Blog Entry #7

What are the procedures the teacher uses to make everything run smoothly in the class?

After this last section and also the article I've read for the article response paper, it's interesting to me what teachers know and apparently don't know about running a classroom. What I noticed working in the classroom with Mrs. C was the way she handled her class. She had a couple of different techniques that the kids responded to that I was really impressed with and hopefully use some day in my class.

Mrs. C didn't have any behavior charts hanging in her class, she didn't send anyone to the principals office, instead her kids responded to her money system and silly chants. When the classroom started to become filled with loud talking or yelling while working on assignments she would chant a rhyme that the class would repeat back the second half (I really wish I could find my notes where I had written it down). I told her how much I liked that method and how well her kids would positively respond back and immediately settle down, she told me it took a whole month to constantly practice and not give up on it until the class adopted it. I thought it was interesting that earlier in this weeks lesson in one of the videos that the teacher stressed the need to keep practicing classroom procedure and the use of role play, it reminded me of the advice Mrs. C offered.

The other strategy Mrs. C used within her classroom to promote productivity was her money system. Each student had a sheet of paper taped to their desk, their "wallet", where depending on good behavior, getting assignments in on time, having good scores on assignments and projects, she would use currency stamps ($.05, $.10, $.25) that she would stamp in the students "wallet". There were times where a student would act out, not work on assignments, etc. where she would warn with a heads down on the desk, but never once did she take away money from their wallet. The last day of school she held a "classroom store" where students could use the money they earned throughout the year to buy different treats, toys, classroom decor, the story time puppets and even school supplies. The way the kids responded to their wallets was really amazing to me, how much they valued their money and the things they would accomplish to get a dime stamped on their paper.

I've enjoyed this section, I think classroom management is important and also the way teachers reward and discipline behavior, and how kids respond interests me.