Focus Point Six - Classroom Management, The Learning Environment and Motivation

Competency 005 - The teacher knows how to establish a classroom climate that fosters learning, equity, and excellence and uses this knowledge to create a physical and emotional environment that is safe and productive.

Interpretation - The early childhood educator uses her enthusiasm and teaching skills to create a classroom which engages student participation, cooperation, and respect for the learning process, each other, and themselves.

Competency 006 - The teacher understands strategies for creating an organized and productive learning environment and for managing student behavior.

Interpretation - The early childhood teacher knows how to use effective classroom management procedures in order to provide optimal learning experiences while at the same time insuring appropriate behavior from the students.

Process - “Love & Logic Classroom” In-service seminar Nov. 2, 2004  (Outley Elementary) [see binder]

Summary - This pamphlet gives detailed information concerning different discipline techniques to use with dignity and compassion in the elementary classroom.  This seminar was very enlightening in its content as well as through the experiences shared by its presenter Ms. Pat Somers.

Rationale/Reflection - My choice for this piece of evidence was easy as it exemplified many of the experiences and observations I will be seeing in my own classrooms.  I felt this pamphlet and its many slides gave me a “heads up” to another aspect of teaching which is sometimes forgotten by the beginning teacher.  I know I will keep it within easy reach during my student-teaching semester as there are many ideas which I thought were very sensible.  They gave both the student and the teacher the opportunity to maintain their self-esteem and dignity.  The information also allows the teacher to slowly but surely build a bond with the most challenging of students.  I will be referring to the seminar information and packet in my future classrooms.

Product - Observation of Classroom Management Techniques (Mrs. Ellison’s 1^st grade class) [see binder]

Summary - This observation explains a management technique which I plan to use in my own classroom in the future.  I know it works through watching it being implemented week after week during my rotation in Mrs. Ellison’s classroom.

Rationale/Reflection - I chose to include this observation due to its content of a classroom management strategy used by Mrs. Ellison which was quite simple but effective in the classroom.  The students were able to look up at the number of “happy faces” showing at anytime and know their status as far as being able to remain in stations depending upon their actions.  I felt this was a great example of an effective and compassionate means for the students to be reminded of appropriate noise levels and behavior while Mrs. Ellison was working with small groups of students at the worktable station.

Summary - This lesson is a combination of classroom management techniques, science instruction and math concepts being taught and reinforced in a cooperative group format.  The students were being taught to work cooperatively together using “happy rainbow rules” while reinforcing their previous knowledge of comparison and measurement to create a chart about an assigned animal.