6.

A teacher creates and maintains a learning environment in which all students are
actively engaged and contributing members.
Candidates use their knowledge and understanding of individual and group motication and
behavior among students at the K-8 level to foster active engagement in learning, self-motivation
and positive social interaction, and to create supportive learning environment.
The first thing that can be observed when entering any classroom is the teacher’s ability

to manage a classroom. If it is poor, comments on the teacher’s lack of control will dominate an

observer’s thoughts. If it is impressive, comments will more likely be centered on students and

their level of engagement. I’ve had six years of observations done on my teaching style, both

academic and professionally, and the comments about my teaching style have most often

included the words “strict” and “clinical”. Initially this really bothered me. I thought to myself,

“I’m fun! Kids enjoy being in my classroom! I’m nice!” It took me a few years to realize that I

am in fact all of those things and my students are better for it.

When I began as a teacher, I like many others viewed discipline as punishment. I now

know discipline is an ever evolving art. I now define discipline as the encouragement of positive

behavior and motivation. It is my hope that my definition helps students to recognize what is

expected of them behaviorally and academically, and it provides a fair and equal learning

environment for all students while offering them the safety of a routine and constant atmosphere.

Classroom Expectations

Classroom expectations include but are not limited to a student’s academic performance.

Creating an environment where students know what is expected of them academically,

behaviorally, and emotionally, is vital to successful classroom management. In order to create

expectations for students, one must recognize each one’s moral and developmental level.
 Jean Piaget, highly regarded educational psychologist known for his identification of four

stages in the cognitive development of children, also proposed a theory about children’s moral

development. In his original theory, Piaget believed children ages five-ten believe that authority

figures create the rules and are absolute in their power. Children accept that the rules must be

followed and do not change. A child’s rationale for why these rules should be followed is based

solely on the idea that breaking the rules would lead to negative personal consequences and that

they do not want to be punished.

Dr. Thomas Lickona developed a list of stages for moral reasoning in his book, Raising

Good Children. In Lickona’s stage 1, Unquestioning Obedience, children around the age of five

view adults as their boss and must adhere to their rules. Stage 2 quickly follows around age six

and focuses on the need for rules and relationships to be based on fairness. Children in this stage

are willing to follow rules and complete tasks, but often with the thought that in order for it to be

fair they should receive something in exchange. It is important to note that while Lickona’s

stages are age based, “you can’t be sure of a child’s moral stage just from knowing his or her

chronological age.” (Lickona, 1994)

Teaching in a multi-grade classroom I see examples of these stages daily and it influences

my expectations and strategies for managing my classroom. I believe classroom rules are not a

method for controlling students, but provide students with a safe environment conducive to

learning. Rules are most effective when they are reviewed often and students have a voice in

creating them. (Rademacher, Callahan, & Pederson-Seeyle, 1998) At the beginning of each

school year students help create the rules for our classroom. Students navigating the first of

Lickona’s stages will likely offer up suggestions of not misbehaving in front of the teacher, while

those in stage two tend to present submissions that focus on others misbehaving. Using the list
created by all students I follow a simple format to creating what I believe is a manageable and

cohesive list. All rules are written to show the expectation of student behavior, not what they

shouldn’t do. For example, we often have the suggestion from the class that a rule should be do

not hit, I will then modify it in front of the class to read Keep hands and feet to yourself. It is

important to create those positive expectations for students rather than communicate a negative

one. Also, rules must be observable by anyone in our classroom. Phrases like “think before you

speak” and “mind your manners” are well intentioned to a young student who may still be

operating from a concrete perspective, these types of rules do not in fact help him or her identify

appropriate behavior. Once agreed upon by the students and myself, the rules are displayed at

the front of the classroom and worked into the daily routine for students to acknowledge.

A daily schedule is another way students are made aware of my expectations not only for

behavior, but also academic achievement. A daily schedule is placed at the front of the

classroom on the first day of every school year and older students must use a planner to

document the day’s specific academic expectations. Dependent on the student’s developmental

and cognitive level, some planners are filled out completely independently and only observed by

me upon completion. For other students, I will create an example on the whiteboard to be

copied. And for some it is a general visual reminder that can be glued into their planner. The

goal is that regardless of a student’s developmental or cognitive ability they are able to start

fostering positive work habits and strategies for successful time management skills. Providing

students with a routine and sticking to it takes away the fear of failure due to not understanding

what is expected of them. (Rawlings Lester, Bolton Allanson, & Notar, 2017)

