Effective Environments (TPE2)

During my 2-week takeover one day, I had recess supervisors come talk to me about a conflict between multiple students in my class. When students came in from lunch, I pulled the students on each "side" and talked to them privately outside the classroom while other students did independent work inside. When I talked to each group of students, first, I sat them down and sat next to them, not across from them at the table, to show that I was not automatically "against" them but ultimately for them. Then I asked, "Tell me what happened." Students produced a much more honest and complete story than they had first told the recess supervisors, because they didn't feel so defensive. Next, I asked, "What could you have done differently to make things better?" (2.1) Finally, I would gather both groups together and invite them to reconcile and try to "make it up to" each other in some way, and students always willingly and genuinely apologized after having gone through this restorative process.

One of the most valuable skills I observed in my CT and began to emulate this semester was that of going over the schedule and then giving a brief motivational speech at the beginning of the day depending on the circumstances of the day (2.2, 2.6). This allows students to know both what to expect and what is expected of them. Encouraging the students to remember that they are third graders and they need to be intentional, focused, and hard at work throughout the day sets the tone for the day.

Some students struggled with negative self-talk or would respond at times with complaints when I would give instructions. Instead of reacting to them with frustration and even more negativity, I learned to respond by modeling what the student could say instead: for example, "This feels hard and overwhelming, but I can persevere until I succeed!" or "Growth mindset! I can get better at this." (2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

Whenever there was misbehavior, conflict, or personal struggle, I would decide which strategy seemed best. I have pulled kids out of the classroom to talk to protect their dignity, asked them to take a lap with me outside if they are crying during a break, and guided reconciliatory conversations.

I also found it important to tell my scholars they were amazing, awarding table points for being excellent scholars and affirming positive behavior. I encouraged students to show empathy to each other by having someone accompany another student to the office if the student got injured, or having a couple students help me comfort a crying student.

One of the most important tools for maintaining an effective environment, especially in a classroom with many IEPs and much variety in levels and paces of learning, as was the case in my classroom, is differentiation. My CT showed me how to create worksheets and readings at three different levels for small group work, but all centering around the same topic so that students are studying the same thing and can all dialogue about it no matter their level. Similarly, in my units I continually found ways to adjust for students who struggled with reading and writing tasks. For example, for my Opinion Writing unit, I asked a few students to use the squares on the rug to pace themselves in their task--every time they filled in a section of their OREO graphic organizer, they could move themselves forward. Feeling their progress in physical space motivated them to push themselves through the assignment.