Inquiry into Student Learning

Everyone has their own philosophy and their own beliefs on how they want to
teacher their students. As I think about my own philosophy, I realized that it has
become clearer throughout the past couple months. I strongly believe that as a
future educator, that teachers should not dehumanize students at any time.
Teachers also have the responsibility to make sure we teach our students with
respect and to make our students feel welcomed. Many times teachers take out
their stress on their students without realizing it. This can cause the students to act
out, hate going to school or to just want to give up because they feel as if they don't
have anyone supporting them or encouraging them to succeed. I plan on making
sure my students feel welcomed in my classroom and that their opinion is valued. I
want to build and maintain a strong student-teacher relationship with my students
to reduce discipline problems and to achieve positive academic gains. This is
exactly what my cooperating teacher (CT) has done in her classroom with her
students. According to Levin and Nolan, A teacher who maintains a positive studentteacher relationship has high expectations and holds their students accountable for
meeting them. My CT makes sure she says good morning to every student when
they walk into the classroom and she says goodbye to every student when it is time
to go home. She gives the students plenty of opportunities for them to share their
opinions or thoughts and I constantly hear students say how much fun they have in
her classroom. My CT has created a special bond with her students that allows her
to be stern but they still feel comfortable going to her if they need help. This is how
I plan on treating my own students when I have my own classroom.
When it comes to classroom management, I want to minimize the behaviors that
hinder learning for all my students, while maximizing the behaviors that help and

enhance learning. Although many teachers disagree, Ive found that the clip system
works very well with younger students. In my Collaborating teachers classroom,
she uses this system and it helps minimize the bad behavior and encourages
students to behave in order to move up the chart. I also would like to reward my
students with good behavior by giving them money to buy things in their class
store. In this store, I plan on having toys, fun educational items, candy and coupons
such as sit with a buddy, bring a stuffed animal to school, eat lunch with a buddy in
the classroom and eat lunch with a teacher. I also feel that I relate to Albert's
cooperative discipline. I feel this because I want all my students to feel as if they
belong in my classroom and that their opinion is valued. I also want my students to
help me establish my conduct code or rules. At the beginning of the semester I
agreed that students should not be able to choose their own rules for my classroom,
however, I no longer feel this way. I want to be able to meet my students needs so
that they want to cooperate with not only myself, but with others in the classroom.
One quote that stood out to me from the article is, "Teachers can only influence
student behavior; they cannot directly control it." As a future teacher, I want to
influence my students to behave appropriately in my classroom, not tell them how
they should behave. Although Albert's model is very collaborative and the
reward/coercive authority is very teacher-directed, I feel that I can combine the two
to fit my beliefs. For example, when it comes to student behavior, I want my student
to help establish the code of conduct or the rules and if they follow them, then they
will be rewarded with classroom bucks.
My CTs classroom is arranged a little different than most of the classrooms I
have been in. She has three students at each table and the tables are in the shape
of a U, which makes it much easier to not only see all the students, but also to

move around the classroom (seating chart blog URL here). According to Levin and
Nolan (2005), it says an effective seating arrangement allows the teacher to be in
close proximity to all students. (P.153) The classroom environment is very inviting
and helpful for the students. My Collaborating Teacher has the alphabet on a wall,
numbers 1-10, sight words, the colors, and a calendar for the students to look at as
a resource for students to use during class time. Anytime the students get stuck
while they are working, all they have to do is look at one of the walls to better
facilitate their learning needs. The classroom has several rugs in the classroom for
the students to sit on as they read. Ive noticed that the classroom is never too cold
or too hot and there are hardly any behavior problems in her classroom. I feel that
the arrangement of my CTs classroom helps the students feel comfortable and
helps them learn better. The classroom was arranged to best fit the students needs
and interests. My CT has strategically arranged the students that struggle up front
so it is easier for her to help them. She also has a stronger student sitting next to
the struggling student.
There are many different learners in my CTs classroom. Some of her students
are experiencing school for the first time and some are experiencing kindergarten
for the second time. There are two students who are pulled out for speech every
day and one student who is pulled out at the end of the day for extra help. Some
students need more help than others and some are always model students. Every
student in my collaborating teachers classroom is unique in their own way. These
students also impact the way my CT structures her classroom environment and her
instruction. In order to meet every students needs, she makes sure that the
classroom is set up to benefit every student. She has the below level students
sitting with the above level students. This is because she wants the above level

