// Dreamers… \\

**The dreamers in Madam Hooch’s class**

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Setting personal goals is something that I’d love to incorporate into my own classroom. My collaborating teacher, Madam Hooch, had the student make these stars describing either a dream or a goal they would like to attain. Most students described what they wanted to be when they grow up, but there were a few that listed goals that pertained to this year specifically. In my classroom, I would like to do something like this, however, I would tweak it slightly. I would have the students write write what they want to be when they grow up, but I would ask them to list a specific mastery goal to focus on this year that would enable them to achieve their future dream. Having the students write a mastery goal allows them to focus on a task individually in an effort to grow as a learner and develop a sense of independence. In addition, setting such a goal will decrease the likelihood that a student learns only for the sake of a grade. I like the idea of combining their future with the present because it make the student think higher and to almost analyze and evaluate themselves and the skills they need to improve   in order to reach their dream. I love having students dream big, but also having a slight sense of reality, and I feel like this allows students this freedom. Mastery goals fosters a transfer environment for students because it uses both backward and forward reaching transfer, since they are applying both prior knowledge and new knowledge. After allows students to create their dreaming mastery goals, I would display them so that when their behavior inhibits their learning, I could remind them by showing them their mastery goals. I would then ask them how they could change their behavior in order to reach their mastery goal. If a student reaches their set goal, I would then have them create a new one, and the pattern would continue on. Although I liked that Madam Hooch did this dreamers board, I would take it just a step further and use it as almost a behavioral management and further development opportunity. In an elementary classroom (or any for that matter) it’s really important to seize every moment as a learning opportunity since we are molding our future!

Reflective Questions:
1. How would I encourage an unmotivated student to make a goal?
2. Is dreaming big bad for students?

// Reinforcement or Punishment? \\

The tone of your classroom is set on the first day of class through your description of your classroom management plan. My collaborating teacher, Madam Hooch, knows how vital a management plan is in an elementary classroom or in any classroom for that matter. However, she hasn’t had a consistent plan for almost the entire first half of the year, and I think its due to the fact that this is her first year teaching in an elementary school setting. The general behavioral management plan has been centered around operant conditioning and having some sort of token economy using tickets. When I first arrived in Madam Hooch’s fifth grade classroom, her plan involved handing a ticket to any student who is displaying appropriate behavior (positive reinforcement). After a certain time period she would hold an auction for various items that the students would used their earned tickets to bid on. Initially, I liked the new approach on having an auction, but after thinking about it I would have to see how the students handle the auction and ‘bidding wars’ before actually implementing it into my classroom. When returning the following week, Madam Hooch had changed her ticket system to instead of handing out tickets to only well behaved students, she gave every student three tickets in the beginning of the day. As the day would progress she would either take way tickets for inappropriate behavior (removal punishment) or give additional tickets for appropriate behavior (positive reinforcement). After she had reflected upon this change, she decided to change it yet again as I returned the next week. She discussed with me that she came to find that many times the students that were behaving appropriately would receive the same amount as those who were going above and beyond appropriate behavior. Having the time to reflect allowed Madam Hooch to see that she didn’t want her classroom to be set up where people who do extraordinarily excellent behavior don’t have much of a reward. Her new behavioral management system uses only positive reinforcement. Students are given tickets for appropriate behavior, they then write their initials on the back of the ticket with a pencil. After writing their initials they drop their ticket into a bucket that is used for a raffle. Every Friday, Madam Hooch has a raffle where she pulls five tickets that were deposited throughout the week. Each winner has their pick of goodies such as snack cakes, chips, or soda.

Deciding on a behavioral management system for you classroom varies upon each individual teacher and what works best for them in their classes. The approach that Madam Hooch takes on behavioral management is probably not one that I will have in my class only because I feel as though the students that may have received the most amount of tickets might not even win anything; whereas, a student that displays a few appropriate behaviors but mostly displays inappropriate behavior might end up winning the raffle. It’s all based on chance, and although it might work for her classroom, it’s not one that I would like to see in my own.

