My Philosophy on Classroom Management
For centuries, language and literacy have been the foundation for education, communication, and even domination of cultures. In the 21st century, socializing via social media, learning in schools or online interfaces, and acquiring the skills necessary to receive and maintain a job in the rapidly changing technological landscape requires finely tuned literacy skills. In order to scaffold learning so that students can understand the more challenging nuances in literature and the hidden meanings and intentions of media revealed with critical media literacy, basic language arts skills are necessary. For much of student’s educational careers, the process of learning to read and write can be strenuous for some, and easy for others. Nevertheless, from the very beginning of schooling, reading and writing are the basis of most lessons. However, a majority of these years are spent trying to simply comprehend the stories and write out simple ideas. However, upper level English classes present the first opportunities for students to learn about rhetoric and dive into deeper readings of literature and media. Junior and senior students are most likely heavily immersed in media every day, so it is crucial to help them learn how to make sense of the infinite number of signals flashed before their eyes every single day.
I believe that the classroom should be a place where students and teachers collaborate their thinking to generate new ideas. Adolescents are naturally curious and enjoy problem solving, so with the right environment, students will have an intrinsic motivation to succeed. In line with Dewey’s ideas, I also believe in progressive child-centered education where students are engaged in “real-life materials and experiences…[that] encourage experimentation and independent thinking” (Mooney 4). In order to construct the type of environment that is most productive for both teachers and students, respect must be the bottom line: respect for the teacher, the students, the classroom and the learning that takes place. Just like Wong noted, teachers must keep their expectations high, clear, and consistent because “the belief in positive expectations is based on research, which demonstrates that the learner will produce what the teacher expects the student to produce” (11). When holding students to a certain standard, it is crucial that the teacher follows suit. Lesson preparation and execution should display a level of work and thought that equals and exceeds what students are expected to do. In this way, the teacher sets the bar for student work. Additionally, the lesson and unit plans will be developed specifically for students to “develop as: thinkers, learners, problem solvers…and these goals should allow students to assume responsibility for their learning” (Vatterott 126). With a welcoming learning environment, an understanding of respect, and high expectations, teachers can create a classroom that encourages students to actively pursues knowledge instead of act out and disengage. The first requirement of “The 7 Developmental Needs of Young Adolescents” is ‘[p]ositive social interaction with adults and peers’, which I hope to achieve through the community of respect (Center For Early Adolescence). Because middle and high school students can be irrational and emotionally charged at times, my classroom will have ‘[s]tructure and clear limits’ from the first day of school.
The Expectations I Have For My Students
Creating a classroom where students feel comfortable to take academic risks and are excited to learn can be achieved by establishing strategic classroom expectations from the start of the year. I expect students to come to class prepared to engage with the content that I have prepared for them. I hold students to the highest standard possible and in return, students will try to meet and even exceed my expectations. My classroom is a place of academic freedom, where taking intellectual risks is rewarded. The students who actively participate in lessons and engage with homework will be treated with the utmost honor. Students who are too timid to participate will be encouraged, rather than put-down. However, students who inhibit the academic freedom within the classroom, with disrespect or insubordination, will be proactively dealt with by myself, administrators and/or parents.
Emmer and Everston offer 6 basic rules that may seem simple and obvious at first glance, but after closer examination, offer the key to a friendly, productive classroom. To start, students must “bring all needed materials to class” in order to fully participate in the lessons at hand (Emmer, Everston 22). Students must also “Respect and be polite to all people” so that the learning environment encourages all students to join into the discussion or lesson (23). Although it does not seem like a big deal, students must “listen and stay seated when someone is talking” (23). If this rule is not enforced from the beginning, the classroom may seem more like a game of musical chairs than a learning environment. The overarching policy of “obey all school rules” does a great job of encompassing all the expectations of students at that particular school (23). I personally think that the expectations should be extremely transparent so that students know how they should conduct themselves in my classroom.
From the first day of school, it is imperative to have consistent and strategic routines and procedures that the students understand and follow. The times that students misbehave or act inappropriately are when they are bored or do not have anything to do. When students first enter the classroom, they should already know and begin to complete a task, i.e. sit in their assigned seat, start silent reading, pick up a worksheet, etc. Although class should not be exactly the same each and every day, the structure of the agenda should maintain consistency. This will minimize wasted time and suppress student misbehavior caused by boredom and disorganization. The bottom line is that the teacher is responsible for preparing the classroom, lessons, and activities with the students, routines, and procedures in mind. With these structures in place, it will be easier for students to be “deeply involved with their work…[because they will] know what is expected of them…there is little wasted time…[and] the climate of the classroom is work-oriented but relaxed and pleasant” (Wong 85). Hopefully, the respect I earn from the students will be the preventative measure I can use to stop inappropriate behavior before it starts, but I do have a plan to handle students who break the above rules.
