The purpose of this project is to introduce pre-service educators to the process of classroom inquiry and reflection by designing an action research project. Spec
The purpose of this project is to introduce pre-service educators to the process of classroom inquiry and reflection by designing an action research project. Specifically, the focus is to develop methods consistent with critically reflective practices that support effective teaching and enhance student learning. By employing a systematic process of classroom inquiry, participants will learn how to develop classroom-based research by searching for relevant literature, designing appropriate data collection methods, and reflecting upon the overall design. The action research proposal will comprise the following components:
- Introduction
- A description of your pedagogical concerns or interests behind the project
- This should describe what has drawn you to this particular issue from the standpoint of your process of becoming an educator. You should draw upon your experience as a basis for your pedagogical rationale.
- A description of how this question and proposed research reflects a specific PPR competency (at least one competency linked, but you can include more)
- A brief description of the problem and the instructional strategy to be used to enhance teacher practice and promote student learning:
- Briefly identify the problem to be addressed and why it was selected. The problem may relate to instructional strategies, approaches to assessment, use of culturally relevant materials, classroom management, or a problem agreed upon with the instructor.
- Describe what you have selected to do as a strategy in the classroom and why you believe this will have an impact on your teaching ability as well as student learning.
- A description of your pedagogical concerns or interests behind the project
- Review of the literature
- Discussion of theory, research and findings from at least 3 (one can be from our textbook and 2 articles) that presents a logical argument for your strategy:
- The literature review should present a concise argument supporting the strategy you have selected by addressing:
- The theoretical/pedagogical basis of the intervention
- The research base supporting the intervention’s effectiveness
- The literature review should present a concise argument supporting the strategy you have selected by addressing:
- Discussion of theory, research and findings from at least 3 (one can be from our textbook and 2 articles) that presents a logical argument for your strategy:
- Description of the strategy to be used, with specific attention to procedure and implementation
- Describe how you will implement the strategy and the type of evaluative data that you would collect to assist in answering your research question(s).
- Describe the assessment and evaluation methods to be employed and how they will address the research question.
- As a future educator, you will be responsible for solving a variety of challenges that occur in the classroom. Consider the questions below as you share how you will use the lessons learned in this assignment to be able to respond to student needs.
- How will you transfer this strategy into your future classroom?
- What resources will you need to be successful?
- How will you know the strategy is successful? What evidence will you use to support your success measure?
- Counter Argument for strategy
- Each reference must be cited
- Sample assessment/evaluation
1
Sample
Classroom Management for First Year Teachers
Introduction:
There are plenty of obstacles and challenges first-year teachers face in the world of teaching right after graduation, from getting adjusted to their new work environment, finding a support system, weekly meetings, and lesson planning. However, one of the biggest obstacle’s teachers seem to struggle with is classroom management.
Being accepted into the Urban-Education Program at the University of Houston has been a great accomplishment. During my first few classes, the assignments and projects were just a preview of what was to come for the remaining of my time through the Urban-Education program. The accumulation of observation hours during my first semester consisted of observing a teacher and learning by watching the teacher teach his/her students in the classroom. Observations now, for the most part, still comprised of student-teachers like me, observing the teacher; however, within the hours of observation, there are two lessons we have to teach to students within the semester. The first lesson was done virtually, in my home, with my son as the participant. Going into the lesson, I did not think I'd face many challenges because I did not have a classroom full of students. I was in for a complete surprise. Although I felt my lesson plan was not terrible, my lesson's effectiveness overshadowed by my lack of classroom management skills. As I think back to my lesson, I couldn't help but think I should have had my lesson and "classroom" under control, mainly because I only had one student to teach. This thought, of course, leads me to the reason for writing this action research proposal. I started to think forward to my time as a teacher and how difficult it will be to manage a classroom full of bright and eager young learners. As I've learned, lesson planning is one part of the teaching process. Standing in front of unique-minded students to teach the lesson is a challenge in itself. Many factors come into play when teaching content to students. The majority of these challenges fall under the category of classroom management.
As I get closer to my graduation date, I can't help but think about my own experience during my first year of teaching along with all the challenges that come with managing a classroom. This is why I have decided to focus on the problems that go into classroom management and some possible solutions to those problems.
