In chapter 4 of From Discipline to Culturally Responsive Engagement, the importance of the physical classroom environment and routines are discussed. Several proactive management strategies are also included such as layout, decorations, and ways to establish routines. These strategies encourage students to be on task and engaged in learning. The physical environment of any room can have an impression on anyone in that room and this is especially true for students who spend several hours a day in a school. “As a teacher, you may, sometimes unknowingly, influence student’s behavior in negative ways through the arrangement of classroom furniture” (Pinto, 2013). Teachers should be aware of how an environment can affect the way a student learns to avoid isolating them. Establishing routines allow students to feel a sense of security and comfort. I agree that a classroom environment can send positive or negative messages to students and that routines are an effective proactive management strategy. Additional things that I believe …show more content…
should be included when talking about physical classroom environment are lighting, clutter, and furniture comfortableness. A well planned physical classroom environment are one of those things that I believed can be easily overlooked if someone is not actively looking.
If well planned, a classroom should not be distracting in any way. On the other hand, lack of organization or thought about the environment is instantly noticeable. Most classrooms I remember from being in school myself and have visited for guild experience have had seats arranged in rows facing the teacher and most decorations are made without care of color and context. Because of this, I can honestly say I have never felt truly comfortable in any secondary classroom I have ever been in. Another observation I have noticed from my experience is that very few teachers have routines for for what to do when students enter the class. When class time is so short already, it is necessary to take advantage of the immediate learning that happens when there are routine in place for the beginning of
class. Proactive classroom management strategies are a very important part of a management plan because if they are used efficiently it will reduce the amount of work a teacher has to do throughout the year. Advanced planning will allow your students to feel comfortable and able to learn immediately entering the classroom. Students behave and learn at a higher standard when in an environment they feel comfortable and encouraged. “Routines not only mean a smoother-functioning classroom, but they also allow students to feel a sense of security over the course of their time in the classroom, since they roughly know what to expect” (Pinto, 2013). This chapter has made me realize the importance of a well planned physical environment for needs of my students. I plan to have a well organized classroom that is always free of clutter. I want it to be clean but colorful. Large amounts of visual stimulation can be distracting. My students will get to participate in the decorating of a classroom as well. Throughout the year their wall words, art, projects will be displayed on the walls so they can feel pride in their work. My ideal, but probably unrealistic, classroom would have large windows for natural lighting and tables with padded chairs. I also like the idea of having active seating available, such as balance and wobble chairs, for students who are kinesthetic learners or who have ADD.
The appearance of the classroom has a big effect on how smoothly the class will go. The seating arrangement in my classroom will be in a U shape. It will be better with classroom discussion to have the students facing each other. This type of seating arrangement should relax the children and make them feel more comfortable. On the bulletin boards there will be pictures of the students while involved in class activities and students work as a reward for doing well on an assignment. Also on the walls there will be posters to inspire the students.
He behaves better when he is seated on the far side of the room away from the windows. The antecedent condition is the “bright sunlight and the desk position” (Lyons, Ford, & Slee, 2013, p. 151). My personal classroom management philosophy aligns with this theory as I believe it is better to pre-empt a situation and control the behaviours through slight interventions rather than dealing with a major behavioural
When people think about a room for children to reside, they do not always take into consideration all the aspects that go into making a room ideal for children. I agree whole-heartedly with what the authors are stating in the article. Environments should reflect what interests the children, as well as educators’ goals and objectives for a space. A developmentally appropriate space for children should reflect on both the educator and the children. There is no point in creating a space that is “perfect” for the teacher. If it does not meet the children’s needs; chaos will ensue. But as a teacher, I also understand the importance of maintaining a space that is orderly and flows nicely to keep my sanity. There is a happy medium that must be met in finding the right materials to be used, space and furniture arrangement, and overall flow of the room to satisfy everyone. But I do believe it is important to keep the needs of the children above the educator’s because without the children, there would be no job. With that being said, creating an environment for children that promotes their creativity with open-ended materials, and furniture that helps keep them centered, with like pillows and soft materials to calm down when needed, is very beneficial. An important key point that really stuck out to me was that educators sometimes forget why rules and regulations are in place. They are
Effective practices such as INCLUDE, allows teachers to accommodate more diversity in their classrooms. When teachers have the mindset of accommodating their classrooms, they reduce the need for making more individualized adaptations, unless necessary for particular students. The most important aspects to maintaining an orderly and effective classroom environment are organization, grouping, instructional materials, and strategies to promote successful students.
