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
My philosophy of classroom management is to allow students to be responsible for their own behavior at all times. I believe allowing students to be responsible for their behavior and actions allow them to have a sense of freedom. When students have freedom, they seem to be more successful and respectful. Classroom management is more successful when the class is student-centered. Students should be included in the planning of classroom rules, room arrangement, and communication should flow smoothly between teacher and student. Although the class is student-centered the teacher should be in control of the classroom. The teacher should know what is going on at all times, plan interesting and informative lessons, and be
At Arts-Based School I did my observation in Leni Fragakis’s third grade class. This was the first observation I had done since learning about instructional design. Since learning it, I now have a new way of observing, I pay more attention to the teacher; how she implemented the lessons, what strategies she uses, and the types of assessments she uses. This gives me a better experience because before I was just paying attention to what the students were doing and their part in the classroom and now I am paying attention to so much more. Even though it is important to watch the kids, I now also know how important it is to observe the teacher, too. I was also able to observe what I am learning in class be used in the classroom.
|Review a range of factors that may lead to behaviors that disrupt the learning environment |
Many elementary school teachers use fun activities to teach their students basic skills, such as: counting, ABC’s, and many other things. Students this young need activities to stay focus and many studies show that students who have activities along with their learning materials grasp the concepts better than a student with not activity or visual aid (“Kindergarten and Elementary school teachers.”).
If a teacher sent in a referral it was not addressed by administration if they had not contacted the parent first (there were issues that were classified as automatic office referrals). Teachers were also told that between class changes they were to be out and in the hallways. Duties had always been assigned; however the new administration walked around making sure that teachers were where they were supposed to be during their assigned times. This new expectation set the tone across the school very quickly. Each teacher has a 10 minute duty typically attached to the lunch period or the beginning/ending of the day. The school discipline policy has 3 levels of offenses. Level 1 is primarily classroom and hallway discipline issues. Level 2 includes offenses such as tobacco use violation, cussing a teacher, refusing to do as they are told, etc. these are automatic office referrals. Level 3 involves offenses that could have a student arrested or suspended. Data from last year does not show a decrease in discipline issues it actually shows a slight increase. The main reason for that is teachers were supported in handling discipline and they stopped turning a blind eye.
Initial thoughts: Ms. Rollison needs to understand that students behave differently which will require a different way to approach their behavior. In most cases, when a student is acting out it is due to something stressful they are experiencing. A young student does not communicate their wants and needs well, this causes them to express their emotion is not the best manner. When children need are not met they will misbehave more frequently. Therefore, Ms. Rollison will need to understand and have patience with the student because there is always a reason behind why the student is misbehaving.
My own class observation was for my 1st grade class. The art specialist was Benjamin Bragonier and lasted for one hour and thirty minutes. He was teaching the art lesson drawing with shapes (circles). The kids were instructed to make circles by just cutting corners only. They were also instructed to make circles by using black tip marker and going around and around until they got a good circle. The circles were matted onto tag board and circular designs were place into the bigger circles made by the students. The way that Mr. Bragonier showed the students the steps to the art lesson were truly impressive. He would give the students the direction for the first portion of the lesson at the carpet area and have them go back to their seats and
Although the hands-on learning approach requires a great deal of preparation time, once students have adjusted to the teaching method, the learning process becomes an enjoyable experience for both the teacher and the students (Berk, 1999). When teachers make use of hands-on activities to illustrate concepts in mathematics and science, students perform better on assessments in these subjects because their level of thinking and curiosity increase as a result of their active participation in the learning process (Wenglinsky, 2000).
I have heard that for many beginning teachers, classroom management can be one of the most challenging aspects of their new career. Knowing this, I decided to experiment with many classroom management approaches during my student teaching to find one that fit both my students and myself. Based on these experiences, I designed a classroom management plan that I will implement in my classroom as a beginning teacher. It is important to note, however, that my classroom management philosophy will be evolving as necessary as I gain more experience and insight into the field of teaching. Also, my classroom management plan may need to be altered to fit my specific group of students.
teachers; yet I feel prepared and excited to embark on this journey and test my theories in
Classroom management is a key element to establish a successful learning environment in any classroom. An effective classroom management plan creates a positive learning environment. Classroom management is affected by the characteristics of the students and their behavior. Students’ behavior is influenced by their age, academic abilities, goals, interests, and home backgrounds (Evertson, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006). Teachers need a diverse array of classroom management skills to facilitate learning. A classroom with a proper management plan will spend less time in disciplining and more time in learning. Students in effectively managed classrooms know and follow clearly defined rules and routines. A classroom management plan should provide
During my observation time in a kindergarten classroom, I have noticed that the students have a wide variety of abilities, attention spans, interests, and love for learning. When it comes to the teacher’s instructional strategies, she intentionally takes into consideration all of the above characteristics to make sure each student gets what they need to be most successful. During lessons students are engaged because of the teacher’s ability to implement interests of the student’s into things and giving them options. If an error occurs during a lesson, the teacher normally, allows for the student who got something wrong to try again, or to call on a friend to help them out. This way the students are still giving the answers and not the teacher just telling them the information. The teacher chooses a lot of small group instruction and centers where she can work with a small group, but then, easily monitor all the other groups to make sure they are on task and doing their work.
School discipline is to ensure that students and the campus staff are safe and peaceful. According to the U.S. Department of Education on Rethinking Discipline (2017), “Teachers and students deserve school environments that are safe, supportive, and conducive to teaching and learning.” The idea is to decrease bad behavior and school violence which will lead to fewer suspensions and expulsions. There are rules and limitations when it comes to student discipline; there are acts in which students can and must be disciplined. For examples, if a student quality’s for special needs some different guidelines protect them under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act’s (IDEA). Furthermore, the Education Code, Section 48900 was implied to discipline students who committed any wrongful doing such as attempting or threatening to physical harm another person. In the case f any wrongfulness, the student is forced to be disciplined by being suspended or expulsed from school.
Teaching as an art demonstrates ways in which the teacher may use creative ways to present the material so it is fun and interesting for his or her students. Some examples are games, “hands-on” activities, and/ or movies relating to the topics being covered. In The First Year, Genevieve DeBose gave disposable cameras to her students for a”getting to know each other” activity. The point of this activity was for her students to be creative and learn