Building an Effective Learning Classroom Enviornment

Building an Effective Learning Classroom Environment

Chapter 13 Reflection

     This chapter was very informative about creating a positive learning environment for any age group. I really must emphasize the importance of procedures and routines as well as rules in the classroom. These three concepts are major when establish a firm classroom management system. It's important to create and maintain a classroom management system that the students can comprehend and construct familiarity with. While reading over the bullying and cyberbullying section, I actually stopped and reread what I was reading because it is something that interested me very much. In past classes, I actually created a workshop/course that revolved around making a cyberbullying safety box for your age group in your classroom. It was a class final project, but it is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

Constructivism Rap!

     What can I possibly say about this rap? I can honestly say that I love it! I used this rap in a presentation about constructivism that I used last semester in one of my Information Technology courses and it was a big hit among my peers. This rap helped me to develop a confident understanding of what constructivism is. This tune is catchy and in the classroom, I believe that everyone would join in and start singing the song after a few seconds in. 

My Experience with Create, Evaluate, and Relate in Chapter 13

Create: What's Your Classroom Like?

Class Setup

     The desks are set up vertically in a way that the students can see the Smartboard since the Smartboard is the primary source of visual representation and tool for teaching. The Learning Center tables are where there will be different activities according to what is being taught within the length of time. I set up my classroom like the floor plan above because I believe that students should be seen in every aspect of the classroom. I also believe that there is no need for a teacher to have a desk in Elementary School. As the teacher, I will constantly be engaging with the students and there will never be a moment where I am sitting down doing nothing. 

Rules for the Classroom

     My classroom would have a set of rules like the images above. I would assume that 3-6 graders would understand the basics of the classroom rules like raise your hands, but I would reinforce the basic classroom rules with any grade lower. 

Procedures and Routines

     For this classroom, all of the procedures and routines would be reinforced and strictly applied during the first full month of school. It's difficult to teach a routine, but with practice makes perfect. There would be a set class time schedule that will correspond with procedures and the daily routine of the classroom. The transitions would occur during the change of subjects or when leaving to lunch or a special like art and music. The transitions would not be time consuming once the students get the hang of the routine. 

Here is a link to classroom procedures that I would follow in this classroom.

Evaluate: Classroom Management

Malinger, A. (2015, Feb 01). Future teachers gain insight for the classroom. University Wire Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.opac.msmc.edu/education/docview/1650042933/4FDF5769125B4274PQ/1?accountid=28089 

• The author of this article is Alyson Malinger. The source of this article was gathered from an Educational Database on Proquest that is linked to the Mount Saint Mary College Database. This article is about the Armstrong Teacher Education Program that revolves around awarding teachers for positive effective classroom management. This article lists what other teachers and educators say with regards to classroom management such as "you create a community in your classroom..." and "don't be afraid to try new things..."

Teach, L. (2016). WeAreTeachers: Don't Be Like Me: 5 Giant Mistakes I Made My First Year of Teaching. Weareteachers.com. Retrieved from http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2014/07/28/don't-be-like-me-5-giant-mistakes-i-made-my-first-year-of-teaching 

• The author of this blog is anonymous, but their user name is Love Teach. The source of this blog is posted on a website called We Are Teachers. The teacher in this blog listed the top five mistakes that they made in their first year of teaching and most of them relate to classroom management one way or another. One of the ways that their mistake related to classroom management would be being afraid to be firm with students. The teacher also did not ask for help which can benefit and strengthen classroom management by reaching out to other teachers. Comparing to the other article, this author did not know how to handle classroom management as much as the educators of the Armstrong Teacher Education Program. The teacher is learning to use classroom management and has learned from their mistakes. 

Relate: Your View of Classroom Management