Level 3
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Teaching autonomous responsibilityI will teach my students to be responsible for their own behavior in the classroom. Promoting student responsibility shifts the control of discipline to the students. After agreeing on the rules and consequences in the classroom, it will be their responsibility to regulate their behavior. The teacher's duty is to remind students of their responsibility and to make sure that students present the habits of mind necessary to self-regulating. Example: Asking a misbehaving student whether he is acting responsibly according to the agree-upon rules of the classroom, which will be posted near the whiteboard.
Source: http://childhood101.com/2015/03/helping-children-manage-big-emotions/
Utilizing student self-assessmentsI will utilize student self-assessments in my classroom so that students have the opportunity to measure their progress in our class. Self-assessments provide students with necessary opportunities to reflect upon their learning. They also allow teachers to interpret students' perspectives regarding how they see their progress and behavior. Lastly, they offer opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate further on the management of the classroom. Example: I plan to offer self-assessments at the beginning, middle, and end of each unit. I will devote time to meeting with the students at lunch or after school for at least one of these assessments per student.
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Inviting students into learningI will invite students into learning in order to solidify further their stake in the classroom. This strategy fits into the community aspects of Level 1, but it also represents a long-term support that helps regulate student behavior. That is, by inviting all students into the learning and management of the class, the cases of acting out will be reduced because students feel supported each day. Example: Inviting students into class each day with a thoughtful and communal greeting and opening to class.
Acknowledging students' feelings and emotionsI will acknowledge students' feelings and emotions so that all students feel that their voices are heard in the classroom. I will implement this strategy directly by acknowledging students' comments in and after class. Another example that my CT and I use for this strategy is having a suggestion bucket near the door into which students can anonymously place their comments, suggestions, and questions.
Creating holistic connections with studentsI will create holistic connections with students so that they feel comfortable and supported in the classroom. Creating holistic connections means advocating for students when they need help in the classroom. Example: I will take the time to get to know my students through interest, learning, and personality surveys that we will all fill-out together in class.
Avoiding arbitrary rulesI will avoid arbitrary rules in the classroom so that students experience an equitable environment. One of the simplest ways to effect this policy is to allow collaborative rule-making in the classroom. When students are brought into the management of the classroom, rules will not feel arbitrary because the group agreed to them. Example: I will have a classroom charter that I and the students will collaborate on in the first week of school. At times, we will need to amend the charter.
Utilizing "I" messagesI will utilize "I" messages to take the blame off of students. "I" messages promote collaborative classroom management because they show that the instructor is only one person in the classroom with one perspective. "I" messages bring discipline back to the individual level and models autonomous responsibility to students. Example: I will have a poster on the wall that has a sentence starter, "I feel...," and I will point to this poster when there is a discipline issue in the classroom or when a student needs to express him or herself.
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Philosophy
These strategies are guided by my teaching philosophy, Existentialism, because they allow students to define their classroom identify rather than having arbitrary classroom rules define them. Teaching autonomous responsibility allows students to engage in their own regulation and determining what works best for them. Inviting students into the learning environment grants them the power to construct the class as they would wish to have it constructed. Self-assessment lets the students define where they are at and ways that the teacher can help them reach where they want to be. Utilizing "I" messages allows students to personalize their feelings and emotions, and it gives them the opportunity to not face blame when the instructor feels they have done something against the agreed-upon rules.
References
Claasen, R., & R. Claasen. (2008). Discipline that restores. South Carolina: Booksurge.
Kagan, S., Kyle, P., & S. Scott. (2007). Discipline through same-side win-win strategies. In C. M. Charles (Ed.), Building classroom discipline (151-165). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Olson, K. (2009). Wounded by school: Recapturing the joy of learning and standing up to old school culture. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Wong, H. K., & R. T. Wong. (2001). The first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.
Kagan, S., Kyle, P., & S. Scott. (2007). Discipline through same-side win-win strategies. In C. M. Charles (Ed.), Building classroom discipline (151-165). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Olson, K. (2009). Wounded by school: Recapturing the joy of learning and standing up to old school culture. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Wong, H. K., & R. T. Wong. (2001). The first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.