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Blog #5

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Blog #5 Select 3 Things you have learned this quarter and describe how your thoughts changed, developed or were reinforced by our course work. Be sure to connect to readings and/or class discussions. 1. One thing I learned this quarter through discussions and readings is the preventative phase. There are steps to take before the behavior happens in order to prevent it from happening. This could include making classroom rules/expectations at the beginning of the year and going over them multiple times a day for a while. Another way is to practice procedures to make sure students know what is expected of them when transitioning for example. The preventative phase is something I am definitely going to use in my future classroom.  Another thing that I learned about this quarter was the different authority bases and which one I feel that I connect with most. The different authority bases are legitimate authority, referent authority, expert authority, and coercive authority. The authorit...
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Blog #4

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Blog #4 If there is one thing that seems consistent across elementary classrooms everywhere, it is the pervasive use of reward systems. How do you plan to use them? If not at all, why not? If some, how? If you plan to use them a lot, what is your evidence for why that is the best plan? I think that there are pros and cons when it comes to reward systems in classrooms. I feel that they motivate students to do their best, but there are students who may not be motivated by the certain reward and kids who may become discouraged when they do not receive rewards. I think that in my future classroom I will periodically use reward systems but make them so the whole class receives a reward as a whole instead of individual students. Such as class pizza parties, movie days, etc. I feel that when they are used as whole class systems instead of individual, it can make it more motivating for students to do their best. The prizes can also be larger because the teacher isn't buying a bunch of smal...
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Blog Post #3

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 Blog Post #3 - Classroom Rules Good Set of classroom rules:  Not so good set of classroom rules: What do you not like about the set of rules you selected as a poor example? One thing that I didn't like about the set of rules that I selected as a poor example is how negative they are. Almost every single one of them begin with"don't" so they are all telling students what not to do. Clasroom rules I think should be set up completely opposite, stating things that students (and the teacher) should be doing instead of what they should not be doing. These rules are focused on safety which is something that should be focused on within the classroom rules but they are not stated how they should be. They are also not super fair, specifically the one that says "listen to the teacher". It sounds like this classroom is very teacher-cenetered as well because there is also one about the teacher stating "don't touch the teachers book". Overall, I do not like...
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Blog Post #2

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Blog Post #2 Garrett's (2008) article suggests that the philosophy we adopt in our teaching should align with the philosophy we embrace in our management - but, many teachers who believe in student-centered learning struggle to give up teacher-centered management. What do you think about Garrett's premise? Why do you think teachers struggle with this? Looking at the different extremes of custodial (teacher-centered) vs humanistic (student-centered) teachers, there is one outcome that sounds more negative with impersonal relationships, the teacher being highly controlling, punitive sanctions, and so many more. On the other side there is positive interaction and communication, close relationships, mutual respect, etc. Clearly one sounds way more inviting than the other and we all want to lean towards the more positive side, but that's not always how it works out in the end. Because teacher-centered instruction is the more "traditional" way of teaching, I feel that i...
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Blog Post #1

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  Blog Post #1 How are your initial thoughts about management already changing or being reinforced? The only experience I have with management is with children I have babysat. I have hardly any experience in the classroom so my experience with classroom management is slim to none. What my preconceived notion about classroom management is, is that it is difficult but if approached in the right way, works really well. After todays first class and the bit of reading we have done, I feel that my initial thoughts are being reinforced to some degree. I am excited to dig deeper into this topic and concept and learn tons more about classroom management! How do Charles' three purposes for management (he calls it classroom discipline) complement each other? The three classroom disciplines are to first, remove or limit the conditions that tend to promote misbehavior. Second, teach students how to behave appropriately and support their efforts to do so. And third, intervene helpfully when stud...
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