The Teachers Of The Teacher

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.

Begin teaching the song to the students, either by rote (echo one phrase at a time) or immersion (presenting the song in its entirety, repeatedly).

This would include everything from the way desks should be arranged and the order subjects are taught, to the type of activities given to enhance a lesson.  Planning of these things will help classroom management run much more smoothly.  Finally, classroom management requires consistency, particularly with discipline.  Inconsistent teachers who discipline only half of the time it is needed, send mixed messages to that child as well as to his/her classmates.  Teachers need to remember that following through with what they said helps the child remember that their undesirable behavior will not be tolerated and that there are consequences for their actions.  Consistency is a skill that teachers should make sure they have when they step into a classroom.  Flexibility, careful planning and consistency are key components, I think, that teachers would find helpful when dealing with classroom management.

I learned the day before my visit, Miss Suzy threw a pizza party for the children. The day of my visit they were going to make their own individual pizzas (I did not get to view that part of the day). I noticed that during circle time, two children seemed uninterested had wandered off. Miss Suzy did not do anything about it, she just let them be. I thought that was wrong of her because the two children were not being involved. The children could of already known what they were speaking about. If that was the case she should of given them some work to do. When circle time was over, Miss Suzy asked each child which part of the room they wanted to play in. Students chose dramatic play, arts and crafts, reading, and playing on the computer. Miss Suzy walked around each group asking them questions, expanding their imaginations. Morrison states "that teachers work with gingival children, small groups" (2003, p.232). Watching Miss Suzy, you can see she really enjoys what she does. She never once ignored a student who went up to her. She seemed genuily interested when the children shared stories with her. She always welcomed them with a hug when walking into the room in the morning to begin their day, and the children would come in running to hug her.

The k-1 class is very active with constant movement and interaction. The day started with a short parent guided meditation. Lexi doesn't usually participate in this classroom activity because it's too hard for to stay focused and

As a teacher himself, Kozol understands the demands of the classroom and conveys how very difficult it can be to simply manage a group of children, much less instruct with creativity and grace. One seemingly tireless young teacher wins Jonathan's heart with her joyful manner and, more specifically, gentle command of her students. He highlights a few beautiful moments in her classroom when she guides the children from growing distraction back into order and focus. At the first sign of chaos, Mrs. Gamble rises to her feet, lifts her hands to mime playing a flute, trills a little, and soon the children, too, have risen -- eyes on her, all improvising the flute section of an orchestra until their leader places the invisible instrument back into its case and silently glides back into the lesson. Spontaneity, creativity and an element of playfulness are elements that raise teaching to an art form.

This classroom was very organized and it did have a lot of things labeled. I recognized that the teacher had a lot of things in her classroom labeled. She had words like door on the door in the classroom. She used a lot of bright colors. I also recognized that the teacher did a lot of one-on-one with her students. For example, she did very small group activities and a lot of the activities consist of one-on-one activities. She allowed the children to experiment with the project. She stated that she like to have children to participate in morning discussion. This time allows her to introduce the new letter of the week. She believes that children learn a lot of literacy through song and dancing. The children would sing the songs as they played in the classroom. Some of them would dance to music.

One must look at classroom management as a plan for what procedures students will follow throughout the day. Teachers must understand their role in making sure students have a successful experience each day. Wong H. & Wong R., state “Effective teachers teach how to responsibly follow procedures” (2009, p. 165). To have a smooth-running classroom with minimal behaviors, students must be taught classroom procedures from the very first day. In my classroom we have procedures for many things we do each day. Some of these are arrival of children, snack time, lining up and walking down the hallway, and cleaning up centers. I have been teaching these procedures for many years with much success.

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

While observing Mrs. Cirrincione, I liked her classroom management skills. The students seemed to know what was expected of them at all times. Mrs. Cirrincione also connected much of the students’ lessons to their personal interests, which means she has taken the time to get to know each of her students. Mrs. Cirrincione pulled sticks throughout the day giving each student the opportunity to participate. Throughout several of the lessons, Mrs. Cirrincione would give the students helpful hints to remember the content. I struggle to remember new content, so I appreciate that Mrs. Cirrincione took the time to teach strategies to help the students

She had a drawer on her desk for substitutes. Posters with things like the scientific method, main idea, clocks, schedules, alphabet with words that start with each letter, and the current spelling words were all on the walls. The teacher would have the students “take pictures” of things on the board to remember for test. For oral discussions students would clap when other students got the correct answer. For reading there were three groups going at a time. The group at the table with the teacher, a group listening and following along, and a group reading to each other while timing the reading to improve speed. When the other class of students came in she continued the work because her class and the other class follow the same lessons. The students from the other class were very respectful toward her and her to them.

Throughout the lesson she would walk around and interact with the students to make should they were on task and understanding the assignment. She provided visual aids to assist in the lesson and allowed students to pair with each other in order to provide extra help. Students had to sit up straight in class and track the teacher while she was at the board during whole group instruction. One thing I really loved because its someshing I do in my classroom. All students were required to raise their hands when asked a respond to a question regarding the lesson.

The most important job for a teacher is to manage the classroom effectively. According to the article, “The Key to Classroom Management,” by Robert J. Marzano and Jana S. Marzano there are many strategies and the key to classroom management, which helps students to be academically successful. The keys to classroom management are a good relationship with students, be aware of high-needs students, and have appropriate levels of dominance and cooperation with the students to build positive classroom dynamics. According to S. Marzano and J. Marzano, “students cannot learn in a chaotic, poorly managed classroom.” I agree that students cannot learn in a poorly managed and chaotic classroom. Therefore, it is very important for teachers to have effective classroom management in order for students to be academically successful without any chaos or disruptive behavior so the class can run smoothly. I

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.

I believe teachers play multiple roles that extend beyond the classroom. They take classes continuously, attend professional development sessions, and research new approaches to learning on their own time. These are done with the purpose of expanding their knowledge in teaching and to ensure that the school day runs smoothly for the entire class. For example, Mrs. Shuffield spend her breaks researching videos to enhance her writing and science lessons. This week, she presented a rap video on photosynthesis to help students memorize facts about it. The children really enjoyed it and I could hear them singing it as they left the classroom.