Reflect upon your experiences this semester with meeting the competencies under Domain #2 (The Classroom Environment). Consider what artifacts and documents you have which fulfill this domain. You can reflect upon experiences from your field placement and your methods block courses.
Consider how you have created a culture of learning for powerful teaching in social studies, mathematics, reading/language arts, and science.
This blog represents the first draft of the reflective essay you will use for Domain #2 in your professional portfolio.
In meeting the competencies under Domain #2 The Classroom Environment I would use the following artifacts: The classroom layout from ED 272 Classroom Management shows how I would organize the physical space of the classroom. The classroom rules from ED 272 Classroom Management helps to develop an environment of respect and rapport among the students and with the teacher. It also helps manage classroom procedure because students learn what is expected of them at the beginning of the school year--for example what they are supposed to do when they enter the classroom in the morning, unpack their things and put their backpacks away. The classroom rules also establish that good behaviors will get you rewards and bad behaviors will not be tolerated. That will help students be respectful of themselves, each other, and the teacher. In establishing a culture for learning I want my students to be happy with their work, even if they do not do a good job. I want them to learn that it is ok to make mistakes, that we learn from our mistakes and make things better. I want them to learn math, science, social studies, and language arts to the best of their ability. I am there to help them learn and succeed. They are accountable for their actions and I want them to learn and achieve to the best of their ability. I want to teach them that they will have to be responsible for their work and that they must do their work. In my methods block field placement (first grade) if a student does not do their work they must pull a card from the wall and stand for 5 minutes at recess. They are responsible for their work and must bring it back to school with them. I think that is a great way to teach students to be responsible and be aware of their actions and their learning.
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ReplyDeleteUnder Domain #2 The Classroom Environment, I have many artifacts and documents that fulfill this domain. First of all, I created Kindergarten rules of the classroom and plans to teach the rules during Education 272 Classroom Management. It creates an environment of respect and rapport among the students and teacher. It increases interaction with the teacher and students. I explained what I would teach during the first weeks of school and I would continuously reinforce the rules in order for the students to understand them.
ReplyDeleteMy second artifact is an anger lesson plan in which I connected social studies with language arts. It established a culture of learning because students expressed different feelings before reading the book “When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry.” They also talked to each other in pairs to discuss how they feel and why. They talked about how they would resolve their conflict. Two students role-played a conflict and determined how to resolve it.
My third artifact consists of behavior strategies, which was created during Education 272 Classroom Management. This artifact refers to managing student behavior because I presented ways to resolve four behaviors of greatest concern: tattling, noisy classroom, stealing, and whining. These strategies will help me to monitor student’s behavior.
My last artifact is the classroom layout from Education 272 Classroom Management. I created a Kindergarten classroom with a lot of space for students to move around and focus on their learning. These artifacts create learning in the classroom. The way a classroom is set up affects the child in many ways. That is why it is best to have a safe and nurturing environment. It will improve students’ abilities in reading/language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics.
For meeting the competences under Domain #2 there are several artifacts that I would include for my portfolio. My first artifact is my classroom management philosophy. This includes how I want to my classroom to look and feel to my students in my class. I want my students to feel welcomed and have an environment conductive of learning. In any classroom it is important to think about the layout of everything. I used a computer program to generate a third grade classroom. This made me think about where to put students’ desk, my desk, the board, and even the trashcans. Rules are necessary in any classroom. In one of my artifacts, I discuss how I would establish classroom rules in my classroom. I think it is critical to include students in the process of making the rules. Students would be discussing the rules that they want to have in the room. Afterwards, together as a class we condense the rules into five essential ones keeping the wording concise. Then we would review what each rule means several times in the beginning of the year. Another important aspect of any classroom is establishing a routine and procedures. Students need to have a routine to help with behavior management. There need to be a clear routine for the morning as well as in the afternoon. The routine will be established in the beginning of the school year with a few procedures being introduced at a time otherwise students will be overwhelmed. Overall, I think classroom management and the classroom environment are one of the most important aspects in a classroom. Without these things the classroom would be chaotic and my students would not be learning.
