FOSTERING A CONNECTED

COMMUNIT Y,
NOT A COMPETITIVE ONE
R E S E A R C H C O N D U C T E D BY:
E L LY N F O S T E R
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
SCHOOL BACKGROUND
K-5 Elementary school Comparative Socioeconomic Status

State: Florida

Location: Upper-middle class area

Gender Ratio: 48% Female vs.

52% Male

Population: 859 students with a

15:1 student to teacher ratio

State (FL
County
School
CLASSROOM BACKGROUND
MO R N I N G A F T E R NO O N

Second grade classroom Second grade classroom

Total of 18 Students
Socioeconomic Details: 6 students qualify for free or
reduced lunch
Students who receive ESE services: 1
Students who receive speech services: 1
Students who receive ESOL services: 4
Total of 18 Students
Socioeconomic Details: 9 students qualify for free or
reduced lunch
Students who receive ESE services: 0
Students who receive speech services: 1
Students who receive ESOL services: 0
 PURPOSE
&
THEORY
P R AC T IT IO NE R A RTI C LE S
PURPOSE

To create a harmonious classroom

environment to promote respectful
behavior to support academic growth.
 LITERATURE
Literature Title
Cooperative Learning
Classroom Management:
Principles to Practice
Transformative classroom
management: positive strategies
to engage all students and
promote a psychology of success
Using equity audits in the
classroom to reach and teach all
students.
Classroom management: sound
theory and effective practice.
Key Point
Classroom management style to
have students interact.
5 core principles
Positive interdependence
Face-to-face interactions
Individual/group accountability
Interpersonal skills
Opportunities for group processing.
Views the costs and benefits of
competition.
Using equity to support fairness
for all students in the classroom
to quell non-beneficial
competition.
Ineffective disciplinarians make it
look hard and get few results.
Effective disciplinarians make it
look easy, as if they are not
doing anything at all.
Action Plan
Include more discussion time for
students.
Focus on intrinsic motivation
rather than fear.
Create an anchor chart of
alternative phrases. Rather
than this is easy say Im
improving!
Teaching in leveled groups to
support student learning at the
appropriate level.
Common sense must be applied
to the situation and the
punishment needs to match the
behavior.
GUIDING CLASSROOM PHILOSOPHIES

T HE O R I E S PRACTICES

1. Ginotts Theory of Communication

1. Encourage positive conversations between student-

teacher relationships and student-student
relationships.
2. Collaborative Classroom
2. Students work together to learn, teach and, problem
solve.
3. Linda Alberts Cooperative Discipline 3. Identifying that students act out for one of 4 reasons.
Task avoidance, fear of failure, revenge and, power.
ACTION PL A N &
METHODS
ACTION PLAN CALENDAR
January 12: Instilled purposeful positive language
January 13: observed students interact with competition in the game
Around the World
January 22: Planned to incorporate interest survey.
January 25: Track Intrinsic motivation/extrinsic motivation and results
February 13: Instilled an individual behavior plan for C.H.
February 15: Edited C.H. behavior plan (no treat if physical altercation
occurs)
February 15: Lesson Rotations begin
February 16: Edited C.H. Behavior plan (Science is added as a category)
February 25: Begin Weekly Classroom Meetings (Fridays)
METHOD 1: ROTATIONS
Data Collection
Methods: Reflective
notes, anecdotal notes and
student work.

Purpose: In order to
support a collaborative
community I incorporated Game Technology
group rotations into the Center/Review Center
classroom. Center

Results:
Students preferred
rotation.
AM-17:1
PM-18:0
Students gained higher
proficiencies on test as
the year progressed.
Students interact with Teacher Rotation Teacher Rotation
 METHOD 2: ANALYZING MOTIVATION VS.
COMPETITION
Lets be the best learners
Intrinsic Motivation Vs. Extrinsic Motivation & people we can be!
Intrinsic Motivation
Data Collection Method: Track how many times
I utilized extrinsic motivations (games, candy or,
praise) and intrinsic motivations (discussing the
rewards of doing a good job).
Purpose: Viewing how I incorporate competition
and the effects on my students.
Results: I found that my AM group responded
better with intrinsic motivational techniques and
my PM group responded more to extrinsic
motivation.
Moving Forward: What steps do I take to shift to
further promote intrinsic motivation?

Extrinsic Motivation
 METHOD 3: USE OF LANGUAGE
Evidence A: Purpose: To promote Ginotts Theory
Attention Getting technique of Congruent Communication.
To promote community
Data Collection: Anecdotal
notes/reflective notes.
Results A: Students body language
(less turned eyes) communicated that
through incorporating an anchor chart,
rather than shushing helped student-
teacher relations.
Evidence B: Results B: Critiquing students work
Purposeful Critique with purposeful language.
Results C: Students modeling
respectful behavior.
Moving Forward: How can I further
support student-student relationships?
METHOD 4: MANAGING INDIVIDUAL
BEHAVIORS

I N D I V I D UA L B E H AV I O R P L A N
Data Collection Method: Points system. C.H. must
earn X amount of points.
Purpose: To promote a harmonious classroom and give
behavior guidelines.
Results: C.H. vastly improved behaviors in Math, but did
not improve behaviors in ELA.
Moving Forward: Promoting this behavior plan in both
math and ELA.
METHOD 5: WEEKLY CLASSROOM
MEETINGS
Data Collection Method: Anecdotal
notes and reflective notes.
Purpose: To resolve issues that arise
in the classroom throughout the year.
This gives students a template for
problem solving skills.
Results: Students throughout the
year have improved on multiple Read aloud:
issues. (i.e.: Shoving in the line, moral
gossiping, etc.) dont gossip
Moving Forward: Continue weekly
classroom meetings and continue to Student Quote
work on issues. I dont like it when people say things about me
That arent true.
CONCLUSION, DID IT WORK?

Overall, I believe that the practices that I

have enacted have dramatically changed
classroom climate.
Students make an effort to not brag.
Students have an open communication with the teacher
In the fourth week interning I recorded that I needed to use
extrinsic motivation 13 times to motivation most of the students to
date, I only had to use extrinsic motivation twice.
REFERENCES
Bull, S., & Solity, J. (2013). Classroom management: principles to practice. Abingdon Oxon
U.K. New York: Routledge. http://www.tandfebooks.com. ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/doi/view/10.4324/9781315002439
Loeser, J. E. (2015). Cooperative Learning. Research Starters: Education. Retrieved February
8, 2017, from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/eds/detail/detail?sid=3ed8b167-5a29-484f-864a-
818ade5295e7%40sessionmgr104&vid=1&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=891641
38&
Manning, M. L., & Bucher, K. T. (2001). Revisiting Ginott's Congruent Communication after
Thirty Years. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 74(4), 215-218.
doi:10.1080/00098650109599194
McKenzie, K. B., & Skrla, L. (2011). Using equity audits in the classroom to reach and teach
all students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.https://ebookcentral-proquest-
com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/lib/usf/reader.action?docID=4335030
Shindler, J. (2010). Transformative classroom management: positive strategies to engage all
students and promote a psychology of success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
https://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/jshindl/cm/Chapter18competition-final.htm
Start Class: Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel, Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved January
29, 2017, from http://public-schools.startclass.com/l/105396/Veterans-Elementary-School
Tauber, R. T. (2007). Classroom management: sound theory and effective practice. Westport,
Conn: Praeger.
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