students to help and encourage the below level students to complete their work. My
CT also has these below level students at the front of the classroom so that she can
make sure they are understanding the material she is teaching. She has arranged
their seating this way for the carpet as well since she does most of her lessons
there. The environment of the classroom is very welcoming and it is decorated with
the students work throughout the entire room. The students tables are arranged
where the students can easily walk around and the students can easily find my CT
when they need her. My collaborating teacher also has 6 drawer bins next to each
table group to keep their folders and notebooks all in one spot. This makes it easier
for the students to access and it also eliminates the number of things the students
have to carry in their backpacks to and from school.
There are several classroom rules and procedures that the students in my
CTs classroom are expected to follow. Although the students did not help my CT
come up with these rules, the students still signed their name on the Classroom
Rules poster agreeing that they were notified of the rules and they will follow them.
If a student breaks one of those rules or does not follow the correct procedure, then
my CT simply tells that student to move their behavior clip down. At the end of the
day, my CT and I mark what color each student is on in their agendas so their
parents are informed on whether they were behaving or misbehaving. Just from
observing the students and disciplining them when needed, Ive learned that the
clip system works very well for this group of students. When the students get
moved down to a warning color, I can see their behavior improving so they can
move their clip up before going home. Ive also noticed that when the students see
other students moving their clips up, it motivates them to behave so they can move
their clips up as well. According to Levin and Nolan, this is considered a

consequence if they are misbehaving. In our text, Principles of Classroom

Management, it states Some teachers believe that sharing potential consequences
helps students live up to teacher expectations. (p. 160) By observing and teaching
these students, I think that informing them of the consequences, encourages them
to act the way they are supposed to. The chart system keeps the students on track
by rewarding them for behaving appropriate and punishing them when needed. My
CT also assigns classroom jobs to the students to teach them responsibility. Each
month she changes the jobs so that every student is given the chance to be
responsible for a job. The jobs include: calendar helper, lights helper, outside
equipment, dismissing from the carpet, the DJ, runners, door holder and line
leader.
FEAPS 2:
a. Organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and
attention;
My collaborating teachers classroom is organized so that students tables are in the
shape of an U and there are two to three students at each table. This makes it
easier for my CT and myself to help more than one student at a time and to make
sure all the students are staying on task. Each table has a storage bin with 6
drawers that are used to organize the students materials that are used throughout
the day, such as writing folders, math notebooks, poetry notebooks, science
notebooks, and daily five folders. The classroom arrangement is organized,
allocated, and managed so that students can easily access their daily materials, ask
a buddy for help before asking the teacher, and asking for assistance from my
collaborating teacher or myself. Also, by having all their materials in the storage

bin, it saves transition time because the students dont have to rush to their
backpacks to retrieve their materials.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/seating-chart-connect-and-reflect-blog
By using several attention getting strategies, I am able to make sure my students
are not wasting learning time, and my lessons are organized and not chaotic. By
simple saying Flat tire, the student know to turn their attention towards me or my
CT to listen for instructions.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/trying-an-attention-getting-strategy
b. Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned
management system;
I practice managing classroom behavior every day in my internship classroom more
than anything because I am in kindergarten, but one way I practice is by lining the
students up for lunch and for recess. As I said in my lining up connect and reflect
blog, I use a well-planned management system by calling the student to line up in
small groups. I also make sure I tell the student that their voices should be at a
level zero. Then to motivate the students to stay quiet, I pick a secret student to
watch while we are walking in the halls. If that specific student behaves the way
they should, then I allow them to move their clip up when we get back to the
classroom.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/line-up-connect-and-reflect-blog
c. Conveys high expectations to all students;
In this blog, I demonstrated how my CT and myself convey high expectations for all
of the students. Although some students go to other classrooms for most of the day

because they need the extra help with math or reading, when I do my lessons, I
expect them to do the same work as all the other students even if they need me to
help them a little more.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/blog/behavior-in-the-classroom
Another way I demonstrated high expectations to all students is when the students
are lining up. The students know that my collaborating teacher and I expect for
every student to remain at a level zero voice throughout the hall way and the
students should act appropriately in the halls. They are also expected to line up in
ABC order based on their last name.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/line-up-connect-and-reflect-blog
d. Respects students cultural linguistic and family background;
In order to be a successful teacher, I strongly believe that we should know our
students background and the community that they live in. To demonstrate this, I
conducted a community search to find out where the students in my CT's classroom
live and the community that surrounds the school I am interning at.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-blog/community-project-reflection
Also, during my experience at the Boys and Girls Club, I was able to get to know the
students on a more personal level as well as connect my experience with these
students to the weekly readings we were assigned to read. Through the readings
and my experience, I became more aware of cultural and family background inside
and outside of the classroom.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/alternative-experience-blog/week-3-blog

