Learning Environment and Student Engagement

Learning Environment and Student Engagement

Natalie Jones
Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments SEC-510
June 15, 2016
Professor Bennett

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Learning Environment and Student Engagement

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Learning Environment and Student Engagement

The Assertive Model of Discipline with Reward and Punishment

I would label my personal teaching style as friendly but consistent. I am happy and
kind to every student, but I have specific classroom expectations and a discipline system that I
stick to with every student.
My personal philosophy is that raising your voice and being aggressive never ends well.
Fear is not the same thing as respect. I grew up with teachers who screamed and yelled and
teachers who always remained level-headed, and I learned the most from the calm ones. I also
believe that there should be both rewards and punishments in the classroom and that they should
be consistent for all students by having a classroom plan from the very start of the year. V.D.
Trans thoughts on responsibility echo my own thoughts where this is concerned. He says,
Recognition of responsible behavior, and discussions with misbehaving students about the
effect their behavior has on other students, are clearly productive because students experiencing
these techniques are more responsible, less distracted, and more positive towards their teachers
and schoolwork. I believe that respect goes both ways in a classroom, and a teacher can handle
any tough situation with kindness. He continues, In contrast, teacher aggression, comprising
strategies such as group punishment, humiliation and yelling in anger, appears to be associated
more with student misbehavior and higher levels of negative student attitudes towards learning in
classroom (Tran, 2016, pg. 1). Humiliating students only leads to more negative behavior and
less respect in the classroom.

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Malmgren calls this teaching model of discipline assertive discipline, developed by Lee
and Marlene Canter. This system of discipline is based upon rewards and punishments. Teachers
catch students misbehaving, as well as misbehaving. They distribute rewards and punishments
for both behaviors. It teaches students accountability and gives them reinforcement and
feedback. The main idea is to start the school year with a systematic discipline plan in place.
Students know what is expected of them and the consequences of their actions before the school
year begins. They also have a reward system in place that celebrates students who meet the
expectations. The plan helps teachers be consistent with their consequences and rewards
(Malmgren, 2005, pg. 36-37). This model serves my students well because it helps behavior
problems be dealt with quickly. Students already know the expectations, so they are informed of
their error and punishment, and class can move on. Having a reward system helps students see
the benefits of meeting the expectations and helps keep them on track. Students trust and respect
their teacher more because the teacher recognizes their strengths and hard work.

Management Strategies

I use a system that I call citizenship points for negative behavior. Each individual student
is accountable for themselves. They start with ten citizenship points. If they behave appropriately
all week, they get all ten of their citizenship points. They lose a citizenship point for every
incident of misbehavior (talking in class, out of seat, going to the bathroom, disrespect, etc.). At
the end of each week, they get a citizenship grade with the number of points out of ten that they
have remaining. Citizenship is ten percent of their final grade in my class. If they lose all of their
points for that week, they get a referral to the office and/or their parents are notified of their
inappropriate behavior. If a student is getting completely out of hand, I will send them out of the

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classroom to stand outside the door until they are ready to behave properly. They do not receive
credit for any classwork they miss during this time and must get notes from other students. I
must be consistent with every student to keep it fair and efficient. If the entire class gets out of
hand, I will whistle to get their attention and/or excuse them from the classroom to exit and enter
again the correct way.
On the reverse side, I have a reward system in place. I call it house points. Each class is
sorted into Harry Potter houses. They sit with their houses in groups, and they compete for house
points. They earn it for good behavior like honesty, hard work, and accountability. If the entire
group brings their homework in on time, they get three house points; if the entire group stays on
task the entire class, they get three points; if the entire group gets a hundred percent on their
spelling quizzes, they get five house points. They start the year with a specific reward system in
place, and they compete based upon it. It keeps the competition fair and exciting. It also
encourages them to interact with their peers and learn social development skills that can only be
found in a team-like setting.

Including All Students

One of my strategies for involving all students is my house points. I specifically place the
struggling students with students who will help them succeed. They have that support of their
teammates who want them to learn and succeed. I award house points for group spelling quiz
scores, so it leads to them focused and studying together at the beginning of class. The next step I
take is the constant use of their IEP. I make an IEP cheat sheet to place on the clipboard that I
carry around class so that I have easy access to their accommodations and so that I can write
down what works and what does not work well for each specific student. My class involves a

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great deal of group reading where students take turns reading in the class. I will have the students
who struggle with reading only read dialogue lines instead of the actual narration in a book
(depending on their IEPs) so that they are still participating, but it is a lighter and easier load.
Group projects are also a wonderful way to include all students, with each student taking a
specific work load and part of the process. I also try to float around the classroom and get oneon-one time with each student every class period so that I can see what their level of learning is
and what individual attention they need to their learning process.

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Citations
Tran, V. D. (2016). Coping Styles with Student Misbehavior as Mediators of Teachers'
Classroom Management Strategies.International Journal Of Higher Education, 5(1), 1-10.
Web. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?
vid=4&sid=917532da-0389-4e00-b2a2-25c6e2ff4e0d
%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4202&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0Z
Q%3d%3d#AN=EJ1082099&db=eric
Malmgren, K. W., Trezek, B. J., & Paul, P. V. (2005). Models of Classroom Management as
Applied to the Secondary Classroom.Clearing House: A Journal Of Educational
Strategies, Issues And Ideas, 79(1), 36. Web. Retrieved from
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=9&sid=917532da0389-4e00-b2a2-25c6e2ff4e0d
%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4202&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0Z
Q%3d%3d#AN=EJ725132&db=eric