Introduction
Six years ago I probably would have said that an ideal productive classroom was one where all the students sat quietly in their chairs, whilst the teacher either walked around the room or sat at her own desk working. Specifically, during my graduate semesters I have really adapted and altered my ideal curricular design based on the research and experiences that have had a part exploring. There is so much more to a classroom of students beyond the surface. With every aspect from the placement of the desks, colors or designs used, and the interactions between teacher and student, there is an explanation of why it can be done a certain way. With this in mind, there is no single set of methods that should be used in all classrooms. …show more content…
This approach puts value not only on the academic needs of student but on their emotional and social needs as well (McTigue & Rimm-Kaufman, 2010). “The RC approach is designed to help teachers develop caring classroom environments and take proactive approaches to discipline through training them in principles and supporting practices” (McTigue & Rimm-Kaufman, 2010, p. 7). The morning meeting that was described in the previous observation is one facet of the RC approach that can be used to transform a classroom to its fullest potential. Morning meetings are usually 15-30 minute meetings where students and teachers come together to set the tone and prepare for the day. The four parts that make up the morning meeting are a greeting, sharing segment, group activity, and morning message (Kriete & Davis, 2014). The students in the classroom observation as far as they were concerned were simply introducing themselves in an enjoyable manner with a ball. However, at that same time in the ball toss greeting they were also learning about patterns. Along with what the students were doing it is also important the language used by both the students and the teacher in this classroom …show more content…
There are five leading principals that stem from the RC approach and support positive language in the classroom. The first principal is to be direct and use a trusty, but specific tone when speaking to students (Denton, 2008). Students should not have to try and decode what exactly they are supposed to do because the teacher made an indirect statement about their behavior. For example, when two students are being a distraction instead of making an example out of others who are on task it would be more beneficial to remind the students of the task at hand and have them refocus. Secondly it is imperative to show the students you have faith in their skills and capacity in the classroom (Denton, 2008). When students are held to high expectations and teachers support the idea that they can succeed it leads to a higher morale and willingness to do their best at all times (Denton, 2008). The third characteristic is to focus on desired behaviors and not vague observations (Denton, 2008). I know from personal experience the importance of this characteristic. In my recent field experience, we went on a field trip to watch the Nutcracker performed at a local theater. Prior to the field trip, we talked in class about expectations for certain behaviors as audience members. In class, we had the student list ways to be a
Six years ago I probably would have said that an ideal productive classroom was one where all the students sat quietly in their chairs, whilst the teacher either walked around the room or sat at her own desk working. Specifically, during my graduate semesters I have really adapted and altered my ideal curricular design based on the research and experiences that have had a part exploring. There is so much more to a classroom of students beyond the surface. With every aspect from the placement of the desks, colors or designs used, and the interactions between teacher and student, there is an explanation of why it can be done a certain way. With this in mind, there is no single set of methods that should be used in all classrooms. …show more content…
This approach puts value not only on the academic needs of student but on their emotional and social needs as well (McTigue & Rimm-Kaufman, 2010). “The RC approach is designed to help teachers develop caring classroom environments and take proactive approaches to discipline through training them in principles and supporting practices” (McTigue & Rimm-Kaufman, 2010, p. 7). The morning meeting that was described in the previous observation is one facet of the RC approach that can be used to transform a classroom to its fullest potential. Morning meetings are usually 15-30 minute meetings where students and teachers come together to set the tone and prepare for the day. The four parts that make up the morning meeting are a greeting, sharing segment, group activity, and morning message (Kriete & Davis, 2014). The students in the classroom observation as far as they were concerned were simply introducing themselves in an enjoyable manner with a ball. However, at that same time in the ball toss greeting they were also learning about patterns. Along with what the students were doing it is also important the language used by both the students and the teacher in this classroom …show more content…
There are five leading principals that stem from the RC approach and support positive language in the classroom. The first principal is to be direct and use a trusty, but specific tone when speaking to students (Denton, 2008). Students should not have to try and decode what exactly they are supposed to do because the teacher made an indirect statement about their behavior. For example, when two students are being a distraction instead of making an example out of others who are on task it would be more beneficial to remind the students of the task at hand and have them refocus. Secondly it is imperative to show the students you have faith in their skills and capacity in the classroom (Denton, 2008). When students are held to high expectations and teachers support the idea that they can succeed it leads to a higher morale and willingness to do their best at all times (Denton, 2008). The third characteristic is to focus on desired behaviors and not vague observations (Denton, 2008). I know from personal experience the importance of this characteristic. In my recent field experience, we went on a field trip to watch the Nutcracker performed at a local theater. Prior to the field trip, we talked in class about expectations for certain behaviors as audience members. In class, we had the student list ways to be a