EDE 4504 Critical Task

Janea Irby
Philosophy of Management
Based on the theorists and the philosophical approaches to management that we have
discussed in class this semester, I believe I would identify with the discipline style of Linda
Albert's Cooperative Discipline and a referent authority. One of my teaching beliefs is having a
strong sense of community in my classroom ( see My Teaching Belief 1 ) and Albert's
Cooperative Discipline approach encourages students to feel a sense of belonging within their
classroom so I can relate to this approach. "To ensure that students acquire that feeling, she
gives heavy attention to what she calls the Three C's- helping all students feel capable, helping
them connect with others, and helping them make contributions to the class and elsewhere
(Charles, 2006). When I completed my Mini Morning Meeting with my third grade students in
internship, I felt the trust and support that the students began to build with me and it was very
exciting (2F)( see My Mini Morning Meeting ). I hope to have this feeling with my students every
day in my own classroom. I believe this belief will not only contribute to the feeling of the
learning environment but the positive behaviors in the environment as well. Modeling the
expected behaviors, orally and written, in activities such as Morning Meetings, class rule making
meeting, resolving conflicts and many more will show the students what I expect from them on
an individual and class level.
I hope to influence student behavior based on the term referent authority by French and Raven
in 1960 (Levin & Nolan, 2014). "When a teacher has referent authority, students behave as the
teacher wishes because they enjoy a positive relationship with the teacher and like the teacher
as a person" (Levin & Nolan, 2014). I believe having a positive relationship with all of the
students is very important in student motivation, as well as, the classroom climate of openness,
inquiry, fairness, and support. These things are very vital in an effective learning environment. I
plan to get to know my students on a personal level both inside and outside of school so that I
can be more relate-able and can affect my students in the most influential way. "Referent
authority, grounded in deep knowledge about the students, may well be a powerful tool for
learning to teach students whose culture and family lives may differ from those of the teacher'
(Levin & Nolan, 2014). Because of this information, my current internship experience, and
knowing that my classroom will be very diverse, I would use the referent authority to influence
the student behavior of acceptance and celebration of diversity that I want to see in my
classroom.

In this picture, you can see the students actively engaged in a Mini Morning Meeting. Every student felt comfortable
enough to share and trusted that I wouldnt judge their personal opinions.

Learning Environment
What does the learning environment look like?
Currently in my internship, the learning environment is very structured and organized. The
students practice collective responsibility guided by the teacher and each student is also
accountable for their own individual success (see My CT's Teaching Beliefs). The students are
very responsible and now exactly what to do throughout the day, whether the teacher instructs
them to do it or not. The teacher guides the students in a very calm fashion and the students
show respect to the teacher by exhibiting expected behaviors and staying engaged in the
activities (2B). Together the teacher and all of the students work together to create a positive
learning community within the classroom environment daily by being fair, supporting each other,
and building positive relationships (2F).

What are the needs of my learners?

The students in my internship need a variety of instruction differentiation due to their learning
needs (2H). There are some students who work well in small groups, students that work better
alone, students that learn from read aloud activities, others that comprehend better reading
individually, and so on (see Performance Blog 2). Some of the students also need extra support
and meet one-on-one with the teacher to establish reading goals to complete and help them
reach their next level in reading. Not every student has the same goal because there is a wide
range of reading levels and abilities (2A). The students also love attention and strive to be the
student in the spotlight. I have learned that it is very important to give all of the students equal

support and attention so that no one feels neglected or forgotten, socially or academically.

What are the needs of the learning environment?

I have the opportunity to be in a very positive and active learning environment so it is very hard
to think of things that will positively change the learning environment for the teacher and
students in my internship. Continuing to build the classroom community through activities such
as Morning Meetings (see My Mini Morning Meeting), is always a positive change that is a
continuous process. I know my CT would also like to see more effort from the students on
certain lesson activities, so I believe researching and implementing strategies to motivate
students would also help both the teacher and the students. As an intern, I would like to practice
modeling clear, acceptable oral and written communication so that the students know and
display exactly what I expect (2E).

This picture is a resource that reinforces teamwork in the classroom. This encourages students to make the choice to
work together which is a way that can cater to their specific learning needs.

Facilitation

How does my facilitation of the learning environment impact the learners in

my classroom?

I believe I have impacted the students in my field experience by starting a community

building activity such as the Morning Meeting ( My Mini Morning Meeting). When I
conducted the meeting, the students and my CT informed me that they had never done

an activity like it in their classroom. The students were very excited, engaged, and
really wanted to continue the tradition of a morning or afternoon meeting everyday (My
Teaching Belief #1) . This activity lead to my CT and her colleagues starting community
building activities in their classrooms, as well as, myself leading more community
building activities in my classroom (Leading a Community Building Activity). During
these activities I had the opportunity to also accomplish many FEAPs. I was able to
organize and allocate time, space, and attention when I had the students stand up or sit
down in a large circle for the different activities and when I gave students adequate time
and attention for different critical thinking questions (2A). I used attention getting
strategies and the Class Dojo point system to manage individual and class behaviors
when needed (FEAP 2B).
I thoroughly explained my expectations to all students while making sure everyone was
on task (2C). I asked students to share their experiences and their backgrounds during
our sharing activities (2D). I modeled expected behaviors, as well as, used resources
around the classroom to redirect students (2E). The students felt comfortable enough to
share their opinions and guess answers to questions, even if they were not correct.
(2F). I also used the document camera and projector to display vital information in the
classroom (2G). I grouped students in whole-class, small groups, and pairs depending
on the activity and the learning needs of the students (2H). Lastly, I used assistive
technology for our student that is deaf in one ear. She wore a hearing aid, and I wore a
device on a necklace that helps amplify my voice so that she can hear me better among
the surrounding noises (2I).

Resources:
Charles, C. M. Linda Alberts Cooperative Discipline. In Building Classroom Discipline.
Boston. Allyn and Bacon.2002.Ch.5.pp.67-84.
Levin, J.,Nolan, J. F. (2014). Principles of Classroom Management: A Professional DecisionMaking Model, (7th Ed.). Boston: Pearson.