Standard 5- Learning Environment/Classroom Management

Learning Environment/Classroom Management

In order to have an effective classroom where students feel safe to express themselves and learn it is important to build an environment where certain expectations are always the same. Having clear expectations allow students to feel comfortable with what is expected. It also creates a classroom environment where the day passes smoothly with little interruptions to the content learning. Having this type of environment will allow students to be engaged in what they are learning and be motivated to learn more.

To help keep my Kindergarten classroom running smoothly and to convey consistent expectations from the students I used a behavior chart that used green, yellow, and red cards. The students were given warnings each time they acted out in class and were made aware of the number of warnings they had received. When they reached their third warning their card was changed from green to yellow explaining that they had not followed their warnings and better behavior was expected. As a follow-up at the end of the day each student came-up to get their folder and together teacher and student would look at their card and talk about what letter that meant they got for conduct in the day. If students had a bad day that was discussed and the promise of a better day and a hug was given. Making sure that the day wrapped up in this way ensured that the students understood what happened that day in regards to their behavior, but they also knew that tomorrow 

was a new day, that I believed in them, and they controlled how things went in class.

Behavior Chart Process

·         Each student has a pocket on the behavior chart with three colored cards in it. The cards are a visual representation for the Kindergarten students to see how they are behaving during the school day. The green card means the student has 0-3 warnings. The yellow card means the student has 3-5 warnings. The red card means the student has 6 or more warnings.

·         When warnings are given a number of the warning is given to the student along with a brief explanation that they are been warned not to exhibit that behavior again. When a student reaches three warnings the card gets changed and the student witnesses the change. The same process occurs when a student reaches the sixth warning.  Occasionally if it was evident a certain student was having a bad day these were more lenient or the card was changed, but the student had the opportunity to work back up to a green card. 

·         Warnings are given when a student displays “undesirable” behavior. Examples include; refusal to stay seated during work time, not completing work, not following directions, talking/distracting others during quiet work, shouting out without being called on, etc. 

 Certain behaviors move a student’s card straight to red. Examples include; biting, hitting, yelling at the teacher or a peer, running, and throwing food in the cafeteria.  Other behaviors are at the teacher’s discretion. These behaviors are rare, but on occasion did occur. 

As students progress through grade levels and get older involving them in the grading process gives them a sense of responsibility and ownership of the work they are completing. In my 4^th grade placement I wanted to start fostering that responsibility and ownership. I wanted to get them thinking about what it means to evaluate their performance and reflect on what they did and what they could change. At the beginning of the ecosystem reading I explained that after they finished the t-chart each of them would fill out a paper about how they felt about the assignment and how well they felt they completed it. After they completed the reading activity I explained to them, in depth, how they would fill out the rubric and what I expected to see from each of them. I also explained that this would factor into their grade on the t-chart and they should be honest about their accomplishment. This would have been a better assessment and would have been better reflected on by the students had the day not been cut short by an unscheduled assembly. Because of this they rushed and spent little time actually reflecting, but it did get an initial reflection process introduced to them and I think that is what really was most important because they have never been exposed to this before. It also kept them motivated for future assignments and activities because they took greater ownership in their work.

Name:_________________________

Sciencesaurus Assessment

Self-Assessment of T-Chart:

Use this chart to reflect on how you understood the reading in your Sciencesaurus and how you completed your T-Chart. Use the “And I want to tell you” column to explain your answer to each.

	Not at all	Somewhat	Almost Always	And I want to tell you…
I understood the reading assignment.
I identified all 9 main ideas.
I identified the supporting details for each main idea.
I asked questions when I was confused.

Name:_________________________

Sciencesaurus Assessment

Self-Assessment of T-Chart:

Use this chart to reflect on how you understood the reading in your Sciencesaurus and how you completed your T-Chart. Use the “And I want to tell you” column to explain your answer to each.

	Not at all	Somewhat	Almost Always	And I want to tell you…
I understood the reading assignment.
I identified all 9 main ideas.
I identified the supporting details for each main idea.
I asked questions when I was confused.

One main component to a successful classroom is having a class is vested in their own success. Students also work harder and behavior better if they have responsibility and ownership of their own things. Whether this is their books, pencils, class work, or leading the line gives students a personal investment in the daily workings of the classroom. I accomplished this by having students grade their own work using the response rubric. Another main component to a successful classroom is having clear behavior expectations. The best way to establish this is by posting rules and talking about them early and often. When students know what behavior is expected in the class they are more likely to follow them. It is necessary to follow up on the rules and stop a student when they have not followed one so that student can correct his/herself and eventually self correct before the behavior occurs. I used a warning chart to establish this routine of expected behavior, but I also followed up with quick chats at the end of the day and expressed my belief that they could do better and we would do better together the next day.