Ashley Prindle

December 4th, 2015

Professor Apfel
Behavior Management

Field Experience Observation Reflection

1. Describe how classroom rules were integrated across all routines. Were the rules posted,
referred to at appropriate times, and consistently enforced? Did students receive praise
after following rules, and did the teacher correct behavior by restating the
rules/expectations and or stating the appropriate replacement behaviors?

I observed a 5th grade classroom at Soule School in Salem. From the very first

observation I noticed that the classroom did not have any specific rules outlined or displayed

anywhere in the classroom. When I asked Mrs. Aldrich about this, she said that during the first

week of school she goes over her expectations and what she hope to achieve during the school

year. These she says are recorded on a piece of chart paper for the first week or so. But after

thats she said that she expects that the students already have an understanding of what is

expected of them. She told me that rules such as raising your hand to speak, being respectful,

being prepared, are all things that the children will have an understanding of. She did say that

just because she chooses not to post explicitly the classroom rules, that she does demonstrate and

explain to all her students what she expects and throughout the year speaks to the class about

what it means to be prepared, how they could improve on this rule or expectation and so forth.

She coaches the children through teachable moments as they present themselves.

If the students were following an expected behavior or doing something that was worthy

of recognition, Mrs. Aldrich certainly praised them and told them how she liked what they were

doing. Most of the time when she would correct behavior, it was not be restating a rule, but was

by asking the student to clarify what the proper procedure was. By this I mean, if the students

were about to work on completing math problems on the computers, she would ask what a

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student should be doing right now? Why didnt they take out their laptops and why they were off

task? These behaviors were normally corrected by her walking the student through what they

should be doing. Several times she would make suggestions to the student about what they could

be doing instead and how they could fix the unexpected behavior. She might state, instead of

reading your free read book, you should be reading your book club book that you are behind on.

Overall though, this class was so well behaved and on top of what they needed to be doing that I

rarely heard her correct student behavior.

2. How did the teacher(s) build and maintain positive relationships with students in their
classroom? Reflect on the communication techniques used by the teacher and how they
used positive/negative comments throughout the lessons.

Mrs. Aldrich was able to establish and maintain a positive relationship with all of her

students. She was able to do so because of her ability to connect with her students and to pay

attention to their needs. She certainly had a pulse on how students were feeling and when her

students were off and might need some more assistance, a pep talk, or just someone to talk to.

Many of the relationships that she had with her students was built on trust and a mutual

understanding. From some of my very first observations I was able to tell that her students

genuinely cared about her and felt that they needed to show her respect because she certainly

respected her students.

She mainly communicated to her students verbally and as well as through interactive

lessons on the Smart Board. I noticed that on several occasions when she would begin a lesson

she would always make sure to connect the lesson to her students and to make them apart of the

lesson in some way. For example, while I was observing the students in science were working on

a leaf project. Each class she brought in different leaves, seeds, a tree trunk to learn about the age

of a tree and even had the students make their own leaf project about leaves in New Hampshire.

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Overall, she was a very hands on teacher and would communicate and demonstrate to students

her point through bringing in interactive objects and letting her students learn through

exploration. One of the most inspiring things to witness was the positivity that she would use

throughout the lesson, especially when it came to encouraging her students to answer a question

and try their best. For example, when a student was having trouble answering a question she

would say, you know this, think about what we just talked about, nice job thinking through

the problem, or I like how you did this or that. Students were praised or given encouragement

through many of her lessons. I can say that I never once saw her speak negatively and even when

she told a student that their answer or line of thinking was incorrect she did not simple say, no,

instead she would try to get them to the correct answer or explain why there line of thinking was

incorrect.

3. What procedures and routines were established throughout the day that helped maintain
a positive, predictable, and orderly learning environment? Were the routines made clear
and consistently followed?