I do not want students to think of me as an all authoritarian leader, but rather facilitator and mentor. In high school, the most important lesson to instill in students is the value and skill of learning itself. Although I will have to align my lessons and units with standard and objectives, I will educate my students to be self-motivated, active learners. Through guided, positive interaction with peers and teachers, students discover and develop a variety of talents and skills. I will not be the teacher that attempts to force knowledge upon my students, but rather, I would design and prepare a classroom that constantly harbors constructive interaction. From day one, the class will unify through the creation of short and long term goals for themselves as well as the class as a whole. At the beginning of the year, a very productive activity to do as a class is to hold a discussion to formulate the consequences for different inappropriate behaviors that will not be tolerated in the class. After the rules and consequences have been set, the students should compose a contract that they, as well as their parents, will sign. In this way, students are actively involved in constructing the kind of classroom that they want to learn in. Also, this makes carrying out punishments and corrective behavior methods easier because the students have to recognize and submit to the rules and consequences that they set out for themselves.
Classroom policies will be explicitly defined and enforced from the first day of class. I will remain consistent in my work ethic, enthusiasm, and character throughout the year so that students reciprocate and fully engage in classroom activities and drive their own learning. In any situation where a student acts out, the first step should be to maintain order in the rest of the classroom while also separating the student from the situation. A productive exercise when reflecting on student misbehavior should be a self-check, critiquing lesson structure, classroom time allocation, and student interest. When confronting students about behavior problems, an atmosphere of respect must be upheld while questioning the student about the root of their problems. Students do not act out as a personal attack on the teacher, but rather, a lack of interest and engagement, clowning and boredom. I will counter this by striving to peak student interest and engagement by constantly challenging them to unleash their full potential.
As the teacher, I will guide my students with positive corrective discipline. For example, one-time instances of disturbance or insubordination could result in a personal conference between me and the student. In this setting, the student does not have an audience to entertain, and instead, they need to rationalize their actions to me and explain how and why they will not act out in the future. For repeat offenders, I would encourage my students to think about incorporating a written reflection about their specific misbehavior. In this reflection, the student will be prompted to to do a self check and search for the underlying issue that led to their inappropriate behavior. This can be a very effective mode of discipline because it is non-confrontational and asks the student to assess their own behavior and what it means. By the end of their reflection, they will also need to explicitly state how they plan to correct their behavior so they—as well as the entire class—can avoid trouble in the future. This reflection will need to be signed by the student and their parents so that the student understands what they are doing wrong and so the parents are aware of the student’s actions. If this method is not effective, I believe that calls home or teacher-parent conferences are very useful tools in correcting student behavior. In some cases, parents will not be willing or able to help their student grow, but most of the time, parents have good intentions and will do anything they can to get their student back on the right track. I would much rather deal with discipline issues within my own classroom, but some cases require the help of school administrators. These situations would be the most extreme i.e. fights, uncontrollable arguments with teachers or students, blatant disrespect, or serious threats to the safety of the school.
Instructional and Assessment Strategies
With such a diverse spread of student learning levels, meeting every student’s academic needs is one of the biggest challenges. However, displaying an attitude of genuine care and concern for student’s lives, and academic careers, can significantly motivate students to do their very best work. All lessons should be created with every students abilities in mind and differentiated instruction is critical in planning lessons that every student can engage with. As a teacher, I will be eager to reach out to my colleagues, research, and most importantly, students, in order to construct lessons that are interesting and engaging. Even though standards are in place that may seem to limit teacher freedom, they should not be seen or understood as barriers, but rather guiding principles to encourage teachers to hit the most important information with future education in mind. Teachers can still use interesting, relevant material to meet the standards laid out by the district, state and nation. Once the lesson has been created with the students in mind, the teacher must actively monitor student engagement and understanding. There are many ways to gauge student understanding, and with student-focused lessons, the teacher has plenty of opportunities for assessment. By creating units, lessons, and projects that encourage students to produce assessable material everyday, I will be able to monitor my student’s level of understanding. At the same time, student’s will know that they need to complete the given task everyday. The best way to prevent students from acting out is to fully engage them with the lesson/topic at hand. Using a variety of student-focused instructional strategies in the classroom will support student engagement and prevent distracting behavior. One of the most obvious ways to ensure class participation is to allow students to have some control over what and how they learn. Student focused activities that can be used daily are think-pair-share, or group conversations, role playing, and written free writes. Student choice, responsibility, and social interactions are crucial in a classroom that promotes student-centered learning.
