Running head: CLASSROOM AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT 1

Classroom and Behavior Management

Esther Boner

Regent University
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Introduction

In this competency I have provided two artifacts that outline what I have used and felt

worked well in my student teaching and practicum experience. Classroom management is key to

a smooth-running classroom filled with students who spend most of their time learning and less

time worrying about others or what they can and cannot get away with. I find that keeping

students accountable for their actions and being able to refer to positive reinforcement creates a

space where students can reflect and learn from their mistakes and change the outcome for the

next time. Students can have a healthy relationship with each other as well as with the teacher

and other adults with the right guidance for their actions. I believe this begins with classroom

and behavior management.

Rationale

The first artifact I have chosen to highlight are two images of different tools used in a

fifth-grade classroom and a first-grade classroom for behavior management. Students in the

fifth-grade class were held accountable for their behavior in class and on the school campus

through Class Dojo and a PBIS ticket system. The tickets and system used was called “Wolves

Way.” Class Dojo goes along with the Virginia Beach School Systems drive to create a

technologically enhanced classroom experience. Students can view their account as well as

parents. The teacher has the ability to adjust points that each student has by giving positive

points for times when they are caught doing good as well as take points away for moments of

improvement. Students in my particular class start the week with a specific amount of points and

if at the end of the week they are able to maintain a specific number they are awarded extra “free

time” during there designated free time after lunch or they are allowed the opportunity to sit in a
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flexible seating space for the day. Students were very motivated to achieve a great week through

this system.

In the first-grade classroom the students use a clip chart. The chart is divided into colors

and progress from bottom to top with each level being a positive change. Students begin in the

middle at ready to learn and can go either way on the chart throughout the day. This chart keeps

the students accountable for their actions as they physically have to go to the chart to move their

clip depending on their behavior. The teacher is also pushed to stay alert and contentious of the

actions of students who may be in need of positive points to move back to a positive place on the

chart. Students in this class look forward to getting to the top of the chart because they get a

“golden ticket” if they do. These tickets are turned in on Fridays for prizes based on specific

numbers of tickets. Students are also motivated to stay in the green or higher because each day

they have to color in the space on a calendar that is taken home with the color they earned for the

day. This chart is seen by the parent and most often students do not want to take home a

calendar with anything less that a green day.

The second artifact I have provided is a “calming station.” In my fifth-grade class we

had what was called a relax and refill station and in the first-grade room it was called the calming

corner. This area of the room is designated as a space for students to voluntarily or as directed

by the teacher to use to connect with their feelings, reflect on their actions, and make a better

choice going forward. In the fifth-grade class there were quotes on the wall as well as a mirror in

the space to give students a moment to look into themselves and meditate on their feelings.

Students at this age had no problem reading the quotes and feeling inspired. The quotes were

changed out every month. In the first-grade classroom the students are still learning to read and

need some guidance in this area, so the posters provided have emoticons. The emoticons help
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the student to decide how they are feeling and where they would rather be. The mirror is there

for them to look at themselves and reflect and there is a stuffed animal basket for student to take

one to hold on to and be comforted by for the time they are sitting there.

Reflection

A test of the relation between teachers’ classroom management practices and students’

outcomes suggest that there is a positive relation between the two. (Gage, Scott, Hirn, &

MacSuga-Gage, 2018) Teachers can very likely expect students to work harder, learn more, and

be an active part of the class when there is routine, structure and a set of expectations to go by.

This includes having a positive environment, being organized and confronting problems and

solving them. I would argue that classroom management is the backbone of a successful

classroom, and student populous.

Classroom management is not simply a set of rules to followed but it is the very frame

work of character, values and responsibility. “Classroom management is proactive, and

productivity based, promotes lifelong skills sets for responsibility, and is responsible for

producing predictable behaviors.” (Lester, Allanson, & Notar, 2017) The framework that is

within this is fostered by the actions of the teacher first. Students look up to their teachers as a

role model in their lives. To see a teacher whom is put together every day in professional attire,

who is always early and ensures that the lessons for the day are ready, all materials are on hand

and the lesson is well thought out, flows and fits into the desired time frame show students that

preparation is important to success. This also helps to keep students engaged and gain their

respect.
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Routines and rules go hand in hand in the classroom. From the first day of school the

teacher has set forth a set of rules and routines that the students will engage in. This is often a

schedule of events that requires students to think about the task at hand and get the materials they

need to complete the task out and ready. This routine will become a normal part of their day

every day that they are in the class. This is also where the rules come into play. Teachers often

have rules regarding being ready for class, having all materials and being courteous of others

presenting or talking including the teacher. When these routines are broken or not followed

teachers can find this as a moment of “discipline” or as I like to think of it a moment of

reinforcement and review. The student knows what is expected but hasn’t followed through so

therefore will lose points or something to that idea depending on the system put forth in the

classroom so that they are able to equate the task to a positive or negative moment and correct it

for next time.

Through my continued growth and devotion to my faith I find that my values align with

my wants for my classroom environment and how I lead. 2 Timothy 3:16 is a verse that I have

come to love in my walk-through faith and how it fits in my public-school classroom. “All

Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for

training in righteousness…” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001) This verse

stands out because classroom management is something to me that is first learned by myself,

taught to my students and then changed through trial and error. There is something to be said

about reflection and change through learning. I want my students to know they are involved in

their learning environment and I strive to be able to make change as we see fit together. I also

find solace in Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will

counsel you with my eye upon you.” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001) I know
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that He is watching over my and working through me to provide the best environment for my

students. I equally know that if He can be so powerful and leading in my life I can do as much

as I can to be present in my students lives and counsel them in the way they should go.
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Bibliography

Gage, N., Scott, T., Hirn, R., & MacSuga-Gage, A. (2018, Feb). The RElationship Between

Teachers' Implementation of Classroom Management Practices and Student Behavior in

Elementary School. Behavioral Disorders, 43(2), 302-315. Retrieved from https://doi-

org.ezproxy.regent.edu/10.1177/0198742917714809

Lester, R., Allanson, P., & Notar, C. (2017). Routines Are /the Foundation Of Classroom

Management. Education, 137(4), 398-412. Retrieved from

http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true

&db=a2h&AN=123871878&site=ehost-live

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2001). David C. Cook.