Reflecting:
1. What behavioral management systems will reinforce the behavior rather than teach students how to manipulate the system?
2. What classroom management plan will I use in my own classroom?

// Just Jump In \\

When I stepped onto the grounds of Hogwarts Elementary School, my thoughts as to how the day was going to play out were nothing like what actually happened…

Arriving before the students, I took the silent opportunity to discuss a few things with my collaborating teacher, Madam Hooch. As I mentioned an observation lesson, she–without hesitation and unexpectedly–suggested that I should just teach today for practice. Almost immediately my heart rate escalated. Madam Hooch, sensing my anxiety, reassured me that she would be right here and that they best way to learn is to just jump in. Although “just jump in” is often clique, preferably I like slow, steady, gradual steps; However, even with a slight uncomfortable feeling, I listened tentatively to her explanation of the guided reading lesson she wanted me to do. Since reading is the last subject covered in the school day, I was able to briefly review the questions throughout the day. After she finished explained the guided reading to me, she went even further to ask me (excitedly) if I wanted to teach the math lesson as well. At this point I was feeling slightly overwhelmed, and the day hadn’t even started. Nevertheless, I proceed to ask what they were learning about. When Madam Hooch responded with “I don’t know, let’s go see”, I began to understand why she suggested me to “just jump in”. As we both reviewed the math workbook for the first time, I politely but bluntly told Madam Hooch that I really needed to be prepared to teach math since it can be difficult material for many students. With great relief, she understood. As the day carried on, the time gap for reading was drawing closer. Before starting, I passed out character roles to each group since the guided reading was a play. For each scene the character roles were going to rotate between the groups so that every student that wants to read had the opportunity to. As the class and I progressed through the reading, I sensed that the students were quieter and weren’t exactly themselves, but we made it through and the student’s responses to the higher order questions throughout the story were impeccable (FEAP 3f). There was never one time were I didn’t have hands raised to answer a question. When Madam Hooch and I were reflecting on the guided reading she gave me a few pointers that included: walking around the class to prevent behavioral problems, allowing the students to reflect upon a question as a group first, and various phrases that the class is familiar with–i.e. turn and talk indicates to talk to your neighbor.

After the day ended and I was able to clear my head and think about the occurrences of the day, there were many tips and reflections that were extremely useful.

When the students arrive in the morning, they have a routine to fill out their agenda with the following information: topics that will be discussed in each subject, homework, and spelling words. Madam Hooch informed me that her motherly instinct was her drive for this this routine. It is so essential to keep parents involved with your student’s education, and I think that this is a great routine because it not only informs parents of homework, but also about what their children are actually learning about and doing throughout the day because it increases the parental participation. When I’m an educator I’d like to create a weekly newsletter that informs parents or guardians what they can expect in the coming week. I would include information for volunteering opportunities in an effort to increase parental involvement because research in EDP 3273 showed that the expectations and involvement varies greatly on cultural values (FEAP 2d). Parental involvement can do wonders in a child’s education. It can increase attendance, increase positive attitudes and behaviors, increase willingness to do homework, and increase a student’s academic achievement. This is why it’s is so vital to try and reach out to parents and inform them of their child’s education. Another great resource that Madam Hooch presented to me was a Pandora Internet Radio station called ‘Classical goes Pop Radio‘. She was informing me about how students enjoy listening to music while they’re working quietly, but a lot of the Pandora stations aren’t radio edited (Radio edits are when all profanity is taken out). Classical goes Pop offers the tune of familiar songs without any of the words. I always loved when my teachers played music during individual work, so I’m thankful that Madam Hooch provided me with a family friendly route for popular music!

Questions for further development:
1. How can you get a child to do their work without continually asking, if they aren’t really interested in anything?
2.In an upper elementary classroom, how do you include your ELL students without making exceptions that lower expectations?