By offering clear-cut goals and objectives from the first day of school, and each day, week, and semester after, my class will model goal setting and achievement. Students must maintain an attitude of respect for the classroom, peers, teacher, and learning so that they can achieve the goals set at the beginning of the year. Assessment is based off of the targeted learning goals and objectives laid out before the lesson. Using these goals as the basis to assess student work, it becomes obvious who maintained focus during the lesson and internalized the important information. Although some students may fall behind during lessons for language or disability reasons, accommodations can be made for them so that they have the support they need to grow. Assessment is a great tool for classroom management because it offers the teacher the chance to evaluate student’s behaviors in conjunction with their academic progress. It also offers the evidence to confront the student and/or parents to explain how the inappropriate behavior inhibits the academic success for everyone in the classroom. In an English literature classroom, every student’s voice and opinion is just as important as their teacher and peer’s. Because my classroom demands an environment of respect, diversity is embraced as it is more productive for every individual. Varying points of view offer students the chance to think and see outside of the box.
How I Will Motivate My Students
Students in each grade level have recognizable needs that must be addressed and incorporated into the creation of classroom management that effectually engages diverse learners. I believe that students in middle and high school are naturally curious and stimulated by problem solving. At this age, the development of social skills is extremely important to students and can be utilized to drive academic activities. The intrinsic rewards of social and academic competence will motivate the learners as long as the teacher prepares the learning environment and lesson plans in a way that successfully fosters student growth. However, many teachers fail to engage student’s full potential because of restrictive forms of assessment. I do not see assessment as a limiting factor, but rather, an necessary tool for teacher and student. Everyday, students need to accomplish some form of identifiable achievement (student work) for teachers to gauge progress and for students to receive the extrinsic reward of recognition as a result of their hard-work and problem solving. In addition, grading offers the opportunity to recognize progress and successful classroom management and the chance to address specific classroom behavior issues that inhibit learning.
Each lesson must be relevant to student’s lives as well as the bigger picture that students should be able to recognize and understand by the end of the year. In language arts, tests alone cannot fairly assess the student’s levels of understanding, or offer the potential teaching opportunities that written or creative project do. The lessons that I remember from high school were the hands-on, student driven, problem-solving days. Unlike lecture, which practically invites day dreaming because of the lack of engagement, these lessons offer students the chance to produce, problem solve, and achieve at fast rates. Most high schoolers do not have the long-term thought to consider the importance of detailed notes, so instead, my lessons will inherently invite students to compose writings or drawings daily to serve as notes for the important details and concepts. A successful semester requires daily student-focused activities that scaffold information to lead to an understanding of the most important concepts and themes illuminated by the end of the unit.
Although lecture can be an important tool in English literature studies, adolescent students require more active participation in the learning process. Group discussions are the key to understanding and enjoying literature, but high school students need a structure to ignite their curiosity and encourage them to express their thoughts. Reading guides with questions and hints can help students navigate tricky texts. Reflection writing, drawing, and producing interpretive art can be used to demonstrate student understanding and spark discussion and debate. Smaller group discussions and student pairs give timid students the chance to socialize and express themselves in a less intimidating setting. In order to make content relevant to student’s lives, it is necessary to invite students to explore different avenues of research and expression in the hopes of discovery and development of talents and abilities. While holding expectations high and providing intellectual freedom, students choose their own level of engagement, but the environment of positive peer pressure and support, encourages students to work to their full potential. Because the projects offer the chance to work with an array of topics, displays, and representations, students can access multiple intelligences in one project without even recognizing it. Nevertheless, the deep self-motivated engagement produced, offers the best opportunity to develop lasting knowledge, problem solving skills, and competence.