ReplyDeleteFor Domain #2 of Danielson’s Domains, there are several artifacts that demonstrate the classroom environment throughout my fieldwork experiences, as well as in my experiences in my education classes at Elizabethtown College. These artifacts demonstrate my knowledge and experiences of creating an environment of respect and rapport, establishing a culture of learning, managing classroom procedures, managing student behavior, and organizing physical space.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact for this domain is a co-teaching lesson demonstration that I did in my Methods math class. This demonstration focused on being comfortable with and learning how to teach with another teacher. The demonstration consisted of an adjacent and follow-up lesson, an assessment and rubric, and a formal lesson that was presented to the class. This artifact demonstrated how to create a classroom environment that respects other teachers or adults that enter the classroom, as well as demonstrates how to manage classroom procedures with more than one teacher in the classroom.
The second artifact for this domain is a classroom management plan that emphasizes my philosophy of teaching and how I want to establish a culture of learning in my classroom. I believe that effective behavior and classroom management by the teacher will help to contribute to an efficient learning environment. My goal for all my students is to establish a classroom environment where they feel a sense of belongingness and get a good perspective on learning that will affect the rest of their schooling and future lives. This artifact demonstrations my ability to create an environment of respect and rapport, establish a culture of learning, and manage student behavior.
The third artifact in this domain is a classroom layout of an ideal set-up for a second grade classroom. The set-up of this classroom allows for cooperative learning, as well as establishes a culture of learning that is evident by the teacher and students. This artifact represents how organizing the physical space in your classroom is just as important as the material and lessons you teach your students.
The fourth artifact in this domain would be a description and pictures of a science lesson that I taught to elementary students at Camp Curtin School in Harrisburg during their Lights On Event. The lesson gave the students a glimpse of what a sports physiologist does. In demonstrating this lesson I had to figure out what was the best way to manage students during the demonstration, as well as how to organize the space, so that the students were able to get a good background knowledge of what goes into being a sports physiologist.
Overall, I feel that I have been able to compile artifacts that fit into Domain #2 The Classroom Environment that represent myself as a teacher through my fieldwork experiences and classes at Elizabethtown College.
Under Domain #2, Classroom Environment, I believe that I have valuable knowledge and experience. Over the course of my field placement I have been able to further develop my understanding of aspects that are important in creating an effective classroom environment. Creating an effective classroom environment involves multiple elements including creating aspects that promote a culture of learning in all subjects, an environment that is built around respect and rapport, management of classroom procedures and student behaviors, and the organization of the physical space.
ReplyDeleteThrough my field placement and educational experiences I have been able to create multiple artifacts that would be classified under this domain. These artifacts have developed a culture of learning for powerful teaching in Social Studies, Reading/Writing, Mathematics, and Science.
I developed a lesson that revolved around changing the classroom into a neighborhood community. This lesson engaged the students in activity where they had to visit different locations of the community (police station, fire station, post office, library, school, and doctor’s office) to learn how these community members demonstrate qualities of a good citizen.
In addition, I have worked with small differentiated reading groups; these students were group based off their developmental level in reading and writing. I have planned, developed, and instructed multiple lessons with these particular reading groups. During this small group instruction I positioned the students appropriately so that proper instruction could occur. The strategic positioning of the small group of students aided me in managing student behavior and managing classroom procedures.
I have also created multiple bulletin boards that display students work. These bulletin boards help me create an environment of respect and rapport by supporting the students in my classroom in every way possible. In every aspect of my teaching practice I want to incorporate aspects where the students feel valued, supported, and encouraged. Within the classroom environment I want the students to feel comfortable expressing their opinions and ideas and therefore enabling them to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Furthermore, I have developed lessons that involve supplying students with a variety of different materials and manipulatives so they can further explore a concept. I want students to be eager to learn, therefore the classroom will be stocked with a variety of materials that aide in this exploration. There will be materials in which students can further explore science and math concepts, materials where students can explore different aspects of history and geography, and materials, such as books, that encourage students to become better readers and writers.
