10 Classroom Practices

1. Morning Meeting
I believe that morning meetings are essential for student learning. By
greeting each other by name, sharing something about their lives,
participating in a group activity, and listening to the morning
announcements, students feel welcome and important. After they start to
gain social skills, they will feel comfortable and confident in the classroom
and will be ready to learn. Morning meetings are beneficial to both the
students academic learning and social skills and it is important to build on it
every day. Morning meetings also create a bond and sense of trust between
the teacher and the students so that each student feels safe and cared for in
the classroom. One last important aspect of morning meetings is that
everyone, including the teacher, should be sitting in a circle so that everyone
can see each others faces and feel included.
Morning Meeting Activities
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/keeping-morning-meetinggreetings-fresh-and-fun

2. Rule Creation
Rule creation is probably the most effective way to set the
expectations for the classroom. When the rules are created together as a
class, they are more meaningful to the students and they will want to do
their best to follow them. To create these rules, make a list of what the
students feel is important, such as treating others with kindness or respect
people and property. Condense their thoughts into rules that are important
for the class as a whole to cooperate and to become a caring community.
Rule creation should happen at the beginning of school to establish a
common ground. Along with the rules, the teacher and students should
create consequences for breaking the rules. Rules should be meaningful and
the consequences should be logical.

3. Interactive Modeling
Interactive modeling is more effective than traditional modeling. With
traditional modeling, you show the student a procedure, skill, or routine and
expect them to know it right from the start. Children cant be expected to
learn this way, especially since they are learning so many things about the
world by themselves. I think its safe to say that most students learn best by
seeing and doing. To be an effective teacher, interactive modeling is the way
to go. Show the students the procedure, skill or routine that is to be learned.
Explain why it is important for their learning; make it relevant to them.

Students should be asked what they noticed about their teachers modeling,
and not told. After students practice the procedure, skill or routine by
themselves and with classmates, the teacher should give immediate
feedback. I believe that this is the most effective way that students learn
because I, myself, learn best by seeing and then doing and in my experience,
most students do, too.

Video of Interactive Modeling:

https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/interactive-modeling

4. Positive Teacher Language

When I think of teachers, I think of bright, shining faces. I think of singsong voices and calm presences. While this may not be true for all teachers, I
think its important to have some level of vivaciousness. Teachers are a
students mentor and we need to be their cheerleaders. I remember exactly
how my teachers in elementary school made me feel. My third grade

teacher, for instance, was my favorite teacher. She was so positive and
happy and that made me feel like I could do anything. She was so
encouraging to all her students and would give directions in a positive way.
To me, she is the poster child for positive teacher language, and I hope to
one day be even half as good of a teacher as her. No matter what, I am going
to strive to have positive teacher language every day in my future
classroom. The students will always come first and I will do my best to show
my belief in them, reinforce positive behaviors, and use direct language with
them.

Video on Positive Teacher Language

https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/positive-teacher-language

5. Logical Consequences
Misbehaviors are inevitable in any classroom and its easy to
automatically jump to a punishment for the student. What we need to
remember is to respect the child and keep their self-respect intact. Logical

consequences help students learn from their mistakes as well as develop

self-control. Logical consequences are specific to the childs behavior. For
example, if a student was running down the hall, I would calmly approach the
student, explain why the behavior was unsafe, and as that they go back and
walk. Students wont feel like theyre getting punished when youre calmly
telling them why the behavior is undesired; they will gain an understanding
of responsibility and what their actions cause. Logical consequences are a
way to control your classroom while keeping positive relationships with your
students and building their self-control.

Books on Logical Consequences

Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelsen
Teaching Children to Care, by Ruth Sidney Charney
Setting Limits in the Classroom, by Robert J. Mackenzie
Positive Time-Out, by Jane Nelsen

6. Guided Discovery

In my experience, guided discovery was sort of built in to our lesson

plans. It was expected that we introduce materials and tools in our lessons
and it came naturally to ask open-ended questions. I think getting students
excited about materials and tools is important, but I dont think it would be
the difference between a good teacher and a bad teacher. Introducing
students to materials happens very briefly, and sometimes we dont have
the time to ask open-ended questions or allow them sufficient time to
explore them. I think guided discovery is more important in younger grades
such as K-2 grade when students are new to the school setting and dont
have the knowledge that the older grades have. In Kindergarten, youre
introducing everything from scissors to markers, to paint and its important
to make each introduction meaningful to them. Guided discovery should
include an introduction of the tool or material, open-ended questions,
generating and modeling the students ideas, exploration, and sharing work
using the tool or material. This will give the student a full understanding of
what the purpose of the tool or material is and how to use it appropriately.

