Lining up and Walking in the Halls

(1) One way I would teach this procedure is by creating a number line on the floor where children will be expected to line up. Each student will be assigned a number/order as to where they will be in line. When it is time to line up I will call them to walk over and line up in order. To further grow this topic into how we walk in the halls I will remind my students that we must stay in our line order and always walk in the halls. 

(2) The best way to communicate and teach this procedure to my students would be through modeling and practice. The teacher will model how we walk and stand in line and then the students will spend time practicing this action of walking to line, finding their number, and walking in the hall. The teacher will make corrections and praise those doing well during the process to further solidify the expected behavior. 

(3) Theorists Linda Albert and B. F. Skinner believe that when students do something and are rewarded for it, they are more likely to repeat it. My philosophy backs this idea up as well and encourages the use of shaping/modeling behavior.  

Entering the Classroom

(1) Setting clear expectations as to how students will come into the classroom is the first step. I would describe to them what is expected and why they need to do this. I would also involve my students in the process as much as I can and give them choices in how they enter the classroom. For example, how they would like to be greeted or selecting which warm-up activity they would like to start with once in the classroom. 

(2) To teach this to my students I would meet my students at the door on the first day and tell them how happy I am to have them as a part of my class this school year. I would start this procedure and routine on day one and work towards making it more complex and student-led as the school year goes on. 

(3) My philosophy states that putting in that extra effort for your students makes a world of difference. Going through these steps and taking it one day at a time establishes the importance of slowly transitioning from the teacher's responsibility to a student-led part of the morning.

Classroom Jobs

(1) Assign classroom jobs every week for each student. When students successfully contribute to the class through their jobs, they build a sense of self-worth. 

(2) I would teach classroom jobs to my students by giving out small roles in the beginning such as line leader, chair pusher, and door holder. Once students grasp the idea of having that sole responsibility, I would gradually add more jobs/roles. 

(3) These jobs will give students a role in the classroom and give them responsibility. Student responsibility is a theory that theorists Alfie Kohn and William Glasser touch on. One of the core aspects of my philosophy is also student responsibility and the impact it has on their learning. 

Out of Class (bathroom, water fountain, etc.)

(1) Leaving the classroom individually comes with more expectations and self-responsibility than when leaving as a class/with the teacher. To set clear expectations I would practice going through these steps and rules of leaving for an outside area. Meaningful practice and modeling the correct actions will show students the seriousness and meaning behind why we act a certain way out of the classroom. 

(2) As stated before, I would model the expected behavior. To physically teach it to my students I would bring my students through the hallways, practicing behavior and observing how they act. I would make corrections if needed and praise when applicable. 

(3) Modeling is a form of shaping behavior which is a core theme of my philosophy. Shaping behavior in this case would be physically showing students how to walk to the bathroom and the noise level while out of the classroom.  

Pencil Sharpening

(1) Pencil sharpening is a tricky topic to teach because we know the dangers of sharp objects in the classroom but also understand the importance of knowing this skill. I would start by explaining why we use it, when the right time to use it is, and how to properly use it. 

(2) I feel the easiest way to communicate these expectations is through steps. Examples of these steps could be 1) Only sharpen a pencil whose tip is broken 2) Keep the pencil in the sharpener for only 5 seconds at a time 3) Only use the sharpener for pencils, no other items/objects. 

(3) Theorist Haim Ginott greatly encourages the use of communication in the classroom. Through communication with students and exploring this new topic with them, the idea may not seem as overwhelming and difficult to those struggling with grasping this skill.