Learning Environment Reflection Monday, February 4th Today, I wanted to focus on getting to know my students by learning their names

and a few of their interests in efforts to create a positive rapport with them. If students are going to buy into the methods I use to instruct them as well as my desire to help them succeed, there has to be a positive rapport that exists between both teacher and students. I began this process by greeting the students by the door and personally addressing them by name with a handshake. Students were surprised, and some a little appreciative, that I took the time to remember the names during my observation week. Although the first day was not seamless, I believe students were more willing to consider and adapt to the changes I implemented in the classroom because they knew my primary concern was to aid in their educational success. During this class, I recognized that note-taking habits were not established. While students mostly paid attention, many of them did not take notes or have a guide in which to reference when completing their homework. This also inhibited the learning environment as some of the students who were not taking notes decided to hold conversations, were inattentive and negatively influencing the learning environment for others as well as themselves. However, my knowledge of students names and some of their interests allowed me to redirect off-task behavior and refocus students attention on the lesson. For the most part, students positively responded to my redirection of behavioral infractions because I had begun to establish a positive rapport with them. In future, I will continue to use this learning environment strategy. Creating a positive rapport with students is always a plus to the learning environment. To enhance the effectiveness of the strategy, I will continue to ask students how they are doing, how there day is progressing, and find others ways to let them know that I care about their educational success and efforts to succeed in math. Wednesday, February 6th On Monday, I wanted to begin to establish a positive rapport with students, something that is important to continue throughout the semester. However, today, I focused on making sure I focused on treating students courteously and with respect. This learning strategy actually supports the ability to create a positive rapport with students and is a testament that you have to give respect in order to receive it. As I do every day, I greeted students at the door, gave handshakes, pats on the back, and inquired about the day. Yet, I added an extra touch by addressing some as mister or miss when they asked or answered questions. I also made sure this practice carried over when students were addressing the class and reminded other students that we must all be courteous and respectful by listening attentive and waiting to share our opinions at the appropriate time. I also made sure to look students in the face and make them feel welcomed to participate and engage in the learning process. I believe the class went very well today. Students were more attentive, engaged and participated. I was sure to thank them for the contributions, encouraged their peers to applaud their courage when solving problems on the board, and used the opportunity to encourage more reserved students to be more participatory in class discussions. I will continue to use this strategy in the classroom with a few modifications. I believe it is a useful tool to create a positive rapport with students, encourages

Learning Environment Reflection participation and further convinces students that I am a partner in helping them to succeed in their educational pursuits. I will improve the use of this strategy by refining the ways I provide students feedback on their verbal or written responses so that I am as courteous and respectful as I can be in efforts to create mutual respect and understanding. Monday, February 11th Personalizing the lesson to grasp students interest. Today, I began the lesson by asking all of the basketball players in my class to raise their hand. After each of the students did so, I went by and gave them a handshake to congratulate them for their win against their crosstown rival. This also allowed me to incorporate sports into the lesson about solving linear equations. This came in the form of posing a real world problem that incorporated basketball. It was great in engaging students and getting them to participate. I believe students perform well when they believe what they are learning is applicable to them. Providing students with a real-world example was then translated into solving other problems that may not have been as interesting. This is still a developing process to see what works and what does not work. However, students seem to be buying into the changes I have made as far as expectations for completing homework, taking notes and engaging in class discussions. I have also developed a note-taking sheet in which I ask students to follow along. In my PowerPoint slides, I explicitly state that we are now working on an exploration or explanation activity. Students then know that I want them to take their notes under that particular section of the note sheet. I believe it holds students accountable for their learning and keeps them on task and engaged. However, providing students with applicable real-world problems helps in this process and further encourages students to buy into the methods I am implementing. I will most certainly continue to use this method. However, I will work on making sure that I try to incorporate the interests of all of my students so that no individual feels left out or overlooked. Wednesday, February 13th Today, I focused on using humor in the classroom in efforts to get students engaged and to recognize that math can indeed be a fun subject to learn. Often times, students see a normal routine of lecture and notes as a disincentive to fully engage in the learning process. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the teacher to find interesting and far-reaching ways to keep students engaged and motivated. Sometimes this can take the form of an interesting activity, class discussion, group work or just engaging in a concept matter conversation with a little humor. It does not take a long time to accomplish or even require extensive planning time. It is simply a matter of letting your personality shine through to students, and in return, allowing students to show you their personality. Of course, the primary focus of the classroom is for students to learn and engage in the concept matter. However, students need to feel comfortable and apart of the classroom environment to maximize learning. I believe the lesson went extremely well today. I was able to provide students with excellent news that the majority of them did well on their chapter 6 test. This started the class in a positive manner and was the reason that I changed todays engage activity. Instead of having students solve problems as a review for chapter 6, I instead asked them to write about what they would do to further improve their math

Learning Environment Reflection grade. This allowed them to take ownership of their learning experience. It also provided a few jokes to encourage all students to pay attention and complete homework. As we transitioned to the lesson, the lights went off and caused a bit of a ruckus. This also was the brunt of a few jokes. Each time, I was able to refocus the students back to the material and engage in a fruitful classroom dialogue. Many students participated in the discussion and I attribute this to them feeling comfortable in the environment, in part due to me using humor. I will continue to use humor in the classroom. However, I want to find a way to encourage my more reserved students to bring out their humorous side to feel more a part of our math family while also engaging in class discourse. Thursday, February 14th The strategy I used today in class was to sit or stand near learners. It is a given that most students will begin to chat or get off task as soon as the teacher turns their back or they are waiting for a student to solve and explain their work at the board. This was a perfect strategy to use in efforts to mitigate that problem and to keep students engaged in the learning process. Some students were surprised or did not understand exactly what I was doing when I happened to take a seat next to them. However, many of the students received the important message to stop talking or interrupting other students and instead remain on task or pay attention to the students working an example problem or verbally responding to a posed question. For the most part, the lesson went well. There remains a problem with students recognizing the importance of taking notes. There is also a problem with students buying into the notion that homework is important and reinforces what we cover in class. Therefore, I will have to develop an approach that convinces students of the importance of homework and note taking. In the meantime, I like the use of this strategy. Sitting or standing near learners instills in them my expectations for them to engage in the course material, remain on task and work bell to bell. In addition, a subtle tactic does not necessarily call out particular students but places groups of students on alert. In future, I may engage in a short conversation with learners to ask questions about the material or their opinion of the class proceedings. This may provide valuable input while also refocusing students to remain on task.