Reflection 1.
What strategies am I applying this week in my classroom and why am I applying them?
By García, E. (2017)
“The most successful classes are those where the teacher has a clear idea of what is expected from the students and the students know what the teacher expects from them.”
Harry Wong
Motivation is really relevant during the learning context then students must be mentally and emotionally active during their learning process, and we, as teachers, need to guarantee their shy expectations in order to help them acquire both academic and long-life skills.
Thus during this academic year, I am applying some strategies in order my lessons work effectively. What I am doing first is receiving my students at the door in order they feel that they are important for me, as well as, they can trust me, once they are sitting down in their respective place, I greet them and spend some time asking general questions to break the ice and know more about them, some other days I just tell them a short story to provoke them being part of the activity. Once I present the schedule, objective and expectations for the class time, I use the prior knowledge strategy to help students activate what they have learned the previous class and let them make connections to the new information they will be learning.
Group students is another very important tactic I implement during some activities because breaking the class up into small groups increases the confidence, belonging and participation, and it contributes to class discussion and problem-solving. By using this tactic I will learn who not to pair who with, and I also learn who's a really good mix of fit together. This also allows me to walk around which is an effective way to prevent noise inside the classroom during class discussions.
Since last year I am trying to teach students self-monitoring skills which are the key to their getting involve in their autonomous learning. Having self-regulation abilities allows them having self A- MOM (Awareness, Monitoring, organization, and Management). Developing these habits let them acquire the discipline to work and regulate their learning independent because they could be the ownerships over their own learning, and get them to choose their own challenges in their own pace.
Besides I am using more Eye contact this is an important aspect which gives me the assurance that the other person is with me paying attention. This strategy lets me set limits and boundaries too because I can realize their behavior and adjust some attitudes and regulations.
Finally, the most significant aspect that I always cultivate in my students is the formative feedback that teaches them how to assess or measure their learning besides it gives me insights to redirect, improve or take out any methodology that does work.
Being a teacher is an easy task accordingly what I most applying is try to understand every situation and attitude from my students that require is to have a lot of patience to get to know students as individuals, since this supports me to build excellent and exciting relationships (BEERs) with them.
Reflection 2.
What changes do I have to make in the way I view misbehavior in my class and what specific changes am I going to make?
By García, E. (2017)
“The ultimate goal of classroom management should not be on simple obedience, but on having students behave appropriately because they know it’s the right thing to do and because they can understand how their actions affect other people” (Hardin, 2008, p. 142).
My core responsibility as a teacher is to support my students learn life-long, and at the same time, maintain a positive safe atmosphere, because it is much difficult that a productive learning process takes place in a messy setting. I also need to understand that student’s misbehaviors occur for a reason, and is my obligation after observing carefully (Withitness) to determine which are the origin of those disruptions and build right performances during the class activities, in order to encourage student’s learning, having good relations and creating self-motivation.
Consequently, For those reasons I have created a belonging classroom environment, where students aware that they have rights but also responsibilities with themselves and the others around. The way I did it was using a “community circle”. Where students and I answered some personal questions. In addition, I am using the technique close and touch, where while I walk around the class I place near the misbehavior student and with a light touch on the learner’s shoulder to gain student attention and I finish with eye contact and being silent.
In my classes and my school students develop Peer mediation, in order to manage and control some misbehavior that appears every single day. there are students in the group in charged to listening to the difficulties and solve it with a formal contract. This intervention works well among them.
Besides the use of signals is very useful to gain the attention of my students because this help to get the class re-focuses almost immediately, sometimes I clap my hands twice or put my hand up until student be totally quiet. in that moment I reinforce the need to pay attention and when I am sure they understand the message I restart my explanation.
Another essential strategy I have applied is Consequences/ Punishments: where idea is that students understand there are consequences depends on the way they behave, especially when their disruptions are repetitive. On the other, hand I continue building excellent relationships and praising them with constant support when they do the things well, because as Hardin, (2008, p. 142.) states “The purpose of education is to produce not just good learners, but also good people”.