Classroom Management: Motivating Students and Creating a Dynamic Learning Environment (POD/CETL)
Classroom management resources User guide
Classroom management resources: User guide
Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms
Images for Classroom arrangement
Iris Center Early Childhood Environments: Designing Effective Classrooms
Planning for classroom management
Planning for classroom management guide
Planning for classroom management practice guide
Planning for Classroom management practice guide
Rules and Routines
Teach for Life Making Classroom Rules
Classroom Arrangement
Overview
This is a template for an inquiry project in a senior level early childhood course.
Purpose of the Project
In this content we will cover the different aspects of classroom arrangement, we will look into why it is important to implement rules and routines along with ways on how to teach them to students. Along with designing effective classrooms and the types of classrooms. Lastly we will cover classroom management, how to effectively establish classroom management and skills and practices that create safe and supportive learning environments.
Sections in this Course
Overview
Rules and Routines
Designing effective classrooms
Classroom management
Conclusion
Introduction
Rules and Routines- Establishing a firm foundation for students at the beginning of the school year and what their expectations are from their educators. Having these set boundaries helps prevent behavior problems, what rules need to be followed in a classroom and what routines are established for students to quickly find a day-to-day rhythm.
Designing Effective classrooms- Having a designed effective classroom can create a safe space for students that are in a classroom all year long. They way you design your classroom is going to affect students and their learning. Incorporating how diverse learners are going to be able to adapt and adjust to a new environment once entering a classroom is important when designing an effective classroom.
Classroom Management- The purpose of classroom management is to create and maintain an environment that is going to allow students to grow and succeed. It is important for this environment to be well-managed that way there are minimal distractions and minimal behavioral problems. Setting boundaries and expectations is only the start to managing a classroom that is going to be successful throughout the year.
Main Points of Project Topic
Rules and Routines
Intro to topic: When being in a classroom teachers and students establish both rules and routines that are followed in the classroom. Having these rules and routines supports students in being ready to engage and lays an important foundation for learning success.
A rule is a short instruction for conduct or action that everyone is expected to know, follow, and refer to regularly. While Routines are sequences of recurring tasks or actions.
Using rules and routines in the classroom helps students apprehend and demonstrate what is expected from them in the classroom. These rules and routines also provides assurance to students because they know what they can expect from their teacher during learning time, and how participating will help them achieve their goals.
Importance of Teaching routines:
An effective classroom management system creates a safe caring learning environment. Routines assure students and gives validity about what is expected in the classroom by providing stability and predictability. Enforcing these routines are important as it gives students the encouragement and enables students to independently follow these routines with small involvement from the teacher. Establishing routines in the classroom gives students an idea on how to behave because they have clear expectations and are expected to model these expectations. One way to teach a routine would be by using the gradual release model, this strategy is used by modeling, scaffolding, and independent practice.
To teach a routine:
Introduce the routine and briefly detail your expectations (why and what)
Model and describe the routine to your students by demonstrating the expected behaviors (I do).
Provide an opportunity for students to practice the routine with teacher support (we do).
Students complete the routine independently (you do)
Reinforce and maintain the routine consistently through acknowledgment, praise, and practice.
Establishing and Maintaining Rules:
Rules should be introduced on the first day of school, but instead of telling students what the rules are have the students take a part in creating the rules. Having the students participate in making the rules for the class. Students will understand the value of these rules if they take part in creating them.
Example Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXg-1CGvdA8
A list of rules should be short simple as possible, so that students do not feel overwhelmed by the amount of rules they are learning about. Instead we want students to remember what is expected of them and be able to limit distractions from their learning.
Introduce and explain each rule clearly (what and why). Display them in the learning environment where students can easily see them.
Check – and further develop, where necessary – students’ understanding of what the rules should and should not ‘look like’ and ‘sound like’ through class discussion, modeling and practice with students.
Monitor all students and reinforce the rules consistently and fairly by reminding students of and practicing the rules when necessary.
Acknowledge or praise the behavior, rather than the student, when rules are followed to support students’ intrinsic motivation to repeat the behavior.
Temporal Environment:
Supporting transitions between activities
Visual schedules to give students a visual representation of their day
How much time each routine takes
The sequence and order of the routines that are completed throughout the day
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Designing Effective Classrooms
Introduction of topic: When designing a classroom teachers need to ensure accessibility for everyone. This includes selecting child-sized, age-appropriate furnishings and considering all aspects of the environment. Having your classroom built for students' needs and their accessibility. Also designing a classroom environment that can be modified for students with disabilities.
Teachers should carefully plan the physical environment of a classroom. The classroom should organize spaces, furniture, and materials to boost learning possibilities
Example video over topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0K9bfEbhPI
This video is an example of a classroom environment that is designed for students. The students are able to move more freely, variety of seating options, and allows them to make individual choices in their learning environment.
Types of classrooms: Effective and ineffective classrooms
Classroom design is an important factor that promotes growth for the students. Down below are two different classroom types that are effective and ineffective to students.
