Breanna Cook

TWS 9- Learning Environment

A. Classroom Management:

A safe and positive learning environment is key to student success.

There are multiple activities I plan to implement to create a positive
classroom environment. The first activity is morning meeting.
Morning meeting is a wonderful tool that allows the teacher and
students to build positive relationships and learning community.
The goal would be to hold a morning meeting every morning,
however, if I am in a single content area, I may only be able to
administer morning meeting once a week. If that is the case, I will
greet students at the door every morning and have students greet
their peers to still build community in my classroom. Additionally, I
will get to know my students so that I can relate to their likes,
dislikes, and needs. Knowing my students individually will build
students trust so that they feel safe in the classroom. Students
spend much of their daily lives in school; therefore, it should feel
like home. I will also be involved in after school activities to show
my interests in my students extra-curricular activities. These
activities may include students sports events, theatre or musical
performances, and church events. When the students see me
outside of the classroom, they will also see that I am more than their
teacher. Thus, building stronger bonds with my students. Another
activity I will use is brain breaks. These will be fun activities that I

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will use for transitions throughout the day. Some brain breaks will
help the students build positive relationships with their peers. A
third activity I will use to help students feel valued will be classroom
jobs. It is important that students know they are needed and that
they can contribute in the classroom. Emotionally, classroom jobs
show students that they are strong attributes in the classroom. I
will use the popsicle stick method to ensure that all students
participate and contribute in whole group discussions. This method
will demonstrate an equal and fair classroom learning environment.

The behavioral expectations in my classroom will include:

Enter the classroom quietly and follow the directions on the
board
Show respect by listening when the teacher or your
classmates are talking
Raise your hand and be called on before talking
If I am in a classroom where I teach all subjects, I will display
morning work or directions on the board before students come into
the classroom. I will expect my students to enter the classroom
quietly and follow the directions on the board. This expectation
creates a positive start to the day because it is consistent and all
students will know what to do. If I am in a setting where the
students switch classes and I only teach one or two subjects, I will
expect students to enter the classroom quietly and follow the

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directions on the board so that there is a smooth transition.
Additionally, this will allow me to use my time with the students
effectively. The second expectation instills the values of patience
and respect in all students. Children, especially those who are not
taught the value of respecting others at home, need to learn respect
and patience at school. My students will respect their peers and
adults by listening and using manners at all times. When they are
listening they are not talking and using manners means saying yes
and no maam or sir and please and thank you. In order for students
to feel safe in the classroom, there must be respect for everyone.
The third expectation requires students to raise their hand before
speaking. This expectation also teaches patience. By raising their
hands, students have consistency and fairness in the classroom.
Raising their hands also provides for structured and organized class
discussions.

I will have a behavior chart displayed in my classroom. This behavior

chart would say super student, excellent effort, ready to learn, make
better choices, reflect on it and family contact. Each student will have a
clothespin with his or her name. Every morning the students will start
on ready to learn. For students who are on task and attentive during the
lesson, they will move to excellent effort and then super student. For
students who are not on task or who disrupt their classmates learning,
their clothespin will be moved to make better choices. Make better

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choices is the students first offense and warning. If the disruptive
student continues, their clothespin will move to reflect on it, which is the
second offense for misbehavior. On reflect on it, the student will move
to a quiet space in the classroom that is separated and allows for the
student to reflect on his or her choices. Once the student feels ready to
re-join the class, he or she may do so. If the student continues to
misbehave, his or her clothespin will move to family contact. Family
contact, the third offense, would result in the teacher contacting the
students parent or guardian. Family contact makes the parents or
guardians aware of the misbehavior. Furthermore, contact provides
parents and guardians with the opportunity to discipline as they deem
necessary. Any serious offenses such as harassment or violence would
immediately be handled by sending the student to the principals office.

An intrinsic reinforcement for good behavior will include positive

feedback such as thank you for contributing to our class discussion
today and you are so focused on your classwork today, thank you.
The use of the behavior chart is also an intrinsic reinforcement
because students will be responsible for moving their own
clothespin. The movement of the clothespin holds students
accountable for their own behaviors. Moving their clothespin up
results in a positive intrinsic reinforcement while moving their
clothespin down results in a negative intrinsic reinforcement. The
extrinsic reinforcements I will use in my classroom for good

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behavior include free homework passes. Students who stayed on
task and followed directions consistently throughout the week will
receive a free homework pass at the end of each week. A negative
extrinsic reinforcement would be the loss of the privilege to sit by a
friend at lunch. Another negative extrinsic reinforcement is removal
from the class when the students clothespin is on reflect on it.
B. Non-instructional Routines and Procedures

As students enter the classroom, they will prove attendance by

placing their popsicle stick in a lunch choice cup. Then, it will be a
students job to write down attendance and lunch choices. Two
students will pick up breakfast, if I am in a title 1 school that serves
breakfast in the classroom. Another student will start the morning
news show, if the school has one.

Students will be in table groups. Student will turn in their work in a

basket at the back of the room. Some activities may require
students to leave their work in the center of the desks for the
teacher to pick up. It will be a students job and also the teachers
job to pass out materials for lessons.

Student jobs will be assigned using a job application where students

will identify their top three job choices they are interested in having.
Students will also include their strengths that make them the best
applicant for the particular positions. After reviewing the

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applications, the teacher will then assign student jobs based on
students preferences. Student jobs will rotate every month.

Pencils will be sharpened before the students arrive in the

classroom. If pencils need to be sharpened during instruction the
students may only do so when the teacher is not talking. Students
will sign out by providing their name and the time on a bathroom
sheet before leaving to use the restroom. When in the hallway, the
students will walk quietly and in a single file line.

To ensure safety during emergency situations, I will practice the

procedures with my students. I will also create a picture chart for
how to handle different emergency situations to better prepare my
students. We will review the picture charts and practice the
procedures so that the students know what to do.