Brittney Sawyer Competency I: Classroom and Behavioral Management Regent University 12/10/1

Rationale !hro"gho"t my st"dent teaching practic"m# and even my ed"cation co"rses at Regent University# I have learned that one o$ the %ey points to e$$ectively teaching is creating a positive environment $or the st"dents to learn in& 'ne o$ the main ways to achieve this is thro"gh the "se o$ good classroom and (ehavioral management strategies& )"ring my st"dent teaching I have (een a(le to o(serve# (orrow# and create my own strategies $or classroom management& I have (een really $ort"nate that at (oth o$ my placements I had really great %ids in each class& In (oth my $o"rth and $irst grade classes the st"dents have (ehaved and $ollowed instr"ction very well& *s a res"lt# I have not (een $aced with any tr"e (ehavioral challenges amongst my st"dents& Some o$ the classroom management techni+"es have "sed incl"de: a system o$ chec%s# color change system# and ver(al or vis"al c"es& In the $o"rth grade class the cooperating teacher had esta(lished a system o$ chec%s $or the classroom management& ,or the $irst grade class I "sed the cooperating teacher-s color change system and ver(al c"es& I also was a(le to develop my own system called the secret star and c"es& .ith (oth classes I li%ed to monitor the st"dents academic progress and help %eep pro(lem (ehaviors in chec% (y $re+"ently circ"lating the class while I ta"ght or the st"dents wor%ed independently& !hro"gh (oth placements I was a(le to practice "sing di$$erent classroom management strategies& !his greatly help me learn what techni+"es wor% (est with di$$erent age levels# and how to adapt strategies when they are not wor%ing so well& I have learned that tr"ly e$$ective classroom management not only creates a positive learning environment and %eeps pro(lem (ehaviors in chec%# ("t it also evolves with the st"dents(ehavior& .hen the st"dents no longer respond well to a partic"lar strategy# it is time implement something new that they will respond to (etter&

Artifact !he $ollowing are the classroom and (ehavioral management strategies that I was a(le to "se d"ring my st"dent teaching practic"m& Check System: !his was "sed in the $o"rth grade class I ta"ght& * clip(oard o$ the st"dents names was %ept "p at the $ront o$ the classroom& .henever a st"dent mis(ehaved# didn-t $inish their wor%# or were not prepare $or class /e0& le$t math (oo% at home1 they wo"ld receive a chec%& *t the end o$ each wee the chec%s wo"ld (e "sed to comm"nicate with parents in the wee%ly $olders /sooner is necessary1& *lso the chec%s wo"ld (e tallied to determine who had earned a reward at the end o$ the wee%& !he st"dents were allowed to receive "p to three chec%s& I$ they received more than that they did not receive the reward& Color Change System: !his was "sed $or the $irst grade st"dents I ta"ght& !he cooperating teacher had a chart with $o"r colors hanging on the (ac% chal%(oard with a clip $or each st"dent on it& 2ach day all the st"dents wo"ld start o"t with their clip on green /good1& I$ they (egan mis(ehaving they were given two or three ver(al warnings and then told to change their clip to (l"e& I$ the (ehaviors persisted then their clip was changed to yellow& I$ the st"dent still didn-t correct their (ehavior they wo"ld then move their clip to red& .ith each color change a not was always sent home to in$orm the parents o$ how their child (ehaved that day& I$ a st"dent got on yellow or red d"ring the wee% then they were not a(le to participate in the 3,"n ,riday3 activities each grade level had each wee%& *lso depending on the reasons that a st"dent was p"t on red# they co"ld also (e re$erred to the principal& Secret Star: !his was a strategy I implemented in the $irst grade class& *t the (eginning o$ each day# (e$ore the st"dents arrived# I wo"ld draw a stic% $rom the c"p that contained the stic%s o$ the st"dents- names& .hoever-s name was on the stic% I drew was my secret star $or the day& 4owever# the st"dents never %new who I had pic%ed $or that day& !he point o$ it was that i$ my secret star was on their (est (ehavior the whole day I wo"ld give them an e0tra stic%er at the end o$ the day& Since they didn-t %now who it was# they all had to (e on their (est (ehavior (eca"se it co"ld (e any o$ them& Verbal/Visual Cues: I $o"nd that with the $irst graders I had to "se a lot more ver(al and vis"al c"es to %eep them $oc"sed and on tas%& 'ne I "sed $re+"ently was where I wo"ld say 32veryone do this3 while I was p"tting my

inde0 $inger over my lips& !his was their signal to stop tal%ing& I wo"ld also when need t"rn the lights o$$ $or the classroom to signal that I needed everyone-s "ndivided attention& In addition to this I wo"ld $re+"ently point o"t who was ma%ing good (ehavior choices s"ch as wor%ing +"ietly# sitting properly# or cleanly "p nicely& I wo"ld "se this especially i$ I had given the class a tas% li%e cleaning "p $or l"nch that most st"dent-s were not $ollowing properly& I wo"ld say something li%e# 3I li%e how 5ohn is all cleaned "p and sitting +"ietly $or l"nch&3