Building Relationships And Maintaining Communication With Parents
Because most students spend more time at home than they do at school, parents play the largest role in student behavior management, character building, and educational success. Establishing a good relationship with parents early on can drastically improve the quality of work that students produce, as well as further encourage a productive environment of respect. Parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year are a great tool for teachers to explain the expectations, and policies created by and for the class. This is also the ideal time to give and receive email contacts as it is is generally the most effective form of simple communication. Email should be used without hesitation for any questions, updates, or weekly schedules, but for behavior issues, a phone call is necessary. If problems are extreme, private conference are always welcome and I would encourage all parents to meet with me if they have concerns or pressing questions. Another great way for parents to get information at any time is a class blog. Teachers can create these with an interactive schedule and overview before the year even starts.
Getting to know students is a year-long process, and at the beginning of the semester, some teachers may feel overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge they have of their students. Without knowing the student’s levels of academic achievement, family history, daily behavior, or social habits, it is very hard for a teacher to prepare lessons and respond to students in class on-the-spot. In addition, America’s increasingly diverse classrooms can benefit by addressing and incorporating different cultures into lesson and unit plans. For this reason, parents are the resource that hold the most information about each of the students. Early on, I would encourage parents to write informative reflections about their child, aimed to expose student strengths and areas that need improvement. Similarly, students hold all the knowledge about who they are, teachers just need to find ways to access it. In a language arts classroom, writing a bio, life story, or list of pet-peeves and talents, can fit right into the curriculum and is fun and engaging for the students. This also provides valuable information for teachers to internalize at the start of the year.
What Will My Classroom Look Like?
The summer before school starts is a great time to refresh classroom management skills and improve pedagogical understanding. Going into class on the first day of school will be an exhilarating experience because I will be able to test my skills and employ my pedagogical practices on multiple classes of students. Students will not the only ones learning in the classroom during my first year of teaching. Along with my students, I will be facing the realities of teaching and developing best practice methods every day. I envision my motivation will stem from student success and I will constantly strive to create a class that students and teachers are excited to engage in. From my experience in school, I believe that learning can be an intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding experience. With the right preparation, I will be able to manage a classroom that focuses on letting students teach themselves how to learn.
I arrive at school with enough time to clean and prepare my classroom, review my lesson plan, mentally prepare for the day ahead, and probably have a couple cups of coffee all the while. My room has movable desks that can form groups or line up, but I also have some bean bags and couches to add some comfort. Regardless of my mood or personal life, I try to maintain a consistent enthusiasm for learning and a friendly, but professional composure. As the students walk into class, I will either stand at the door and welcome them in, or I will be circulating the classroom and having casual conversation. None of the students run around the classroom, or make paper airplanes and spitballs, but rather, they all go to their assigned seats and get their materials ready for class. The students know that I start my class right at the bell, and they are particularly excited about our current unit, so they are sure to bring, and have ready, all of their necessary supplies. A couple of students straggle in 3-5 minutes after the bell and have already missed part of the directions. Once I finish explaining or modeling the plan for the day, I will ask specific students to fill their tardy classmates in on the directions they missed. This will empower certain students and give them the opportunity to practice translating their listening skills into oral summary skills, and it will give the late students the chance to catch up.
After I explain/model/display the directions of the assignment, I will explicitly state the goals of the day. This will give students the chance to understand how our classwork fits into the weekly, monthly, and yearly goals set at the beginning of the year. Next, I will perform a quick formative assessment by asking the students for a thumbs up/down/sideways to indicate their level of understanding of the directions and goals. If the entire class responds positively, I will instruct the students to move into their activity. If most of the class responds negatively, I will ask specific questions so I can understand what the students do not comprehend and why. Then I can re-phrase or re-explain certain parts of the directions. In the case that a few students do not understand, but the majority does, I will still move the class into their activity, then approach the students with questions and try to help them out individually.
Now that their activity is underway, I circulate the classroom, listening into different conversations to monitor engagement and understanding. Although the students can complete the given task with the resources available to them, I still chime into different conversations and answer questions when asked. This gives the students the chance to practice a mix of social and academic language with their peers as well as with an adult, me. In the process, these kinds of interactions build relationships and form a respect for each other and the learning that takes place. Once the students complete their assignment, the class will come together again to move forward with the lesson. On some days, the students will present group work or have collective class discussion. Other days, I may ask students for exit slips. Whatever the case, I have a strict policy that all students must be in their seats when the bell rings otherwise the entire class has to wait. This is a good way to prevent wasting time, early packing, and horsing around. Luckily, since my class has known the rule since the first day of school, none of the students complain about it, but rather, embrace it as a consistent routine. I also take this chance to leave the students with a final word or statement relating to the lesson of the day in the bigger picture context of their lives and the world.