Finally, I have developmed a sitting arrangement of a general education classroom in order to manage student behavior. I rearranged the students’ sits after there was a conflict between two students in class.
Overall, the classroom environment is extremely important in creating a culture of learning and should not be overlooked.
Domain #2, The Classroom Environment, is one of the domains that I am thinking very hard about. The only real experience I have had in planning or arranging a classroom is during SED282. In this course, I made a game plan for what I would do in a classroom, but as of right now, I have not put any of it to test. My classroom set-up, I feel, is very effective. I organized space for every classroom activity but also arranged it so that no matter where the students are in the classroom, I still have view of them. In addition, I have decided that it is very important to set in place the rules and routines on the very first day of school. My goal is to make sure, everyone feels comfortable in my classroom and that we become a classroom community, not just a place to learn but where true friends are made, and lifelong relationships start. Students will follow a routine daily to make the day run smoother and allow for more time for learning. In addition, my class will have a job chart to help make the students responsible at an early age and help me out at the same time. My classroom management philosophy is very important and must be included in this section. Without establishing routines, rules, and a management philosophy, the classroom would be a chaotic disaster. All of these items are very important in running a successful classroom of community learners.
ReplyDeleteWhile thinking about my experiences with Danielson’s Domain #2, covering Instruction, I have seen an assortment of strategies and types. Every year that I have been in a classroom as a student, I have reflected on my teacher’s strengths and weaknesses. I have observed a number of classrooms and reflected on their strengths and weaknesses as well as strategies I like and dislike.
ReplyDeleteStarting in high school, I took a class my senior year and we created, prepped, and implemented three lessons each week. We taught every subject each day and I learned so much in that class. Besides high school, I have had chances in my college career as well to instruct. Every year I have gotten more and more chances to teach lessons and activities to the students in my placements; and while I still get butterflies in my stomach before I teach, I am slowly overcoming that fear. I have done read-aloud activities, lessons on summarizing, and math reviews so far.
Besides my field placements my professors have been preparing me to instruct by having me create lesson plans and them carry them out in front of my peers. I have presented math lessons, science lessons, reading lessons, and social studies lessons. I have also instructed lessons for service days that involved going out into a community or the community coming to us to teach children the amazement that science can offer.
By being a teacher, our job is to teach. It sounds so simple but the amount of work that goes into a lesson is unbelievable. To instruct a lesson is the only way to teach our students the material and that is why the way we instruct is so important. We must look at differentiating instruction for different learners, and take into place the flexibility of our lessons, and have time to check for understanding, and much more. Instruction can make or break a lesson, so we must make sure our pieces fit and that we are reaching every learner.
I feel that I have had enough experiences to give me a steadier hand in instructing my future students. Between outside experiences and instructing actual lessons to a classroom of students, I feel like I have gained more knowledge than I ever knew before.
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ReplyDeleteOne artifact that I will emphasize in Domain 2 is my classroom management philosophy. My classroom management philosophy is one that supports cooperative learning and emphasizes the importance of accepting and respecting diversity. I believe that children learn best from communicating ideas collaboratively. As students listen to others, they simultaneously learn respect people’s differences. Since every student is different, I will strive to teach curriculum in a way in which supports the needs of students who are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners, while emphasizing core concepts such as critical thinking and inquiry.
ReplyDeleteAnother artifact that I am fond of focuses on the organization of space in the classroom. In this artifact, I display a Visio classroom set-up with an attached reflection of my design. This artifact shows desks arranged in tables so that students can learn collaboratively. In addition, I have several stations throughout the room including a reading/large group sitting area, front rug, semi-circle group reading table, and a teacher desk that allows for full supervision of the students.
