subject being taught is vital but being able to teach
each child that they are capable of learning is equally as important. First, I believe I should
establish a strong relationship with my student so I know who they are and what possible
difficulties may come based on financial situations, housing, etc. This can be done by reviewing
demographic and socioeconomic profiles of the student population. When it comes to negative
behavior, one way to address it before occurring is to have students repeat the class expectations
at the start of every class so both them and I are aware of what should happen during the time in
class. Furthermore, I can create a system with a chart containing the whole class that displays
student behavior. If a student is to misbehave in my class, I would like to know what is causing
that to happen. I will politely ask the student to have a conference with me so we can talk about
possible solutions to the behaviors taking place in class. Many times, I’ve witnessed moments
where students are silenced and forced to take responsibility for something they may not have
done. By holding these conferences, I can give the student a chance to explain their side of the
story and give them the dignity and respect they deserve. A student who misbehaves doesn’t do
it to be bad, sometimes they just need someone to listen.
Enforcing positivity in the future classroom can be done through various forms. One
thing that I will avoid is give physical rewards to my students every time they do as they are told.
Constant rewards will not only take a toll on my wallet, but it will make the student believe that
they must get rewarded for each positive behavior. Instead, I would like for them to value
positive comments and feedback. This can look like giving parents a positive call home and
informing them about good behavior or actions towards other peers. I’ve seen this these calls
motivate students to always do better in the current classroom I’m shadowing in. Another action
that I can take is highlighting positive features in their work. Often, students may know that they
are doing well but don’t know why. With positive comments on their work, I can build on
positive characteristics that a student possesses. This technique can also be used to maximize the
effectiveness of my classroom management plan. At the end of each lesson or project, I would
hand out a survey that will ask of students what was done right and what needs to be changed in
terms of classroom arrangement, resources available, and environment of the classroom. In this
way, I can highlight and change certain aspects of my classroom that I might not have suspected
were wrong. Change is good, especially if it’s to help the future.
Conclusion
Once again, an organized classroom management plan can produce a place where all
students can learn and feel safe while doing so. In art education, this is of importance in order to
be able to create work and share that work with those around them. In the very near future, I
want an environment where students are able to build a relationship with their teacher, where
students feel free of judgement, and feel heard. This can’t be built if the teacher doesn’t arrange
the proper setting, rules, and procedures. Therefore, listening to the experience from my mentor
teachers are of great value as well as having an open ear to suggestions from my own students.