RATIONAL

Genesis 1: 26-27 says, then God said, Let us make mankind in

our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the

sea and birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,

and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created

mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male

and female he created them (New International Version). God created

every single person in his image. I believe that God created us to be

stewards of this earth, to care for his creation. Some people may see

that as taking care of plants, animals, and making sure the world stays

clean and healthy. However, when I think of being stewards of creation,

I want to raise children up in the way of the Lord. Probers 22:6 says,

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will

not depart from it (New International Version). I want to teach them

about the amazing world that he created for us, allow children to

explore the world around them and explore the uniqueness and beauty

that is around them, and allow them what it means to them when they

hear that we are stewards of this earth. That definition and phrase can

have a different meaning for everyone, but for me it is about taking

care of the children created in his image and teaching them to live a

life that is honoring to God.

What is knowledge? I cant say that there is an exact definition

for what knowledge is, but as a teacher we are asked to help our
students gain knowledge. I believe this means that we have to teach

our students what is worth knowing and learning to me, to them, and

the world around them. Children come into this world with a sense of

wonder; God created them with curious mind and a desire to learn.

Children start gaining knowledge from they moment they are born.

They learn who their mom and dad is, how to eat, how to smile, how to

laugh, is this a trusting world, and much more. They are gaining

knowledge on how to live and the world around them, that is

knowledge. As an early childhood teacher, it is important that I make

sure my students know the simple math facts, how to read, and how to

write. They need to know these facts because they are vital facts to

know. But then they need to be able to explore and learn about the

world around them. They need to learn who they are, what is their role

in society, do they believe in God, what makes some months extremely

warm and others extremely cold, or how do plants survive. Learning is

asking the questions about life, about the world them, and that helps

them gain knowledge.

People may come to learn and know through all different ways,

but I think that the main way is through interactive learning. Learning

is an active experience; that is, people learn as they interact with

others to make sense, or construct, meaning out of the world and their

experiences in it (Oakes, Lipton, Anderson, Stillman, 2013, p 163). Not

only is learning an active experience, but learning has to take place in

a positive, welcoming environment that is created through the

teachers and the learners in the classroom. It is extremely important

that teachers provide opportunities for active, multidimensional, and

social learning. Teachers need to:

create settings where diverse learning activities, including small-

group experiences, occur simultaneously. Working in small

groups, the teachers integrate students out-of-school

experiences with new learning, and all students are appropriately

challenged. In such settings, teachers can then draw on

students diverse backgrounds and experiences so that

differences become an asset rather than an obstacle; in the

process classrooms become active, social, and multidimensional.

(Oakes, Lipton, Anderson, Stillman, 2013, p 175)

Along with teachers needing to create a classroom that is active,

social, and multidimensional, students take part in making the

classroom a positive and welcoming environment. This type of positive

environment can be created through students supporting one another,

helping another, and caring for another. In my placement right now at

Grand Rapids Christian, I will see many of the students who get the

material fast and understand it, help those who are struggling. This is

such an amazing experience, because students feel welcomed and that

if they are struggling thats okay. Other students do not make them

feel not smart or that they cant do it. I want my classroom to be an

environment where students feel encouraged and supported, have a

desire to learn, all aspects of learning are supported, and that they

have a sense of belong in my classroom. My goal is that learners will

be engaging in active learning and have a desire to learn. Lastly, I want

my classroom to be based on trust. We know that for a community to

work well, there must be trusting relationships. There can be no trust

where there is no truth, so if we expect to develop strong learning

communities, then we need to find a way for each voice to be able to

speak the truth of each ones experience (Pargellis, 2010, p 36). I

believe that a trusting community can be formed when students are

supporting and encouraging one another, not looking down on anyone,

and be an accepting environment for all students.

POLICY STATEMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Content managements is about how teachers can teach in a

classroom that best aides in the students learning. Teachers are

managing content when they manage space, materials, equipment,

the movement or people, and lessons that make up a curriculum or

program of studies (Froyen and Iverson, 1999, p 128). How a teacher

manages a classroom is vital to the outcome of a students learning,

and they need to be able to gain and maintain cooperation from

students in the activities. In order for this to be done efficiently, a

teacher needs to set guidelines and rules for how they will instruct, but
also guidelines and rules for the students. In my future classroom I will

provide a list of rules a guidelines from the teacher and students to

follow.

The teacher will:

Provide feedback when possible, whether it is talking with them

in class or going over their homework. It will not just be for the

students who are doing very well, but for everyone.

The room will be arranged in pods with 4-5 desks per pod. This

will allow for students to work individually or in small groups.

When the desks are in pods it makes for a smooth transition into

small groups.
Avoid jerkiness such as thrusts, dangles, and truncations.
Will have many different types of evaluations that fit all students.
Show the students that you want them to succeed and believe in

them, while giving them work that challenges them, but

supporting and encouraging students through it.

Provide different teaching structures through expository learning,

modeling, group work, open experience, simulationsemphasize

proves over product.

