Rationale for Wisconsin Teacher Development and Licensure Standard Five

I enrolled in Middle School Teaching and Field in the fall of 2010. One of the DDP performances for this class was a project with a focus on discipline within the classroom. I was placed at Greendale Middle School, in an 8th grade mathematics class. In addition to being the best example of a community of learners, I saw first-hand how a great team of teachers can create the best learning atmosphere that I have ever been placed in. When, one day, my cooperating teacher informed me that there would be a substitute present, I thought it would be a great time to work on my ability to manage a classroom. The self-assessment of the project highlights my thoughts as I was implementing a style of classroom management Love and Logic. Also available is the corresponding lesson plan, and supervisors feedback. I believe these documents demonstrate my ability to make management decisions to provide a positive learning environment through individual and group motivation. While this speaks to an instance of group motivation, I learned a lot about classroom management through this field, and think this project highlights my desire to not use a traditional method. Because classroom management is so critical to a positive learning environment, I connected this to the Alverno Education Department Outcome of the Major of integrative interaction. One essential component of integrative interaction is the connection you make with your students. I would like to incorporate more Love and Logic into my classroom as it is less of a power struggle than other forms of classroom management that I have seen in use. I have never seen myself as a dictatorial leader in a classroom, and Love and Logic fits with the approach that I want to take in my classroom. For the project, I put a one-liner to work, and maintained the flow of the lesson.