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Madison Davis

Lori Cory

Foundations of Education 210

December 2, 2019

Journal Assignment

Journal #1--- Classroom Climate in Mrs. Knott’s 3+4 Multi-Age Classroom

The climate inside of each classroom is extremely important because each student can

feel the environment of the room and this could affect their learning. It falls upon the teacher to

ensure that their students feel safe and comfortable enough to learn.

In Mrs. Knott’s classroom she has affirmation cards that the student write to affirmation

cards to each other. She also These affirmations are written and each student receives a

handwritten note that they will receive at the end of each month. She also makes sure each

student knows that they are all equal with a list. Inside of her classroom is a small futon like

couch, and two chairs that have yoga balls inside of them. This is one way she creates a

positive learning environment for all students. She learned very quickly to make a list of each

student with a sticky note. Each day the sticky note is moved one spot on the two different lists

to a different name. So every day a different student has the option to sit in the yoga ball chairs

and on the couch while they read.

We have learned that unless a student feels safe they will not learn. Inside of my

classroom I want to make sure that each student feels safe and I will make sure this happens

through different ways. I would ask my students to write an affirmation card to another student

inside their class. The cards will have criteria, such as the student can not write about the

physical appearance of the student they are writing about. The affirmation has to be about an

action that the other student did towards the student writing the affirmation card. These cards

will create a caring environment where each student feels valued. I also want the students to be
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able to share good news at the beginning of each morning. Each student would be given the

opportunity to share something good that happened during night or something that they are

looking forward to. I might also add a prompt to ensure that even if a student does not have

anything they want to share about their life, they could share something from the prompt.

I feel that these strategies will help make sure that my students feel safe and

comfortable inside of my classroom. If a student does not feel comfortable or safe, they will not

learn anything because that fear will take over. Overall I feel that it is extremely important to

ensure that a student feels safe and comfortable inside of the classroom.

Journal #2--- Classroom Management in Mrs. Knott’s 3+4 Multi-Age Classroom

The way a teacher manages a classroom can affect what the rest of the year looks like.

In some cases a laid back management can influence how the students learn and what they

learn. An extremely strict management style, the students may not feel comfortable inside the

classroom which could once again hurt how the student learns the curriculum.

Mrs. Knott has found an extremely effective way to make the students responsible for

their own actions while also enforcing the rules of her classroom. The Nevada Schools have

taken on the program called “Capturing Kids Hearts”. One aspect of this program that is used in

every single classroom is the “Social Contract”. This is a contract is made by the students with

only three requirements. The words, listen, effort and no put-downs, have to put on the contract.

Then the students have to answer four questions about how they would treat each other, the

teacher, and conflicts, the words they come up with go on the social contract. Mrs Knott uses

this contract daily to ensure that the students are working on their behavior and holding

themselves responsible for their actions. In her classroom she will ask a student to rate the

class behavior at the end of the group lesson. She chooses a different student each day and

before the group lesson she will ask the class what areas they could work on, and then puts a

sticky note next to the word that they have to work on.
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In my classroom I feel that I would like to use the social contract but I have found that it

does not have the same effect the higher up the grade level gets. I would like to try this strategy

if the school does not have that program. I do think there should be some type of agreement

between the class to hold them to a certain standard, especially with their behavior. I feel that

my management style will be an inbetween of the laid back and authoritarian styles. Then my

students will have a teacher who allows the student to understand their authority but still feel

comfortable enough to ask questions.

Overall the classroom management is extremely important to ensure your authority as a

teacher inside the classroom. What the students learn can result from the way a teacher

manages their classroom. Classroom management is essential for all teachers to understand

and to implement into their classrooms.

Journal #3 Differentiated Learning Exceptional Learners in Mrs. Knott’s 3+4 Multi-Age

Classroom
Every student is unique and different and they do not all learn in the same way. It falls on

the teacher to understand how to reach each student’s learning ability. In most cases the

student does not understand how they learn so the teacher has to use different strategies to

make sure each student interprets the lesson. Mrs. Knott uses different learning strategies and

methods to make sure that each student is able to learn to their full capacity.

Mrs. Knott uses many different methods to address the different types of learners inside

of her classroom. She works really hard to give different learning settings to her students. One

method is the different styles of seating. She has chairs that twist, a yoga ball inside of a chair,

so that the students can bounce, stools, seating pads to rest their knees on, pillows and the

average chairs one would see the inside of a classroom. For the yoga-ball chairs, the students

are on a rotation that allows each student to have the opportunity to use the chair. The other

chairs are used while the students are reading, and even when gathered for the large group

discussion. When a large group discussion takes place, some of the students sit on the floor
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and others gather around the area with the other style of chairs. Students sit on the stools, on

average chairs and even pull up the yoga-ball chairs. Mrs. Knoot also uses different strategies

to reach every student and their learning. She starts the lessons off with large group instruction.