What is Guided Discovery?

https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/guided-discovery-action

7. Academic Choice
Studies show that when students are given choices in their learning,
they have less behavior issues. Students will perform better when they get to
choose a project based on their interests. During my school career, I can
name the times that I got an academic choice on one hand. I think if my
schools wouldve implemented more units with academic choices, I wouldve
enjoyed school more. The truth is that no child is the same, and some
students are more interested in art projects than others. Some students
would rather write a paper or create a poster or write a story. Teachers need
to take this into account when deciding on an assessment tool because they
will see better results if they cater to the interests of their students. I will
definitely try to incorporate academic choices in my future classroom. Not
only does it allow students to be more invested in their work, but it also
encourages them to learn from one another, supports their intrinsic
motivation, and boosts their learning.

Video on Academic Choice

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/academic-choice-lesson

8. Classroom Organization
Organizing your classroom is probably one of the most exciting things
being a first year teacher; I know Im looking forward to it! But it is very
important how you organize it because it will affect how students will learn.
My favorite classrooms growing up were always the warm and inviting ones
with encouraging posters on the wall, decorations hanging from the ceiling,
and desks arranged in groups. I think when you have a classroom like this,
students feel more welcome and will be more likely to participate or
communicate with their peers. Grouping desks is really important for student
learning. When students are in groups, they have more opportunities to work
with their peers and build their social skills. Along with the desk
arrangement, I think materials should be readily available and easily
accessible to the students. Having the materials easily accessible to the
students will eliminate delays and disruptions to the class. Lastly, I think it is
important to have areas in the classroom for the students to go during
independent work time. These areas may include a back table, a quiet
reading corner with pillows, a space where they can listen to quiet music
while they work, or a spacious spot on a rug or carpet for group work.
Allowing students to get up and move will help student learning by fulfilling a
childs tendency to fidget. I think a classroom should be well organized with
materials easily accessible, desks should be arranged in groups, there should
be plenty of areas for students to work away from their desk, and the walls
should be colorful with encouraging phrases or anchor charts posted.

9. Working with Families

As teachers, we have a very important role in a childs development. In
order for a student to perform at their fullest potential when it comes to
academics, everyone needs to be on board. This means that families should
be as involved in their childs education as the teachers are if they want their
child to do their best. A student could go to school, have the best teacher,
actively learn throughout the day, but perform poorly on an assessment
because their school life and home life are separate. If students families are
not involved, it will be hard for them to want to work on school work at
home. In order to achieve this, teachers need to work with families. Involve
them in anything and everything. Discuss ways in which they can help their
child improve. Whatever it is, involve the families. Some parents are really
good about this and voluntarily take the time to communicate with the
teacher, but some parents arent so active in their childs school life. In the
future, I will make it a point to work with families and involve them in any
way possible. Students need a cheerleader at school and at home, and I will
do my best to make that happen.
Article on family involvement

http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/familyinvolvement-in-elementary-school-children-s-education
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/2000040/index.asp?sectionid=4

10. Collaborative Problem Solving

Collaborating with a student to solve a problem is the most beneficial
to a student. When you notice a problem, you should talk to the student
privately and start by telling the student the positive things youve noticed
about them. After youve made that supportive connection, you can address
the problem. Addressing the problem with the student and brainstorming
ways to correct it will show the student the support they have from the
teacher and will motivate them to work towards a solution. When the teacher
is actively listening to the student and shows honest interest in finding a
solution to their problem, students feel safe, respected, and cared for.
Collaborating with the student will not only solve a problem, but it will also
help develop a sense of independence and self-control in the student.
Resource
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/article/teacher-child-problem-solvingconferences