EDE 4504 Blog 4

Chapter 2 in Classroom Managment was about the physical environment of a classroom and how you can design it to best meet the needs of the students. Before reading this chapter, I hadn't realized how much "setting can influence the way teachers and students feel, think, and behave"(Weinstein and Romano 26). There are six functions of the classroon setting: security and shelter, social contact, symbolic identification(SI), task instrumentality, pleasure, and growth.

The first function concerns both physical security and psychological security. Students need to feel safe in their classroom which should be like a second home to them. "Physical security is a precondition that must be satisfied, at least to some extent, before the environment can serve students' and teachers' other, higher-level needs"(Weinstein and Romano 27). Then there is psychological security which means the classroom should be sensitive to the feelings and needs of the students. For example, there should be areas that are free from distraction for students who have ADHD and places students can retreat to when it gets too hectic. The second function is all about how the desks are arranged in the classroom and how the students interact. There was a great point made in the section about how "it is unwise and inconsistent-even inhumane--to seat children in clusters and then give them individual tasks and tell them not to talk"(Weinstein and Romano 30). I could not agree anymore with this statement. I have noticed in the classroom that there is lots of partner work and group work which is why the students are groups of four. There are assignments, though, in which the students have to work independently. No matter how many times you tell them not to talk, it is hard for them because of the close proximity to other students. The third function is symbolic identification. This aspect is just about personalizing the classroom and how his can be a way to make students feel happy and comfortable. In my classroom there are lots of displays of student work on the walls. The students get excited whenever they see their work up there. The fourth function is task instrumentality which is about the environment and the ways in which it helps us to accomplish tasks. For example, there should be enough space for students to line up and for there to be pathways to avoid congestion and distraction. The fifth function is pleasure. This is all about decorating the classroom and making it visually appealing. Last but not least, there is growth. It is important to have a variety of materials that reflect the students and that have more than one use. There should be things in the classroom that stimulate the students' interest in reading and writing.

Chapter 6 in Principles of Classroom Management was also about the environment and how to structure it. "Humans must be physically comfortable before their attention is voluntarily given to learning"( Levin and Nolan 153). Depending on the school you work at as a teacher, you resources may be low. This means you must be able to know how to work with what you've got. For example, you may have a large number of kids in a small classroom. Although you may not be able to control either factor, you can choose to utilize your space wisely. If your classroom is hot because of poor ventilation, then open your windows and if you are able to, buy a couple of fans that will help make it cooler. An important choice made by the teacher is how the students are going to be seating. If you seat them in rows, instruction will most likely be teacher-directed and lecture-based. If you seat them in groups of four, there will be a stronger emphasis on cooperative learning and group work. I have noticed that most elementary classrooms are arranged like this and one example would be my classroom. I plan to set mine up my future classroom in groups of four. I like that you can have them turn and talk to their face partner, their shoulder partner, and you can have all four of them work together. If the students are in groups, how you group them will be an important decision. Pairing students that are high with students that are low might increase participation and placing students with ADHD at the front might mean higher achievement. Even with good seating, one thing that is needed in order for everything to function properly is rules. A better word for rules would be expectations. Students need to know from the moment they walk in the classroom what is expected of them.

The article by Devries and Zan discussed how important it is for children to take a part in making the rules for the classroom. One reason for this is students need to know the reason the rules are being created and what better for way for them to think of things that will make their classroom a happy place to learn? There are invented and reinvented rules. "Reinvented rules demonstrate children's understanding of the moral nom because they translate the norm into children's own words and provide elaborations that make sense to them"(Devries and Zan 66). On the first day of school, my CT, the students, and I created a mission statement. This mission statement was basically a list of expectations for how we would behave in the classroom and treat others. Doingthis really set the foundation of what we want our classroom to be like. "To genuinely think for themselves and exercise autonomy, children must be given the power to make rules and decisions that both elaborate on classroom norms and break ground"(Devries and Zan 67).

References

DeVries, R. Zan, B. (2003). When children make rules. Educational Leadership, 61, 64-67

Levin, J., & Nolan, J. F. (2014). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model. New York, NY: Pearson

Weinstein, C. S., & Romano, M. E. (2015). Elementary classroom management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

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