Student-teachers, like myself, are eager to start working in the education field. However, according to study.com, "between 40% and 50% of teachers leave the profession within their first five years of teaching. For teachers working in an urban setting, this rate is right at 50%. More sadly, 9.5% of first-year teachers leave before the end of their first full year of teaching!" (Harkema R., Teacher Burn Out Symptoms & Rate, 2014). So, what exactly causes teachers who once found purpose in teaching to leave the profession? Some of the causes include (but are not limited to) lack of classroom discipline, balancing time demands, heavy workloads, collaborating with colleagues, large class sizes, to name a few. Within the few reasons I listed, one could argue that most of these reasons fall underneath the category of classroom management.
Classroom management establishes the climate we want for our classrooms. When strong classroom management is established, it increases the chances for meaningful academic learning and facilitates social and emotional growth. Effective classroom management falls under competency 006, classroom management. Competency 006 states, "The teacher understands strategies for creating an organized and productive learning environment and for managing student behavior." Slavin describes classroom management as "strategies for providing effective learning environments include not only preventing and responding to misbehavior but also, and even more important, using class time well, creating an atmosphere to interest and inquiry and permitting activities that engage students' minds and imaginations" (Cooper, 2014; Edwards, 2014; Levin, Nolan, Kerr, Elliott, & Bajovic, 2016).
So, now that we know what effective classroom management is, how do we achieve that? What's the most effective approach to classroom management? The answer is effective instruction. "Students who are participating in well-structured activities that engage their interests, who are highly motivated to learn, and who are working on tasks that are challenging yet within their capabilities rarely pose any serious management problems" (Slavin, 2017). When we create engaging, challenging lessons, engage students' imagination and communicate while developing a sense of purpose and enthusiasm, students' misbehavior becomes minimal. Embracing, integrating, and preparing for student engagement in our lesson plans can have a positive effect on students and their level of engagement.
There are specific strategies that can be implemented in the classroom to produce effective classroom management. One of the first things that we can do is establish rules and procedures during the beginning of the school year. Just as content is needed for lesson plans, practices, and procedures are required to teach those lessons effectively to our students. While establishing these rules and procedures, we should also remember to create meaningful and respectful relationships with the student. Establishing relationships can contribute to students feeling a sense of belonging that is "characterized by trust connection and understanding" (Terada Yoki, 2019). I believe establishing rules while building meaningful relationships with students can positively impact my teaching ability. Rules establish order and organization in the classroom for smooth lesson plans and activities; while building relationships with students and building trust, safety, and respect amongst the teacher and student. When students feel respected and secure in the classroom, it provides a space for them to take risks and become more engaged in the lessons, which we ultimately want.
Review of the literature:
The strategy provided from the textbook lays out the groundwork for the way we need to tackle the issue of unengaged students, leading to a bigger problem, classroom misbehavior, lack of classroom management, and, thus, overall, teacher burnout. As briefly stated in the introduction, effective classroom management is the key to creating an organized and productive learning environment for our students. Exactly how does one make an organized and productive learning environment? Through the establishment of rules and procedures during the beginning of the school year. "Research has consistently shown that basic commonsense planning and groundwork go a long way toward preventing discipline problems from ever developing. Simple measures include starting the year properly, arranging the classroom for effective instruction, setting class rules and procedures, and making expectations of conduct clear to students" (Curwin, 2013; Emmer & Evertson, 2012; Evertson & Emmer, 2013; Wentzel & Brophy, 2014). However, merely making rules and expecting students to follow them won't happen. Teachers should spend a great deal of time, specifically during the first week of the school year, to discuss the importance of the rules and procedures. "Research has revealed that the first days are critical in establishing classroom order for the whole year […] More-effective managers have a clear, specific plan for introducing students to classroom rules and procedures, and they spend as many days as necessary carrying out their plan until students know how to line up, ask for help, and so on" (Curwin, 2013; Evertson & Emmer, 2013; Weinstein & Mignano, 2007; Wong & Wong, 2004). Repetition is essential to our young learners when teaching them new content and material. The same is true when introducing them to the rules and procedures. The more we repeat and follow the rules, the more it becomes embedded into their daily classroom routine.