I will also include an artifact that shows a lesson plan I taught in the Harrisburg School District. For this lesson, I taught colors using the book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I differentiated my instruction to different types of learners in my classroom by using several techniques to create a classroom environment that supported the needs of all of my students. Since many of the students were English Language Learners, I used techniques of repetition, saying words in chorus, and showing colored picture cards to represent concepts of color and animals separately.
In addition to these artifacts, I am learning many things from my cooperating teacher as well. She has a fabulous classroom environment that demands respect of all people in the classroom, focuses on cooperative learning, and supports the unique needs of every student who is a part of the classroom. I hope to exemplify many of her qualities in my future!
For Domain 2, I have lots of artifacts from SED 272. I have already added to my brochure a classroom floor plan I had previously created. I have others I can add too such as already created classroom rules, procedures and routines, a rewards system, diversity activities to promote understanding, classroom management plan, and classroom meeting which I have witnessed in my field placement. Every morning my co-op teacher holds a morning meeting with the students where they go over the weather, number day of school, and a greeting to everyone plus a response to a general question.
ReplyDeleteFrom my methods classes, I do not really have any artifacts or documents that could go in this area except possibly the Kidwatching Project in Lang/Reading. This required me to watch one student and his interactions during class. I could reflect on his progress and notice if the classroom environment needs to be more strict or more direct instruction for him. Throughout the rest of my Thursdays at my field placement, I am sure I will gain more experience in this domain.
I can take suggestions and ideas from the methods block professors as to how they conduct class. I can use their transitions and ways they encourage student participation.
Not only have I had practice with Danielson’s first domain, but I have also had the opportunity to prepare for Danielson’s second domain of the classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteI created an artifact in my social studies methods block that expresses the importance of teaching social studies in school. Social studies creates global citizens and teaches tolerance. When students have tolerance for other people and cultures, they treat them with respect, which I hope to promote in my future classroom. In my classroom management class, we created a classroom management philosophy which includes a “my job, your job, our job” chart that would be displayed in my classroom to remind the students of our expected behaviors. Another artifact from my classroom management class was diversity activities. These were used to create an environment of respect and rapport. I included two activities for students to get to know one another, and two posters that express the importance of diversity and confidence that could be hung in my future classroom. We also created a classroom layout where we organized a given space into an environment that promoted learning. Finally, I created my future rules and routines I would like to set and use in my future classroom. There are only three rules set for a second grade classroom, all of which help create a classroom of respect. I also observed an effective school wide discipline plan. The students carry around a “falcon book,” and if any teacher or administrator sees them doing something inappropriate or disobeying rules, they give them a regret in their book. At the end of the month, students are awarded a gold or silver falcon depending on how many regrets they have received in their book. I would also include a read aloud lesson plan that was used in my placement in a first grade class at the Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. I read aloud a book entitled When I Feel Angry by Cornelia Maude Spelman. This book showed the students that it is okay to feel angry and showed the students responsible ways to deal with anger, instead of taking it out on their classmates or teacher. Through my classes at Elizabethtown College, as well as my placements in the field, I feel I am prepared to create a classroom environment that, as described in domain 2 of Danielson’s domains, promotes respect and allows every student to feel comfortable and able to express their feelings.
I had many opportunities to think about Classroom Environment each time I am in a different classroom and especially during my SED 272 class. Each teacher has a very different classroom environment, from the arrangement of desks, to the class rules. Many of my favorite artifacts in my portfolio are in this domain and were created in my SED 272 class. These artifacts give you as idea of how I would ideally like my classroom to be, but because they were created in a college classroom instead of in an Elementary School classroom, they may need minor adjustments (which I am willing to make) to be fully effective.
ReplyDeleteMy first artifact in this domain is my philosophy of classroom management. It talks about my strong belief in the importance of emotional safety in the classroom. A sense of belonging for every student in the class, starting the first day of school, is extremely important. Maslow tells us students learn more when their need for Love and Belonging are met.