Another important classroom management strategy is having an appropriate curriculum

for varying levels of learners. “A typical classroom is filled with many different learning styles,
ability levels, interest levels, and aspirations; you must take all those differences into account

when you prepare your lessons.” (Kafele, 2016) Working in a school district that has designed

their standards and benchmarks to be effective for students in a multi-grade classroom has been

an invaluable resource and teaching experience. Differentiation is a part of all classrooms, my

situation only unique because it holds the specific designation of several grades and ages in one

room. It is a constant learning experience of trial and error to find ways to help students feel

engaged and capable in the content areas, but when achieved students are not only aware of their

academic expectations, but have the confidence to meet those expectations.

Awareness of these stages and Piaget’s theory helps a teacher understand the change in

reasoning level of a student who is developing new ways of understanding their environment.

Creating an environment where expectations are readily available and often discussed gives the

student the opportunity to be most successful. Creating high standards for students can also be a

strong motivation for students. I often think of Professor Spangler’s comment that students “will

surprise you” when talking about my projected lesson plan for class. She was referring to that

higher level of achievement towards which students will push themselves. That internal

motivation comes from high and clear expectations set by an intentional teacher.

Discipline

The constructivist discipline style has a desired outcome of moral autonomy and helping

“children learn from experience.” (Fields, Perry, & Fields, 2010) The idea is that problem

solving is at the center of development, thinking, and learning and when engaging in problem

solving, you are able to construct your own understanding. The constructivist model requires the
teacher to remember that students are people who have emotions, feelings, and experiences

outside the classroom. Classroom behavior is something a student must learn and the teacher is

to facilitate that learning by connecting what they know or have experienced outside of your

classroom, and how you want them to behave. I don’t believe it is my job to be the enforcer or

punisher, but the educator, which includes discussing with students why a behavior is

inappropriate and strategizing about alternative choices that might have better results. I strongly

believe in modeling for students that I make behavioral mistakes, too. I am not a constructivist

robot capable of saying the right thing all the time and full of patience. I make sure that when

those mistakes happen, I take full ownership and model how to make amends for my mistake.

The Golden Rule is an important touchstone for me and something I strive to model for

my students daily. Discipline should not be about shaming students, but instead an opportunity

to create a community full of empathetic learners. Barbara Coloroso has a theory about “letting

children make choices, decisions, and mistakes when they are cheap.” (Willis, 1996) In the

elementary classroom, for the most part, mistakes are cheap and as their teacher it is my job to

help them learn from their failures and triumphs, not lecture them on why they fell short or

succeeded.

When it comes to disciplining students in my classroom, I find I have much greater

success if I comment on the positive verses the negative. Remaining positive with students helps

to increase their effort and pride, a stronger relationship between the teacher and student, and

more independence. Negative consequences can result in passive-aggressive student behavior,

resentment, and students only behaving while in front of the teacher. (Alderman, 2001)

One of the unique challenges of teaching in a multi-grade classroom is keeping students

engaged year after year and motivated to make good choices. I have used visual behavioral
charts that show the daily progress of a student up a mountain, classroom management apps that

allow students to accumulate points, and a ticket system. The goal of each one was to inspire

students to demonstrate positive behaviors that would result in an extrinsic reward of earning

something from our classroom prize drawer. As the school year progresses, so does the

expectation for student behavior, which makes attaining the reward of the prize drawer less

frequent. I have found that tapering off this extrinsic reward helps build a student’s intrinsic

motivation. I am constantly reinventing ways to visually display student positive behavior. I

have a hard time punishing a student for misbehavior by lowering their achievement on a

behavioral chart. Personal conversations with a student who consistently displays a negative

behavior is far more effective. There have been times such as issues of personal safety, like

running with scissors or someone making a hurtful comment to another student, when I’ve felt

the lowering of their visual marker was the best and most immediate course of action. However,

I quickly look for an opportunity to return their visual marker to its prior location.

The classroom should be a community where students feel cared about, taught to care

about others, and represented. The constructivist style allows me to guide students rather than

force. My ultimate goal is that students are lead toward appropriate behavior and intrinsic

motivation through high expectations, role modeling, and providing a safe and fair environment

for learning.

Parental Involvement

A parent’s participation in conferences, class visits, and helping with classroom activities

has a positive effect on the performance of a student. (Kurtulmus, 2016) Parental involvement

being key to student success is not a contested topic, however, finding ways to best foster and

facilitate parental involvement can be difficult.