Supportive classroom A supportive classroom utilizes furniture to create distinct areas in the room. This type of classroom incorporates ways to store class materials that are easily reachable for children. The materials are displayed at eye level to assist children in daily classroom learning. As well as using effective lighting in your classroom to support students needs and promote learning.
Less supportive Classroom A less supportive classroom may be cluttered and doesn’t utilized storage and space. The classroom lacks separation, and may not have materials that are reachable to the students. The design may not be beneficial to students and may have a lack of space and feel unorganized and cluttered.
Physical Environment includes: The classroom design and the layout. It also includes learning centers, materials, and furnishings. Items that create a classroom environment.
Here is a video that shows how a classroom is set up. Look at the variety of seating and the flexibility they have for the students.
Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XErm_kdsLyk
As shown from the video, it shows different ways the classroom was set up with a variety of seating and its purpose within the classroom. Areas and seating in the classroom that promote small group instruction and independent learning,
Here are some ways that you can design an effective classroom:
Teachers should arrange the environment to optimize learning and effectively engage all children.
Create different zones for individual work, partners and group activities
Use and Incorporate visual aids within the classroom like posters, rules and schedules.
Consider lighting and sound to help create a comfortable setting
Carefully select and position materials to enrich learning experiences that can be at eye-level for the students and accessibility.
When Designing a classrooms make sure the classroom is suitable for diverse learners and meet their needs. Classrooms also need to be flexible in their design and create areas that are suitable for students with disabilities.
Here are some ways or ideas that can be used in your classroom to help meet the needs of all students and their learning needs.
Modify or adjust chairs to cater to the needs of children with disabilities.
Providing specialized equipment
Making room for specialized equipment
Cluttered free areas for easy use movement around the classroom
Ways to promote effective classroom
Showcase children's work to foster pride and a sense of ownership.
Position visuals at children's eye level for easy viewing.
Establish parent communication
Create a multicultural classroom that allows diversity for all students ____________________________________________________________________________________Classroom Management
Intro to topic: The purpose of classroom management is to create a safe environment where student are free of judgement and feel safe in the classroom. Having set boundaries, being prepared, and reinforcing expectations that are expected in the classroom is a start to classroom management and a start of having a classroom that is successful. As a teacher having a system and a plan can reduce disengaged students so how can you incorporate advanced learning and activities in your classroom or in lesson plans to keep those students who finish work faster engaged and interested, it reduces disruptive behaviors, and as well as how to respond to disruptive behavior.
How to effectively plan for classroom management:
Reflect on how you are managing your classroom and what skills and practice can help you improve or what needs to be changed during initial planning
Plan in advance
Plan how to create and maintain an environment that is beneficial to your students as well and the educator.
Questions to ask yourself when reflecting on your classroom management skills
How do you impact the students and learning environment in which you teach?
At what level is the learning environment you have developed safe and supportive for all students?
How do you build positive connections and establish positive relationships with all of your students
How do you maximise learning time through high expectations, routines, and rules?
To what extent are expectations, routines, and rules consistently demonstrated by students?
Skills and practices that create safe and supportive learning environments and further learning time.
Having clear communication with your students can help students feel like they are always going to be able to communicate how they are feeling, if they need something, or the need to communicate with someone.
Having consistency in a classroom can help further on daily routines, and expectations through being consistent in the classroom and with your students.
Correcting behavior problems. Setting classroom rules and student behavior expectations creates and safe environment for not only students but as the teacher you are creating boundaries in your classroom for all students.
Establishing planning
When it comes to managing classroom it is better to be prepared before interacting with students. The more connections the greater impact on the relationship with your students, and your classroom. Planning is just as important as a teacher because of the learning environment you are trying to create and the focus is on learning. Based on your planning it is important to reflect on your planning and adjust the planning throughout the school year. When planning at the beginning of the year it might look different to what your planning looks like in the middle of the year.
Some planning that can be incorporated and what to look at when planning classroom management is
Get to know your students and their families
Develop reflexive practice to enhance responsiveness
Teach the set expectations in your classroom as well as rules
How to respond to student behavior
Motivating students and creating positive behavior outcomes:
Here is a video that talks about creating a positive environment but also when having behavior problems in a classroom setting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqQdq0Tmh1Y
Final Conclusion
Conclusion over Classroom Arrangement
As we have discussed previously in our module over classroom arrangement and all the aspects that contribute to it, we will now discuss ending points over all of the topics that were discussed.
Ending overview:
We have discussed different ways on how to use routines and rules in a classroom. We have discussed their purpose and why you should use them in your classroom.
We have also discussed ways on effective ways for classroom arrangements and how it looks like.
Lastly, we have discussed classroom management and its importance in a classroom.
As educators, we must consider various elements, including classroom arrangement, rules, routines, and effective teaching strategies to built an effective classroom.It involves creating an environment where students can learn, collaborate, and thrive