In SED 272, I created a classroom jobs system, because it is important for students to learn how to be a responsible part of a classroom. Classroom jobs are one step toward students becoming productive citizens.
Rules and Routines of a classroom also prepare students for being a functioning part of society by mimicking the structure of the larger society. In society, there are routines and rules that need to be followed for the good of everyone. I would rather have my students disregard a classroom rule now, experience the consequences, and learn from it than to have a student disregard a societal rule such as not stealing later in life and have to experience lasting consequences. A classroom is often a bridge between the freedom of home and the structure and rules of society.
To help motivate my students to follow the classroom rules, which are for their greater good, I plan to use a whole class marble-jar reward system. The class earns marbles to add to the jar by going above and beyond following the rules that are expected of them. Just as in the work force you do not earn a promotion by doing the bare minimum, my students will not earn a marble towards a class reward (extra recess, class party, etc.) for doing things that they are already expected to do (walking quietly in the halls, turning in homework, being respectful, etc.). I also have a paper for students to evaluate their own behavior each Friday by circling a smile, straight, or frowning face and explaining why they choose that face. This same evaluation would be used to evaluate a partner or members of a group. This helps to teach students to monitor their own behavior and to evaluate how well they are working with others. Finally I have an individual behavior modification plan for students who may struggle to demonstrate appropriate behavior.
I have also created a classroom floor plan that shows one way I could arrange the physical layout of the classroom. This is only one room arrangement that I would use consider using; the arrangement of the room would be changed several times throughout the year. Of course, the physical arrangement of any room depends on the size of the room, number of students, what is going on in the room at that time (a lot of group work vs. direct instruction; class party coming up), etc. The physical environment of a classroom effects every aspect of learning and can be a serious help or hindrance to student learning.
Under Domain 2, classroom environment, I have gathered several artifacts that reflect my experiences with classroom environment. All of the artifacts were compiled during SED272, a classroom management course.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact that deals with Domain 2 has a description of the physical layout of my ideal classroom, along with an actual map of the classroom. This artifact demonstrates the best practices of layout and physical needs of a productive classroom. I will have a carpet with short shelves, so all students can be seen, for the classroom library. There will also be some bean bag chairs in that area for the readers. The students’ desks are out in pairs so cooperative learning is more easily carried out because all the students will have a built in partner. The classroom also has bulletin boards which will be used to display students’ work, which is important for building confidence and the desire to learn in a student. All of these aspects of the classroom help in making the physical environment a place where students can engage in their learning.
The second artifact that adheres to Domain 2 is also from SED272. It is a list social interaction activities that will help students learn about each other and also help them build respect and tolerance in the classroom. These activities are “getting acquainted” activities which are engaging and informative. The students will learn about different cultures, traditions, etc. because all of the students will be involved in these activities and all students are different. All of these activities drive home the message that even though people are different, they are also very similar too. This artifact is a helpful resource to use and adapt for all grade levels.
The third artifact for Domain 2 is a group of websites with descriptions that encourage diversity and tolerance in the classroom. These activities build rapport and respect student to student and student to teacher. These activities teach students how to be part of a community, which ties into much of what social studies in elementary school, is all about. The one activity that sticks out in my mind uses The Sneetches to teach students that even though people are different all everyone wants is acceptance and to be part of a community. Your classroom is that community. Taking literature and pushing the more complex idea of tolerance is what all of the activities in this artifact aim to do.
The last artifact that fully rounds out this domain is a mock classroom meeting where it states a problem that the class has been dealing with and a script of how I (the teacher) would facilitate the meeting. This artifact encompasses what Domain 2 is because it shapes the expectations of the students which help students with their behavior and respect towards others, and it creates a learning environment for all of your students. Telling the students what is and is not acceptable in your classroom or even your school is not as powerful as modeling what you desire to see in and out of your classroom. Holding a classroom meeting is a valuable resource to use to remind students of your expectations as well as to address certain items that involve the whole class.
