Classroom Management Plan

Nicolas Van Camp

EXC 620 08/05

August 9, 2005

Classroom Management Plan

General Description of Program and Classroom

Description of Classroom Population

Mr. Van Camp's class at The Country School is an academically oriented high school class primarily for High Functioning Autistic/Asperger students. This class is clearly in the mild to moderate category of special education. The 7 students in the class range in age from 14-17 and are in grades 9-11 this academic year. Four of the students are clearly Asperger with a fifth closer to the Autistic side of the spectrum. The other two students are Learning Disabled. One with low IQ and an anxiety disorder, the other with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Five of the students are Caucasian and here is one Asian and one Hispanic in this class. There are also five boys and two girls in the class. English is the primary language for all students.

Levels and Types of Instructional Support

The classroom staff consists of a Special Education Teacher who is working on an emergency Special Education Permit. The teacher also has a clear professional Single Subject Credential and a Master of Education degree in Crosscultural teaching. The class also has one fulltime aid that has three years experience in this special education environment.

Additional services include a Speech and Language Therapist, who provides both consultative and direct services to all students in individual as well as group or in class sessions. An Occupation Therapist visits the campus weekly. Services for referred students include observation/testing, diagnosis, and development of sensory protocols.

Classroom Schedule

Students are in attendance from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. five days a week. The daily schedule is as follows:

9:00-9:45 Yoga - Sensory integration

9:45-10:15 Math

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-11:00 Reading

11:00-11:30 Science or History

11:30-12:00 Lunch

12:00-12:45 P. E.

12:45-1:00 Break

1:00-1:30 Keyboarding

1:30-2:00 Daily Oral Language or Writing

2:30-2:45 Reward

2:45-3:00 Wrap-up

Classroom Rules

The overarching classroom rules are school wide and are respect centered. Respect others space/property, respect others opinions/thoughts and respect others efforts/work. The student is expected to come prepared to class with appropriate class materials and a willingness to learn. The students are expected to behave respectfully to the teacher and to other students. Furthermore, the student is expected to accept the consequences of misbehavior. Logical consequences are results which consistently follow certain behavior. They are explained in advance and agreed to by the students. It is hoped that by understanding the consequences of disruptive behavior, that students will make better choices. Consequences should be related to the misbehavior so the students can see the connection.

Theoretical Background and Approach

Basic Theoretical Approach/Philosophy and Assumptions Underlying Classroom Management Strategy

The core philosophy behind the classroom management strategy in Mr. Van Camp's classroom is that all children can learn. It is the teacher's job to create a warm nurturing environment based on the principal of mutual respect, where the students are appropriately challenged to stretch their academic limits while at the same time developing functional social self help skills.

Behavior is a concern because it is closely related to effective learning from both the student's and teacher's perspective. When a classroom is free of disturbances, students can use classroom time for learning activities. Learning occurs in classrooms where the time allotted for instruction is used for teaching. When time is used interacting with students' whose behaviors are not focused on the lesson, less time is available to learn. One student's behavior can use other student's learning time by distracting them or by taking the teacher's and aid's time away from the lesson. When the entire classes' behavior meets expectations, then learning can be maximized.

General Expectations and General Structure for Classroom Management

The classroom design and structure help facilitate the Classroom Management Philosophy. The high student staff ratio in the class is used to advantage. During group instruction the teacher is positioned facing the students and the and the aid sits behind the students to facilitate their full participation. Some of the students require occasional prompting by one or the other to be fully involved.

The classroom routine is kept consistent from day to day. A visual copy of the daily schedule is posted in the room to allow students to follow and anticipate the progress of activities. It also helps keep the staff on track in terms of time management throughout the day. The curriculum is designed to address core academic skills, as well as fulfill individual IEP goals for each student. Basic self help and social skills are integrated into each activity. Visual supports are routinely used with each activity in order to gain and hold students attention, build language skills, and foster an increased comprehension of what is being said.

The classroom is part of the high school wing of the Country School. The module contains two classrooms connected by another room utilized by either class for time outs or quiet individual study. The classroom is arranged to create distinct functional work areas where all materials needed for specific activities are readily accessible.

Classroom Behavioral Goals

One of the primary goals of the room is that all individuals will treat each other with mutual respect. It is crucial that staff model this behavior.