The learning environment was extremely predictable and this was because of the

established daily routine and procedures that allowed for a positive, predictable, and orderly

learning environment. The classroom schedule was posted in the back of the classroom and

displayed all of the class subjects in order as well as when lunch and specials such as music,

gym, or art would be taking place. I started observing this class in late September and the

students were already very knowledgeable of the classs routine and procedures that needed to be

followed during each activity. The same schedule was always followed. The students had special

first thing in the morning (art, gym, or music), then knew to come right into the classroom and sit

on the carpet for their morning announcements from a classmate, then they went right into there

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word study time or book club/snack, meeting back on the rug for a lesson in Social Studies, and

then into math, lunch, reading, and science.

This same schedule was repeated each day and really only changed if they had a different

special. Furthermore, students also knew what procedures and things were to be done during

each activity. For example, if they were doing book club, they knew that they were going to need

to get into their appropriate group, work on competing a book reflection, then to discuss the

pages that they had read with their book club group. After their discussion and reflection was

complete they were to begin reading their next assigned pages. These routines were also evident

in other areas like in what was expected when they were going to meet on the carpet and listen to

Mrs. Aldrich read to the class. The students knew to come to the carpet, give plenty of space to

other students as well as be ready to engage in an appropriate way during the lesson. Finally, one

of the most established procedures was how students were to complete their math problems on

the computer. As soon as Mrs. Aldrich said that it was time to get out the laptops the students

knew to go over to their assigned computer get it out, get it started, log into the math program,

and to begin working on the correct problem set. Students did this all automatically and were

able to do this independently. Her classroom sure seemed to operate like a well oiled machine

with students knowing what they were doing next as well as what they were expected to do.

Certainly this was all thanks to the hard work and foundations that Mrs. Aldrich had put into

place at the beginning of the year.

4. Reflect on strategies used by the teacher(s) to support transitions between

lessons/activities. How did the physical organization of the classroom allow access to
instruction, materials, and specific work areas?

The one strategy that Mrs. Aldrich used to help with the transitions between

lessons/activities was to simple give students about a five-minute warning, so that the students

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knew that a transition was coming and that it was almost time to wrap-up what they were

working on. Otherwise all of the transitions were made through the use of simple verbal ques.

The transition que might be as simple as, Ok, we are going to switch gears, its math time. All

of the students would move quickly into the next activity and students knew what they needed to

do throughout the transition to get ready for the next activity. Mrs. Aldrich also used on several

occasions the, stop, eyes on me, method to get the classes attention and to explain to them that

it was time to stop working and move on to another activity.

From the very first time that I observed in this classroom, the level of organization

amazed me. It was evident from the moment that I walked in that the classroom was highly

structured and that everything had its proper place. The fact that the classroom and all its

contents was so organized, definitely contributed to the class operating so smoothly during

transitions and during activities. The classroom consisted of four main areas. One area of the

classroom consisted of the rug, which had a leather couch and bench for sitting on. Then there

was the back wall of the classroom that contained a large piece of furniture that was full of

books, supplies, paper bins, the class schedule, as well as a space to plug in and change all of the

laptops. Then in the middle of the classroom were all the students desks that were arranged in

five groups of four desks each. Finally, was the front of the room, which had the small group

table and the Smart Board/white board.

All of the materials could be easily accessed because of the ample amount of pathways

and space for walking around the classroom. This allowed for students to quickly, safely, and

easily get what they needed at all times. Additionally, there was space in the classroom that

allowed students to spread out and read silently or work on assignments free from distractions.

All of the materials were in bins that were labeled, especially the different math manipulatives.

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Students could also easily look at books and discover a new read thanks to the spinning

bookshelf that displayed all of the class books. Moreover, students were all working in groups,

but they could all easily view the white board and instruction that was taking place at the front of

the room.

5. Did the teacher(s) actively supervise students during lessons, provide proximity control
(move continuously) throughout the classroom, and interact frequently and positively with
students?

Mrs. Aldrich used excellent proximity control and always was aware of what her students

were doing. Since this was a 5th grade classroom that I observed, much of the class time was

filled with group work, or working independently at their seats. During this time Mrs. Apfel

would not simply sit at her desk, but would instead walk around the room and see what her

students were doing. This definitely helped to keep some of the problem behaviors down and

would keep students on track. As she would actively walk about the classroom, she would often

interact with her students.

