Dylan Brooks-TWS 9-Fall 2013-Dr.

Gardner

Learning Environment
A. Classroom Management Creating a physically and emotionally safe learning environment begins with building a community between the students in the classroom. Beginning each day with facilitated interactions or a morning meeting is a great way for students to become comfortable with the teacher and their peers. It also allows them to practice social skills with the support of the teacher. The procedure for one of these meetings would start with a greeting. This would allow the students to greet one another before the day began and allow time for social interactions. Then second step would be for them to share whole-group. This could be what they did over the weekend or something important in their personal lives that they want to share. The third step would be for them to complete an activity. This could be an academic related activity or it could merely be an activity to get them warmed up for the day. For instance, the Melody Game could be used. In this game students go around in a circle making different sounds by clapping, stomping, snapping, etc. One student would begin the melody by making a single sound, and then the next student plays that sound and adds a sound after the original. So by the end the students are playing the entirety of the melody. The last step of the meeting would be a time for announcements from the teacher which could be that days schedule or other housekeeping things that need to be announced. These meetings would promote positive relationships between the students in the classroom and in result could increase the active participation of the students. Behavioral expectations in the classroom are an essential aspect of the safe learning environment. I would want my students to create and agree upon the classroom expectations/rules. This would give the students ownership over the expectations and they would be more likely to follow these expectations. I would prompt the students to think about how they should treat each other, how they should behave during instruction or transitions, and how they treat materials in the classroom. They should look similar to the following list: -Demonstrate self-control -Be honest with yourself and classmates -Be engaged in my learning so that my classmates and I can succeed -Respect my teacher and peers so that we all can participate The first response to student misbehavior would be to quietly issue a think card. This card informs the student that they are demonstrating behavior that is not acceptable, but is not disrupting the learning environment by calling the student out in front of his/her peers. The students will be aware that they will have a meeting with the teacher to discuss what they did and how they can correct this in the future. If the misbehavior continues after the think card is issued, then the student may have to practice the correct behavior. The student will be asked in the instance what is the appropriate expectation and then show the teacher what this would look like in the classroom. If the problem still continues after this, the student could be removed from the classroom to sit in anothers teachers classroom to practice correct expectations. The final consequence would be referral to the office and parent contact. -Think Card and discussion at recess -Classroom expectation practice -Practice in another teachers classroom -Office referral and parent contact The school-wide PBIS model requires teachers to reward positive behavior and to inform the student what they did correctly. This is used to reinforce the students good behavior and hopefully eradicates the negative behavior. I would further this protocol by having a classroom terrific kid at the end of each month. This would be determined by counting their reward (i.e. Sunny Money, StarBucks, etc.). This terrific kid would be allowed to switch their classroom job with another student. This would allow the student jobs in the classroom to circulate throughout the year.

Dylan Brooks-TWS 9-Fall 2013-Dr. Gardner

B. Non-Instructional Routines and Procedures At the beginning of the year, the students will create and agree upon the classroom expectations. The expectations will be practiced by the students for the first few weeks by demonstrating the expectation appropriately and inappropriately. This will allow the students to better understand how these expectations look in a classroom setting. The students would practice transitions between subjects, walking down the hall, lunchroom behavior, tornado/hurricane drills, etc. The consequences will also be thoroughly explained by the teacher if they choose not to make the right decision. Each day will start with the classroom morning meeting and some classroom issues could be addressed during this time while building the classroom community. Also at the beginning of the year the students will apply for the classroom jobs by describing why they would be a good choice for a particular classroom job. These jobs will include students to take care of the classroom pet, distribute materials, collect student work, sharpening pencils, lunch counter, line leader, chair stacker, carrying teacher clipboard, etc.