Domain 2

Developing Classroom Expectations TOGETHER

My cooperating teacher and I were given new school-wide expectations to communicate to students at the beginning of the year. My cooperating teacher suggested that we first have students collaborate with each other to "decide" our classroom/school expectations. As a whole-group, we discussed possible behavioral expectations. Students talked in partnerships, as well as shared their ideas to the whole class. My teacher recorded their ideas on the front SmartBoard. Students were engaged in the development of our classroom/school expectations. Many of their ideas fell in line with the expectations that were already decided. The following day, my teacher and I presented the school-wide expectations. We added a few of their ideas to the list of expectations that we believed were appropriate. The students were receptive to our expectations, and I believe that this is partly due to the fact that they had a "say." They felt in-control of their expectations. We made sure to communicate that their ideas were heard and valuable. Collaborating to create our school-wide/classroom expectations was a meaningful experience for students. I have provided our expectations below. Each student was given a copy to have at hand. We all signed our sheet. 

Classroom Expectations

Positive Classroom Culture Methods

To create a classroom that supported a positive learning experience, I utilized many strategies. Naming voice levels is one strategy that I incorporated; this was taught to me at a professional development meeting. Prior to a lesson or transition, I would name what voice level the students should maintain. I displayed a voice levels chart on all of my Organizational Slides, indicating with an arrow what level we should maintain. This gave a clear and concise expectation for students to follow regarding their voice volume. I adjusted the level based on whether we were working independently, quietly with partners, or in teams. Another strategy I used, particularly for discussion, were sentence starters. My cooperating teacher introduced me to the idea of displaying sentence starters. In addition, one of my UM-Dearborn seminar meetings discussed the importance of giving students sentence starters. These were displayed around our SmartBoard and proved to enhance discusssion in a positive way. My cooperating teacher and I reminded students to use these starters when discussing. Lastly, in the beginning of the year, I noticed that my students were using hand signals to communicate their thoughts without soeaking. For instance, they used the ASL "agree" signal when they agreed with a peer's shared thought/idea. I took this observation and expanded on it. I encouraged my students to use hand signals to communicate their ideas silently, rather than shout out their ideas. This allowed lessons to flow smoothly without as many interruptions. I displayed our hand signals on my Organizational Slides to remind students that they were available.  

Voice Levels

Talking Points

Hand Signals

Organizational Slides Saved My Life

I mention this strategy in another later domain because it is truly such a game changer. I learned from my cooperating teacher that using a set of organizational slides is a powerful management tool. Organizational slides are set of slides that are used daily; they are edited throughout the day. They may include the following sections: morning introduction, general directions, welcome back directions, materials needed, sequence, etc. The slides will make more sense if you view them; I have provided an example of them below. The slides helped smooth out our transitions between lessons, lunch, specials, etc. The slides allowed me to provide written directions, steps, and/or lists that students could refer back to throughout a lesson or independent/partner work time. I found that I was having to repeat myself less and students began to fall into a rountine. They learned to look at the board for directions/materials at each transition. I displayed voice levels and hand signals on these slides as well. I provided sequencing (steps) for students to follow during independent, partner, or team activities. The sequences kept student on target with our goals and objectives for that lesson. I have provided additional examples of sequencing slides below.

Organizational Slides Example

Sequencing Examples

A Balance Between Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators

I had the opportunity to practice using incentives during my student teaching, which were extrinsic motivators in the form of "Comet Cash." This was a classroom currency that would be utilized by students during end-of-the-year projects and activities. The goal for students was to save up their "Comet Cash" for these activities. To my surprise, the cash proved to motivate the students very well. We awarded cash for positive behavior, and also ended up having to take the cash from students for negative behavior. The students were receptive to following directions when I would say phrases like "this is an opportunity to earn comet cash." Once I learned that this worked well, I started to realize that I needed to shift some of my focus towards intrinsically motivating students. I knew that they would not continue getting "cash" as they moved up through higher grades. For this reason, I wanted to motivate them in other ways. I began focusing on building my students' self-esteem in a way that would motivate them to engage. For instance, I provided constructive feedback that maintained a balance. This balance involved highlighting the student's strengths, and then pointing out where they can improve. I focused on using particular language, such as "growth," "improve," and "build upon." I believe that providing students with honest feedback positively motivated students to grow, challenge themselves, and develop goals. 

Getting to Know Our Room

At the beginning of the school year, my teacher suggested I find or create an activity that would familiarize our new students with the room. We organizaed the room in a way where materials and supplies were easily accessible to students. We wanted students to be able to solve their own problems that involved supplies, such as not having a pencil. We kept extra materials and supplies at the back of the class, so that students would not interrupt a lesson if they had to grab materials. We kept laptops at the front of the class, near our SmartBoard, to encourage students to grab theirs at the beginning of the day. There were various additional arrangements around the room that we wanted to highlight to students early on. I created a classroom scavenger hunt for students to complete. I put small labels (cards) around the room by the locations my teacher and I wanted to point out to our students. The objective for students was to create their own classroom map that they could have readily available. We decided not to take down the cards after the activity; they served as helpful labels.

Classroom Scavenger Hunt