I feel my best 2 artifact for Domain 2 are my tips for handling inappropriate behavior from ED 272 and my co-teaching lesson plan from ED 335. I think the artifacts containing the tips provide me with strategies to help diffuse a few tense situations and to help promote a safe environment for all my students. It's important to be able to handle inappropriate behavior efficiently to minimize lost instruction time. It is also essential all students feel safe and secure inside the classroom. My co-teaching lesson plan used a classroom setup to maximize the lessons. The students were seated in small groups to best suit the learning activity. Also, the classroom was setup in a way to make it easy for both teachers to move around the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn social studies, my group has created a lesson for third graders about democracy in which the class will participate in a mock election. Members of the class will run for class representative, give speeches, vote, and tally up the ballots. Not only does this lesson teach about our country as a democracy but also about the class as a democracy, how everyone has a say and everyone’s say matters, and how we can work together to solve problems. This simulation engages students in the importance of class participation and fosters a positive and collaborative classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteAt my placement, I have also had the opportunity to witness a positive classroom environment. I was able to do a fall craft with my students and display them along the hallway with couplet poems that students had written. Students loved seeing their work up on the walls, and students and staff from across the school commented on the great display. This made students feel proud of what they had done and promoted a community of respect and rapport among the class and the other second grade classes.
In SED 272 (Classroom Management), I created a classroom management philosophy and a set of classroom rules and how to teach them. Although after having more experience in a variety of classrooms I feel that this original plan may need some practical adjustments, I still think that it communicates my idea of how I will organize my classroom to build a community of students who feel safe and comfortable expressing themselves and to establish a culture of learning.
Under Domain #2, the classroom environment, I have many artifacts that I would want to incorporate. I have made these artifacts during the course ED272, classroom management. As of right now, I am not sure which I would want to incorporate into my portfolio or brochure. My many options include my classroom philosophy of which explains how I believe my classroom should run as well as classroom rules, routines/procedures, from the morning to the end of the day. There are many things that I want to help create a safe environment in my classroom. Another artifact I like is the list of websites that have activities to promote diversity and understanding in the classroom. This is a great artifact that I may want to incorporate because a classroom is filled with diversity from ethnic backgrounds to where they come from. It is important for students to know about everyone else in their class. My ideal classroom map, which was made, is important because it shows and is explained as to why I chose to set up the classroom the way I did. There are many artifacts from ED 282 that I want to try to put here in this domain, however, we have to choose the best and then the best of the best. That will be very challenging and there are more artifacts from other classes that I may want to try to put under the classroom environment.
ReplyDeleteFor Danielson’s second domain entitled “The Classroom Environment” I have two artifacts that demonstrate my ability to create an environment conducive to learning. My first artifact is a lesson I created during my urban fieldwork experience for kindergarten students. This artifact shows how I effectively managed student behavior while engaging students in a whole body BINGO game. I had to manage the number of times each student was a marker for the BINGO board to ensure equality and fairness. Stickers were used as my reward system so when a student participated as a BINGO marker they received a sticker and sat down on the appropriate BINGO square. Beyond, managing student behavior this artifact also shows how I incorporated a different physical environment in the classroom because students were never exposed to a large-scale BINGO board prior to my lesson. Students were also required to sit in a circle around the BINGO board so all students could see all aspects of the board.
ReplyDeleteThe second artifact is my descriptions and observations on utilizing whole brain teaching techniques in the classroom. My junior block field-work experience was in a second grade classroom where the teacher implemented whole brain teaching. Whole brain teaching focuses on seeing, saying, hearing, doing, and feeling. This instructional approach is relatively new and was derived from neurolinguistic findings on the various functions of the brain. Its emphasis is on active and whole body movement in order to learn. There are five main rules of whole brain instruction that students are expected to follow. These rules are reviewed every day and incorporate hand gestures to help students remember them. Also, students are expected to respond in certain ways to the teacher. Therefore, this teaching strategy is scripted and follows unique guidelines that are not seen in a typical classroom.
