Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.

-Benjamin Franklin

Classroom Community

From the first day of school, I believe it is so important to create an environment that is inviting, comfortable,
respectful, and inspiring. I want my students to trust me and to trust one another. This can be done through
getting to know student interests, their backgrounds, and how they feel the most comfortable. Student interest
surveys can be sent out to both students and families for them to complete during the first few weeks of school.
This will give me a sense of who the child is and how their families perceive them. These interests will drive my
instruction to educate the children based on their interests while aligning it with the standards. Another way to
develop our classroom community is by creating a classroom rule plan together. The students and I will decide
together how we want to act in our classroom, how we want to treat one another, and how we should work together
on our academics. A classroom community will also be created through the consistent use of morning and afternoon
meetings each day where students get the opportunity to greet one another and listen to what one another has to
say about themselves or about their school day.

Classroom Management

I believe classroom management and a behavioral plan for my classroom begins with modeling the behaviors and
actions I expect out of my students myself. Through modeling, students know what is expected of them because I
have demonstrated it myself; therefore we are all on the same level. In terms of a behavioral plan, I believe
students should be positively reinforced. Rather than acknowledging what a student has done wrong, recognizing
what they are doing right and working hard at will create more of a motive to continue the expected behaviors in
the classroom. When students are having trouble staying on task, I believe a responsive classroom approach works
best. A student will be asked to take a break when they are continuously off-task. This will encourage them to
move to a part of the room where they can reflect on what they were doing and come up with a plan to change their
action. The classroom will also be organized in a way that creates accessibility for all students. Students will sit in
groups with proper walking room, as well as a carpet area for whole-group instruction. Students will turn in work
each morning in the appropriate bin, as well as keep their materials in an assigned and labeled area of the classroom
which creates flow and structure. Students will be responsible for themselves and will know what is expected of
them in an environment that respects and protects them.

Teaching Strategies

A variety of teaching strategies will be evident in my classroom. I believe it is important to use whole-group
instruction, small-group instruction, partner-work, and independent work throughout each content area. It is
important to mix these into instruction throughout the year so the students are exposed to working with new
people. These strategies allow students to learn from me, but more importantly, learn from one another. It also
allows for an approach to teaching that is modeled while using guided practice and independent practice throughout
the learning experience.

Differentiated Instruction

I believe differentiated instruction is the most important aspect to teaching a classroom full of students at
different instructional and independent learning levels. How to differentiate will be determined based on pre and
post assessments throughout units using data-driven instruction. Determining student interests will help in aiding a
students instruction. Teaching strategies such as small-group work are very applicable and useful in differentiated
instruction by using guided group work with me. I will always use scaffolding and partner or group work to help
students gain and develop new information.