Chapter 5 - Classroom Management

Synthesis 5 – Classroom Management

Classroom Management can make or break the success of students. I strive to maintain a pleasant classroom atmosphere and learning is my top priority. Managing student behaviors, however, is not always easy. My classroom is generally a safe haven for the majority of my students. My students often come to my classroom without having seen an adult since they left the high school on the previous day. Due to parents’ workloads, shift conflicts, and single parent families, discipline most often occurs in the public school classroom. A vast number of my students have not been taught RESPECT. The hard core fact is that students do not understand the word respect, because few respect or admire the adults around them. I have always combated this problem with LOVE. All students in my room are deserving of my devotion, but this generation is so eager to prove they don’t need or want anyone’s help, that they become more hungry for attention every day. In a classroom of almost 25-30 students, it is impossible to conduct a one on one exchange with each student every day, but eye contact is definitely one approach I utilize to acquire and maintain their attention. I look each child straight in the eye every day they walk into my room. From the student’s perspective, it is almost impossible not to respond, whether negatively or positively, to smiling and knowing eyes. Eye contact lets the students know I care deeply for them, even if I am not happy with their incomplete homework assignment or their disruptive behavior.

 COOKY’S CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:

1.         WHEN I AM TALKING – YOU DO NOT!!!!!

2.         Be here and be on time.

3.         Be prepared for class.

4.         Be actively involved in class and use your class time wisely.

5.         Be responsible for your work and your actions.

6.         Be respectful of yourself and others.

7.         Give EVERYONE a chance to express his/her opinion.

8.         Follow the guidelines for academic integrity             (ABSOLUTELY NO PLAGARISM!!!!).

9.         Follow the SCHOOL RULES as outlined in your student handbook.

            I have to admit that some days managing the classroom exhausts me due to the students being boisterous, noncompliant, and antagonistic. Although a large majority of these students have ADHD, they are mentally sharp, have terrific thoughts and ideas, and possess the potential to be tremendous students. The struggle is their desire to control and my relentless battle to be the one in charge of the brigade!

            I have read Chapter 5 focused on searching the techniques of other teachers to improve my own difficulties.  I have 9 classroom rules. The text stresses that the rules be clear, concise and as few as possible. I definitely need to fine tune. I am constantly rearranging the seating and adjusting the seating chart of my students because their behavior tends to deteriorate rapidly if they are seated beside the same individual for too long. I love the Color Wheel Classroom Management Strategy!  I would love to use this technique with my 9th graders. Do you think it would work?  I also feel compelled to enforce “TOOTLING,” because my freshmen students love nothing better than to tattle on their peers. By introducing this procedure for positive peer reporting, I believe my students would eagerly report the positive behaviors of their classmates.

WEBLIOGRAPHY

Nanelle Stokes Cook

Anderson University

1.      http://www.ncld.org/at-school/especially-for-teachers

This site is the National Center for Learning Disabilities (LD.org.)  The information presented on the website recognizes that even though educators may be teaching a group of students with varying ability levels, teaching the individual within the group who is learning disabled, is a challenge for even the most creative teacher.

2.  http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/index.html

It is vitally important for teachers to be able to provide accommodations for students with learning disabilities when test dates are rolling around. The collegeboard website provides information on the SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities), which ensures that students with disabilities are provided with appropriate accommodations for all standardized testing. Information on eligibility, the application process, important dates, needed documentation, and contact information is provided. Great site!

3. http://www.ithaca.edu/wise/disabilities/

This website, provided by Jeff Claus, an education professor at Ithaca College in upstate New York, provides information and resources to improve schools in the United States.  WISE, is the acronym for “Working to Improve Schools in Education.” This site is maintained by Professor Claus and his students who are working toward various degrees in social studies, biology, English, Spanish, math, music, speech and language development, and health and physical education. These students are dedicated to their preparation to work with and to teach today’s youth. The site encompasses a wide range of topics, resources for extended reading, and websites to further reading and provide help for educators seeking to enhance their work in student disabilities, diversity, ethnicities, and multicultural education.

4. http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/teachers/index.asp

This website is a plethora of updated websites to provide information to strengthen the teaching of students with disabilities. The acronym for this organization is LDA, Learning disabilities Association of America. The site has specified information for parents, educators, professionals, and adults who have interest in the learning disabilities of America’s students.

5. http://www.ldonline.org/

LD OnLine is a current website on learning disabilities, and learning disorders, and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children can access this website to find up to date techniques and proven strategies on attention deficit disorder, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, speech and related disorders, and a host of other disorders affecting the educational performance of our youth today.

