I. Observations
· Select 2 routines that you would like to carefully observe
and analyze
1) How do students take care of their papers?
- They turn their papers into a basket in the morning first thing when
they come in.
2) How are transitions from one subject to the next made?
- The class schedule is up on the board and the students are in a routine
to make a fairly quick transition on their own.
3) What do students do when they first arrive in the morning?
- They get their materials out to turn in from homework the night before
and converse with other students until class begins.
4) How do they line up and walk down the halls going to and from
places?
- The teacher directs the students to get a drink of water, wash their
hands, and line up by rows that are being the quietest.
5) How do students get ready to go home at the end of the day?
- They write down their homework assignment from the board onto their
assignment folder and raise their hands to have the teacher check over
their writing and initial. They then pack up and got their separate
ways to either line up in the hall for bus riders or car riders.
6) How do students “signal” they need help or want to contribute
to classroom discussions?
- They simply raise their hands.
7) How does the teacher signal for attention?
- He usually makes a comment like: Johnny is trying to talk,
One at a time, or may I have your attention?
8) How does independent and group work occur?
- It is scheduled by the teacher and is delved up mostly during reading
and writing workshop time.
9) How are housekeeping, clean-up, and storage procedures implemented?
- The students clean up their desk and surrounding areas. The
teacher then picks up any loose trash, pencils etc. off the floor.
10) How are communications with parents kept up with?
- There is an open door policy before and after class to talk with
him. Also, calls are made during planning time by the teacher as
the need arises. There is also a place to write in the student(s)
homework folder for the teacher and the parent(s) for each day to communicate.
Select two routines:
1) Homework folders
2) Money for good behavior/ Auction
II. Teacher interview
1) Why did you select these routines?
- I selected these two routines because they seem to work very well
and I plan to use them or some variation of these in my own classroom.
2) Talk to the teacher about how and why she/he does the routine
this way. Has she/he tried other ways? Why did they change?
- (Homework Folders): This method is very good indeed.
He has tried other variations of this method but, I feel that he has fine-tuned
this method. It allows the student to be responsible for his/her
homework by writing it down themselves and having the teacher initial it
before they leave each day. This keeps the student(s) accountable
for their own work and allows for no excuses. It also allows the
teacher and parent a valuable way to communicate by note(s) each day if
need be.
- (Money for good behavior/ Auction): I really like this method
of positive reinforcement because it lends itself to student self-monitoring.
It also can be a valuable method for a good math activity. The student(s)
are given play money when they do something right; good work, good behavior,
etc. Then, the student saves the money for a later time. There
are periodic auctions for various items such as books, candy, etc. with
various prices. The more money each student has, the more items they
can likely buy. This works great as it promotes good behavior by
allowing the students to bribed in a way.
3) What seems to make the routine go smoothly or not so smoothly?
- (Auction): It goes very smoothly because not only does it reinforce
the student receiving the money award, but it also reinforces the student(s)
around him/her because they want the money as well.
4) Would you use this routine in your classroom? Why
or why not?
- (Auction): As I mentioned before, I think this is a very valuable
and proven discipline method when it comes to rewarding good behavior.
I will definitely implement this method in my class to some extent because
it covers not only discipline but math and social studies competencies
as well. (No waste of class time)
Classroom Management System Assignment (Part II)
(Classroom Environment and Climate)
M. Derek Compton
Observations
1) What kinds of things do you notice about the learning environment?
- The environment of my class at Mabel Elementary is very structured
and precise
- The chairs are in rows and organized by tables of 3 to 4 people per
table
- The dry-erase board is up front and the blackboard is in the back
2) What kinds of things are on the walls and around the room?
- There are students projects everywhere depending on the subject with
every subject represented
- There are the class rules on the front wall laminated above the dry
erase board
- There are several interesting fact posters, and information everywhere
as well
3) What kinds of explicit and implicit messages are given to students
about the learning community in this class?
- (Explicit) The explicit messages that I feel the students get from
the room is one of structure and involvement from the amount of student
work and informational posters present
- (Implicit) The implicit message is one of involvement and importance
to a community of learners
Design of Room
1) Reading Area:
This area will have a library of books to read as well as 1 to 3 computers.
This area will be for reading by themselves and for computer work/ testing.
2) Seating Area:
The tables I like are octagon and are spaced out enough to allow movement
and lend themselves to cooperative learning and with enough space to allow
for more students to move in the area.
3) Teacher Area:
This area includes the teacher’s desk and filing system and should
be out of the way as not to distract the students.
4) Instructional Area:
This will be my area for individuals as well as groups of up to four
to do things such as science projects. Have one-on-one tutoring and
discipline problems.
5) Meeting Area:
This will be the relaxed area with a couch and rug where the class
can relax while doing work and the class can have an informal class meeting.
6) Boards:
The various different kinds of boards lend themselves to instruction,
class-work, posters, various projects, and students’ work for display.
Philosophy
1) In what ways does your philosophy about teaching and learning
and your leadership style influence the way you think about establishing
your classroom environment and climate?
I feel that structure is the most important and first thing that is
evidenced by my classroom design. Also, there needs to be a diverse
learning environment present to accommodate all students from social interaction
to individual attention. My leadership style is one of discipline
and
order with lots of patience and understanding in the needs of my class.
Grade Level
In what ways does what you know about students in that grade level
in terms of their physical, intellectual, emotional/social development
inform your planning for your classroom environment and climate?
1) Physical:
- The physical surrounding accommodates them with space and social
as well as individual places to retreat to.
2) Intellectual:
- The visualization of this classroom lends itself to visual, special,
and oratory learners throughout the room.
- The social constructivism is evidenced by working together in groups
of 4 - 8 per table.
- The individualism is evidenced by the special areas surrounding the
room for individualized instruction and development
3) Emotional/Social:
- The area of seating is a great place for social interaction and can
be changed or manipulated depending on the needs of the students.
- The meeting area is a great and comfortable place where everyone
can come together and have an equal say as well as retreat to relax and
do work under no stress.
Learning Community
Describe how you will begin to develop and build the learning community
in your classroom. Be specific and use examples to illustrate your
ideas.
1) I will start everyone off in their respective tables and groups
and monitor and change that as the year progressed.
2) I will start them on a routine of structure and discipline with
rewards for following class rules designed by the class.
3) I will structure the classroom to foster good behavior with positive
reinforcement being given to go to their area of choice for learning enrichment.
4) I will diversify my learning and the areas surrounding based on
the needs of the students