For centuries, language and literacy have been the foundation for education, communication, and even domination of cultures. In the 21st century, socializing via social media, learning in schools or online interfaces, and acquiring the skills necessary to receive and maintain a job in the rapidly changing technological landscape requires finely tuned literacy skills. In order to scaffold learning so that students can understand the more challenging nuances in literature and the hidden meanings and intentions of media revealed with critical media literacy, basic language arts skills are necessary. For much of student’s educational careers, the process of learning to read and write can be strenuous for some, and easy for others. Nevertheless, from the very beginning of schooling, reading and writing are the basis of most lessons. However, a majority of these years are spent trying to simply comprehend the stories and write out simple ideas. However, upper level English classes present the first opportunities for students to learn about rhetoric and dive into deeper readings of literature and media. Junior and senior students are most likely heavily immersed in media every day, so it is crucial to help them learn how to make sense of the infinite number of signals flashed before their eyes every single day.
I believe that the classroom should be a place where students and teachers collaborate their thinking to generate new ideas. Adolescents are naturally curious and enjoy problem solving, so with the right environment, students will have an intrinsic motivation to succeed. In line with Dewey’s ideas, I also believe in progressive child-centered education where students are engaged in “real-life materials and experiences…[that] encourage experimentation and independent thinking” (Mooney 4). In order to construct the type of environment that is most productive for both teachers and students, respect must be the bottom line: respect for the teacher, the students, the classroom and the learning that takes place. Just like Wong noted, teachers must keep their expectations high, clear, and consistent because “the belief in positive expectations is based on research, which demonstrates that the learner will produce what the teacher expects the student to produce” (11). When holding students to a certain standard, it is crucial that the teacher follows suit. Lesson preparation and execution should display a level of work and thought that equals and exceeds what students are expected to do. In this way, the teacher sets the bar for student work. Additionally, the lesson and unit plans will be developed specifically for students to “develop as: thinkers, learners, problem solvers…and these goals should allow students to assume responsibility for their learning” (Vatterott 126). With a welcoming learning environment, an understanding of respect, and high expectations, teachers can create a classroom that encourages students to actively pursues knowledge instead of act out and disengage. The first requirement of “The 7 Developmental Needs of Young Adolescents” is ‘[p]ositive social interaction with adults and peers’, which I hope to achieve through the community of respect (Center For Early Adolescence). Because middle and high school students can be irrational and emotionally charged at times, my classroom will have ‘[s]tructure and clear limits’ from the first day of school.
The Expectations I Have For My Students
Creating a classroom where students feel comfortable to take academic risks and are excited to learn can be achieved by establishing strategic classroom expectations from the start of the year. I expect students to come to class prepared to engage with the content that I have prepared for them. I hold students to the highest standard possible and in return, students will try to meet and even exceed my expectations. My classroom is a place of academic freedom, where taking intellectual risks is rewarded. The students who actively participate in lessons and engage with homework will be treated with the utmost honor. Students who are too timid to participate will be encouraged, rather than put-down. However, students who inhibit the academic freedom within the classroom, with disrespect or insubordination, will be proactively dealt with by myself, administrators and/or parents.
Emmer and Everston offer 6 basic rules that may seem simple and obvious at first glance, but after closer examination, offer the key to a friendly, productive classroom. To start, students must “bring all needed materials to class” in order to fully participate in the lessons at hand (Emmer, Everston 22). Students must also “Respect and be polite to all people” so that the learning environment encourages all students to join into the discussion or lesson (23). Although it does not seem like a big deal, students must “listen and stay seated when someone is talking” (23). If this rule is not enforced from the beginning, the classroom may seem more like a game of musical chairs than a learning environment. The overarching policy of “obey all school rules” does a great job of encompassing all the expectations of students at that particular school (23). I personally think that the expectations should be extremely transparent so that students know how they should conduct themselves in my classroom.
From the first day of school, it is imperative to have consistent and strategic routines and procedures that the students understand and follow. The times that students misbehave or act inappropriately are when they are bored or do not have anything to do. When students first enter the classroom, they should already know and begin to complete a task, i.e. sit in their assigned seat, start silent reading, pick up a worksheet, etc. Although class should not be exactly the same each and every day, the structure of the agenda should maintain consistency. This will minimize wasted time and suppress student misbehavior caused by boredom and disorganization. The bottom line is that the teacher is responsible for preparing the classroom, lessons, and activities with the students, routines, and procedures in mind. With these structures in place, it will be easier for students to be “deeply involved with their work…[because they will] know what is expected of them…there is little wasted time…[and] the climate of the classroom is work-oriented but relaxed and pleasant” (Wong 85). Hopefully, the respect I earn from the students will be the preventative measure I can use to stop inappropriate behavior before it starts, but I do have a plan to handle students who break the above rules.