http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/morning-routine-connect-and-reflect-blog4
e. Models clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills;
To model clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills, I made visual
aids/ examples for my lessons. I made these so my students were clear on what I
expected them to do. For this lesson, I taught them about idioms. For the activity,
they were supposed to pick out their favorite idiom but they could not tell anyone
what idiom they chose. Before they chose their idiom, I went over a list of them and
explain what each one means. They folded a piece of paper in half to make a
booklet. Then I had them illustrate their idiom on the front of the booklet and inside
they had to write the idiom and the hidden meaning. When everyone was finished,
each student showed the class their picture and the class had to guess what idiom
they picked.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/blog/teaching-idioms
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/internship-blog/connective-lesson-reflection
f. Maintains a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness, and support;
In order to maintain a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness and support I decided
to choose one student from my CT class to focus on. I focused on what this student
struggles with and how I can support him to succeed. This is a picture of some of
the evidence I collected over the weeks on my focus student. I also have written
about him in these blogs.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/internship-blog/helping-josh
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/internship-blog/my-focus-student

http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/morning-routine-connect-and-reflect-blog4
g. Integrates current information and communication technologies;
In this lesson, I incorporated technology to help better the overall instruction of my
lesson. By incorporating the app Plicker, I was able to teach the students a short
math review on two and three digit multiplication and long division problems to
prepare them for their math test. By using Plicker I was able to collect their answers
to each question and see who answered them correctly or incorrectly. This showed
me who still needed help and who mastered the material.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-blog/technology-infused-lesson-and-reflection
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/internship-blog/reflect-and-connect-blog-2
h. Adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs
and diversity of students; and
When I plan my lessons, I try to think about all my students and their needs. Some
students need more help than others. Below is a link to one of the assignments I
had my students do after I taught them their vocabulary words. In the picture, I
drew lines on the students foldable to help him write straight and legible. He has
very bad handwriting and most of the time my CT and myself can not read what he
wrote. In this blog, I uploaded a picture of the foldable I made for him.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-blog/differentiating-instruction
During my experience at the Boys and Girls Club, I was able to pay more attention
to the students interests and I was able to incorporate these interests into different
activities that I did with them each week. I also created a lesson plan where I was

able to differentiate my instruction based on the students interests and there

different needs.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/evidence/differentiated-lesson-plan

Last year I was given the chance to create a lesson using technology and the app I
decided to use was Plicker. By using plicker, I was accommodating the differing
learning needs since most students enjoy anything that involves technology.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/internship-blog/reflect-and-connect-blog-2

i. Utilizes current and emerging assistive technologies that enable

students to participate in high-quality communication interactions and
achieve their educational goals.
The classroom is set up in a way so that my CT can have mixed ability groups. She
made sure that the students are sitting with other students who will be able to help
them if they need help. She also uses green, yellow, and red cubes to determine if
they need help or if they understand what they are supposed to be doing.
http://jilliancampos.weebly.com/ede-4504/seating-chart-connect-and-reflect-blog

Final Paragraph
The facilitation of the learning environment impacts the learners in my
classroom tremendously. I am ultimately in charge of how smooth the day goes by
managing the classroom as well as making sure our time and space is used wisely. If

I spend too much time on one subject, then I might not have time to teach another
subject later in the day. Also, if I allow bad behavior to go on in my classroom, then I
am allowing students to disrupt their classmates. As the teacher, I need to make
sure my management skills of the classroom and the environment of the classroom
will improve my students learning not hinder it.
My actions in the classroom affect how my students meet the objectives, both
socially and academically, by the way I teach my lessons and the way I deliver the
content being taught. It is my job to make sure I am managing the class throughout
my lessons to make sure every student is given the opportunity to learn instead of
being distracted by other students misbehaving. Also, I need to make learning fun
for my students to keep them interested, however, in order to teach fun lessons, I
have to make sure I am able to keep control of the class if they start to get out of
hand. By making sure I have a management system in place and engaging my
students in every lesson, then my students will be able to meet the objects I have
set for them, both socially and academically.
After thinking about my philosophy and the enactment in my CTs classroom,
I do feel that the two are aligned. Although my CT and I are two different people, I
agree with many decisions she makes and the way she decides to run her
classroom. The management system she has introduced in her classroom works
very well and I plan on using it in my own classroom. I also feel very strong about
the clip system as does she. Although many teachers disagree with this method of
discipline, I feel that depending on the students in your classroom, it could work
very well.