Classroom Environment At Shannock Valley Elementary School Essay

During the months of September and October this semester I spent time at two different schools in four different classrooms. Being able to observe different classes and teachers at Westside Junior High and South Live Oak Elementary was a very new and exciting experience for me since I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences at these schools gave me a better insight into the differences between schools, classrooms, and teachers. The purpose of this field experience was to get 10 observation or tutoring hours in an elementary or junior high setting. I chose to observe a

To begin, over the course of this semester, I had the opportunity to conduct my history classroom observations at Sierra Vista High. This high school is a public school located in Baldwin Park and is part of the Baldwin Park Unified School District. Sierra Vista High School has a student population of 1,895 students. The student population consists of 90 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Asian, 3 percent Filipino, and 1 percent white. These demographics were shared by the vice principal of the high school. While I was at Sierra Vista High School, I was given the chance to analyze and observe three history teachers. Thus, in this paper I will discuss and share my experiences observing the

Union Hill Elementary School is embedded in an area of rich history in the City of Worcester. Their school building was built following the Civil War and has withstood the changes of time from its early years of a primarily Jewish Immigrant and merchant town to today’s urban neighborhood, rich in diversity but plagued with instability, crime and poverty. In March of 2010, Union Hill was identified as a Level IV School; it was a school that lacked structure with a chaotic environment with many deficits. There was a lack of supervision, schedule, standard-based curriculum, effective instruction and leadership. Most importantly, there was a lack of trust among the parents. They did not have the faith that Union Hill was going to give their children the best education possible. Under the supervision of new Principal Marie Morse, changes were made. There was a new level of commitment and passion among the school staff that drove them toward creating five areas of focus for the year:

It is important for a teacher to challenge disruptive behaviour immediately and consistently. I feel by trying to make lessons enjoyable and providing work that helps students to achieve minimizes disruptive behaviour. The use of good communication by the teacher can also be a useful tool. This includes the use of the voice, phrasing, eye contact and body language. For example, using an assertive tone when making a request or physically positioning yourself near disruptive students.

As it can be seen behaviorism is a major part of any classroom. For if one student acts out then the rest might get the idea that they can also act out in class and not receive punishment for it. It is also good to have a classroom management in place. Classroom management is also called behavior management. As it states in A Beginning Teaching Portfolio Handbook, “For these teachers, motivated students are those who do what they are told to do when they are told to do it.” (Foster,Walker,Song, pg. 99, para. 9) Which means when a

My classroom management philosophy is rooted in B.F. Skinner’s Behavior Modification theory. I believe that negative and positive reinforcements are a key aspect in classroom management. Providing reinforcement increases the probability that a desired behavior will occur, while undesired behaviors will stop because they are not being reinforced (Manning and Bucher 47). Students who are demonstrating unacceptable behaviors may even begin to change their behavior in hopes of gaining approval through reinforcement (Manning and Bucher 47). In particular, I advocate for this theory because it also serves as another way to continuously reiterate classroom expectations. Through daily dialogue in the classroom, students will be able to understand which behaviors are supported, acceptable, and encouraged and which behaviors are ignored, unacceptable, and discouraged. Continuously putting this into practice will foster a supportive classroom climate with clear expectations. Throughout my field experiences in Horry County, I have seen this strategy used with success. I believe that once I have established relationships with my students this will be the most effective course of action for modifying their misbehaviors.

Through the last two weeks I noticed some behavioral changes in my first grade class; to be more specific I noticed increased rate of violence, increased rate of conflicts, increased rate of complains from two students, increased rate of bulling and increased rate of crying and screaming.

I went to a private school my entire educational career, dressed in a uniform every day, and was expected to conduct myself in a certain manner. I am now a firm believer in conducting oneself in a certain way, however, it is important to understand that each student that steps foot into the classroom comes from somewhere different and has been in different situations. It is vital to know a brief background of each of your students and where they come from, and not to be out to change them but instead support their behavior. Things can be done to help each student, but placing them in a room together to serve time for their wrong doings is not going to solve anything. For example, if I come from a very heated family, where when we get mad we physically exert our anger, then come up with methods with that student to help he or she cope with their feelings.

Rhonda Haus started her career in the secondary school system where she has seen and been a part of many changes. She gave a unique perspective into Regina Public Schools and highlight the systems specific goals along with their successes and failures. Underlining it all was her message to put the students and to provide the best education for all kids. These goals were measurable and attainable. Kaylan Gazda spoke about the elementary school system and her experience in a variety of grades and schools. Her time in an experimental classroom and in another country provided many challenges. However, those challenges and obstacles made her a better teacher for her current job in a split classroom. Jordan McFarlan was able to provide insight in process of building a new program in a high school from the ground up. He was able to list challenges he faced and ways to respond to those challenges. Jesamy Unger presented what is was it is like to be a student taking education and the lessons she learned throughout her journey. She gave us useful advice for our field experiences and the tip that not everything you need to know about being a teacher will be taught in school. Every member of the panel highlighted you need to make relationships and networks with students, colleagues and even

During the Spring Semester of my sophomore year at The College of New Jersey, I was placed at Maurice Hawk Elementary School in West Windsor Plains Burrow for my practicum experience. My practicum partner, Gwen, and I were placed in Mrs. Jones’ 3rd grade classroom. This portfolio is an accumulation of different lessons and activities we observed and participated in, both in Mrs. Jones’ classroom as well as in other classes held at Maurice Hawk. The portfolio is just a snapshot of all we did and learned, but it serves as a reminder of various learning theories and application of teaching practices in a real classroom.

For the second practicum, I was asked to be engaged for fifty hours on several administrative activities. For this assignment, I completed the following five activities: (1) working on the parent, student, and teacher handbook, (2) pre-interviewing possible teacher candidates, (3) observing a safety meeting, (4) data analysis, and (5) participating in a board meeting. This segment of the paper will discuss these aforementioned activities along with a reflection on these activities.

The Framework for Teaching by Charlotte Danielson has been developed through research as a guideline for current and future teacher’s professional responsibilities in and out of the classroom. Districts throughout the country are using this framework to assess and guide their teachers to build successful methods of planning and preparations, setting up the classroom environment, instruction and professional responsibilities. Each of these domains builds off of each other to form a successful learning environment. Domain 3 focuses more specifically on instruction using communication, discussions, engagement, assessments and flexibility.

Myrtle Beach High School is located within Horry County in the city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The population of Myrtle Beach according to the Census Bureau was about 31,035 (Census). The population is mostly Caucasians (67.8%), but also consists of African Americans (13.9%), Hispanics (13.7%), mixed races (2.7%), Asians (1.5%), American Indians or Alaskan natives (0.7%), and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Natives (0.3%).(Census, 2010) The population in Myrtle Beach changes increasing during the spring and summer months and decreasing during the winter months.

I observed at five different schools this semester, each with its own distinct school culture and student body. In this paper I will discuss my ideal classroom within my ideal school. I will talk about how the schools I observed affected my choices for how I designed it. I will explain how my ideal school is in accordance with the 12 Dimensions of School Climate.

Classrooms are typically undesirable learning environments. Most classrooms can evoke negative emotions such as boredom, sadness, stress, and even anxiety. In grade school, high school, and sometimes college, it can be difficult for people to go to class and pay attention for long periods; most students end up daydreaming out the window or dozing off instead of focusing on the task. Teachers want their students to perform well academically, which is not as likely when students are not able to focus for long periods. Some high school classrooms can be extremely dull causing a student’s mood to become dreary therefore causing the student to lose focus. An alternative method to help elongate student’s attention span is with color.