Classroom Management And Motivation Plan

Classroom Management Plan Management Via Motivation and Mutual Respect Sean Patrick Nash Dual Credit Biology & Zoology • Benton High School • April 25, 2009

Table of Contents 1. Teacher - Student Relationships!

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a. Goal or student outcome: The students will...

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Action steps for teacher and target dates:

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Expectations for students:

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2. Student Responsibility!

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a. Goal or student outcome: The students will...

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Action steps for teacher and target dates:

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Expectations for students:

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3. Rules and Procedures!

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~ the devil’s in the details ~

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a. Goal or student outcome: The students will...

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Action steps for teacher and target dates:

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Expectations for students:

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4. Disciplinary Interventions!

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a. Goal or student outcome: The students will...

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Action steps for teacher and target dates:

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Expectations for students:

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5. Classroom organization/Cooperative learning/ Conducting Instruction!

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a. Goal or student outcome: The students will...

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Action steps for teacher and target dates:

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Expectations for students:

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APPENDIX WORKS CITED

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1. Teacher - Student Relationships A keystone to the other factors involved...

a. Goal or student outcome: The students will... Students will be important partners in creating a collaborative environment both within the classroom as well as outside of it, in online spaces we collectively own and operate. Students will also be active contributors to the classroom network, Principles of Biology at: http:/mwsu-bio101.ning.com. Online social networks are new interactive spaces and are classically the “turf” of younger generations. Interacting in these spaces in a professional manner is a powerful way to meet students in their world. b. Action steps for teacher and target dates: 1) Establish clear learning goals in both syllabus and on Principles of Biology website (Syllabus discussed on day one, and learning goals on POB website are ongoing throughout the year. 2) Support a constructivist approach to learning, in other words... connect to current student knowledge and skills, and allow choice within the larger curricular framework. (ongoing) 3) Do not be an “absentee landlord” on the classroom social network. The teacher must be an active participant on the site. If these online spaces are not nurtured, they will become simply a new way to “hand in homework.” (ongoing) 4) Display student work as both a model of solid performance as well as a positive affirmation for individual students (ongoing). c. Expectations for students: Students will actively contribute to developing and the pursuit of individual learning goals within the framework of the course curriculum. Students will respond to an open approach by actively choosing educational goals to meet. Students will be active contributors to our classroom network, not only in adding new content, but in commenting to their teacher and their peers. d. Supporting documents/resources: 1) Course syllabus: “PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY” (attached) 2) Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano, Chapter 4 “Teacher - Student Relationships.” 3) Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts and other Web Tools by Will Richardson. 4) Principles of Biology - classroom learning network on the Ning platform: http://mwsu-bio101.ning.com 5) Attached images: student work displays.

2. Student Responsibility Becoming a self-sufficient and responsible learner in our community...

a. Goal or student outcome: The students will... ...assume a share of the responsibility for the learning environment as well as learning goals for this course, and contribute to the creation of an openly constructivist learning environment that runs two directions as opposed to a top-down approach. My job is to identify “big picture” learning goals that address the curricular framework, and then spend the bulk of my energy inspiring students to take responsibility for bringing the learning to the classroom themselves as well as taking responsibility for their own study habits. b. Action steps for teacher and target dates: 1) Establish a set of collaborative classroom rules. Facilitate discussion on expectations with: “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” document on the first day. These expectations will be converted to classroom expectations (I hate the connotations behind the term: “rules.”) and recorded onto a single PowerPoint slide. This slide can be pulled out, copied and pasted onto the beginning of any slide show later in the year as needed- though it rarely ever is. (establish expectations on day one, and implementation is ongoing throughout the year) Of course, this process also goes a long way toward c. Expectations for students: Students will actively contribute to development of both student and teacher expectations on day one of the course. Students will generate expectations for a model student as well as a model teacher on the “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” document on the first day. Adherence to these expectations will be expected in both directions (student & teacher) throughout the year. d. Supporting documents/resources: 1) First day document: “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” (attached) 2) Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano, Chapter 6, pg. 76 3) Video conversation with Dr. Randy Sprick & Jim Knight of the Kansas Coaching Project: http://thebigfour.ning.com/video/engaging-students-in-classroom

