Cynthia Gonzalez-AUSL Resident Teacher

High Leverage Practices

In order to establish classroom rules and norms to maintain a constructive classroom that displays a sense of fluidity during daily classroom practices, I will implement the “Hopes and Dreams Strategy”. The strategy uses positive language to establish classroom expectations and structure that is needed for students to achieve their academic and social goals within a classroom setting. (Charney, 1991) Through student voice and input, an authentic sense of accountability and self regulation will be established, as students establish a sense of awareness in terms of how and what is needed to be “successful” while placing less emphasis on controlling student behaviors (Charney, 1991; Le Page 2005).  

Students need an environment that is conducive to learning while adhering to positive social interactions. Implementing the 3H’s (Hugs, Handshakes, and High Fives) for daily classroom practices will allow for the use of choice and the development of “life long” social skills as students have the opportunity to build and secure strong relationships while using positive behavior amongst one another. (Charney 1991; Jensen 2009; Mantiates 2001) The strategy also exhibits teacher investment in individual students to create a shared classroom climate that fosters positive student attitude towards academics and behaviors (Charney 1991; Mantiates 2001)

Parental Involvement is dire to student achievement. In order to help build and develop deep and respectful relationships that adhere to student learning and behaviors, I will use a monthly Parent Newsletter to inform parents of classroom activities, special events, updates, birthdays, student accomplishments, parent requests and input as well as other pertinent classroom information (Allen 2008; Mantitates 2001) In order to display an investment in individual student learning, the newsletter will also strive to develop a sense of community by correlating the home and cultural environment of students within the classroom through parent volunteerism, input, and constant utilization of families as classroom resources (Allen 2008).

In order for students to become academically successful, they must learn to how to value learning and gain an understanding for the significance of their education. In order to encourage student motivation for learning, I will use student portfolios to individually track student work and document progress, as well as the classroom practice of the individual desk Red/Green Cups to check for student comprehension and understanding during lessons and activities. Through these specific strategies, students will learn how to self monitor and regulate their accomplishments by having control of their specific learning experiences (Charney1991; Le Page 2005). With these specific strategies, students will be able to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses through the progression of their work allowing them to build confidence and thus adhering to developing intrinsic reasoning for their learning. (Charney 1991; Le Page 2005)

Community in the Classroom

In their book, "Differentiating Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms"Haager and Klinger provide an organized and very clear description of the prevalent disabilities in an educational setting. The definitions, characteristics and individual vignettes/scenarios of each disability provide an in depth look to specific behaviors that our students in our new turn around schools may exhibit. To support such information Downings ‘Including Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities in Typical Classrooms” provides effective strategies that we can incorporate into our daily classroom practices to establish a sense of community and equality amongst all of our students.
Downing discusses the essential need for the practice of cooperative learning opportunities within our classroom. Along with the opportunity for students to practice their social and communication skills, students can become invested in their learning and engage in activities that will develop their inquiry and critical thinking skills. With cooperative learning opportunities, students can explore a different realm of learning, besides traditional whole group instructional strategies. Downing confirms that cooperative learning “provides the stimulation needed to maintain interest and attention to the task” (29) I feel that cooperative learning is definitely a strategy that I will choose to implement with my students, once group expectations and norms have been concretely established in terms of student work ethic and the way students interact with each other. When thinking of my residency experience, our students currently sit in table groups where they would ideally embark upon an array of such activities, but our students currently lack the skills to work together as a team, and constantly exhibit negative behavior that detracts from accomplishing our academic goals. Haager and Klinger confirm that “once a teacher establishes ground rules for conversations in the classroom, without being vindictive or blameful of the students, they learned to leave their bandying outside” (37). Such behaviors will definitely impact how I will set up my classroom norms and expectations for next year. What my students lack is an awareness of how to work with others, communicate effectively, and take responsibility for their academic progress. I feel that one of the most prevalent trends that I will adopt for next year, is to incorporate time into our classroom to model to our students how to work with each other so as to work and gain a sense of pride and interdependence. Specifically when I think of my current students whom leave our classroom throughout various points of the day for math or reading instruction in special education settings, I feel that their presence in our classroom during whole group instruction is rarely valued. I look forward to utilizing these resources to help build my confidence in creating a classroom and developing instructional strategies that will address all of the individual needs of my students. Currently our students do not know how and vocalize negative words with each other when having to work with the students that receive special education services. Our students are aware of their individual differences but they are not respectful of them. One of our student constantly has to be removed because our classroom procedures are so unfamiliar to him that he responds by lashing out and screaming and often physically throwing things. The disconnection between our students is an issue that I feel has gone completely unaddressed, and I will focus on trying to create a classroom environment where students are accepting of the individual differences within their classroom, as well as developing classroom strategies where students can communicate their thoughts, emotions, and concerns in a positive fashion.
Although demographically, most of our students will consist of an African American population, I feel that the component on addressing the individual linguistic needs of our students was very informative and pedagogical approach that all educators must have instilled in their practice. Having my undergrad experience in Bilingual Education I feel that there is a strong need to advocate the expected time length for acquiring a second language. As we discuss how to monitor and evaluate what behaviors our students can exhibit that will constitute seeking special educational services it is essential to acknowledge the “characteristics of individuals learning a second language are similar to behaviors associated with language and learning disabilities” (45). One thing that I feel is the most important to remember as we embrace a new turn around setting, is to identify the professionals in our buildings that can provide such services, as opposed to what the individual needs are of our students. Culture and background heavily impact our students character, and our job is to invest time into developing concrete relationships with our students and creating a classroom that takes a strength based approach to learning.

 Turn Around Experience:

This year as part of our training, we were able to visit turn around sites and complete lead teaching segments with a new group of students with the implications that we should view the experience as if it were our first day of school in a turn around setting. My experience at Curtis School of Excellence has been a very uplifting one, as it has opened my eyes towards a different perspective of teaching. I have found that in the last couple of weeks that I have been under the supervision of my host teacher, I have grown and worked on continuing to develop my teacher presence and confidence as a novice teacher with increased support and positive feedback from the individuals around me. In creating our blocking grid during our Spring Academy, I learned to appreciate the value of explicit and sequential planning to a greater extent. Viewing our blocking grid as if it were the first day of school helped me understand the essential process of explicitly demonstrating and reminding students of school norms and expectations, as opposed to leaving situations open for individual interpretation. Cohesion and a safe space can only be achieved if high expectations are set, and students are given the opportunity to see and hear what it looks and sounds like, following opportunities for guided practice.