The space and area in which a child is learning must be accommodating to all of their needs. A responsive environment is a space of any size that is set up and presented in a manner that promotes social-emotional development, physical development, spiritual development, intellectual/cognitive and language/literacy skills. It is important that the class or room promotes a healthy learning environment which allows the children to be independent while still pushing their skills and abilities. Environments are able to shape and direct a child’s learning experience, “We now know that the environment is a valuable teacher if it is amiable, comfortable, pleasing, organized, clean, inviting and engaging…This is true of floor space, ceiling, and wall space” (Krentz, Emerita, & University of Regina, 2013, p.44).
As for my classroom, it would probably be very busy in regards to appearance and activity. I think surrounding the students with pictures and things of that sort related to class is very conducive to a positive educational environment. I would somewhere have a student prepared locations where students are responsible for researching and displaying a topic probably after presenting it to the class.
In my twelve years of teaching experience, one thing that most of my colleagues have struggled with at some point in their career has been classroom management. Classroom management is one many keys to instructional success. Unfortunately, many have left the teaching field due to lack of knowledge of classroom management best practices.
As I start my career as an educator I will turn to the studies of these theorists to continue to craft
When building a classroom, the indoor learning environment will be influenced by the building and play area that surrounds the building. A classroom needs to have adequate space for children to play, explore and learn. Children need to have continuous access to water, bathrooms and a sink for handwashing. Although each room or center will be different they need to maintain areas that are easily and safely supervised from all areas of the classroom. The space needs to be organized into learning centers with well-defined areas. Areas such as science, art, sensory, bathrooms and eating areas need to be near a water source. Other areas such as block areas, library and housekeeping should be kept in areas with large area rugs or carpet.
All effective educators need to find ways to motivate their students. The kids that fill our classrooms have different strengths and weaknesses. It is critical that teachers recognize the strengths and weaknesses of their students so they can use the right classroom management strategies to motivate their kids. In this particular case, the student named Jodie is inattentive and uninterested and neither the teacher intern or classroom teacher have a clue how to handle this situation. Ms. Marcia Thomas, who is the young intern feels that Jodie is just a problem child that lacks motivation and there is nothing she can do for this particular student. Ms. Thomas and the lead teacher Ms. Egan both lack the needed classroom management strategies that are necessary to motivate and engage students in a positive learning environment.
The environment of the classroom is important because is a social place where children have to feel secure so they can become part of the lesson and for the lesson to succeed. The classroom is organized and the students are in their individual desks respectfully listening to the teachers lecture and following along. The students look
Classroom management is an important component of successful teaching. It is that teachers create and maintain appropriate behavior of students in classroom settings. (1…) Kessler (2012) mentions that “[s]tudies suggest that up to 51% of children may have a diagnosable mental health disorder, many of which involve severe impairment at home or school” (Kessler et al., 2012). Classroom management is defined as “ [c]lassroom management is the term educators use to describe methods of preventing misbehavior and dealing with it if it arises. In other words, it is the techniques teachers use to maintain control
This I Believe Philosophy statement will include my thoughts and beliefs about classroom management with comparison to other theorists’ models. The major theorists that will be mentioned are Barbara Coloroso, Linda Albert, and Lee & Marlene Canter. I highly agree with the Canter’s and Coloroso’s models of classroom management because it best fits my personality as an individual teacher. I believe that an affective classroom management plan is first practiced and then modeled for improvements. My ultimate goal for my Classroom Management Plan is to model self-discipline by teaching it through my daily actions so that students may be able to self-manage themselves accordingly.
As stated earlier, I believe Classroom Management is the key to how learning can take place and students can feel safe participating. I hope to create an environment that is conducive to learning and involves all my students. I believe the most important part of classroom management is not the behavior problems but creating a good rapport with the students, encouraging them to succeed and setting high expectations for them. As well as using an engaging a curriculum, I believe you can create this environment and it will limit the behavior problems in your classroom from the
My classroom management starts with a well-organized, clearly labeled classroom layout so that my students can easily access the resources they need for my class. I display visual aids and reminders around the room to support the students and I display their work in specific places around the room to give them a sense of belonging. I create routines and procedures to support the students and enable them to form smooth transitions between activities. There is a certain way they enter and leave the classroom, distribute books and papers, and move their desks and chairs. In my classroom these mundane tasks are completed quickly, competitively, and with enthusiasm. Having routines in place helps students understand exactly what is expected of them and gives them confidence in their actions.