Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Sonya Swartzentruber
Regent University
Introduction
It only takes a moment for a teacher to lose control of her classroom, which is why it is
vital for teachers to implement strong classroom and behavior management in the classroom. If
not fostered, students will be missing out on a big part of their learning experience. It is vital for
teachers to create a positive learning environment where students feel loved and cared for. Not
only that, but if there is a great deal of behavioral problems in the class, the teacher will
frequently have to stop instruction to deal with the problems, causing students to miss out on a
great deal of instructional time, over the course of a year. If a teacher creates an environment that
students want to come to day after day and that does not require frequent stopping to deal with
behavioral issues, students will get the most out of their education.
The first artifact I chose is an observation that was conducted by Dr. Cheryl Gould, the
director of student teaching at Regent University, on her second visit to my classroom. In her
observation, she stated that the students were highly engaged throughout the lesson and that I
chose a great kinesthetic activity for students. She also said that children were very well
behaved. After completing the observation, she spoke with me and my cooperating teacher,
noting that she had never seen a third grade class so well-behaved. My cooperating teacher
created a positive learning environment for students and he expects a lot from them. While I may
not have been in the classroom at the beginning of the year, I have carried over his classroom
management techniques and continue to hold high expectations for students. In addition, as the
observation stated, the students were highly engaged throughout the lesson, which is of the
utmost importance in the classroom. If students are not engaged, they will stop participating and
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go off into their own world or begin misbehaving due to boredom, which is why I strive to keep
The second artifact I chose is a picture of me leading Morning Meeting. Every morning,
for several weeks now, I have lead a Morning Meeting to build relationships with students. For
this activity, I meet with students in the morning on the carpet and have them share about a
specific topic, such as their favorite food, favorite activity, number of siblings, et cetera. Some
mornings, we also do a fun activity that gets them up and active, so they are ready for the day.
Students thoroughly enjoy Morning Meeting and look forward to it every morning because they
get a chance to share something about themselves or they get to move around. Morning Meetings
are significant because it allows me to build relationships with students and learn something new
about them each day. Not only that, but I also share about myself so students can get to know me
on a more personal level and see how we are similar, even if older than them.
According to Kriete and Davis (2006), The time teachers commit to Morning Meeting is
an investment that is repaid many times over. The sense of belonging and the skills of attention,
foundation for every lesson, every transition (p. 3). Taking just five minutes every day to get
to know the students and build relationships with them is priceless. Building relationships with
students have a relationship with their teacher, they are more likely to respect and follow what
their teacher says and they will also feel more comfortable in the classroom.
The third artifact is the Clipboard of Doom and I created it as a bit of an incentive for
students to behave in music class. The week before I created this, students were not following
directions in music class, which made the music teacher very upset with them. The music teacher
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wanted to keep a record each week after that of who was making good choices in her class and
who was misbehaving. Students came up with the name Clipboard of Doom and I created the
document, using colors and clipart, so they would have a visual representation of the list their
names would go on if they were misbehaving. Not only that, but if students did misbehave and
landed on the not following rules side of the list, they would lose all rewards for that week. If
students behave all week, they get to choose two rewards, which includes eating lunch in the
classroom, bringing a stuffed animal, getting candy, et cetera, and they did not want to lose those
rewards. Before students went to music, I spoke with them about the list and showed them what
it looked like, explaining the consequences if they were to misbehave. This was obviously
enough incentive because there was not a single student who has misbehaved in music class
since then.
Managing the classroom and the behaviors in the classroom is one of the most vital
relationships, and create lessons that are engaging, in order to foster learning and growth.
According to Hinton, Warnke, and Wubbolding (2011), establishing a safe, secure, and trusting
environment which accentuates human relationships allows students to reach a higher level of
academic achievement (p. 91). If students have a teacher who is trustworthy, makes them feel
safe, loved, cared for, and builds a positive relationship with them, they will have a greater desire
to come to school and show their best work. Every student has a desire to be loved and feel a
connection with their teacher, whether they make it known or not, which is why teachers need to
be adamant about connecting with students and helping them feel a belonging.
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In the observation completed by Dr. Gould, artifact one, she stated that students were
highly engaged throughout the lesson. According to Berger, Woodfin, and Vilen (2016), Lessons
that engage students impel them to become self-directed and independent in pursuing knowledge
and honing skills (p. 18). If students are not engaged in learning, they will not enjoy learning
and they may begin feeling bored, which is why it is so essential for teachers to keep students
engaged and help build a desire in students to learn. Keeping students engaged will also help
keep behavioral problems at bay because students will be more interested in what they are
Thessalonians 5:11 says, Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing (NIV). As a Christian educator, I believe that I need to be an encouragement
to my students, which will be most effective if I build relationships with them and let them know
I am there for them. Students need to feel encouraged by teachers, especially when they are
having trouble with something and do not feel that they are capable of succeeding. Teachers
should be there to boost and build their students up and make them feel empowered that they can
accomplish anything, which will in turn keep them focused on the tasks at hand, rather than
having them act out because they are frustrated they do not understand a topic.
Proverbs 22:6 says, Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he
will not depart from it (ESV). Teachers need to keep order in the classroom and model for
students how they should behave in the classroom and even outside of the classroom. If a teacher
allows chaos in her room and does not hold high expectations for students, not only will they not
learn as much as they could, but they will likely continue to act that way for years to come.
Teachers should not only be teaching content, but they should be teaching students how to be
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good citizens and how to properly behave because those lessons will likely stay with them for
many years.
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References
Berger, R., Woodfin, L., & Vilen, A. (2016). Learning that lasts. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
Hinton, D., Warnke, B., & Wubbolding, R. (2011). Choosing success in the classroom by
Kriete, R., & Davis, C. (2016). The morning meeting book (3rd ed.). Turners Fall, MA: Center