The second source has a different take on the matter. Youki Terada, the author of "The Key to Effective Classroom Management," followed a study lead by Clayton Cook, a professor at the University of Minnesota. In this study, Cook assessed the effectiveness of making meaningful connections with students and preventing disruptions in the classrooms. "In classrooms where teachers used a series of techniques centers around establishing, maintaining, and restoring relationships, academic engagement increased by 33 percent and disruptive behavior decreased by 75 percent – making the time students spent in the classroom more worthwhile and productive." By using an approach called Establish-Maintain-Restore, teachers establish their relationship with their students, maintain those relationships, and restore the relationships should they need repair. The takeaway from this study is that effective classroom management starts with relationship building. For example, when establishing relationships with students, we want to start on a positive note. This can look like a simple greeting at the door during the morning time, scheduling one-on-one meetings with students to get to know them better, or allowing students to share their interests during activities. It is one thing to establish relationships; however, we should also aim to maintain those relationships with students. Ask how they're doing, acknowledge good behavior. Teachers can maintain relationships by regularly checking in with students. To fix relationships amongst students, we can let go and start fresh, show empathy, focus on solutions, not problems. When students feel a greater sense of belonging, "they're more likely to be academically engaged and demonstrate positive behavior" (Terada Youki, 2019).
Description of the strategy to be used:
Each classroom is filled with various students who are unique in their own set of ways. With each student comes the task of ensuring they understand the content and adhere to the rules and procedures of the classroom to create an engaging and productive learning environment for all.
There are two specific strategies I would implement to make this happen. The first will be to establish rules and procedures at the beginning of the school year. The first step is to develop the rules for the school year. Although this may seem obvious, there is a twist. When creating classroom rules, including the students while making these rules gives them a sense of importance and inclusiveness. When students contribute to classroom rules and expectations, they are also more likely to follow them. When creating these rules, make no more than six rules. Creating more than six rules at a time will become difficult for students to remember. After having a classroom discussion about the rules included in the class, we should spend about a week and a half to go over the rules and enforce them when necessary. Repetition is key here.
The rules and procedures can be created within the first day of school, enforced for about a week and a half during the beginning of the school year to remember and recall the rules and procedures more easily. And the rules and guidelines will, of course, be implemented when necessary. It's important to be thorough with the rules and procedures because students will notice if there is a rule broken, and you do not follow through with consequences for misbehavior, etc. When students notice the rules and procedures aren't always followed, they will begin to think the same way about their actions regarding the rules.
The next strategy will be to build relationships with students. I briefly discussed some strategies to use when trying to establish, maintain, and fix teacher-student relationships. As we all know, teachers' time is minimal, so keeping up with all of these strategies towards building meaningful connections with students can be daunting. However, there is a specific way I could implement these strategies in 25 minutes. There's something called the 5×5 method. First, you have to choose five students to deliberate upon. You can pick a time (preferably when you're not easily distracted) in the morning before heading into work. You will think about each student for five minutes before moving onto the next student. During those five minutes, you will answer some questions such as: "What have I noticed about the student recently? What behavior patterns have I observed? What outside struggles, values, and goals have been revealed? What part of the student's life am I most curious about? What question might spark an answer to help me satisfy that curiosity?" (Finley Todd, 2018). These 25 minutes are supposed to be a time of reflection to identify any possible warning signs, whether it's with body appearance, emotions, or anything else that could hinder and affect the student's academic engagement and ability. After going through the students' names, we will make an effort to interact with those same five students on the same day. This interaction does not have to be formal. It can be a quick conversation while in the hallways, passing out papers, whenever it may seem natural. You want to avoid forcing a conversation, especially when a teacher's brain may be scattered, distracted, or the student may just not be in the mood to talk.
Teachers can implement the 5×5 strategy both outside and inside of class. Of course, the thinking process will be outside of school before entering the classroom. The connections with students can also be inside the school or outside, depending on when it may seem most natural and the student's attitude you may be focusing on that day. Creating a chart with the students' names will be helpful when implementing the 5×5 strategy. You can quickly check off the names of the students you have thought about, made connections with that day. There are also sections such as "notes, establish, maintain, restore" next to the students' names for more insight on the students' needs. The data collected from this 5×5 strategy will help teachers see the relationships with students on paper. The chart brings organization to something that we wouldn't typically prepare or plan for, meaningful relationships with students. But, as you move up in grade levels, especially fifth and sixth grade where teachers not only have their homeroom class, but student rotation begins to come into play, charts for the 5×5 strategy can be convenient when keeping track of the meaningful relationships teachers have created with students. The information from the chart used with the 5×5 strategy will be used to compare the students' engagement during classroom lessons.