6. http://kidshealth.org/teen/

This kid’s health site is loaded with information on just about any topic that one may be researching. The website is divided into three categories – PARENTS – KIDS – TEENS. Each section has numerous topics which lead the reader to even more topics and information. Body, mind, sexual topics, diet, health issues, recipes, diseases, school interests, are merely a few of the subjects addressed.  This fu/n, interactive website is a user friendly, helpful way to access articles and resources on learning disabilities.

7. http://www.washington.edu/doit/Brochures/Academics/working.k12.html

This website offers supplemental materials for students and teachers who work together through disabilities. The site provides listings of disabilities and accommodations, legal issues, free video, classroom and teaching techniques, and updated articles and resource information.

8. http://www.readingrockets.org

Reading Rockets is a website geared to presenting a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help children learn how to read with or without disabilities. The reading resources accommodate parents, teachers, and educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills.

9. http://www.tqsource.org/publications/TeacherPreparationtoDeliverInclusiveServices.pdf

This source is 28 pages in length and is offered through Vanderbilt University. The work is entitled, “Teacher Preparation to Deliver Inclusive Services to Students with Disabilities,” and provides an in-depth focus on how educators can and should educate students with disabilities.

10.  http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/learning.html

This site hosts strategies for education students with learning disabilities. A wide range of techniques are provided to encourage and enhance the teachers of children with exceptionalities. Also offered are strategies for teaching reading, technology, testing assessments, and teacher presentation of curriculum.

11. http://teachingld.org/

“The Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD) is a international professional organization consisting of teachers, psychologists, clinicians, administrators, higher education professionals, parents, and others. The major purposes of DLD are:

·         To promote the education and general welfare of persons with learning disabilities.

·         To provide a forum for discussion of issues facing the field of learning disabilities.

·         To encourage interaction among the many disciplinary groups whose research and service efforts affect persons with learning disabilities.

·         To foster research regarding the varied disabilities subsumed in the term "learning disabilities" and promotes dissemination of research findings.

·         To advocate exemplary professional training practices to insure the highest quality of services in the field of learning disabilities.

·         To promote exemplary diagnostic and teaching practices in a context of tolerance for new and divergent ideas.”

12. http://www.kidstogether.org/index.htm

Kids Together is a website with information for children and adults with disabilities. Explanation on the IDEA, Individuals with Disability Education Act, is explored, and links are provided for extra resources and information. Information on inclusion, adopting change within the regular education classroom, networking and community involvement, and web information for agencies and organizations is provided.

13. http://www.wrightslaw.com/

Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.

14. http://autismsciencefoundation.org/?gclid=CN2qpPXV0q0CFWgTNAod43Gylg

Autism Science Foundation provides the latest information on autism as the foundation seeks to search, solve, and share.

15. http://www.dreamms.org/index.html

DREAMMS (an acronym for Developmental Research for the Effective Advancement of Memory and Motor Skills), is devoted to the increase of computers, high quality instructional technology, and assistive technologies for children with special needs in schools, homes and the workplace.

16. http://www.smartkidswithld.org/

This website provides educators and parents with the resources and tools needed to allow smart students with learning disabilities to be successful in their educational endeavors.

17. http://www.paulakluth.com/

Love this website. Just click on the stubby colored pencils, scroll down, and information abound!

18. http://www.psypress.com/teacher-education-for-inclusion-9780415548779

Psychology Press offers this site filled with articles designed to promote teacher education for those who have inclusion students in their classrooms. The theory behind the ever changing information is to change paradigms and innovative approaches on a regular basis. The website discusses how teachers can be adequately prepared to work with a diverse population of students.

19. http://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/resource/5346.html

Wow! Of all the websites I have viewed, perhaps this one is the “Cadillac” of them all when it comes to information and advice on inclusion. Tips on teaching, saving money in the classroom, resources to enhance learning, teaching strategies, and the list goes on. Teacher vision is an awesome website for working with students with disabilities.

20. http://community.educationworld.com/

An interactive website connecting educators with what works in today’s educational settings - blogs, hot topics, and current resources.

Synthesis 3 – Low-Incidence Disabilities

It has been several years since I have had a student in my classroom with a Low-Incidence Disability. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are defined in our text as “a spectrum of complex developmental disorders that results in problems communicating or interacting with others” (National Research Council, 2001). My student had Asperger’s Syndrome and although he was extremely intelligent, his interaction with others was limited due to his persistence in repeating the same activities over and over again. This repetitive behavior is a prominent characteristic of students with this syndrome. The young man was a Star Wars fanatic and everything he did outside of school revolved around this obsession. Due to his disability, I individualized his instruction for part of the year, but as he became involved in the class activities, his focus/interaction with his peers changed around the end of the second nine weeks. I believe he responded positively to the structure of the classroom, the one on one direction for each day, and the guidance in directing him in proper social behaviors. By the time I taught him again in his senior year, he was an academic force to be reckoned with and a tremendous asset in the classroom. His focus had changed to a fascination with Dante’s Inferno. Since I was teaching this material in his 12^th grade honors class, he became a vital source of information.  

