Behavior Management
I am currently enrolled in Practicum I and II and was placed in Mrs. Patti Stout's fourth grade gifted inclusion class at McArthur Elementary School. Mrs. Stout has been teaching for a little over twenty years and this is the first year she has not taught a class with only gifted children. There are twenty kids in the class and due to the fact that it is gifted inclusion their academic abilities have a very wide range. There are also numerous behaviors, psychological, and family related issues that effect the every day activities of the class. I feel that all of this background information is very pertinent to the way the class is set up and functions on a day-to-day basis. The physical layout of the classroom is very unusual due to the fact that McArthur was originally opened as a school without walls. As the times changed and no one at the school adopted the open-classroom philosophy temporary partitions we set in place to separate classes. The temporary partitions make the rooms awkward shaped and they do not completely enclose a room. This means that in one room you may hear the instruction of the class next door. (For further visuals on the physical layout of the room please see attached diagram.)
Another suggestion for change would be the posters and bulletin boards. I realize that there are budget constraints on the teachers, but I feel that little or no effort has been put into the selection of posters and the designs on the bulletin boards. The posters may be inspiring and encouraging, but this particular class may respond to something a little more humorous. I also feel that the posters do not represent a very diverse culture, which could leave some students feeling alienated. I feel that the bulletin boards and posters can serve a very important role in the classroom and that they are not utilized to their full potential in this particular room. The fact that most of the traffic flow is along the back partition is probably the most efficient way to have the room set up. I have not noticed very many problems with the traffic flow in general, but if a change were to be made I would probably move the bookshelf with the dictionaries because it is very close to the round table that Mrs. Stout sits at. The need for dictionaries has caused several big disruptions when there is a group activity going on at the round table. Assumes Responsibility for own behavior In conclusion, Mrs. Stout has taken a very difficult teaching situation and turned it into an environment where a lot of learning is accomplished. I realize that time constraints and budgetary problems arise and lead to problems, but there are always ways to improve a classroom. From this project I have gained a greater sense of ways to set up a classroom, not just seating, but the schedule as well.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Arrangement/Grouping Instruction, Physical Plan, Visual Appearance/Appeal, Traffic Flow, Listens Carefully, National Geographic, School Stout, Rules Procedures, Assumes Responsibility, Patti Stout's, round table, bulletin boards, dry erase board, dry erase, particular class, wide range, traffic flow, desks set, erase board, cooperative learning, designated classroom, bulletin boards posters, math skills taught,
Approximate Word count = 2407
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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