For Domain number 2, The Classroom Environment, I have several artifacts that I would include in my portfolio. These artifacts are important because it is important to create a classroom environment where students feel safe, secure, and comfortable to learn and participate.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact that I have included is my Classroom Management Philosophy. This personal philosophy includes my thoughts and feelings on how to create an environment where students do feel comfortable learning as well as taking risks such as participating and not being afraid of getting the wrong answer. It also includes an explanation of why I would have high expectations for my students as well as the responsibilities that the class and individuals share.
The next artifact I have included is an example of classroom rules for at third grade class. The rules are very simple, straight forward, and clear. Attached is also an explanation of how the rules would be taught and implemented in the classroom. An example of this is using t-charts to explain to students how each rule looks like and sounds like.
The third artifact included is an example of an informational/interactive bulletin board. The bulletin board is meant to be posted in the beginning of the year to help students get to know each other. Students write their interests on construction paper t-shirts which are hung on the top of the board. Students pictures and names are hung at the bottom of the board. This allows for students to learn fun and interesting facts about students while matching them with faces to really learn about each other without judgments.
I believe that each of these artifacts reflects on my experience and knowledge of Domain Number 2, The Classroom Environment.
I have had many experiences with Domain 2, classroom environment, especially from ED 272. I feel that creating a comfortable classroom environment is one of the most important aspects of becoming an educator. I believe that students should feel comfortable coming into the classroom, as it should be a risk and bully-free zone. I want my students to know that I value their thoughts and opinions and want to create an environment where they are comfortable sharing these things with their fellow students and me. By setting this example I hope that my students will begin to value each other’s ideas and questions because I believe that we are all working together. I feel that teachers can learn just as much from their students and it is important for students to know that they can express their opinions freely.
ReplyDeleteIn my portfolio I have included three artifacts for Domain 2. The first includes my classroom management philosophy statement that describes my goals and expectations for my classroom management in my future classroom. I discuss the three main characteristics of respect, collaboration, and kindness that I will want my students to demonstrate on a daily basis. This artifact demonstrates my ability to establish a culture for learning.
The second artifact I have included is the classroom rules I plan to enforce in my future classroom. These rules include being respectful, being responsible, and always trying your best. I have written a reflection on why I have chosen these three rules and described how I will implement them in my classroom. I feel that it is important for students to be involved in planning rules because I want them to know that I value their opinion so I plan to include the students in this process. This artifact demonstrates my ability to manage student behavior.
The last artifact I have included is a sample of a physical description of my ideal classroom along with a map of the design. It demonstrates that I have considered where I would like each specific item to go in the room and my organization of the physical space. I feel that it is important for me to consider the physical layout of my classroom because it represents the culture I would like to create in the environment of my classroom.
I believe that through these three artifacts I have demonstrated my understanding of Domain 2, the classroom environment, as they display my ability to create an environment of respect and rapport among the students and with the teacher, establishing a culture for learning, managing classroom procedures, managing student behavior, and organizing the physical space.
Danielson’s Domain 2, The Classroom Environment, is a very important part of teaching. Without the respect of the students and without effective management skills, a classroom could go from good to bad very quickly. Although I have not had SED 272 yet, I still feel that I have some experience with this particular domain. While I have not completely decided what will be placed in this domain, I have a few artifacts in my mind that may fit well in this portion of my portfolio.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact I would like to add to Domain 2 would be a lesson on Diversity which I created, along with a few of my peers, in our Social Studies Methods Block. This lesson was created to ensure that each student realizes that while we are all different in many ways, such as culture, looks, traditions, or family-life, we are all special and together we make up a community. I feel very strongly about this topic and will strive to create a classroom that welcomes students from all walks of life with open arms so that they feel safe and secure the moment they walk into my classroom.
