Domain 2
The Classroom Environment
Consistency and Relationships
When teachers walk into the classroom for the first time, they are often presented with four walls, some desks, and potentially some materials from the previous teacher. The teacher can get a hold of every motivational poster or decorative border in the world, but still lack in establishing a positive classroom environment. This is because a classroom environment is not something that is simply bestowed upon a teacher when they walk through the door of their new classroom; it is curated through the building of relationships, dedication to designing a safe space and being consistent with students.
In my artifacts for this section, I have worked to create consistent expectations for students and consider the logistical aspects of arranging a classroom. All students benefit from a positive classroom environment, no matter what their life is like outside of school. Children need a place that they know is safe. Whether the safety they are looking for allows them to meet physiological needs or allows them to be comfortable making a mistake, students will thrive knowing that the environment they are in is accepting and cares for their wellbeing and success.
Classroom Management Project
During my student teaching experience, I was able to implement interventions in order to increase classroom management during the students' morning routine. Each morning, students are expected to unpack, eat breakfast, and be ready for the day before 8:30am.
In order to encourage students to be responsible and improve their time management, I implemented multiple small interventions in order to meet the needs of all students; it's rare that one strategy will work for everyone, so I wanted to provide multiple ways to reach all of my students.
One of these methods included using the class' clip chart in a positive way. This meant that students who moved onto their morning work received one clip up, and students who got through their morning routine in under 20 minutes received two clips up. All students start on the blue "I am doing my best" section of the chart, but having the students see their name on the green "role model" section so early in the day had a significant positive impact on my students' morale.
In my experience, the most important aspect of classroom management is consistency. For this assignment, being consistent meant ensuring that I provided rewards to students who ate their breakfast in a timely manner, putting the timer on the board, and setting clear expectations and structures. With this, I was able to manage student behavior (2D) and manage classroom procedures (2C) in reference to Danielson's domains. With these consistent goals for my students, we saw a significant decrease in the duration of the students' morning routine and a positive attitude from students as a whole.
Below, I have attached the full paper and presentation for this project. The paper goes in depth about the intentionality of the interventions. The presentation presents the information in a concise and more easily-readable manner.
Preschool Unit Plan and Classroom Arrangement
In my Foundations of Child Development class, all of the students of this class were tasked to create a lesson plan for a preschool classroom. This entailed designing the classroom itself, accommodating students with special needs, and creating lesson plans for all aspects of activities typically seen in preschools. The lesson plans that I created involved planning for each portion of the day from the welcome routine and breakfast, to lessons of all subjects relating to the theme, to the transition to departure. My theme for this week surrounded rocks. Math, science, art, language, and other subjects are all based around the theme of rocks in order to make the lessons intriguing and hands-on for the students. Creating this assignment helped me become more thorough in my planning and consider many aspects of a preschooler’s typical day.
A major consideration in this unit plan is organizing the physical space which is one of Danielson's domains (2e).
When looking at the room arrangement for any classroom, let alone a preschool, there are numerous things to consider: putting messy activities close to the sink, providing materials to promote both interaction and sharing, separating noisy areas from quiet areas, and the list goes on. Specifically, on page 7 of the assignment included below, the room arrangement shows the separation of the library (a quiet spot) and blocks (a louder spot) by using a shelf. Also, the art center is in close proximity to the sink because there are a million ways to make a mess when giving a preschooler a paintbrush. School is supposed to be fun and engaging, and setting up the room in a way that is conducive to conversation, learning in small groups, and exploring curiosity can have tremendous positive impacts for students. The intentionality that comes with creating a positive and cohesive physical classroom environment can sometimes be overlooked, but it is crucial to the relationship building and overall flow of the classroom.