Reflection Journal #7: Chapter Eleven: Effective Learning Envrionments

Description: 

The focus of reading and discussion in EDAT 6115 this week was on the effective learning environment. Our discussions in class were based on classroom management issues we have in our field experiences and in our classrooms. Our discussions included our issues and ways that we could manage those issues based on our class readings. When thinking about an effective learning environment and classroom management it is important to think about having a plan for everything. If you plan in advance for every situation, you can ensure that you will be able to run your own ship.

Analyze:

            Teachers need to be able to run their own ships, in order to accomplish this, they need to be able to have an effective learning environment that incorporates effective classroom management techniques. Slavin (2018) describes classroom management as, “…strategies for providing effective learning environments include not only preventing and responding to misbehavior but also, and even more important, using class time well, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to interest and inquiry, and permitting activities that engage students’ minds and imaginations” Slavin, p. 272). It is important to note that effective classroom management is not just about behaviors, it includes effective and engaging instruction and planning. Effective classroom management involves the use of time, the creation of your learning environment, management, lessons, activities, and discipline.

            One of the most effective strategies for an effective learning environment includes using your time for instruction which is also known as allocated learning time. In order to ensure our students are having the opportunity to learn teachers need to ensure they are preventing lost time, late starts and early finishes, interruptions, handling routine procedures, maintaining a rapid pace of instruction, and minimizing time spent on discipline issues (Slavin, 2018, pg. 274-275). In addition, teachers also need to utilize engaged time effectively with their students. Slavin (2018) describes engaged time, “Engaged time (or time on task) is the time individual students actually spend doing assigned work” (Slavin, p. 275). In order to ensure teachers are utilizing engaged time, they can teach engaging lessons, manage classroom transitions, maintain focus from their students during lessons, maintain focus during seatwork, and utilize overlapping skills throughout a lesson or activity (Slavin, 2018, p. 277).

            Although it is important to ensure that teachers are utilizing allocated and engaged time, it is also important to consider classroom management. Slavin (2018) describes the importance of effective classroom management, “Research has consistently shown that basic common-sense planning and groundwork go a long way toward preventing discipline problems from ever developing” (Slavin, p. 278). It is all about making a plan and getting organized! Some planning includes the beginning of the year routines and procedures, classroom set up, setting class rules and procedures with your students’, and setting class norms and expectations from day one!

            Setting the standards and norms from day one is vital for a classroom that is going to run smoothly. This includes making a plan for introducing students to classroom rules and procedures and including them in the process. In addition, starting the year off right involves working with the whole class initially. At the beginning of the year, it is important to make sure that all students are engaged and involved at all times. The first few weeks of school are also spent practicing rules and procedures a million times! A large part of classroom management is setting class rules and norms. It is important the teachers don’t create a lot of rules, they should make sense, and they need to be clearly explained and taught to your students in order for them to be effective. In addition, the beginning of the year, especially the first week, teachers should be planning simple and enjoyable tasks for students that slowly engage students in instructions on classroom procedures. Lastly, at the beginning of the year, it is important to respond immediately to students in order to stop and correct misbehaviors and set the standards for the classroom community.

            In addition to ensuring the “stage is set” and the rules and procedures are in place, teachers need to plan for student misbehaviors. Besides creating engaging lessons and instructions, teachers need to have strategies and tools in their teacher toolbox to prevent or deal with problems when they occur. The main goal of the effective management of behavior is to utilize the simplest intervention that will work with your students (Slavin, 2018, p. 280). There are seven steps to the principle of least intervention that include prevention, nonverbal clues, praise of correct behaviors, praise for other students, verbal reminders, repeated reminders, and then consequences (Slavin, 2018, p. 281).

            Classroom misbehaviors can be dealt with through prevention. Prevention includes creating engaging lessons, varying up lessons, using new and different approaches with your students, and including cooperative learning or PBLs. In addition, teachers can incorporate nonverbal clues into their lessons. For example, making eye contact with a student to stop a misbehavior or moving closer to a student to alert the student. Nonverbal cues are effective because teachers are able to continue with instruction without stopping to reprimand students! Sometimes nonverbal cues may not be enough, and a verbal reminder might be necessary to help get students back in control. A verbal reminder needs to encourage students to do the right behavior, not to slam them for the behavior that is incorrect. Sometimes the cues and verbal reminders are enough for students, but a repeated reminder might be needed for a student who just isn’t responding. Slavin (2018) describes the effectiveness of utilizing a repeated reminder, “When a student refuses to comply with a simple reminder, one strategy to attempt first is a repetition of the reminder, ignoring any irrelevant excuse or argument” (Slavin, p. 282). In addition, praising correct behaviors and praising other students can be a powerful motivator for students. Lastly, when nothing else is working, it is time to apply some consequences for students’ actions. For example, sending a student to a cool down spot, taking time off of recess (which is sometimes not allowed in school systems), or a phone call home. A consequence needs to be applied as soon as possible after the behavior occurs. Do not give students empty threats!