This group instruction allows for the students to discuss with each other, partner talk, and then

come back as a whole group. She then does a question and answer to make sure there are no

more questions and uses it as a check for understanding. Then the group instruction ends and

the students go to work together on an assignment in groups or by themselves, Whichever one

they feel more comfortable with. This is an accomplished teaching method that Mrs. Knott uses

to reach each type of learning style.

I really want to use the different seating styles to reach my students because I

understand how important it is for a student to move while they are doing a worksheet. I also

understand how important it is for each student to learn at their own pace and style. I as a

teacher will have to create different activities to reach those learners. If not, I will have students

who are frustrated because they can not seem to grasp the concept. I think that using the

different seating arrangement and also the different types of discussion and group work will

positively impact my student’s learning.

Overall I feel that a teacher has to be able to create different learning opportunities to

allow for a student to reach their full potential inside a classroom. Learning styles are extremely

important because of how the impact the student once they are inside of the classroom and

ready to learn.

Journal #4 STEM in Mr. Tuft’s 7th Grade Classroom

The inclusion of the STEM inside the classroom is vital because of how important it is in

the real world. At least one aspect of STEM could be applied to each and every job in the

outside world. Which is why it is crucial for teachers to include them in the everyday learning

inside the classroom. In Mr. Tufts 7th Grade Math classroom he uses technology and math

every single day.

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Since his classroom is a math class he automatically uses math, but to ensure that his

students are gaining the skills to adapt to the real world, he creates problems that are based off

of real life situations. The students inside his math room are given tests that have problems

where they have to apply their knowledge that they have learned in the classroom and solve

real world application problems. At Nevada Middle School, the grading system is a standards

based grading system, a student can earn a two which equates to a C, a three which is a B, and

a four which is an A. In Mr. Tufts room for his students to receive an A, they have to complete

two to three math problems that are real world application.

Another aspect of the STEM program, is the use of technology in the classroom. Each

student has a computer where they are able to use videos for further instruction on the subject

they may be struggling with or not understand. Mr. Tuft’s classroom has also become self paced

and this type of instruction relies heavily on the computer. Each student has an account on

canvas which is a platform that could be compared to an online classroom. There are

assignments, areas for discussion, units, and grades. This platform is used by Mr. Tufts, he puts

videos about the different instruction they are learning. He puts worksheets, answer sheets, and

different projects on canvas and the students have to complete these different activities before

they can take the test.

I know that in my classroom it will be essential for each student to be able to learn with

the different aspects of STEM inside the classroom. I want to become a math teacher which

means that I will be able to use at least one type of the STEM inside my classroom. I also want

to be able to use technology in my classroom, and I would do that by using my own computer to

display things on the projector or board so that the students can see their work or see

worksheets or videos on how to solve the math problem. I would also use the projector to put a

calendar on the board or agenda to show the schedule for the day. This could be extremely

important for students because many of them like to know what is going on within the classroom

each day and for the week.

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Overall the use of STEM is extremely important inside the classroom because it is used

in the real world. The skills and abilities these students would learn from the different

components of STEM will be so valuable and helpful once they are in the job market.

Journal #5 Making Connections with Students in Mr. Tufts 7th Grade Math Classroom
To have students who remember their teachers for years to come is a blessing because

it means that the teacher has a positive impact on their life. Making connections is one of the

ways a teacher is able to bridge the gap between the authoritative figure and the student. Mr.

Tufts is one teacher who has been able to make a connection with every single one of his

students.

Mr. Tufts is a teacher is fairly new to the teaching industry, he has been teaching for four

years now. However he has become a pro at connecting with his students. He is the 7th grade

math teacher but is also the 7th grade football coach. He has found a way to relate with some of

the boys in his class, while this does leave a majority of the students without a window to relate

to them. Mr. Tufts loves sports and so does over three-fourths of the seventh grade. He is able

to talk to lots of students about their activities outside of school. He is always extremely

animated when talking to his students and makes sure that each student is heard when they

share about what is going on in their life. He makes sure to still keep his authoritative figure, but

lets the students know that their opinions are heard and he responds with a comment or

question to let them know he is engaged in their conversation. This connection is extremely

important and the benefits have paid off. The students are excited to walk into his classroom,

and Mr. Tufts teaches math, which most students would say is not a fun subject.

Inside of my classroom, I want to ensure that I make connections with all of my students.

I want to teach the subject of math, and it is an understood idea with all students that math is a

boring subject. If I can create a positive and exciting connection with my students, then I will be

able to make the subject of math more exciting. I made an extremely positive connection with a

math teacher at my school and this has fostered my love for the subject of math. I know that if I
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can do that, I can make sure my students will be more comfortable with in the classroom. I will

have to find different things about each student that are unique to them, but is something that I

could also relate to so that both of us have some type of connection. I could use sports,

hobbies, or even childhood memories that the students could relate to. This would also help

make sure that each student feels comfortable to talk and ask questions about things they do

not understand.

Connections can affect the learning environment, and make it easier for students to talk

to the teacher about things that they do not understand. This could also make memories for the

student that can last their entire life. Overall I think that it is extremely important for a teacher to

be able to make a positive impactful connection with every one of their students.