4. Learning Environment

The competent teacher structures a safe and healthy learning environment that facilitates cultural and linguistic responsiveness, emotional well-being, self-efficacy, positive social interaction, mutual respect, active engagement, academic risk-taking, self-motivation, and personal goal-setting.

Artifact 1: Class Website

Click on the image above to access my classroom website.

Description of artifact

The following artifact is a classroom website that was created during General Methods (AEDU380). This website is meant to be utilized during my time as an educator for parents, students, and administration. The website consists of many different aspects of my Spanish classroom and serves as a road map for students in my class. Information such as my instructional style and teaching strategies, classroom rules and expectations, class procedures, policies surrounding rewards and consequences, my approach to diversity, and more can be found on the class website. While this site is particularly useful for students, is also meant to include parents in their child's education. Parents can use this website to find out what their students are working on, my policies and how to contact me with any questions they may have.

Standards Connection

This assignment fits with IPTS performance indicator 4J which states that "the competent teacher creates clear expectations and procedures for communication and behavior and a physical setting conducive to achieving classroom goals." This is accomplished in my class website pages on Classroom Rules, Expectations and Procedures. On these pages, I clearly articulate the high standards I have for all students in terms of their behavior in order to maximize learning in my classroom. This assignment also fits with IPTS performance indicator 4K which states that "the competent teacher uses strategies to create a smoothly functioning learning community in which students assume responsibility for themselves and one another, participate in decision-making, work collaboratively and independently, use appropriate technology, and engage in purposeful learning activities." This is met not only in the pages previously mentioned but also in the Instructional Style and Strategies page of my class website. On this page, I clearly define and describe the teaching methods and strategies I will utilize in order to engage students in course material and in collaborative learning. At the heart of my foreign language classroom is the need for students to interact with one another to improve their communicative proficiency and construct meaning together. As described on this page, students will need to work together on a day-to-day basis to succeed in my class and improve their language skills.

Reflection

Through this assignment, I learned a significant amount about putting the theories I have learned about great foreign language teaching into place. From things like classroom management to instructional strategies, I was able to clearly describe to students and parents what learning would look like in my Spanish classroom. For example, I was able to clearly and concisely describe my expectations for students behavior in order for class to run smoothly and what types of assessment I will use to monitor students' progress, growth and learning outcomes over the course of the year. My goal is for parents and students to have a clear picture of what a day in my class could look like after reviewing my site. Through this assignment I also learned how important it is to make information about my class easily available and accessible online for parents so they can feel more connected and informed about their child's learning.

Artifact 2: PBIS Lesson

PBIS Lesson

Description of Artifact

The following artifact is a PBIS lesson that I co-taught with two other teachers at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School. This lesson addressed the topic of bullying. Students defined bullying, assessed how they should respond to different situations involving bullying, and took a pledge to be "upstanders" and not "bystanders" at the school. The lesson objective was to give students the tools to reduce bullying behavior. Bullying behaviors such as aggression, violence, threats, intimidation, and isolation compromise the ability of students to feel safe, learn, and perform in school. This lesson reinforces the ways students should address bullying and how to respond when they witness it at school.

Standards Connection

This artifact demonstrates the IPTS knowledge idicator 4F and 4G which state that the competent teacher "understands laws, rules, and ethical considerations regarding behavior intervention planning and behavior management (e.g., bullying and crisis intervention) and knows strategies to implement behavior management." Bullying prevention is integrated into the PBIS program at this school. Throughout the school year, students will participate in lessons that address bullying and explicitly teach bully prevention strategies. This lesson is designed to help educate students about bullying and how to respond appropriately to bullying at school. Similarly, this artifact demonstrates the IPTS performance indicator 4I which states that the competent teacher "creates a safe and healthy environment that maximizes student learning." The PBIS program at this school works to actively promote positive behavior throughout the building. Lastly, this artifact also demonstrates the IPTS performance indicator 4O which states that the competent teacher "uses a variety of effective behavioral management techniques appropriate to the needs of all students that include positive behavior interventions and supports." The PBIS program uses many different techniques to promote positive student behavior and lessons on a variety of important topics are taught during the school year.

Reflection

I learned a lot about creating a safe and healthy learning environment through the use of PBIS program at Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School. This school strives to maintain a safe, respectful and caring learning environment for their students. However, this is often challenged by students who engage in bullying behavior. Bullying has detrimental effects on individual students and the school community. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides this school with an effective model for reducing challenging behaviors, including bullying. Lessons like this one are part of the prevention strategies used to promote positive students interactions and a productive learning environment. One aspect of this lesson that I particularly liked was when students had to collaborate with their peers to decide how to appropriately respond to eight different bullying scenarios. They had to reflect and think critically about what they should do and we were able to guide and teach students how to respond to the more complex and challenging situations they could encounter at the school. I think it is so important to teach students appropriate behavior and reinforce it in order to maintain a healthy, safe learning community in which all students can grow, learn and thrive.

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