            Classroom misbehaviors can be analyzed, and the analysis can be utilized to manage more serious behavior problems within the classroom. Most classroom misbehaviors are occurring because a student is seeking attention from a teacher or from their peers, sometimes from both parties. Another reason for misbehaviors is because the student is attempting to release themselves from an unpleasant state of emotion or they just don’t want to complete an activity. For example, students who constantly ask to get water or to use the restroom. Sometimes behavior management strategies are not enough for these students and behavior modifications need to be put into place to change the behaviors.

            The first step in analyzing behavior is to observe the student who is misbehaving and target what is reinforcing their misbehaviors and determine how often the behaviors are occurring in the classroom. Next, determine what type of positive reinforces the student needs such as praise, sticker charts, a smile, or even a tangible reward. In addition to selecting a positive reinforcer, it is also important to select a punishment if needed. Students are going to continue to act up and it is important to be ready to enforce a punishment if needed. For example, reprimanding the student, sending the student to the opportunity room or principal’s office, or even detention if the behaviors are severe. An effective punisher could include time out or time away from the situation, sometimes all students need is time to reflect and reset their moods. In addition to analyzing the behavior and setting positive reinforcements, it is vital that parents are involved! For example, ensuring there is home-based reinforcement, phone calls or emails with parents (communication is key) or even a daily report card or check sheet that is signed by a parent.

            Slavin (2018) describes the importance of implementing the behavior analysis strategies, “The behavior analysis strategies described in this chapter can be powerful. Properly applied, they will usually bring the behavior of even the most disruptive students to manageable levels” (Slavin, p. 290). It is important to use the strategies in the correct ways and not to control the students. It is important to remember that in the end, it is not about getting your students to be soldiers and to sit still and not talk. The goal is to run your own ship! Ensure students are productive, that you are teaching engaging lessons, that time is not lost, and that teachers are utilizing behavior analysis strategies.

            Every student is going to misbehave at some time. Some misbehaviors are going to be more severe than others. Teachers need to be ready to respond to serious behavior problems and need to know how to prevent them in their classrooms. Some ways to prevent serious behaviors is through preventive programs such as PBIS, identifying causes of students’ misbehaviors and knowing your students, enforcing your rules and practices with your students, enforcing school attendance, confronting bullying in your school and classroom, practicing interventions, involving your students families, and applying consequences with your students when needed.

Reflection:

            As a teacher who just finished their second year of teaching, I have learned a lot about classroom management. To me, classroom management is a skill that is learned over time. Classroom management is about having the skills in order to effectively manage your classroom by having routines and procedures, engaging instruction, and strategies to deal with student misbehaviors. This concept is something that I don’t believe is taught very well in teacher preparation programs and is something that has to be learned over time through trial and error.

            Based on the information I read from my peers, my prior experiences, and through the readings, I have learned ways to handle a situation differently. For example, in my first year of teaching, I had trouble managing students when they entered my classroom because I hadn’t set the expectations, routines, or procedures necessary to have a successful classroom. Through reading the chapter from Slavin, I realized the importance of starting out the school year by establishing procedures with my students in order to have a classroom that runs smoothly. For example, I now have a procedure for when my students enter the room. The write down their homework and begin a bell ringer, similar to the kind shown in the video for this week. This simple routine gets my students engaged from the moment they walk into my classroom.

            The knowledge I have gained over the past two years and the knowledge learned through the readings and discussions this week have confirmed my knowledge and beliefs about teaching and the importance of effective classroom management skills. This knowledge confirmed that teachers need to have the background knowledge about classroom management prior to stepping foot in the classroom. This knowledge confirmed that different things are going to work differently in each classroom and with each group of students. I learned that teachers have got to own their ships in order to have an effective running classroom.

