I really enjoyed the time I spent in Mrs. Flinn’s fourth grade classroom over Spring Break. I was able to observe for a total of four hours between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. During my time with the fourth graders, I took a closer look at the solid behavior classroom supports being used. Along with these supports, I was extremely impressed by the way Mrs. Flinn handled classroom management. Even though I observed during a very exciting week, she had great control over her students. After speaking with Mrs. Flinn, it was easy to see that this effective classroom management comes from her focus on relationship building. I could tell that she has a strong, solid relationship with each and every one of her students, and I think this
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Flinn’s classroom. Smooth transitions increase the time teachers are able to instruct and decrease the number of behavior management problems that occur. When I observed on Wednesday, Mrs. Flinn did a great job of preparing the students in advance for the transitions by giving them 5 and 10 minute warnings, signaling for student attention, bringing the activity to a close, telling the students exactly what needed to be done, prompting those off task, providing feedback, and beginning something new when everyone was ready. Also, I saw the importance of teaching functions (daily reviews/prerequisite checks, presentation of new content, guided practice, independent practice, and weekly/monthly reviews.) When students were doing math on Thursday morning, Mrs. Flinn began by doing a short review of the previous lesson. Then, she presented the new content of equivalent fractions and reducing. After the new content was discussed, students were given a chance to participate in some guided practice. This “bridge” gave them an opportunity to practice these new concepts with her help. Following this, students were given a chance to do some independent practice. The students were put into pairs and worked through some problems together during this time. Because I was observing for only a couple of days, I didn’t see the weekly/monthly review portion take place. As a whole, I …show more content…
Flinn has some pretty incredible things happening in her classroom, and I’m so grateful that I was able to witness them firsthand. This assignment has definitely influenced what I will do (and not do) in my very own classroom someday. To begin, I want my students to play an active role in their entire educational experience. I think it is important that their input is considered, especially when the rules are established. This gives them ownership and demonstrates their overall commitment. In addition, I plan to always give my students a “heads up” about what is going on. If the schedules, routines, and transitions are planned beforehand and students know what to expect, I will be setting myself up for a classroom with much greater success. Lastly, I was again reminded of the importance of relationships. In my own classroom someday, I will strive to develop connections with each and every one of my students. If this is done, managing my classroom will come much more easily. All in all, this assignment showed me that classroom management is such a vital part of the educational process, but it doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming. By understanding students, trying various techniques, and staying organized, classroom management will fall into place, and students will
Flinn’s classroom. Smooth transitions increase the time teachers are able to instruct and decrease the number of behavior management problems that occur. When I observed on Wednesday, Mrs. Flinn did a great job of preparing the students in advance for the transitions by giving them 5 and 10 minute warnings, signaling for student attention, bringing the activity to a close, telling the students exactly what needed to be done, prompting those off task, providing feedback, and beginning something new when everyone was ready. Also, I saw the importance of teaching functions (daily reviews/prerequisite checks, presentation of new content, guided practice, independent practice, and weekly/monthly reviews.) When students were doing math on Thursday morning, Mrs. Flinn began by doing a short review of the previous lesson. Then, she presented the new content of equivalent fractions and reducing. After the new content was discussed, students were given a chance to participate in some guided practice. This “bridge” gave them an opportunity to practice these new concepts with her help. Following this, students were given a chance to do some independent practice. The students were put into pairs and worked through some problems together during this time. Because I was observing for only a couple of days, I didn’t see the weekly/monthly review portion take place. As a whole, I …show more content…
Flinn has some pretty incredible things happening in her classroom, and I’m so grateful that I was able to witness them firsthand. This assignment has definitely influenced what I will do (and not do) in my very own classroom someday. To begin, I want my students to play an active role in their entire educational experience. I think it is important that their input is considered, especially when the rules are established. This gives them ownership and demonstrates their overall commitment. In addition, I plan to always give my students a “heads up” about what is going on. If the schedules, routines, and transitions are planned beforehand and students know what to expect, I will be setting myself up for a classroom with much greater success. Lastly, I was again reminded of the importance of relationships. In my own classroom someday, I will strive to develop connections with each and every one of my students. If this is done, managing my classroom will come much more easily. All in all, this assignment showed me that classroom management is such a vital part of the educational process, but it doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming. By understanding students, trying various techniques, and staying organized, classroom management will fall into place, and students will