Reflecting on the time this student was in my classroom, I now realize that I needed guidance from an expert. Low- Incidence Disabilities are rare and educators tend to deal with these situations as they arise. The accommodations I made for this student were limited because he was so highly intelligent. My primary focus was helping him strive to correct social behaviors which were unacceptable and often caused rejection from the general education students. I should have offered ways for him to communicate that were not verbal or written. A computer in the classroom for his personal use would have been a major step in assisting him with his reading and writing skills. His writing responses were on point and short, but encouraging the use of technology in conjunction with speaking skills may have been beneficial to him. I have definitely lived and learned from this experience.

Incorporating the material from this text would have been extremely beneficial to me during the time I taught this student. If I am blessed with this opportunity in the future, I will be more prepared. Today, I would have him distribute materials to the other students to encourage interaction among his peers. I may suggest that he do a project on his primary interest, Star Wars, and present the information to the class. Small group projects and instruction would have enabled him to be successful without the threat of the entire classroom observing and perhaps commenting on his mistakes and behaviors. I also love the idea of “Social stories.” If I had been versed on this type of interaction, I would have accomplished even more with this student.

Synthesis 2 – High – Incidence Disabilities

            My classroom is filled with students who have learning disabilities and are mainstreamed into the general education classroom. Most of the students have ADHD and I find they have a number of characteristics that impact my classroom both positively and negatively. Most of these students are intelligent, witty, moody, confrontational, angry, insensitive to others and their feelings, high and low in disposition, disrespectful, sleepy, and non-readers. I choose literature which entices, entertains, and deals with issues prevalent to the needs of my students. I have found that they respond well to the drama genre. They love to read plays, act out the scenes, and write about the characters and the circumstances in which they find themselves. These are extremely positive teaching practices in my classroom. I work with these students in decoding, in fluency with vocabulary and reading skills, and in comprehension. These students struggle with both written and sometimes spoken language. They often have problems with spelling, handwriting is generally illegible, and writing/composing text is an activity they want to avoid at all costs.

            Some of my students with IEP’s have accommodations which state that testing with their special education teacher is an accommodation. Sometimes, this aspect of their Individualized Education Plan is used as an excuse to get out of the classroom and avoid their school work. I usually hesitate to send the student to their special education teacher and this is not a positive reaction on my part. At times these students fail to take their medication, do not take their medicine on purpose, or for various reasons their parents do not provide the medication. When the classroom has multiple students who have not taken their medication, having a good day is difficult for everyone.

            The students in my classroom who have ADHD have difficulty in maintaining relationships with their peers. From my perspective, this is generally due to their uncontrollable tempers and their hot and cold relationships with their friends. One day I may be redirecting a student or correcting someone and my ADHD kids will jump to their defense and verbally attack. The next day, the same students will verbally attack me if I do not correct the students rapidly enough. As I write, I know my primary difficulty with these students is their lack of manners. I also realize that many of them have not been instructed on the proper and correct way to speak, ask questions, or carry on a conversation. The ratio of students with and without ADHD is fairly equalized in the class. When the students come to class and have not taken their medication, it is difficult for them to function appropriately in the classroom. Behaviors may or may not include: frequent and repeated interruption of the teacher and their peers, impatient attitude, inappropriate language, and the inability to stay on task and to complete assignments. It is my desire to have continued patience and understanding with this group of students.  

               

Synthesis 4 - Collaboration

Synthesis 4 – Collaboration

            Collaboration is a unique experience for teachers in the public school system. Working with a peer teacher can be an intimidating process if individuals do not possess personality characteristics which blend well together.  In my past and current experience with collaboration, I have been blessed with a wonderful special education teacher who simply, clicks with me. We listen to each other, cooperate in our desired goals, are both unbiased, nonjudgmental, and most importantly, we are both extremely flexible. This year, however, has been a challenge. My partner in this endeavor is the head of her department, as well as my inclusion teacher. Her responsibilities often keep her from the classroom and when she is with me, she is often occupied making copies, running errands, and keeping me afloat. Regardless of the inconveniences, together we are still a progressive, innovative, working team. Each of us has confidence in our co-worker’s talents and skills. This allows us to operate in the classroom setting by compensating for each other’s weaknesses, and expounding on each other’s strengths. We are never threatened by the other’s gifts. Our classroom is designed to be a learning environment for both of us and the students as well. Our lesson plans require and exist on active involvement by both teachers and students on a daily basis. As we collaborate, each of us values the thoughts, ideas, and interpretations of the other. We value the knowledge each of us brings to the table. Daily, we grow and learn from the intervention of each other. My co-teacher is an expert on current educational trends, stays abreast on evolving trends and issues in the field of special education, and knows the law. Our goals and expectations increase our productivity and creativity.

