Standard Five: Classroom Motivation and Management Skills
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interactions, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
Clip It! Behavior Chart
The Clip It! Behavior Chart was a good self motivation tool for my class during my 3rd grade placement. Every day students would start on ready to learn. When ever students were on task, or maybe helped a student out they would move up on the chart but if students maybe forgot homework or were being chatty kathy's then they would have to move their clip down. There were times where I made it a whole class clip move, up or down. With the clip there was always a way to move their clip up throughout the day as well because I never wanted them to get discouraged and so I gave them every opportunity to make changes, which had them focus on their own self-motivation.
Whole Brain Teaching: Attention Getters and Class Rules
In my 3rd grade placement, I was introduced to the Whole Brain Teaching methods. These consisted of using motions with words to help students remember information. So in our class we had five classroom rules. With each rule, we created hand motions to go with each one as a class. Since we had come up with motions together as a class, we had built a community that was engaged in learning and self-motivation. These rules were to be followed and were most of time! Of course, everyone loved our class rule #5: Keep your dear teacher happy! With creating these rules, it created a group and individual responsibility upon the students and set expectations at the very beginning.
Attention Getters for the Classroom
During my student teacher, I have learning how attention getters are so great to use in the class. My students have loved using attention getters and it has helped with our community management. It has been a quick way to grab my students attention but also has a built a community that everyone feels a part since we do them as a whole group. The fun thing with attention getters that has helped classroom management, is that I let my students come up with some of their own that we can used. Plus, since we are a 100% class, everyone participates with them and makes learning flow quickly when I need my students attention or if students need their peers attentions.
Classroom Subject Objectives for Students
During my year of student teacher, I saw the importance and difference it made to have objectives for subjects posted somewhere in the classroom. Students felt like they knew what was expected of them and knew what they would be doing and learning for each subject. The objectives showed the purposed of each subject, which I believe is so important for students to know while learning. It makes learning important to them when they know why they doing an activity. Objectives build a positive learning environment for students because they see the "Why" they are doing something and then the "How" they are going to achieve the "Why".