As a teacher, writing a classroom management plan is a crucial aspect of ensuring a productive and positive learning environment for both you and your students. A well-designed classroom management plan can help you establish clear expectations and guidelines for behavior, which will ultimately lead to a more effective and enjoyable teaching experience for all.
Setting everything up for the start of the school year can be overwhelming. And it might be difficult to keep track of all the most essential classroom management strategies.
That’s where a good classroom management plan template comes in handy (and I assume that’s why you’re here!).
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Why is a Classroom Management Plan Important?
One of the primary benefits of a classroom management plan is that it allows you to establish consistency in your classroom. When you have a plan in place, you can make sure that you’re consistently reinforcing the same rules and expectations, which helps to minimize confusion and uncertainty among your students.
Another important reason to write a classroom management plan is that it helps to create a sense of structure and routine in your classroom. When students know what’s expected of them, they’re more likely to feel comfortable and at ease in the learning environment, which can ultimately lead to better academic performance and engagement.
Additionally, a classroom management plan can help you to build stronger relationships with your students. When you set clear expectations and guidelines (and you’re consistent & predictable in how you implement them), you’re showing your students that you care about their success and well-being. This can help to foster a sense of trust and respect between you and your students, which can ultimately lead to a more positive and productive learning environment.
Finally, a classroom management plan can help you to anticipate and prepare for potential issues or challenges that may arise in your classroom. By thinking ahead and outlining strategies for addressing difficult situations, you can feel more confident and prepared to handle anything that comes your way.
Writing a classroom management plan is an essential step for any teacher who wants to create a productive and positive learning environment. By establishing clear expectations, creating structure and routine, building stronger relationships, and preparing for potential challenges, you can set yourself and your students up for success.
What’s in a Classroom Management Plan?
A classroom management plan serves as a guide to help you create a positive and effective learning environment, promoting student engagement, learning, and well-being. And it’s a dynamic document that can be adjusted & revisited as needed.
Although there is flexibility in what teachers choose to put in a classroom management plan, effective plans should include five essential ingredients that generally promote better student behavior.
Effective classroom management plans should address:
- Maximizing structure and predictability
- Posting, teaching, reviewing, monitoring, and reinforcing expectations
- Actively engaging students in instruction
- Implementing a continuum of responses to acknowledge appropriate behavior
- Implementing a continuum of responses to inappropriate behavior
You can find a detailed guide to these five classroom management strategies, including video models and resources, right here at Limened:
Limened’s Classroom Management Plan Template
Our template is a practical, structured approach to classroom management planning with sections for each of the five foundational classroom practices and other important considerations. It’s fully customizable to your needs and can be accessed here as either a Google doc or Word document.
Features
The classroom management plan template is broken into sections and structured with prompts to support comprehensive thinking about behavior management in your classroom.
One key feature of the template is the built-in checklists throughout the document. These are clickable lists that include common considerations and evidence-based strategies. You can simply click on those you want to include. And there’s always space in a section below to further plan and describe your chosen strategies.
Resources
I’ve built in links to useful resources for every section of the classroom management plan, including helpful practice guides and briefs for all the built-in options for evidence based behavior strategies.
I’ll highlight here a few of the more substantial resources I’ve linked to help you think through major components of your plan.
Midwest PBIS
Midwest PBIS is a technical assistance center with a wide range of useful resources and training materials for implementing PBIS in schools. They also have a wealth of useful resources to support implementing classroom practices, including snapshots that give detailed guidance for each major classroom management strategy.
Turnaround for Children
Turnaround for Children offers very useful, evidence-informed tools for educators that are oriented toward a whole-child approach. Their whole child framework includes fostering supportive environments; developmental relationships; and knowledge, skill, and mindset building.
I especially appreciate their emphasis on the benefits of co-regulation and their practical co-regulation planning tools.
iBestt
iBestt from the University of Washington has an excellent resource library, which includes intervention guides, for student support teams and teachers aiming to support students with challenging behavior.
Classroom Check-Up
The Classroom Check-Up’s whole focus is supporting effective classroom management practices. They provide step-by-step guidance for specific strategies to support teachers, coaches, and administrators (for example).
Get the template here!
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Conclusion
With the right plan in place, teachers can manage their classrooms well and promote positive student behavior for all students. Even students with more challenging behavior are more likely to do better in a well-managed classroom. That said, some of them are still likely to still need additional behavior support. That’s where some low-intensity strategies, like providing choices or using behavior contracts, may be helpful next steps.
