Guillaume (2012) says that teachers should create a classroom community and provide productive and efficient physical space. This book, written for educators of all grades, gave a wide range of suggestions for how to manage the environment. One thing I took away from this book and plan to use in my future practice is that we as teachers have to help children see school as a pleasant experience. It's such a simple idea, and I think that's why it can sometimes be overlooked.
Ormrod (2011) talks about "creating an effective psychological climate" (p. 464). I'm not sure how I feel about creating a businesslike atmosphere, but some of the ideas presented in this section are very appealing to me. I think that offering children choices is a great way to foster a love of learning. I am also a strong believer in making sure that every child feels like he or she belongs. Having that sense of belongingness allows children to take risks in their learning, and therefore, develop a greater understanding of the world.
Early Childhood Case Study
The first step I would take in helping Willard would be to create a picture schedule and hang it on the wall in the front of the room. I would use it during transitions and ask the children, as a group, to tell me what comes next. Hopefully drawing their attention to this timeline of events would help keep Willard on task. I would also have a discussion and/or book about bullying and emphasize the importance of showing everyone respect.After about a week, if Willard needed more intensive intervention, I would provide him with his own picture schedule at his desk. I would encourage him to look at it occasionally and do some self-monitoring.
Third, I would create a mini-lesson on routines and work with Willard. I would emphasize where things fall during the day and what comes before and after them. I would ask Willard questions like, "If we were outside playing, what would we do next?" and see if he can follow along by looking at his personal picture schedule.
If all of my previous interventions failed, I would ask someone to come in and observe Willard. This 3rd party observer might be able to see things about Willard, or my teaching, that I would miss. I would also get in contact with his guardian and ask him/her how Willard behaves at home. Does he behave in the same manner? Why or why not? I would let his guardian know what interventions that I have put into place and ask if they have any suggestions for helping Willard adjust to routines. I would also collaborate with the guardian on how we could implement our ideas at school and at home so that Willard has some consistency.
References
Curtis, D. & Carter, M. (2003). Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early
Childhood Environments. St Paul,
MN: Redleaf Press.Guillaume, A. M. (2012). K-12 Classroom Teaching: A Primer for New Professionals. Boston,
MA: Pearson.
Ormrod, J.E. (2011). Educational Psychology: Developing Learners. Boston, MA: Pearson.
I really like your plan to create a setting that welcomes parents and makes them feel comfortable; I think this is a great way to begin to form our relationships with families. As we talked in class yesterday, we are not just "dealing with parents," but we are working with them and building a reciprocal relationship. Families can provide us with as much beneficial information and understandings about their child as we, as teachers, can with them. I think sometimes we forget that we learn from families as well! In your case study, I find it very interesting that you incorporated a mini-lesson as one of your interventions. I think these short and personal interactions can go a long way with children!
ReplyDeleteThank Kathy Fitz for teaching us about those :)
DeleteYour ideas about creating a comfortable, homelike environment—i.e. furnishings, color, texture, lighting, and pictures of students and their families on the wall—are excellent! I have never thought about hanging pictures of students and their families, but I can see how this would make elementary students a lot more comfortable in a new environment away from their family units.
ReplyDeleteI know you may not want to create a businesslike atmosphere in your class, but I think it could be helpful sometimes. I think I'm like you in that I'd rather come off as a friend to my students rather than a strict stick in the mud, but I know teachers cannot be friends all of the time. Part of students' success relies on our making sure they are getting the work done, even if that means setting up businesslike goals and enforcing consequences if the goals are not accomplished. I foresee being strict and businesslike with my students will be one of my biggest challenges my first year.
I like that you're humble enough to seek help when you are stumped. That is what is great for me right now teaching 401--I have a team of instructors that I work with. It's great to have another set of eyes looking at a problem situation. What might you do to address the kids who are starting to poke fun at him?
ReplyDeleteI mentioned that I would have a discussion and read a book that emphasizes respect. During this discussion, I would teach the children the definition of respect and have an open discussion about how they feel when they are not respected. Do you want me to assume that the behavior continues and come up with follow-up interventions?
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