I do not want students to think of me as an all authoritarian leader, but rather facilitator and mentor. In high school, the most important lesson to instill in students is the value and skill of learning itself. Although I will have to align my lessons and units with standard and objectives, I will educate my students to be self-motivated, active learners. Through guided, positive interaction with peers and teachers, students discover and develop a variety of talents and skills. I will not be the teacher that attempts to force knowledge upon my students, but rather, I would design and prepare a classroom that constantly harbors constructive interaction. From day one, the class will unify through the creation of short and long term goals for themselves as well as the class as a whole. At the beginning of the year, a very productive activity to do as a class is to hold a discussion to formulate the consequences for different inappropriate behaviors that will not be tolerated in the class. After the rules and consequences have been set, the students should compose a contract that they, as well as their parents, will sign. In this way, students are actively involved in constructing the kind of classroom that they want to learn in. Also, this makes carrying out punishments and corrective behavior methods easier because the students have to recognize and submit to the rules and consequences that they set out for themselves.
Classroom policies will be explicitly defined and enforced from the first day of class. I will remain consistent in my work ethic, enthusiasm, and character throughout the year so that students reciprocate and fully engage in classroom activities and drive their own learning. In any situation where a student acts out, the first step should be to maintain order in the rest of the classroom while also separating the student from the situation. A productive exercise when reflecting on student misbehavior should be a self-check, critiquing lesson structure, classroom time allocation, and student interest. When confronting students about behavior problems, an atmosphere of respect must be upheld while questioning the student about the root of their problems. Students do not act out as a personal attack on the teacher, but rather, a lack of interest and engagement, clowning and boredom. I will counter this by striving to peak student interest and engagement by constantly challenging them to unleash their full potential.
As the teacher, I will guide my students with positive corrective discipline. For example, one-time instances of disturbance or insubordination could result in a personal conference between me and the student. In this setting, the student does not have an audience to entertain, and instead, they need to rationalize their actions to me and explain how and why they will not act out in the future. For repeat offenders, I would encourage my students to think about incorporating a written reflection about their specific misbehavior. In this reflection, the student will be prompted to to do a self check and search for the underlying issue that led to their inappropriate behavior. This can be a very effective mode of discipline because it is non-confrontational and asks the student to assess their own behavior and what it means. By the end of their reflection, they will also need to explicitly state how they plan to correct their behavior so they—as well as the entire class—can avoid trouble in the future. This reflection will need to be signed by the student and their parents so that the student understands what they are doing wrong and so the parents are aware of the student’s actions. If this method is not effective, I believe that calls home or teacher-parent conferences are very useful tools in correcting student behavior. In some cases, parents will not be willing or able to help their student grow, but most of the time, parents have good intentions and will do anything they can to get their student back on the right track. I would much rather deal with discipline issues within my own classroom, but some cases require the help of school administrators. These situations would be the most extreme i.e. fights, uncontrollable arguments with teachers or students, blatant disrespect, or serious threats to the safety of the school.
Instructional and Assessment Strategies
With such a diverse spread of student learning levels, meeting every student’s academic needs is one of the biggest challenges. However, displaying an attitude of genuine care and concern for student’s lives, and academic careers, can significantly motivate students to do their very best work. All lessons should be created with every students abilities in mind and differentiated instruction is critical in planning lessons that every student can engage with. As a teacher, I will be eager to reach out to my colleagues, research, and most importantly, students, in order to construct lessons that are interesting and engaging. Even though standards are in place that may seem to limit teacher freedom, they should not be seen or understood as barriers, but rather guiding principles to encourage teachers to hit the most important information with future education in mind. Teachers can still use interesting, relevant material to meet the standards laid out by the district, state and nation. Once the lesson has been created with the students in mind, the teacher must actively monitor student engagement and understanding. There are many ways to gauge student understanding, and with student-focused lessons, the teacher has plenty of opportunities for assessment. By creating units, lessons, and projects that encourage students to produce assessable material everyday, I will be able to monitor my student’s level of understanding. At the same time, student’s will know that they need to complete the given task everyday. The best way to prevent students from acting out is to fully engage them with the lesson/topic at hand. Using a variety of student-focused instructional strategies in the classroom will support student engagement and prevent distracting behavior. One of the most obvious ways to ensure class participation is to allow students to have some control over what and how they learn. Student focused activities that can be used daily are think-pair-share, or group conversations, role playing, and written free writes. Student choice, responsibility, and social interactions are crucial in a classroom that promotes student-centered learning.