Make sure that all the materials needed for lessons are prepared

before class starts

Greet students when they walk in the door and take attendance

Students will:

Actively participate in the learning activates

Ask questions throughout the lessons
Cooperate with others when doing small and large group work
Do not talk without permission/when it is not appropriate
Listen quietly to those who are speaking
 Do your bestalways try and give 100%

A second type of management is conduct management. Conduct

management is about coming up with guidelines and rules that help a

teacher with student behavior choices. One great technique that I want

to use in my future classroom is the broken-record technique. The

broken-record technique is one of the most effective ways for a

teacher to keep a demand at the front end of a verbal exchange

(Froyen and Iverson, 1999, p 184). When a student start to do

something that is not expected of them, the teacher will use phrases

that involve I understand, but or Thats not the point. This allows

the teacher to not stray away from what she originally was asking. One

thing a teacher has to be careful about is to not have a hostile

leadership style. When this is happening a teacher will be saying things

that portray a negative message and may hurt student and they often

give harsh penalties/consequences that are not realistic.

Rewards and Consequences tend to play a big part on the students

behavior. In order for a teacher to be effective, students need to know

predetermined consequences when they misbehave. Some of these

may be proximity control, gentle verbal commands, time-owed, time-

out, and goal setting (Froyen and Iverson, 1999, pg 195-196). Some

ways to help prevent giving consequences are to emphasize that

students have the power to choose their own actions, encourage

student reflection and problem solving, know that the problem is the
behavior not the student (Woolfolk, 2013, p 479). Some rewards may

be extra time and positive reinforcement. Just like with content

management, in my future classroom I will have guidelines rules for

the teacher and students to follow. One thing I would like to do on the

first day of school is sit down with my students and have them form a

social contract. This is they feel that they have some control over the

way students to behave in the classroom and this will allow students to

have more accountability over their actions.

The teacher will:

Use broken record technique when students are starting to

misbehave or not do what they are supposed to be doing.

Use positive reinforcement to try and encourage positive

behavior.
Provide and make sure students know consequences
o Ex) The class as a whole has three strikes for their talking

once they reach three strikes they will lose some silent

reading time.
o Ex) If the class is behaving well and listening to others and

not talking when others are talking they may receive extra

reading time or homework time the next day.

Teachers and students will come up with rewards and

consequences together.
Teach problem solving strategies

Student will:

Obey school rules

 Be respectfuldo not abuse others whether it is with words or

physical harm
listen to others when they are speaking
Use positive words when speaking to and about others
Help each other out---If you finish your work early and see that

another student is struggling see if they need help and if they do

help them.
Create a social contract

A third type of management is covenant management. Covenant

management is about teacher and student relationships. Is it very

important for teachers to have a good relationship with their students,

but at the same time students need to know that the teacher is the

authoritative figure in the room and that they need to follow and

respect what the teacher says. It also encourages individual

responsibility so that the student can be released from teacher

supervision. This helps the teacher-student relationship to be grounded

in trust. Students personalize everything, so they need to find their

own individual role in the classroom, which is why having role-oriented

solutions is important.

Instead of a teacher disciplining a student when they misbehave, try

and problem solve it instead. Involvement with the student as a person

is only the first step in helping the student select more responsible

behavior (Froyen and Iverson, 1999, 242). Froyen and Iverson give a 8

step solution. Step 1: Get involved with the student-help prioritize what

the right thing to do is. Step 2: Deal with the students present
behavior-why did you make that choice? Step 3: Get student to make a

value judgment about behavior. Step 4: help student develop plan to

change behavior. Step 5: Get commitment from student to stick to

plan-sign a contract. Step 6: Don not except excuses for a failed plan.

Step 7: do not punish or criticize for broken plan. Step 8: Never give

up! Return to Step 3 when failed.

The teacher will:

Notice when a student is misbehaving and meet with them

individually to try and solve the problem. Let the student know

that you are there for them and care about them.
Draw upon and affirm individual and collective talents that help

achieve mutually acceptable aims (Froyen and Iverson, 1999, p

225).
Provide random acts of kindness
Send home a weekly newsletter to parents about what the next

week looks like

Continually be in contact with parents, maybe even let them

volunteer in the classroom if they would like.

Give out email and phone number to parents so that if they have

any questions they are able to talk to me

Hold parent-teacher conferences

The student will:

When they notice they have problem, they will ask to meet with

the teacher to come up with a plan to help prevent the problem.

Respect and acknowledge that every single student is different

and brings different skills to the classroom

 Be in communication with parents about what is going on at

school.
When a problem occurs, try and figure out a way to problem

solve
Think about what you as an individual bring to the classroom

CLASSROOM SET UP
 References

Froyen, L. A., & Iverson, A. M. (1999). School wide and Classroom Management: the
reflective educator-leader (3rd ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Oakes, Jeannie, Martin Lipton, Lauren Anderson, and Jamy Stillman. Teaching to

Change the World. 4th ed., Colorodo, Paradigm Publishers, 2013.

Pargellis, S. (2010, October). Finding a Voice in Truth-Telling and

Reconciliation. Christian Education Journal.

Woolfolk, A. (2013). Educational Psychology (12th ed.). NJ: Pearson Education.