Domain 2 - The Classroom Environment

Dylan Geringer

In order to establish a positive and productive system of classroom management, my plan

for my future classroom will be to begin by getting to know my students on an individual basis.

At the beginning of the school year, just as I will introduce myself to the students, I will ask

them to introduce themselves to me. This will be done through the use of All About Me-type

surveys and one-on-one conversations. I don’t want to know my students purely on the basis of

academic performance and classroom behavior. I want to gain an understanding of their

personalities, their learning and communication styles, their hobbies, their families and home

environments. I plan to make a personal connection with each of my students everyday. One way

in which I will do this is by greeting each of my students at the door of my classroom as they

enter, letting them know what they will need for class today in order to set them up for success.

One initial step I plan to take toward the end of getting to know my students as individuals will

be to take a page out of Larry Ferlazzo’s book. In his article, “A ‘Good’ Class Gone ‘Bad’ . . .

and Back to ‘Good’ Again”, Ferlazzo describes a practice that he implemented with his students

in an effort to bring them back from the edge of a fraught classroom climate.

Ferlazzo implemented practices such as ongoing reflective activities and daily

self-evaluations with accompanying feedback. These kinds of activities are ones that I would

plan to include in my classroom. Frequent self-reflection puts students in a place of awareness of

their own classroom behavior. It asks them to take an active role in examining and understanding

their behavior and how it might be affecting their school experience, as well as the experience of

those around them. It also gives them an opportunity to turn their behavior around, if necessary.

Students are not merely punished for misbehaving - they are given an opportunity to recognize
that misbehavior and to reflect on ways to become more productive classroom citizens, to the

benefit of everyone, including themselves.

To continue with the subject of self-reflection, another practice that I would implement in

my classroom would be that of talking circles. This restorative justice practice gives students an

opportunity to reflect and reset. As pointed out in the video, “Colorado high school replaces

punishment with 'talking circles'” from PBS NewsHour, when zero tolerance policies are

enforced and misbehaving students are immediately punished, nothing can truly be learned from

that scenario. In fact, zero tolerance practices only serve to breed anger, resentment, and a lack of

self-confidence. When conflict arises, as it inevitably will, bringing students in for a period of

thought, conversation, and mediation is a far more productive and positive way to go. Through

practices such as talking circles, students are given opportunities to restore relationships, to

understand the perspectives of others, and again, to reflect on their own part in an unhealthy

equation. In this way, mistakes can be learned from, opportunities to do better next time can be

presented, and students can feel as though they are valued and worthy members of a community.

Another educator who inspired me from this week’s materials was Amy Alexander. Her

method of continuous, consistent positive feedback is one that I will include in my plan for

classroom management. I think that it is very important to make it clear to students how valued

they are as a part of a classroom community. I also think that it is crucial to point out what

students are doing well, as opposed to only pointing out what they might be doing incorrectly. If

I were to hear constant negative feedback regarding my performance in a classroom, I might

really begin to believe myself to be unfit. Were I to believe that about myself, I can’t imagine

that my motivation to try would remain very high. I can also imagine that I might begin to feel

frustrated and resentful. I want my students to feel valued, confident, and capable. This is why I
plan to challenge myself to praise whenever possible, and to supportively push whenever

necessary. I will actively endeavor to change what could be a negative statement into a positive

redirection.

In terms of the physical setup and organization of my classroom, I plan to have the

students face each other in conversation whenever possible. I would love to be able to arrange

the desks in my classroom in a fishbowl format. If the space does not allow for this, I would

arrange my students in pods throughout the classroom, with their desks facing each other in a

square or rectangular shape. Just as my students would face each other, I would plan to always

face my students while teaching, walking around the room as I go. Not only would my traveling

around the room keep my students engaged, but if I did sense that any students were heading

down the path of misbehavior, I would have an opportunity to give them a subtle sign as I passed

by. This sign would be to let them know that I notice that they’re having a hard time, to

acknowledge their feelings, and also to ask them to come back to a place of level headedness.

All in all, in order to create an environment of respect and rapport, and in doing so

establish a culture for learning, my goal within my classroom will be to communicate to my

students that I have their social, emotional, and academic success at the forefront of my mind. I

want to create a positive learning environment in which there exists a mutual respect between

myself and my students. Not only a mutual respect, but a mutual understanding. By

demonstrating respect for them as individuals, and by providing them with supports that uphold

that respect, I would hope and expect that they would in turn respect me as their teacher.
 Sources

Ferlazzo, Larry. (n.d.). ​A “Good” Class Gone “Bad”...And Back to “Good” Again.​ ASCD.

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/405-ferlazzo.aspx

PBS NewsHour (2014, February 20th). ​Colorado high school replaces punishment with 'talking

Circles'.​ [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch

?v=g8_94O4ExSA&feature=youtu.be

Sullivan, Mary. (n.d.). ​Transforming Teacher Talk.​ ASCD.

http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol4/405-sullivan.aspx

Woolfe, Evans. (2005). ​Teaching With Bayley, 5, Praise and Preparation.

Alexander Street. https://search-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu

/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C1780841