            Through the discussions with my classmates, my reading, and my experience in the classroom throughout the last two years many additional questions have sprouted. My main question is, how can I become a better teacher for my students and have a better running classroom through learning about classroom management. This question caused me to do some research online and I have come up with two action steps I will take to address the question. The first step is to gain more knowledge! I plan on doing this through reading a few books based on classroom management and engaging instruction. In addition, I have worked with my curriculum support teacher at my school to find a behavioral specialist in our county who is going to come to our school during pre-planning and deliver a training about classroom management for our staff. I think that these two next steps will address my concerns and enable me to become a better educator for my students.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (12^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Reflection Journal #6: Chapter Nine: Grouping, Differentiation, and Technology

Description: 

The focus of reading in EDAT 6115 this week was on utilizing student grouping to improve achievement within the classroom. In addition, there is a focus on strategies teachers can use to differentiate instruction to meet individual student needs. When thinking about effective instruction it is important to think about and reflect upon grouping our students’ and differentiating and personalizing our instruction to meet the needs of our students.

Analyze:

            Effective instruction has much more to do with than just teaching a good lesson. Teachers must consider the needs of their students and how they learn best in order to have effective instruction. There are various models of instruction that are used to enhance learning with our students, Slavin focused on using Carroll’s model of school learning to create a model that can be changed based on need. Within the model adopted by Slavin, there is a focus on the quality of instruction, appropriate levels of instruction, incentives, and time. Slavin (2012) argues, “For instruction to be effective, each of these four elements must be adequate. No matter how high the quality of instruction, students will not learn a lesson if they lack the necessary prior skills or information, if they lack the motivation, or if they lack the time they need to learn the lesson” (Slavin, p. 214).

            The quality of instruction is the focus on how you choose to present the information to the students. One of the areas that are most difficult for teachers to consider is the appropriate levels of instruction. Students come to us at so many different levels, so it is important to adapt to the individual needs of students. Teachers also need to determine student incentive and consider how they are going to keep their students motivated to learn the material. Some teachers utilize praise and rewards, grades, certificates, and prizes in order to increase student motivation. Lastly, in the model, teachers need to consider the time the instruction is going to take. Time is determined by two factors, how much time is actually allocated or scheduled for you to teach during and engaged time, which is the number of time students are actually paying attention to the lesson.

            One of the most important parts of the model was accounting for the appropriate levels of instruction, so teachers must consider grouping students to accommodate for differences. One of the ways teachers accommodate is through ability grouping based on performance, for example, the use of reading groups based on reading level. Within my classroom, I have a mixed-ability class with students who are considered special education, ESOL, TAG, and the in-between students. Because I teach science and social studies, my school decides to group students based on mixed-ability, whereas in their reading and math classes students are grouped based on ability levels. A benefit to mixed-ability is that my students are not placed based on tracking. Slavin (2018) argues, “Perhaps the most damaging effect of tracking is its stigmatizing effect on students who are assigned to the low tracks; the message these students get is that academic success is not within their reach” (Slavin, 219). Based on this knowledge I hold all of my students, regardless of ability level to high standards in my classroom, but I provide accommodations and differentiation for those students in order to help them achieve and reach the standards they are required to meet. One of the solutions to groups based on ability to through utilizing regrouping for reading and math classes. This grouping plan keeps students in mixed-ability classes, but are then assigned to ability classes based on reading and math. This form of grouping allows low achievers to be in classes with their peers and not be stigmatized. Slavin (2018) describes the benefits to regrouping, “…regrouping plans have generally been found to increase student achievement” (Slavin, p. 220).

            Another form of grouping discussed by Slavin is within-class ability grouping. This is a common type of grouping utilized in reading classes, however, I use this in my science and social studies class to group students for my guided reading groups. These groups allow for more direct instruction and more group work with teacher guidance. Although it is not desirable to group students based on ability, grouping within the class is more preferable than to group students between classes (Slavin, 2018, p. 220). Aside from grouping students, there are various other ways to differentiate instruction to improve student achievement.

            Slavin (2018) defines differentiated instruction, “…tailoring instruction precisely to a student’s needs” (Slavin, p. 222). All students have the potential to reach high standards and differentiation allows each student to be successful in the classroom. One-way schools use differentiation and personalizing learning is through the use of technology. Another way is through peer and teaching tutoring. Peer tutoring is when one student is teaching another. This is beneficial for both students involved because the best way to learn something is to teach it to another person (Slavin, 2018, p. 223). Tutoring by teachers or one-to-one tutoring is one of the most effective instructional strategies and completely solves the problem of leveling instruction.