She did a great job making connections with students by saying, Ive done the same

thing, I agree, good thinking and good observations. One day she gave the students

specific praise by telling them how they have all greatly improved their writing and that she

appreciated how they were always willing to try new things. She also applauded their confidence

and work ethic. Mrs. Aldrich always tried to encourage her students, teach them new things, as

well as make a positive impact on her students.

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6. Did teacher(s) pre-cue (remind) students about expectations when entering a new activity
or moving to another area of the school? Reflect on how the teacher managed minor (low
intensity/frequency) problem behaviors.

Mrs. Aldrich truly did not have to remind or pre-cue her students often when entering into

a new activity or moving to another area of the school because of how well the students

understood what she expected and were so accustomed to their daily routine. This is not to say

though that on some occasions she did not go over new procedures with the students. For

example, the students started book clubs, which impacted their daily reading time routines. Mrs.

Aldrich began these lessons by asking students questions about the routine that they were

supposed to follow such as, where do you need to sit on the rug, and what needs to happen to

when you get your book out. Mrs. Aldrich would always make sure that students knew the

directions and would explain to students new expectations or clarify for students some of the

directions or steps.

One of the things that I noticed Mrs. Aldrich do particularly well was manage low

intensity or frequency behaviors. When students were off task or not following direction she

would just direct their attention to the task at hand and ask them what they should be doing. She

was pretty direct with the students, but this was good because she was able to quickly address the

problems or off task behavior and get the student on track and doing what they needed to.

7. Did you observe a continuum of consequences for encouraging and/or discouraging

appropriate/expected behaviors?

I most certainly observed a continuum of consequences for encouraging and discouraging

appropriate or expected behavior. Most of these consequences and encouragement were verbal.

The praise that she gave was often direct and specific. When students were on task or did

something that she appreciated, she would specifically state to the student(s), I like how you

decided to add this, or I like how you made the choice to do this or that. Additionally, she would

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give students encouragement to try new things and explore their ideas or thoughts further. She

would also often state the childs name directly, which I think was powerful and spoke to the

effectiveness of the praise. Mrs. Aldrich also discouraged appropriate behavior by giving out

consequences that matched the severity of the behavior. I can clearly remember one day when I

was observing and two students were acting up. However, one of the students was merely talking

when they should not have been and the other student was refusing to get any of his work done.

Mrs. Aldrich handled these situations differently, but did a good job of ensuring that the

consequence fit the undesired behavior. Although she simply asked the student who was talking

to stop and get back to work, she was more stern and swift in her response to the student who

was refusing to do their work and told him that today he would be staying in from recess.

When I think of a continuum of consequence, I think about having consequences that are

appropriate to discourage and encourage expected behaviors. Mrs. Aldrich definitely used

appropriate methods to encourage/discourage inappropriate behaviors.

8. Was there an established reinforcement system (incentives and rewards) used throughout
the classroom? Was it being used consistently for all students? How effective was this
system and what changes would you make (if any)?

Unfortunately during my observations, I did not see any reinforcement system used

throughout the classroom. Mrs. Aldrich never spoke of a rewards or incentives program when I

was in the classroom, nor did students receive any sort of reward that I saw. This was surprising

to see at first, but I was able to ask Mrs. Aldrich if she did any sort of reward system, she

explained to me that she did not. She also went on to explain that the reason why she did not

have a reward system in place, was because she felt like the students should be able to follow the

rules simply because those are the classroom expectations. This is why if I could change

anything about what I observed, I would implement some sort of reward system for students that

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followed the class rules or expectations. While I was there I also heard from several other

teachers and even the school principal came in to complement the students in Mrs. Aldrichs

class. I would have possibly done something to reward the students to show them that I

appreciated the respect that they demonstrated in and outside of the classroom.

I am not sure of the entire 5th grade team made the decision to not use a reward system

because I did get to observe one other 5th grade classroom at the school and they also did not

have a reward system in place. The class expectations did seem similar though.

9. Did you notice a student that required Tier II intervention behavior? Is so, what
strategies had been put into place and how well were they working? What, else would you
recommend to help this student be more successful?