By offering clear-cut goals and objectives from the first day of school, and each day, week, and semester after, my class will model goal setting and achievement. Students must maintain an attitude of respect for the classroom, peers, teacher, and learning so that they can achieve the goals set at the beginning of the year. Assessment is based off of the targeted learning goals and objectives laid out before the lesson. Using these goals as the basis to assess student work, it becomes obvious who maintained focus during the lesson and internalized the important information. Although some students may fall behind during lessons for language or disability reasons, accommodations can be made for them so that they have the support they need to grow. Assessment is a great tool for classroom management because it offers the teacher the chance to evaluate student’s behaviors in conjunction with their academic progress. It also offers the evidence to confront the student and/or parents to explain how the inappropriate behavior inhibits the academic success for everyone in the classroom. In an English literature classroom, every student’s voice and opinion is just as important as their teacher and peer’s. Because my classroom demands an environment of respect, diversity is embraced as it is more productive for every individual. Varying points of view offer students the chance to think and see outside of the box.
How I Will Motivate My Students
Students in each grade level have recognizable needs that must be addressed and incorporated into the creation of classroom management that effectually engages diverse learners. I believe that students in middle and high school are naturally curious and stimulated by problem solving. At this age, the development of social skills is extremely important to students and can be utilized to drive academic activities. The intrinsic rewards of social and academic competence will motivate the learners as long as the teacher prepares the learning environment and lesson plans in a way that successfully fosters student growth. However, many teachers fail to engage student’s full potential because of restrictive forms of assessment. I do not see assessment as a limiting factor, but rather, an necessary tool for teacher and student. Everyday, students need to accomplish some form of identifiable achievement (student work) for teachers to gauge progress and for students to receive the extrinsic reward of recognition as a result of their hard-work and problem solving. In addition, grading offers the opportunity to recognize progress and successful classroom management and the chance to address specific classroom behavior issues that inhibit learning.
Each lesson must be relevant to student’s lives as well as the bigger picture that students should be able to recognize and understand by the end of the year. In language arts, tests alone cannot fairly assess the student’s levels of understanding, or offer the potential teaching opportunities that written or creative project do. The lessons that I remember from high school were the hands-on, student driven, problem-solving days. Unlike lecture, which practically invites day dreaming because of the lack of engagement, these lessons offer students the chance to produce, problem solve, and achieve at fast rates. Most high schoolers do not have the long-term thought to consider the importance of detailed notes, so instead, my lessons will inherently invite students to compose writings or drawings daily to serve as notes for the important details and concepts. A successful semester requires daily student-focused activities that scaffold information to lead to an understanding of the most important concepts and themes illuminated by the end of the unit.
Although lecture can be an important tool in English literature studies, adolescent students require more active participation in the learning process. Group discussions are the key to understanding and enjoying literature, but high school students need a structure to ignite their curiosity and encourage them to express their thoughts. Reading guides with questions and hints can help students navigate tricky texts. Reflection writing, drawing, and producing interpretive art can be used to demonstrate student understanding and spark discussion and debate. Smaller group discussions and student pairs give timid students the chance to socialize and express themselves in a less intimidating setting. In order to make content relevant to student’s lives, it is necessary to invite students to explore different avenues of research and expression in the hopes of discovery and development of talents and abilities. While holding expectations high and providing intellectual freedom, students choose their own level of engagement, but the environment of positive peer pressure and support, encourages students to work to their full potential. Because the projects offer the chance to work with an array of topics, displays, and representations, students can access multiple intelligences in one project without even recognizing it. Nevertheless, the deep self-motivated engagement produced, offers the best opportunity to develop lasting knowledge, problem solving skills, and competence.