3. Rules and Procedures Some things are just non-negotiable...

~ the devil’s in the details ~ a. Goal or student outcome: The students will... ...understand the difference between expectations, which are shared and developed collectively, and rules, procedures and policies which are generally created by the district and/of building level and modified and adhered to by me. b. Action steps for teacher and target dates: Create careful and specific list of non-negotiable rules and policies such as for grading practices, attendance, etc., to place on course syllabus under the section on “Miscellaneous policies, etc.” (first day of class, but used throughout the year). Also, list of course “expectations” mentioned in step #2 of this plan will be created in the first two days of class, and recorded for the remainder of the year as well. I tend to consider these things more as “expectations” as opposed to “rules” due to the collaborative nature of their creation. However, they are expectations of positive behavior by all learners in our classroom community. c. Expectations for students: Simple. Students will engage in a discussion of the policies section of this document on the first two days of class. Due to the non-negotiable of these rules and policies, this discussion is normally more about clarification than negotiation as in step #2 of this plan. d. Supporting documents/resources: 1) Course syllabus: “PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY” (attached) Particularly the section entitled: Miscellaneous policies, etc.” 2) Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano, Chapter 2 “Rules and Procedures” pg. 13. 3) Video interview between Dr. Randy Sprick and Jim Knight entitled: “Classroom expectations,” found at: http://thebigfour.ning.com/video/classroom-expectations

4. Disciplinary Interventions The “last resort” when the other four elements do not produce...

a. Goal or student outcome: The students will... ...be aware of the difference between working within collaborative expectations and the types of behavior that warrant referrals beyond the four walls of our classroom. Once level four on this series of steps is reached, disciplinary intervention will be handled by building administration as per student/teacher handbook. b. Action steps for teacher and target dates: Disciplinary interventions are those things which happen when all of the other elements of management and motivation do not produce results. IYou will notice the escalation in severity as you move down this list. I do not print this lis tin DC credit biology as it has never been needed and is technically in the student handbook. Therefore, I am using a copy of the Zoology syllabus, and particularly the last page and section about resolving conflict. When student behavior is extreme enough to require intervention formal intervention, these interventions will generally be followed in numerical order as follows and will be ongoing throughout the school year: 1) Student-Teacher conference 2) Morning detention with teacher 3) Parent-teacher or parent-teacher-student conference 4) Referral to disciplinary administration c. Expectations for students: Students will become aware of this list of interventions on day one of class. At this point, interactions are fairly black and white. Students will respond to these increasingly invasive steps as they are warranted. d. Supporting documents/resources: 1) Course syllabus: “*Zoology” (attached) Particularly the final section. 2) Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano, Chapter 3 “Disciplinary Interventions” pg. 27. 3) Video interview between Dr. Randy Sprick and Jim Knight entitled: “Correcting behavior - groups of students,” found at: http://thebigfour.ning.com/video/correcting-behavior-groups-of

5. Classroom organization/ Cooperative learning/ Conducting Instruction Building a constructivist environment for all in a cooperative and scaffolded way...

a. Goal or student outcome: The students will... ...interact as partners in the learning experiences within our classroom. b. Action steps for teacher and target dates: 1) Build and maintain a classroom setup that helps to foster collaborative, constructivist work. (completed) Student knowledge in my room should be student and group-generated as much as can be possible. 2) Both the classroom setup as well as the instructional strategies employed in my classroom are designed to allow maximum discussion and discourse both in the classroom as well as outside of it in online spaces. Philosophy for classroom instructional framework is briefly outlined in page 6 of 7 in the Honors Zoology curriculum outline (attached). A similar document will now be presented for Dual-Credit Biology as well. (first two days of school) c. Expectations for students: Student will rise to the challenge of being active participants in their own learning goals within the framework of the course goals handed down by MWSU and our district. Students will generally go through a bit of an adjustment period where they adapt to not being spoon-fed. I, myself, will have to adapt to this fact by realizing that students are not always ready for such ownership. However, based on past performance, the vast majority adapt enthusiastically within a few weeks. d. Supporting documents/resources: 1) Attached images: classroom setup featuring six group tables. There are no individual desks in my room. Laptop carts that help to move student learning into a self-owned realm as opposed to being slaves to a textbook. 2) Classroom Management That Works by Robert Marzano, Chapter 2 “Rules and Procedures” pg. 13. 3) Honors Zoology curriculum page 6 on “gradual release” (attached).