When I first started observing in September and until late October there was not any

students that required Tier II intervention. However, this changed when a boy moved into the

district and was placed in Mrs. Aldrichs classroom. This boy was on a behavior plan that was

very explicit and he also had a teacher with him at all times. Mrs. Aldrich explained to me that he

had severe anxiety and emotional disturbance issues that caused him to be unable to complete

much of the work that is required of him. In the classroom he did sit with a group of students, but

his aid was never far from him. Often she sat with him and helped him on his work, which was

modified. Additionally, she would have to ask him to stay on task numerous times as well as take

him out of the classroom for breaks. This student also often asked for breaks. Only on rare

occasions did he act out and scream, which caused him to be taken immediately out of the

classroom.

The strategies that had been put into place based on the information that I was able to

gather, was that he was allowed to take as many breaks really as needed. These breaks allowed

him to calm down and refocus. He also was extremely fidgety and used a stress ball to keep him

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focused. On his desk was also a rubber band so he rests his feet on it and kind of rocks his feet

up and down. These were most of the strategies that were employed in the classroom, he did

spend a lot of time outside the classroom, but I was unable to witness what took place there. I do

know that he was never assigned any homework and had limited responsibilities in the general

classroom.

10. How did the teacher(s) maintain student attention during lessons and activities? What
signal(s) did the teacher(s) use to gain, maintain, and regain students attention?

The teacher was able to maintain student attention during lessons and activities often

through her ability to use dynamic lessons as well as a good tone of voice and expression that I

believe kept students locked in and engaged. Each lesson that Mrs. Aldrich taught her students

consisted of different components. By this I mean students one minute could be sitting on the rug

and listening to a story about the explorers, the next minute they are at their seats and using mini

articles on each explorer and filling out a chart, and then she would show them a brief video or

clip about the many explorers. Having the students move around and do different tasks helped to

keep the lesson flowing and not become stagnant. During many of the lessons Mrs. Aldrich

would also project her voice and use facial expressions or make hand gestures, which are in

general good presentation skills. This also helped students to be able to receive the information

in an interesting way. I often saw students engaged in what Mrs. Aldrich was teaching because of

how dynamic the lessons were as well as her ability to get students involved in the lesson by

calling on them to answer questions or read.

Some of the specific tactics that she employed to get their attention included saying,

eyes on me, lets bring it together, and please stop working, these simple phrases were used

to get the students attention and or regain their attention. I never saw her use any sort of fancy

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tactic to regain their attention or maintain their attention. This class was honestly so respectful

and aware of what they needed to do, that they did a great job of focusing on the teacher at all

times.

11. Summarize how the teacher(s) utilized specific strategies that actively engages student
in the learning process. (Use of advanced organizers, clear instructions, well-paced lessons,
frequent and detailed positive feedback, appropriate error correction and review strategies,
accommodations to the curriculum, etc.).

One of the greatest ways that Mrs. Aldrich was able to engage students in the learning

process was through the use of explicit modeling. Each time that she wanted students to work on

something independently or with a group, she always made sure to give the students clear

instructions on what they needed to do, how they could accomplish it, and what was expected of

them. One some assignments she even had completed examples or a model that students could

refer to if they needed to do so. I felt that this helped students to feel confident that they could

complete the assignment and understood what the needed to do. This certainly helped to keep

many of the students on track and focused on the task at hand.

Secondly, she would employ the use of well-paced lessons in order to ensure that all of

her students were completing work at the appropriate level. This was certainly true in her reading

and mathematics lessons. She often would revise the lesson for the next day and re teach certain

math topics such as multi0lication and division of three-digit numbers, which many students

were struggling with. In reading since students were in book clubs, some of the groups moved

faster than others and she made sure not to rush those other groups and restructured some class

activities to allow all groups the time that they needed to get their work done.

Finally, accommodations were certainly provided and made for those students who

needed it. Mrs. Aldrich did provide some of her students with worksheets that she had made

specifically for them addressing the information that they were struggling with and even had

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some different work sheets prepared for students who struggled with synthesizing lots of

information and needed a graphic organizer to help them wade through the information.