            Another way to accommodate for our students is through providing educational programs for our at-risk students. At-risk students fall into the categories of compensatory education programs, early intervention programs, and special education. Compensatory education programs are utilized to assist low-income communities. The largest program is called Title I which is a federally funded program that provides schools with money to provide student services that come from low-income families. One of the programs my school has is the SLED team. This program is for students who fall in the bottom 30% of students. This is an after-school program that teaches content, homework skills, and social skills to students. It is effective because it is free of cost and offers bus transportation so working parents don’t have to worry about how to get their student home from the program.

            Another program to accommodate our at-risk students is early intervention programs (EIP). EIP is about providing students with prevention, not just remediation. EIP ensures that students don’t fall under our radar and are identified for problems early and are not just automatically placed in special education when other modifications could be used. Lastly, comprehensive school reform programs (CSR). CSR programs are used school-wide to introduce research-based strategies into the classrooms. Teaching our teachers these strategies ensures all teachers have the tools to help all students. In addition to the programs to help at-risk students, schools also offer after-school and summer school programs to help with student achievement. These programs are very beneficial to our at-risk students because they offer extended instructional time using targeted instructional activities and strategies based on student need.

            Want a quick and easy way to differentiate and plan for personalization of student need? Implement more technology into your lessons. Teachers can utilize technology to enhance their lessons and to help students learn. Teachers can enhance their lessons by utilizing computers, tablets, interactive whiteboards, and electronic response devices. One of my favorite ways to implement technology in my classroom is through utilizing Kahoot. I use this website to create quick assessments for my students that they take on the iPad. Technology is also proven to help students learn. Technology can be used to teach students through the use of word processing systems, teaching students to utilize spreadsheets to graph data, drill and practice facts, tutorial programs, and instructional games. Our school subscribes to an online instructional program called MobyMax which is used to find and fix gaps in student learning. This program is a wonderful tool because it assesses all content areas. Each area has a pretest student take and then places them based on their scores. Students work through lessons that involve reading, videos, and instructional games. The program is also great because teachers can assign certain lessons and topics to their students based on what students need more remediation on. Technology can also be utilized for students to participate in Web Quests and research-based projects to enhance their learning of a topic.

            Although technology is a fantastic tool to utilize in the classroom, like most strategies and tools, challenges are going to arise. Some of the challenges of integrating technology in the classroom involve cyberbullying, the use of technology during class, and the safety and security of students. Our school utilizes a program that teaches students online safety and the importance of being kind online.

            Differentiation allows each student to feel successful in your classroom. It is important to utilize various strategies and resources like technology to meet our students where they are and help them achieve and grow. We can group our students, preferably in mixed-grouping, to allow students to work with peers on all ability levels. Teachers can also utilize strategies within their classrooms, such as online programs, small groups, and scaffolding to help our students achieve.

           

Reflection:

            When going through undergrad, there was such a focus on differentiation, I believe I took an entire class on it! It’s also one of those buzzwords that people in the education world like to hear teachers use. To me, differentiation is vital to helping our students succeed. We must offer our students accommodations and tailor our instruction to meet their needs. I think that differentiation can be used with all student, regardless of their ability level. Some students benefit from remediation and others from enrichment. It is our job as teachers to figure out what our students need and to accommodate to their learning.

            This concept is significant when I think about the context of my classroom because I serve a wide variety of learners. Within all three of the grade levels I teach, I have students who fall under the category of special education, ESOL, EIP, TAG, and then “average students.” I have students who come from low-income backgrounds, and students who come from families with stay-at-home momagers. Differentiation is important to me because I know I have a variety of learners in my room, and I am responsible for ensuring they all learn the same content. It is my job to figure out the best way for each of the students to learn the information and for me to implement it in my teaching practices.

            When I first started teaching, I tried to group students based on ability level in my classroom and I quickly learned that did not work in my content area. Based on my experiences and knowledge, I learned that it is okay to group students who are at different ability levels. Students learn so much more from their peers and through collaboration than we realize. Based on the information I have learned, next year I plan on implementing more mixed-ability groups in my classroom for stations and collaborative activities.

            In conclusion, through reading and reflecting on the text this week, my beliefs about differentiation and accommodation have been confirmed. I have always believed that differentiation and accommodation are truly the best way to teach our students. We can’t deliver our lessons to students in the same way and assume that learning is taking place. We must use our knowledge of our students and various instructional strategies to meet the needs of our students.

Reference

Slavin, R. E. (2018). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (12^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.