Resources to implement & possible counter-argument:
Transferring and implementing these strategies do take time and a fair amount of practice—precisely, the 5×5 strategy. As previously mentioned, when implementing the 5×5 strategy, I can make a chart with the students' names and other columns with notes about the student, establish, maintain, and restore regarding the relationship with the student. This will be a daily custom. The strategy will begin before school, continue during school, and possibly after school. To see if the 5×5 strategy to help build meaningful relationships is useful for student engagement and student conduct, I can write in the notes column for the five students I focused on that day whether they were more engaging with the lesson that day next. I can include a conduct chart for the students. This is another way to see if the relationships' effectiveness has any effect on the students' behavior, along with the engagement and participation of the students in the classroom with the lessons.
Some possible counter-arguments with the 5×5 strategy, along with the conduct chart, could be looked down upon as more paperwork on top of the immense paperwork teachers already have to deal with. However, if followed as suggested, five students per day, observing their engagement and behavior, shouldn't take more than 15-18 minutes a day to conversate with students during the transition, hallways, recess, etc. to make connections. Checking off whether one needs to maintain/repair relationships with students should not take more than 5-10 minutes. The purpose of this strategy is not intended to add more “paperwork” for the teacher. It is designed in a way that is meant to be quick and simple yet produces significant results. When committing to the 5×5 strategy, it will create more benefits in the long run rather than hindering the workload and schedule of a teacher’s already tight schedule.
For my appendices, I have created a similar chart used in the meaningful relationship between teachers’ and students’ research study and a simple conduct chart to see if there is any correlation between the relationships and student conduct.
With practice, the 5×5 strategy can become effortless, and can give teachers, specifically first year teachers a nice foundation to build meaningful relationships with their students. The strategy also offers a simple way to keep track of areas where teachers may be lacking with their students. When relationships are built, respect is also built. When there is respect between teacher and students, it can make classroom instruction time go by smoother.
Relationship tracking form
List your students and their interests/background/strengths. For each student, identify the stage in your relationship: 1. When first meeting a student, note steps you take to establish a positive relationship. 2. Throughout the school year, identify activities—such as 1-on-1 check-ins—you use to maintain the relationship. 3. If a relationship is damaged, consider ways to restore it by addressing the harm in a positive manner.
Tips to Build Positive Student-Teacher Relationships
Effective classroom management can often be more about building relationships than discipline. When students feel a greater sense of belonging, they’re more likely to be academically engaged and demonstrate positive behavior.
1. Bank time early on Making deposits into the relationship helps ease conflict in the future if you have to give constructive feedback or address disruptive behavior.
2. Encourage student-led activities Students feel more invested in their learning if given opportunities to share their interests.
3. Welcome students into the classroom Activities such as positive greetings at the door and icebreakers help create a warm classroom culture.
4. Use positive communication techniques Listening, validating, showing interest, and giving compliments help students—especially introverted ones—join discussions.
5. Note positive and negative interactions Aim for a 5-to-1 ratio with students.
6. Regularly check in with students Ask how they’re doing and what support they may need.
7. Acknowledge good behavior: When teachers focus attention on positive conduct, disruptive behavior is stemmed before it becomes an issue.
8. Let go and start fresh: Don’t hold mistakes over a student’s head. Everyday, give them a chance to start with a clean slate.
9. Take responsibility for your actions: Avoid blaming students when things go wrong. Don’t be afraid to apologize—it’ll help build trust with your students.
10. . Show empathy: There are two sides to every story—acknowledge that students may have a different perspective about what happened.
11. Focus on solutions, not problems: Work with your students to find a solution that everyone feels is fair.
12. Separate the deed from the doer: Criticize the behavior, not the person.
Work Cited:
Slavin, R. E. (2017). Educational Psychology. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134524177/
Terada, Y. (2019, February 27). The Key to Effective Classroom Management. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/key-effective-classroom-management
Teacher Burn Out Symptoms & Rate. (2014, December 29). Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/teacher-burn-out-symptoms-rate.html.
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