 One of the first challenges I faced was building a personal relationship with the parents of

my students. In rural Alaska teacher positions are often considered transient work. A teacher

comes into the community for a couple of years, but the expectation is that they will soon leave

and therefore not worth the effort of getting to know. I made it a priority to attend every birthday

party, community potluck and holiday celebration. I took the time to speak with parents socially

and build a rapport that made approaching me easy and congenial. It was important to me that

both my students and their parents knew I was invested in their success. I have found the best

way to really know my students is to be intentional in creating a relationship with them and their

families. (Kafele, 2016)

From my very first interactions with my students’ families I realized that I had a very

different approach to discipline than many of them. A high percentage of my students have

parents or family members that were once active in the military, which has influenced their

authoritarian disciplinary style. These parents often found that punishment is the best way to

instill a strong work ethic and respect for authority. I’ve had parents keep kids home from

school as a consequence for not completing their chores and others who bring their child to

school and list off offenses that have taken place in the home and expect me to dole out the

punishment. There have been some vast differences between my community’s definition of

discipline and my own, but I don’t believe that to be entirely negative. I’ve since learned that

educating parents about my disciplinary techniques and goals is imperative to an open dialogue

about what works best for their student. I grew up in a family with two parents, two step-

parents, and nine siblings; disciplinary tactics were not universal. I’ve used that example many

times in parent-teacher conferences to show that like learning styles, what works for one child

may not work for another. I also believe it is important to vocalize to parents that while our
strategies may not be the same, our goals are and that there are ways in which I am willing to

compromise and use strategies they find to be effective at home, and share with them what has

proven to be effective in the classroom. Ultimately, I know that each discipline style comes from

a place of love and concern for their child. (Fields, Perry, & Fields, 2010) Whether we agree

completely about disciplinary strategies is irrelevant when we both make it known that we have

the student’s best interest at heart.

Finally, an open line of communication must exist between the educator and the student’s

family. (Alderman, 2001) Twice a year the school district I work for requires parent-teacher

conferences and I spend all thirty of those minutes discussing their student’s progress,

achievements, and future goals. Every time I see a parent out in the community I make a point to

say something positive about their student’s progress, achievements, and future goals. I send

home monthly letters to parents updating them on upcoming events, district news, and classroom

happenings, and every month I end the letter with “My door is always open” in order to remind

them they are always welcome in our classroom. It is not often that it occurs, but I can proudly

say that it has, and that parents have viewed it as a positive experience.

Parents are our best resource as educators. Whether it is the use of their observations of

the student in an environment other than the classroom, or their own personal experiences in

education and relaying how they best learned, parents can provide teachers with a wealth of

knowledge they may not even know they have. Cultivating relationships with students and

parents outside of the classroom, sharing disciplinary strategies, and communicating are

important factors in facilitating a positive parent-teacher team.

Conclusion
 Classroom management is far from solely being in control of a classroom. There are so

many facets and paths to navigate that are often not detectable by an outsider. I believe having

high, yet attainable expectations, fair and visible rules, a consistent routine, and parental

involvement are the foundation for successful classroom management. I do not think I will ever

attain a singular definition for such a complex idea as discipline. To me, it is a living thing that

is ever evolving and of which, I am forever a student.

References
Alderman, T. (2001, April). In Good Discipline, One Size Doesn't Fit All. Education Digest, pp.
38-42.
Fields, M. V., Perry, N. J., & Fields, D. (2010). Constructive Guidance and Discipline. Upper
Saddle River: Pearson Education.
Kafele, B. K. (2016). The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence.
Alexandria: ASCD.
Kurtulmus, Z. (2016). Analyzing Parental Involvement Dimensions in Early Childhood
Education. Educational Research and Reviews, 1149-1153.
Lickona, D. T. (1994). Raising Good Children. New York City: Bantam Books.
Lourenco, O. (2016). Developmental stages, Piagetian stages in particular: A critical review.
New Ideas in Psychology, 123-137.
Rademacher, J. A., Callahan, K., & Pederson-Seeyle, V. (1998, May). How Do Your Classroom
Rules Measure Up? Intervention in School & Clinic, pp. 284-290.
Rawlings Lester, R., Bolton Allanson, P., & Notar, C. E. (2017). Routines are the Foundation for
Classroom Management. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 398-412.
Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. Pearson Education, Inc.
Willis, S. (1996, September). Managing Today’s Classroom: Finding Alternatives to Control and
Compliance. Education Update.