APPENDIX Supporting documents follow:

*PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY course syllabus *GETTING TO KNOW YOU document *ZOOLOGY course syllabus *CLASSROOM DESIGN IMAGES

August 27, 2008

PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY

“Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

A collaborative effort linking MWSU

and Benton High School via dual-credit biology Instructor: Sean Patrick Nash

Welcome to Principles of Biology. This course is offered with the cooperation of MWSU, and successful completion of the course will be worth 5 credits for Biology 101 at Western. A grade of “B” or higher could also be used in place of Biology 111. I am excited to be your instructor for this course. There are many really good minds involved in the frequent updates to this course. Therefore, you can expect a very up-to-date experience in biology this year. As a graduate of MWSU, and a Biology major, I am very proud to be involved in this endeavor. One of the major reasons I am behind this program is the inquiry-based philosophy of the course. Most of the lab investiga-

tions within the class will be fullblown open inquiry within a field of study. The approach closely follows what is know as a learning cycle approach. This essentially means that you will play a direct role as principle researcher toward questions you wish to answer at least five times during the course of the year. We will briefly examine the philosophy behind this approach within our first week together. For this and other reasons, it should be an interesting and fun class for all of us. Principles of Biology is a course that requires in-depth study and reflection. In a one-year university-level biology course you may learn as many or more words than if you were to take a foreign

language course in the same time period. Obviously, there is just too much to remember without taking the time to study. Be prepared to plan your study schedule so that you can review important ideas and concepts, read your book, and examine online supplements for a small amount of time each day. You will find out in the first two weeks that this class will incorporate many different types of learning activities such as: handson labs, demonstrations, one-toone laptop computing activities, online social networking, cooperative learning, interactive lecture and large group discussion, journal activities, current science reading and original biological research.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY August 27, 2008

Online social networking: taking the study of biology into an online community

“Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the venture: “science.”

Instructor: Each and every one of us

Throughout the course of this year, we will be utilizing many emerging web technologies to both broaden and deepen our experience in this class. Educational social networking, blogging and podcasting are tools that are beginning to show great promise in schools across the country. Our class will heavily use a web communications tool for networking between members of our class as well as with MWSU from time to time. The URL for this site is: http://mwsu-bio101.ning.com As soon as possible, you will need to navigate to this site and request access online by filling out a profile. You will be asked many questions designed to let others get to know a bit about you as a person away from school. Also, in completing your profile, you will be asked several questions about class rank, test scores, etc. All responses to questions such as these are completely passwordprotected and viewable only by your instructor. These questions will also be marked with a lock to indicate highest security for this information. I take your privacy seriously, and I will help you to do the same for yourself. There are few places within our educational system today where students receive any instruction on issues and ethics in the use of Internet technology. In using these tools heavily to deliver this course for you, I feel that it is my mission to bring you up to speed on current issues concerning Internet privacy and safety.

Edwin Powell Hubble

While this networking site will feel very much like Facebook or MySpace in daily use, it differs in two crucial ways. First, our networking site is contentfocused in the field of biology. Therefore, it is highly social, and yet focused on academics, bringing together the best of both worlds. Access and security to our site is also managed by your instructor, not by someone you don’t know from halfway around the world. Online discussion forums concerning key course concepts and the use of weblogs (blogging) as a new genre of connective writing are important core features of our course network. You will find that much of your work in this class

will transfer relatively easily to a digital portfolio which can then travel with you throughout your future studies. Your connection to the learning process is a huge personal goal of mine. I will not be satisfied if this course is anything less than the most relevant and rigorous experience for all of us involved. Overall, I think you will find that this online hub for study throughout the course will greatly enhance collaboration between all involved. I have a deepseated belief that this approach will bring us all together with a stronger sense of community and the awareness that comes along with genuine personal growth.

Classroom Resources: beyond the book

My version of this course is also designed to introduce basic information literacy, especially within the field of biology. There is a sea of free resources for use on the Internet. More than ever before, classrooms of the 21st Century should assist students in making smart, ethical decisions about the body of knowledge available to them via emerging technologies. Navigating the “information superhighway” is a big task, but with smart and simple guidelines, it is certainly manageable. Of course, other print resources as well as in-the-flesh guest speakers, will also provide us with a rich and wellrounded experience.

Instructor: Others throughout the globe

John Dewey: “Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not a preparation for life but is life itself.”

The major topics in the course will be covered by the ESSENTIAL BIOLOGY text by Campbell, Reese & Simon, as well as a multitude of other supplementary sources. Your textbook will also be accessible to you online throughout this course. The online resource package will provide you with access to a large body of multimedia as well. These are things that go beyond the two-dimensional nature of the traditional textbook.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY August 27, 2008

Miscellaneous policies, etc. the devil’s in the details You have been waiting to ask about...