Building Relationships And Maintaining Communication With Parents
Because most students spend more time at home than they do at school, parents play the largest role in student behavior management, character building, and educational success. Establishing a good relationship with parents early on can drastically improve the quality of work that students produce, as well as further encourage a productive environment of respect. Parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year are a great tool for teachers to explain the expectations, and policies created by and for the class. This is also the ideal time to give and receive email contacts as it is is generally the most effective form of simple communication. Email should be used without hesitation for any questions, updates, or weekly schedules, but for behavior issues, a phone call is necessary. If problems are extreme, private conference are always welcome and I would encourage all parents to meet with me if they have concerns or pressing questions. Another great way for parents to get information at any time is a class blog. Teachers can create these with an interactive schedule and overview before the year even starts.
Getting to know students is a year-long process, and at the beginning of the semester, some teachers may feel overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge they have of their students. Without knowing the student’s levels of academic achievement, family history, daily behavior, or social habits, it is very hard for a teacher to prepare lessons and respond to students in class on-the-spot. In addition, America’s increasingly diverse classrooms can benefit by addressing and incorporating different cultures into lesson and unit plans. For this reason, parents are the resource that hold the most information about each of the students. Early on, I would encourage parents to write informative reflections about their child, aimed to expose student strengths and areas that need improvement. Similarly, students hold all the knowledge about who they are, teachers just need to find ways to access it. In a language arts classroom, writing a bio, life story, or list of pet-peeves and talents, can fit right into the curriculum and is fun and engaging for the students. This also provides valuable information for teachers to internalize at the start of the year.
What Will My Classroom Look Like?
The summer before school starts is a great time to refresh classroom management skills and improve pedagogical understanding. Going into class on the first day of school will be an exhilarating experience because I will be able to test my skills and employ my pedagogical practices on multiple classes of students. Students will not the only ones learning in the classroom during my first year of teaching. Along with my students, I will be facing the realities of teaching and developing best practice methods every day. I envision my motivation will stem from student success and I will constantly strive to create a class that students and teachers are excited to engage in. From my experience in school, I believe that learning can be an intrinsically and extrinsically rewarding experience. With the right preparation, I will be able to manage a classroom that focuses on letting students teach themselves how to learn.
I arrive at school with enough time to clean and prepare my classroom, review my lesson plan, mentally prepare for the day ahead, and probably have a couple cups of coffee all the while. My room has movable desks that can form groups or line up, but I also have some bean bags and couches to add some comfort. Regardless of my mood or personal life, I try to maintain a consistent enthusiasm for learning and a friendly, but professional composure. As the students walk into class, I will either stand at the door and welcome them in, or I will be circulating the classroom and having casual conversation. None of the students run around the classroom, or make paper airplanes and spitballs, but rather, they all go to their assigned seats and get their materials ready for class. The students know that I start my class right at the bell, and they are particularly excited about our current unit, so they are sure to bring, and have ready, all of their necessary supplies. A couple of students straggle in 3-5 minutes after the bell and have already missed part of the directions. Once I finish explaining or modeling the plan for the day, I will ask specific students to fill their tardy classmates in on the directions they missed. This will empower certain students and give them the opportunity to practice translating their listening skills into oral summary skills, and it will give the late students the chance to catch up.
After I explain/model/display the directions of the assignment, I will explicitly state the goals of the day. This will give students the chance to understand how our classwork fits into the weekly, monthly, and yearly goals set at the beginning of the year. Next, I will perform a quick formative assessment by asking the students for a thumbs up/down/sideways to indicate their level of understanding of the directions and goals. If the entire class responds positively, I will instruct the students to move into their activity. If most of the class responds negatively, I will ask specific questions so I can understand what the students do not comprehend and why. Then I can re-phrase or re-explain certain parts of the directions. In the case that a few students do not understand, but the majority does, I will still move the class into their activity, then approach the students with questions and try to help them out individually.
Now that their activity is underway, I circulate the classroom, listening into different conversations to monitor engagement and understanding. Although the students can complete the given task with the resources available to them, I still chime into different conversations and answer questions when asked. This gives the students the chance to practice a mix of social and academic language with their peers as well as with an adult, me. In the process, these kinds of interactions build relationships and form a respect for each other and the learning that takes place. Once the students complete their assignment, the class will come together again to move forward with the lesson. On some days, the students will present group work or have collective class discussion. Other days, I may ask students for exit slips. Whatever the case, I have a strict policy that all students must be in their seats when the bell rings otherwise the entire class has to wait. This is a good way to prevent wasting time, early packing, and horsing around. Luckily, since my class has known the rule since the first day of school, none of the students complain about it, but rather, embrace it as a consistent routine. I also take this chance to leave the students with a final word or statement relating to the lesson of the day in the bigger picture context of their lives and the world.