Additionally, some students had less problems to complete, more time, or even received

assistance when completing certain assignments. I also noticed that while some students would

write their stories out by hand, that some students just typed up their stories on the computer.

All of these strategies helped to keep students on track, gave them access to the

curriculum, as well as allow them to be engaged with the lesson. From the many observation that

I completed in Mrs. Aldrichs classroom, I can say that she did an excellent job of teaching all

students to success.

12. How did the instructional approaches used by the teacher(s) (whole group, small group,
direct instruction, collaborative learning projects, center-based learning, etc.) support
active involvement in the learning process.

Mrs. Aldrich employed a variety of instructional approaches in order to support active

involvement in the learning process. Some of the approaches that she used were whole group,

small group, as well as center-based learning.

The students actually did not spend a lot of time in whole group instruction and this was

refreshing to see. But at times the students really had to be, especially when a new topic was

introduced to them. Mrs. Aldrich used whole group instruction as a way to give students basic

information about a topic or to model for students how to complete a certain math problem, or

how to write a descriptive sentence, but this was almost always followed up by small group

work. I would say that students did not spend more than thirty percent of the time in whole group

instruction. A lot of the time, perhaps sixty percent of the time students were able to collaborate

with other students and work together on an assignment. Even if students were completing work

on their own, they were still encouraged to talk with other students and ask them a question if

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they did not know something. Working in groups was a great way to get students involved in the

learning process because they were able to use each other for support.

One several occasions the students were able to go to different learning centers. I only

witnessed this being done during math. Mrs. Aldrich would set up different centers, usually three

and then she would have a forth station set up on the rug, where students would come and work

with her on certain problems. They would complete the problems on their white boards and then

show Mrs. Aldrich their answers. This allowed Mrs. Aldrich to see their knowledge and if they

understood the concepts. She took notes and rated each of the students in order to gauge if

further instruction was needed. These centers definitely got the students involved in the learning

process and in a fun as well as interactive way.

Closing Thoughts:

13. How does effective classroom management mutually support effective teaching?

The effective management of a classroom is definitely essential if you want learning to

occur. Classroom management has a great effect on student achievement. If the classroom

environment is chaotic and poorly managed, than effective teaching is not going to take place. If

there is strong classroom management and students know what is expected of them, the

classroom is arranged properly, and there are strong teacher-student relationships in place than

there will be fewer disciplinary problems, which is an example of effective teaching.

14. How does effective classroom management support the development of healthy student-
teacher relationships?

Effective classroom management is crucial to the development of healthy student-teacher

relationships. When teachers establish clear expectations for behavior by outlining clear rules

and procedures and by providing consequences for student behavior student-teacher relationships

will be strengthened. Along with well-designed and clearly communicated rules and procedures,

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the teacher must acknowledge students behavior that is acceptable. Teachers build effective

relationships through the employment of strategies such as verbal and physical reactions to

students, such as moving closer to offending students, and pointing out inappropriate behavior,

cueing the class about expected behaviors, and providing tangible recognition of appropriate

behavior. All of these strategies allow the student to feel safe, recognized, and able to meet the

expectations of the teacher, which builds a trusting relationship.

15. How does effective classroom management promote and sustain a positive classroom
climate?

Through the use of effective classroom management, this allows for a positive classroom

climate because of the fact that a mutual respect and understanding has been established between

the students and the teacher. When a classroom is logically organized, has set boundaries, and

students know the daily routine as well as procedures they are less likely to act out and

misbehave. A positive classroom environment will have been created because the children know

how to behave and function in their classroom.

16. Why is it important for the teacher to understand the importance of discipline so he/she
can create learning experiences that make subject matter meaningful to students?

It is important as a teacher to understand the importance of discipline so he or she can

create learning experiences that make subject matter meaningful because they are able to

incorporate student interests, make connections to student experiences and real life, be flexible

and recognize teachable moments, as well as make connections between the material and the

student. This allows the student to learn and make meaningful interactions with the subject

matter. If the teacher is able to understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of

discipline, he or she will be able to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject

matter meaningful for students.

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