RationalArtifact- Guide to a Safe SchoolThe proposition that states
An education leader promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation, and resources for a safe,efficient, and effective learning environment
discusses the importance of a schoolcommunity. Proposition one was chosen in fostering school safety as the number onefactor in a school environment. In order for a student to learn, they must first feel safe.This artifact describes how taking even the smallest steps can lead to success in theclassroom. Here is a direct quote from this artifact that summarizes the importance of school safety and how it pertains to proposition one.While you’re taught to educate the “whole child” you must also beaware of the social and emotional aspects of your students.Getting to know their home life situations and how they interactwith other students is just as important as their academics. Settinga safe environment in the classroom where every child feels secureand safe is the first step.During my class instruction, from day one my students understand the importanceof a safe and caring environment. I do this by letting my students take part in theclassroom rules and consequences. I think when the children are involved in this processit promotes a safe environment. Positive reinforcement and hand signals are used rather than yelling and negativity. Children can relate to each hand signal and reflect and respect positive praise rather than negative. This type of best practice impacts my class in manyways. First, my students understand the expectations of the classroom from the beginningand take part in creating them. Because of this process, students treat themselves andothers with respect and understand the importance of being apart of the classroomcommunity.ReflectionSchool and classroom safety is the first aspect that I approach at the beginning of the year. School safety is also the well being of one-self and others. Students are madeaware that language can also make someone feel unsafe and they must learn how to phrase their words appropriately.The district that I work for practices Responsive Classroom. What this programdoes is allows children the first three weeks of school to develop and build classroom andschool community. I start off everyday with morning meeting. Morning Meetingconsists of a message, greeting, sharing, and a game. Coming together as a class everymorning brings a sense of community to the classroom and fosters teamwork. At the beginning of the year my students develop their own rules. We talk about rules such as“No Running”, “No Chewing Gum”, “No Bullying”, and the list goes on for a while.Then I describe to the kids how it feels to hear the word “no” often. After our discussionabout the word “no”, we change all of our “negative rules” into positive ones. For
example:
In this school we walk
, in
this school gum belongs at home, in this school weuse our self-control,
etc. When they’re finished, all of the students categorize the new positive rules. After I lead them, the students figure out that our classroom rules fitsunder Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-Control. The firstletters in these five rules spell out CARES. We go by cares throughout the whole year and are reminded of it everyday. I’ve noticed my students taking on different roles in theclassroom after we establish these rules. When they know that they’ve controlled thecreation of the rules they really own them. This also stops behaviors turning into larger situations.Along with the classroom rules, we talk about what happens if someone breaks arule. We decide as a class, two consequences: You break it you fix it and Take a Break.The take a break chair is placed in a spot in the classroom that all children are aware of and have practiced often at the beginning of the year. Instead of the teacher yelling atstudents when they don’t raise their hands or break one of the rules they simply say,“please take a break.” The proper take a break is modeled at the beginning of the year toensure proper usage. I believe if these simple steps start in the classroom and commonlanguage is used throughout the school, unwanted behaviors will stop.A Guide To a Safe School.ppt
RationalProposition 2:
Teachers Know the Subjects They Teach and How to Teach Those Subjectsto Students.
Differentiation is when a teacher concentrates on multiple intelligences, learningstyles, the process in which students learn, and readiness levels. Being able to use diverseinstructional strategies to teach for understanding, correlates to proposition two. Thisartifact represents best practices in the classroom and describes what differentiationshould look like in a classroom setting. Here is a direct quote from Tomlinson’s book
How To Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability Classrooms.
“In a differentiated classroom, commonalities are acknowledged and built upon,and student differences become important elements in teaching and learning as well.”(Tomlinson, pg. 1)This artifact connects with Proposition one because in addition to making aclassroom safe, minds must also be taught in a “safe” way. I differentiate in manydifferent ways in my classroom and address my student’s needs through instructionalstrategies. Choice boards, agenda’s, frequent conferencing, and literacy menus are a fewexamples of how differentiation has impacted my classroom and teaching style.ReflectionDifferentiation has impacted my teaching in many different ways. Asapposed to a traditional setting, my students are constantly learning from one another, andlearning to think about their own thinking. One way that I differentiate is through the useof choice boards.
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Rational and Reflection (Guide to a Safe School)
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| Upload Date: | 04/29/2009 |
| Copyright: | Attribution Non-commercial |
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