               Our time together as teachers in an inclusive environment is extremely limited. We do not have planning times together and our schedules rarely permit the opportunity for us to calmly sit down and strategize together.  Factors beyond our control also prevent the two of us from having adequate classroom time. We have not had the occasion to be in the classroom together for several weeks. As the general education teacher, I keep the infrastructure of the classroom moving and she is with me when she has the opportunity. Today, the Hybrids were intensely studying ACT II of Julius Caesar. About 25 minutes before the end of class, I heard her key in the door and knew she would be with me for the remainder of the class period. She quietly walked to the back of the room, opened a copy of the text, saw the page number on a student’s book seated near her, I assigned her a part, and without thought or preparation, the two of us became Marc Anthony and Brutus, as if we had been rehearsing for weeks. If we taught together on a daily basis, the outcome would be rather incredible, for it is rare to observe two teachers so well tuned with each other.  

            Chapter Four of our text highlights the frustration that we are facing in our classroom today. Boon and Spencer state that collaboration takes time and effort by a number of school personnel. How can appropriate planning occur if a teacher is pulled away from the classroom to fulfill other mandatory responsibilities? When two teachers are involved simultaneously in the education of an extremely diverse group of students, it is vital for both teachers to be actively involved in the execution process and educational strategies of the operating classroom. Our primary goal is to serve the students by ensuring that their education benefits them both in and out of the classroom. We realize the positive influence our joint efforts have for the targeted grouping of students, and we also realize that immediate adjustments must be established to ensure their success. For our goals to become a reality and for the students to experience the harvest of our preparation labors, we must regularly have collaboration time and consistent co-teaching in the classroom.

 

Synthesis 1 - Response to Intervention

Synthesis 1 – Response to Intervention

My classroom is filled with opportunities for students to succeed in their endeavors to receive an education in the public school system.  My primary goal in the classroom is to provide instruction which meets the needs of a diverse grouping of students. The main concept is for the curriculum to offer a variety of individualized learning accommodations. Due to large classes, meeting and maintaining the academic and inclusion requirements for each individual student are often difficult. By interjecting a variety of learning styles into each day’s lesson, the result leads to accommodations for all styles of learning.  As lessons are taught, opportunities for students to apply the knowledge gained are provided throughout the class period. The application of knowledge learned comes in a variety of forms: writing assignments, handouts, class discussion, group round table discussion, oral readings, and quizzes. The ability to practice the day’s lesson provides immediate results for the students and for me. I am able to interpret the strengths and weaknesses immediately, make adjustments during the lesson being taught, and can more thoroughly prepare for the next class lesson. It is vital that the students in my classroom learn for application and understanding, rather than for memorization or reproduction. It is essential in my classroom for students to actively engage in activities with their peers. In sharing the experience of learning and being held accountable by your peers, the students tend to be more responsible for their learning. This leads the students to individually hold themselves accountable for their personal growth and relationship with the material taught.

Although lessons taught in my classroom are designed to accommodate all learning styles, it is extremely difficult to individualize one on one instruction. Due to the vast amount of material requirements, I often find myself overwhelmed and feeling an internal rush to cover all the academic standards today! This is extremely unrealistic, causes personal frustration, and often defeats my primary goal. I find myself being overzealous, planning beyond the time frame, and experiencing internal tension when there is no time to instruct students individually. As mentioned in the text on what secondary teachers should know about RTI, I have limited knowledge of how to use my assessment results to target instruction. This is an area where this teacher needs instruction in order to enhance the coaching in the classroom.  

My number one priority for the future in my classroom is to provide conceptualizing and implementing effective RTI approaches for the struggling reader. My Hybrid students are taught ninth and tenth grade English in one year. This is a tremendous task for me to accomplish and a major undertaking for the students.  The vast majority of these students are struggling readers. The text discussed a number of proven research strategies which can easily be adopted into my classroom setting: word meaning, word concepts, word study interventions, and comprehension strategies.  A primary goal for this course and the remainder of my teaching year, is to initiate strategies which trigger the urge in my students to read.