EDU 6130 Course Reflection Ian
Lewis December
5, 2016
Physical, emotional, and intellectual
well-being are all taken into account by effective teachers when creating a
learning environment that is safe and inclusive. Two elements of the Learning Environment program standard emphasized
during this course are 5.1 Component 2a: Creating
an Environment of Respect and Rapport and 5.4 Component 2d: Managing Student Behavior by Establishing
Expectations. While a teacher proficient in creating an environment of
respect and rapport creates an age and culture appropriate environment where
teacher-student interactions are friendly and demonstrate general caring and
respect, a distinguished teacher’s interactions reflect genuine respect and
caring, not just for individuals, but the class as a whole. What sets a
distinguished teacher apart from a proficient teacher with regard to
establishing expectations to manage student behavior is that while standards
are clear to all students in both scenarios, the distinguished teacher
incorporates student input and development into the creation and implementation
of standards of conduct.
Within my internship experience so far,
many ideas discussed in this course relating to establishing classroom
environments based out of respect, rapport, and high expectations for student
behavior and learning success have been applied. First and foremost, as was
likely mentioned in this class at least once per meeting, the importance of relationships
is one of the shiniest, golden keys for success. Especially with building a
classroom environment based out of respect and rapport, the idea of positive
relationships is paramount. In order to promote diversity and cultural
competency, positive relationships not only with students, but their families
and communities, are incredibly valuable. With culturally competent teaching
practices in place, a teacher can gradually incorporate more background
knowledge of student diversity into everyday teaching and learning activities,
fostering a learning environment built around mutually established respect and
rapport. Wong’s discussion of what appear to be trivialities, for example, the
importance of pronouncing and using names properly, and teaching and
emphasizing “please” and “thank you” (1998, p. 69-76) are actually quite
important to creating a positive classroom environment. On the first day of school,
for example, I made a point to ask a certain Muslim student to say his name for
me a few times so I would not ever mess it up. Later, during the social studies
unit on the spread of the Muslim Empire, after further building a relationship
with this student, I consulted with him on pronouncing certain words and
cities, even allowing him to guide the class, which resulted in great
enthusiasm and engagement on his part, and that of his peers.
Another strong way in which my mentor
teacher advised me in creating relationships in order to create a positive
classroom environment was through student and parent reflection. For the first
quarter, students reflected on their progress, goals, and adherence to the
model classroom characteristics Friday of each week, and also had a
parent/guardian comment and sign the reflection sheet. With a reflection sheet
as a vehicle, a positive web of relationships was created between student,
parent/guardian, and teacher. If students and/or parents had noted concerns, my
mentor teacher and I addressed them to the best of our abilities. In most
instances, we simply commented on the positive results of tracking
self-reflection and encouraged the students to continue. In addition to how relationships
are key in creating a classroom environment of respect and rapport, student
behavior management also relies on positive relationships with students.
As mentioned of the program standards
before, distinguished educators incorporate student input when establishing
standards of conduct. This was done at the beginning of the year in my classroom
not only with my home room students, but the students of my teaching partner as
well. Together, the two classes of students voted on a list of top ten behavior
characteristics necessary for classroom success. With their input in creating a
list of guiding principles for the class, our relationship and trust increased
immensely. In addition to the PBIS rules of BE Respectful, Responsible, and
Safe, our list of characteristics for success is prominently displayed in
class. In addition to the PBIS rules, our own set of characteristics is often
referenced when necessary. In order to further make standards clear to all
students, immediate response to rule violations is necessary, as promoted by
Wong (1998, p. 157). However, there are also certain situations where delayed
consequences may be useful in order to not disrupt the flow of direct
instruction, as discussed by Fay and Funk (1995, p. 44). Various contexts may
call for different approaches to discipline, but as long as expectations and
outcomes to violations are clear, we set up enforceable ways to manage student
behavior through established expectations.
Overall, it has been an interesting
experience to be simultaneously learning classroom management strategy by the
books and in class/online while also engaged in a field experience daily. There
is certainly no better way to gain experience in classroom management than to
live it, which is one of the reasons I chose this program, with its extensive
field internship experience. While numerous classroom management strategies
seem to work in my field experience, some do not. That is not to say, however,
they could not work in the future, in a different context. Each year anew,
then, it will be interesting to experiment with which strategies are most
effective with certain students in specific situations.
Reference List:
Fay, Jim and Funk, David (1995). Teaching With Love and Logic. Golden, CO: The Love and Logic Press
Inc.
Wong, Harry K., and Wong, Rosemary T. (1998). The First Days of School. Mountain View,
CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc.
