Running head: RATIONALE

Classroom Behavior and Management Strategies Rationale Jordan Lemmon Regent University

RATIONALE 2 Classroom Behavior and Management Strategies Rationale: Positive Reinforcement Focusing on students great behavior is the key to a positive dynamic in the classroom. A classroom should have an atmosphere of collaboration and cooperation. If teachers focus all their attention on students negative behaviors, it is difficult to foster a sense of community. It is my hope that students view me as their biggest advocate. Listed below are a few of the positive reinforcements I plan to use in my classroom: For General Positive Behavior:

Sweet Lemmon-heads The artifact included shows one of my favorite forms of positive reinforcement. One of my desired discoveries as a teacher is to find students following classroom rules and procedures without being told or watched. My goal is for students to learn to self-monitor their behavior and become increasingly self-disciplined throughout the school year. Therefore, I often give out positive reinforcement cards when students are caught being good. The student collects my Sweet Lemmon-head cards for prizes such as stickers or keychains. Or, they may save up their cards for more expensive prizes such as lunch with the teacher. For Excellent Behavior in the Hallways, and During Transitions/Independent Work:

Secret Star This idea was developed during my student teaching experience with fifth graders. The Secret Star system encourages students to remain respectful of their classmates and peers in the hallways by keeping their noise level at a reasonable level. At the beginning of each new day, I pick a secret star. However, I keep the students name a secret, so the class does not know who I chose. The Secret Star must remain respectfully quiet during transitions to new activities, while doing independent work, or walking in the hallways. At the end of the day, if the selected

RATIONALE 3 individual had excellent behavior for the entire day, he/she is given a Starburst candy. However, if the individual misbehaved, the students name is not revealed, and the teacher does not give out any candy. The system begins anew the following day. For Awesome Behavior In Small, Cooperative Groups:

Stoplight The stoplight approach controls the decibel level of conversations. I used red, yellow, and green cups, but a large visual stoplight would work as well. If the teacher (or the student, in some situations) believes that the noise level is becoming a potential distraction, the color is shifted from green to yellow, signifying that students must lower the voices. If the color is shifted to red, talking must stop. If students can show that they are working towards talking at a reasonable level, the cups can be shifted to yellow and then to green again.