For the second artifact in this portion of my portfolio, I would like to speak about my placement in Kindergarten this semester. My cooperating teacher uses a very effective management plan in her classroom called Love and Logic. Prior to my placement I had never heard of the Love and Logic method, but after reading literature on it given to me by my co-op, I was hooked on its strategies! Love and Logic is a way for teachers to regain control in their classroom by giving students option, however the options are always beneficial for the teacher. For instance, instead of the teacher saying “would you like to go back to your seats and do a coloring page?” the teacher could say “class, would you like to walk back to your seats marching or tip-toeing?” The teacher gives the students an option, which allows them independence, while both options were beneficial to the teacher. In addition, this strategy provides fairness in the classroom, while teaching students that what is fair is treating each other individually. If Johnny gets in trouble, and Sam gets in trouble, they will not both get the same punishment because they are both treated equally and neither one situation will be the same. Finally, the strategy teaches students that there are consequences to their behaviors and helps them to think about their actions and how their actions will affect them in the future.
I have not thought of a third yet, but I am going to add one.
Domain 2 in Danielson’s four domains is probably one that I have been striving to perfect since starting my field placement. I really enjoy creating lesson plans and instructing, but in the past I have definitely had a tendency to become more of the student’s friends and not so much a teacher. So this year, I have strived to be both! I think it is very important to have fun with your students but in an educational and responsible manner.
ReplyDeleteIn social studies and science class, we had to create a lesson plan and present it to the class. For both presentations, my group and I organized the classroom in a way that benefits the activity the most and promotes learning. For our science presentation, we kept the desks how they were ; the tables were separated and lined up with three tables in a row on one side of the class room and three on the other side. This was most beneficial for our activity because we need everyone to be look forward at the teacher with room to do the activity. For our social studies presentation, we are outlining the room with the tables so the center can be used for group activity on the carpet. Furthermore, in my field placement, I had to transition from the students sitting on the carpet for morning meeting to moving back to their seats for my mathematics lesson. I had the student’s transition by going back to their seat when their birthday month was called. Later in the mathematics lesson, we transitioned from independently working at their desks to working around the room with partners. To transition, I pulled names from a jar which contained student’s names on popsicle sticks. Lastly, for language arts, I played a vocabulary review game with the students in my field placement. I put 15 vocabulary words on the board (some of the words were from their last vocabulary test and some of them were new words), and I explained to the students that they would be separated into two groups. One person from each group would go to the board where the words were with a fly swatter, I would say one of the vocabulary word definitions and whomever hit the word with the fly-swatter first got a point for their team. I knew the students would be very excited, so in order to manage their behavior, I told them that their group would not be awarded their point if their teammates were talking or moving during a person’s turn. I was very impressed with how well behaved they were during the game!
The Classroom Environment is Domain two under Danielson’s four Domains. I have had a lot of great experience with this domain during my field placement and in my method block classes. One thing I learned a lot about during my placement was effective classroom routines and procedures resulting in little or no loss of instruction time. My co-op has a great schedule set up in her classroom and also passed on to me some really great classroom management ideas to make the day run as smooth as possible. She also had some great safety rules which I adopted while I was teaching. I have established a great rapport with the students, which is a very important aspect of teaching. I looked forward to going to my placement every week and my students expressed enjoyment for me being there which was very reassuring. My students also knew what I expected of them, and even though I was not their permanent teacher they knew to respect me as if I was. I had a lot of opportunities to teach, and I made sure to pay equal attention to each student. I was very mindful as to who I called on and when. Setting up a good classroom environment is crucial for students to learn.
ReplyDeleteIn the classroom environment section of my portfolio I plan to include my classroom philosophy. It is important to have a strong philosophy laid out with what I stand for in terms of management and teaching. I will also include the rules list my field placement students and I created upon my arrival. My co-op had a great idea for me to collaboratively come up with the students some rules for when I’m teaching and my expectations. Having someone new come in and teach can sometimes be difficult, but these rules helped the students to see that I too was to be taken seriously just as they respected my co-op. The environment in my placement room was very comfortable and laid back. I hope to model my classroom environment after my placement and create a similar feel for my students.