Blog Entry #3

My 6th-grade service placement teacher establishes a positive classroom by acknowledging students achievements. If a student has done really well on something or has shown progress, she asks the class to give a round of applause for that student. This is very meaningful and uplifting for the student, and it does not distract from the learning. She also asks the class to do this after a student has shared something that was hard for them, why they got a problem wrong, etc. This helps the students to recognize that failure is not a bad thing, but rather is a step in the learning process. My cooperative teacher has also offered the students many choices. One of the choices she gives them is if they want to stay in and work on assignments during recess, or if they would rather work on assignments during fun Friday. This allows students to understand that they have a choice in their learning. They still, of course, have to finish the assignment but they get to choose when it happens. She has helped teach me that giving students a choice in their learning leads to better cooperation and learning.

The kindergarten service placement teacher that I am working with has established many clear routines in her classroom. One of their routines is what they do when they arrive in the morning. They put their backpack at their desk and then they start working on vocabulary words. This is a time where they can practice and pass them off. The students also have an established routine when they learn phonics. They all sit on the rug and repeat the same exercises with different words and sounds. They are all excited to do it because they know what to expect every day! Lastly, calendar time on the rug is an established routine. They talk about what day it is, read a story, and read a poem. These routines help the children to not get distracted and confused, which helps foster a productive learning environment. It also saves time between learning because the kids can transition quickly from activity to activity. I aspire to create a productive learning environment in my classroom someday!

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