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Learning Community and Classroom Management Statement

Effective classroom management is essential to creating a learning environment where

students achieve their academic goals. This Research Study on Mindfulness that I conducted

within my Kindergarten classroom is exemplary of my ability to do just that. “With the

actions of teachers having twice the impact on academic success as any school-wide

programs or policies, effectively managing the classroom is an important responsibility of the

teacher,” (Ratzburg, 2010). By utilizing strong, positive relationships with students, clear

expectations, and accurate data and assessment collection, I can create a classroom filled with

optimistic learners that have individualized goals based on data.

I begin each school year by stating my clear and consistent expectations regularly, as well

as practicing and discussing classroom and schoolwide routines. I continue this by developing a

constructive and encouraging relationship with each student that I foster throughout the school

year (and beyond). After analyzing 100 studies, Robert and Jana Marzano concluded “that the

quality of teacher-student relationships is the keystone for all other aspects of classroom

management…On average teachers who have had high-quality relationships with their students

had 31 percent fewer discipline problems,” (Marzano, R.J. & Marzano J.S., 2003). I conduct

daily morning meetings where everyone in the classroom gets to know each other better and feel

significant because they get to share about their personal lives; this is just one way that I create a

strong bond with each student. Combining this with clear expectations and consequences sets the

stage for an effective classroom environment. This is because, “when expectations are not in

place, misunderstandings frequently arise, establishing a relationship is problematical, and, in the

case of a student-faculty relationship, achieving an ideal learning environment is greatly

jeopardized,” (Sufka & Melvin, 2000). Students need clear and consistent expectations in order
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to be successful by reaching their academic goals. “School-wide implementation of proactive

and positive behavior management practices (e.g., setting clear behavioral expectations and

reinforcing the meeting of these expectations) has been shown to reduce disciplinary referrals

and suspensions in general,” (Larson, Pas, Bradshaw, Rosenberg & Day-Vines, 2018).

I teach students various mindfulness practices such as those found in the above research

project throughout the year because it has a positive effect on student behavior. Intermediate

students that are more likely to exhibit internalizing behaviors (anxiety, depression etc.) showed

a significant decrease in negative effects of these disorders after just 9 weeks of mindfulness

training (Lam, 2016). Further, research specifically done with intermediate, low income children

that reported high levels of anxiety showed a significant decrease in anxiety and behavioral

problems in school (Semple, Lee, Rosa & Miller, 2010).

Creating an inquiry-based classroom is another technique I use to effectively manage all

ages of students. “Curriculum-related prompts that the teacher provides to either the whole class,

a group of students, or an individual student have been shown to be associated with improving

student outcomes” because this increases student engagement (Gage, Scott, Hirn & MacSuga-

Gage, 2018). Further, “research suggests that a broader set of positive instructional and

behavioral management practices, including providing students with behavior-contingent praise

and increasing opportunities to respond, are also associated with improved student academic

behaviors When students are highly engaged it is less likely that there will be behavior issues,”

(Larson et al, 2018). Effective classroom management leads to a more successful learning

environment for all students and can help each one of them be more successful.
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References

Gage, N.A., Scott, T., Hirn, R. & MacSuga-Gage, A.S. (2018). The relationship between

teachers’ implementation of classroom management practices and student behavior in

Elementary School. Behavioral Disorders, 43:2, 302-315. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.

Lam, K. (2016). School-based cognitive mindfulness intervention for internalizing problems:

pilot study with Hong Kong elementary students. Journal of Child and Family Studies,

25, 3293-3308. doi: 10.1007/s10826-016-0483-9.

Larson, K.E., Pas, E.T., Bradshaw, C.P., Rosenberg, M.S., & Day-Vines, N.L. (2018).

Examining how proactive management and culturally responsive teaching relate to

student behavior: Implications for measurement and practice. School Psychology Review,

47:2, 153-166. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.

Marzano, R.J. & Marzano J.S. (2003). The key to classroom management. Educational

Leadership, 61:1, 6-13. Retrieved from EBSCOHost.

Ratzburg, S. A. (2010). Classroom management and students' perceptions of classroom

climate (Order No. 3428452). Available from Education Database. (818718723).

Retrieved from https://egan.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-

com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/docview/818718723?accountid=44766

Semple, R.J., Lee, J., Rosa, D., & Miller, L. (2010). A randomized trial of mindfulness-based

cognitive therapy for children: promoting mindful attention to enhance social-emotional

resiliency in children. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 19:2, 218-229. Retrieved from

EbscoHost.

Sufka, K.J. & Melvin, G.D. (2000). Setting clear and mutual expectations. Liberal Education,

86:1, 48. Retrieved from ProQuest.

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