Although many different types of activities will be used to assess your grade, the grading and grade scale will remain consistent throughout. Approximately 50% of the quarter and semester grades will rest with exams and daily quiz scores. Another 40% will depend directly on lab reports, online projects, and other away-from-the-classroom, authentic tasks, leaving the final 10% to be covered by brief daily journal writing assignments. Therefore, even if you are not the world’s best at high-stakes exams, with hard work you can ultimately succeed in this class. The course will feature approximately eight summative exams throughout the year. Smaller quizzes will be used on a nearly daily basis to hold each of us accountable for learning. Most importantly, however, these quizzes will serve as an important gauge on how the teaching/learning process is proceeding. Student data from these assessments is used to adjust instruction on a daily basis. Any make up arrangements for exams or quizzes should be done prior to missing the exam for school business. In the event of a missed exam due to an emergency, the exam or quiz must be taken on the first day back in class. This will not be a problem once we become accustomed to the mindset of frequent, formative assessment. It is also important to realize that your work will be assessed both independently as well as collaboratively. This instructional decision was not determined haphazardly. A high grade in this course is essentially a guarantee of independent mastery of key concepts and skills in biology. However, our world is an increasingly complex place, making effective collaboration also an essential outcome in any reputable system of learning in 2008. Your final score for the course will be calculated on a very simple percentage basis as follows: •A = 90% - 100% •B = 80% - 89% •C = 70% - 79% •D = 60% - 69% •F = <60% Our textbook is entitled: ESSENTIAL BIOLOGY (with physiology) by Campbell, Reece and Simon. The online version of the text with multimedia supplements and study tools can be found by navigating to www.campbellbiology.com and selecting the icon for the textbook identical to ours. General topics of study for Principles of Biology: •Biology today •Nature of Science

•Taxonomy •Chemistry •Cellular structure & function •Cellular energetics •Cellular cycles •Molecular genetics •Population genetics •Biological evolution •Homeostasis •Human reproduction & development •Ecology One final note:

I am not just your teacher during this period. I am here to help you to grow and succeed in any way I can. If you have questions or concerns please feel free to share them with me before or after school. I am always at school around 7:00am, and stay at least until around 4:00pm. As an instructional coach as well at Benton, I am often found throughout the building. However, I do have an office/staff development room on 3rd floor, room #305. Contact me via e-mail at: [email protected] or via Twitter, username: “nashworld.” Parents, also feel free to use these methods of communication as well as by phone during the day at 816-671-4030. I look forward to working with you during this coming school year and in supporting you as you begin your collegiate-level studies.

Sean P. Nash

Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species, nor the most intelligent that survives, it is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

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http://mwsu-bio101.ning.com

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NAME: _______________________________________________________ NAME YOU LIKE TO BE CALLED: ______________________________________ E-MAIL ADDRESS (please print clearly): ______________________________________ PARENT/GUARDIAN NAME(s): ________________________________________ MIDDLE SCHOOL -or- HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHERS: ______________________________ WHAT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES MIGHT YOU PARTICIPATE IN? (sports, band, theater, clubs, etc.)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME AWAY FROM SCHOOL? (hobbies, interests, etc.)

TO THIS DATE, WHAT CLASS/SUBJECT DO YOU DO YOUR BEST WORK IN? Why do you think that is?

LIST THREE ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD TEACHER. Then, in your opinion, circle the most important of the three: ________________________ _________________________ _______________________ LIST THREE ATTRIBUTES OF A GOOD STUDENT: Then, in your opinion, circle the most important of the three: ________________________ _________________________ _______________________

WHAT IS THE BEST MOVIE YOU SAW THIS PAST SUMMER? Why?

WHAT ARE THE NAMES (artist/title/etc.) OF THE LAST THREE CDs YOU PURCHASED?

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Is this glass… half empty or half full? (circle one) & explain why in the space below:

ANY OTHER IMPORTANT CLOSING THOUGHTS, IDEAS, THINGS I SHOULD KNOW AS YOUR TEACHER???

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*Zoology Instructors: Mr. Sean Nash Room 307 [email protected]

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” - Charles Darwin The Scientific Study of the Animal Kingdom

Scientific Inquiry How is research conducted in zoology? How can I use scientific tools & methods to find answers to my questions about animals?

Comparative Anatomy What similarities exist between different members of the animal kingdom? What do the differences between the wing of a bat and the wing of a bird reveal about their history?

Course Description

Evolution How does a population adapt to changes in its environment? What factors drive the evolution of a species?

Classification What makes an organism an “animal?” Is a hawk more closely related to a human or a dinosaur? How do we know?

Subphylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates) Class: Agnatha (jawless fishes) Class: Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fishes) Class: Osteichthyes (bony fishes) Class: Amphibia (amphibians) Class: Reptilia (reptiles) Class: Aves (birds) Class: Mammalia (mammals)

Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year and ZOOLOGY in particular. This class is one year in length, and it will cover many aspects of the science of animals. It is designed to be an in-depth, challenging The above topics will be covered by the course. Specific areas of study will inMODERN BIOLOGY text by Holt and clude: several other supplementary sources. ANIMALIA SYSTEMATICS Your textbook will also be accessible to Phylum: Porifera (sponges) you online throughout this course. This Phylum: Cnidaria (corals, anemones, jellymeans that if you have internet access at fish, etc…) home, you may not need to lug this text Phylum: Ctenophora (comb jellies) home! The course is also lab and activity Phylum: Platyhelminthes (flatworms)Phyintensive. For this and other reasons, it lum: Nematoda (roundworms) Phylum: Annelida (segmented worms)Physhould be an interesting and fun class for lum: Molluska (mollusks) all who are enrolled. Phylum: Arthropoda (primarily crustacea)Phylum: Echinodermata (echinoderms)Phylum: Chordata (chordates) Subphylum: Urochordata (tunicates)Subphylum: Cephalochordata (amphioxus)

However, this is a subject that REQUIRES you to study. In a one-year biology course you may learn as many or more

Animal Interactions How do animals depend upon other animals? What is the difference between predator and prey? Is having a parasite always “bad?”

Animal Behavior How does an animal’s behavior affect its survival and chances of reproduction? What is a “social” animal? How does reproduction affect behavior?

words than if you were to take a foreign language course in the same time period. Obviously, there is just too much to remember without taking the time to study. Be prepared to plan your study schedule so that you can review important ideas and concepts, read your book, and memorize definitions for a small amount of time EACH DAY. This is much favorable to really fouling your time up before due dates by cramming to get everything in! You will find out in the first two weeks that this class will incorporate many different types of learning activities such as: hands-on labs, dissection labs, demonstrations, one-to-one laptop computing activities, cooperative learning, lecture and large group discussion, video lessons, library research, journal activities, and current science readings.

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Biodiversity is the greatest treasure we have... Its diminishment is to be prevented at all cost. ~Thomas Eisner, Chemical Ecologist As stated above, a key component of this course is the utilization of dissection as a tool to understand the complex systems of living things and to see how they all relate to one another. It is IMPERATIVE that you participate in these labs. However, some students always will choose to be the group member who “looks” and “observes” while another might actually do the “true” dissection work. I have NO problem with this whatsoever. Along with each dissection, there are many types of data that will need to be collected, and then recorded. It would not make really good sense for the person holding the “scalpel” to have to also operate the “pen”… right? It is important for all of us to remember that these are NOT wild animals that were cap-

tured in the natural environment and killed. EVERY specimen that we will study this year comes from a biological supply company that is in the business of raising specimens specifically for laboratory and research use. Each animal has also been carefully euthanized in the most humane way possible. Although many different types of activities will be used to assess your grade, the grading and grade scale will remain consistent throughout. Approximately 50% of the quarter and semester grades will rely on tests and daily quiz scores. Another 40% will depend directly on homework and lab reports and participation, leaving the final 10% to be covered by daily journal

writing assignments. Therefore, even if you are not the world’s best test-taker, with hard work you can ultimately succeed in this class. Sometime in the first few days you will need to obtain a 3 ring binder to be used for this class only. This should be reserved for ZOOLOGY only.

2) Morning detention with teacher 3) Parent-teacher or parentteacher-student conference 4) Referral to disciplinary administration * ONE LAST NOTE *

I am not just your teacher during this period. I am here During the first day or two we to help you in any way I can. will be forming and discussing If you have questions or classroom conduct rules to be concerns please feel free to followed by all of us. These share them with me before or are things which will make after school. I am always at our jobs as student and school before 7:00am, and teacher go as smoothly as posother than during wrestling sible. These rules will be season, I am almost always posted during the first week. available for help after school. Should some type of a conflict arise the following plan of action will be followed in numerical fashion in order to resolve it: 1) Student-Teacher conference

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WORKS CITED

Marzano, Robert. “Classroom Management That Works.” Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003 Knight, “Coaching Classroom Management.” Sprick, Randy. “Video Interview Series with Jim Knight on Effective Classroom Management.” http://thebigfour.ning.com/video/video/listTagged?tag=management , 2009 Nash, Sean. Personal and original documents and images related to classroom management and motivation, 2009