Running Head: CLASSROOM AND BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT 1

Classroom and Behavior Management

Sarah Ingerson
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2015

Introduction

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When I ask teachers what they perceive to be the most challenging aspect of teaching,
most respond with organization or classroom management. This competency addresses the
absolute vital nature of classroom management. Classroom and behavior management is the
established routine, rules, and discipline procedure in a classroom. I have been told by many
teachers that if you are not adept in managing your students, then learning cannot occur within
your classroom.
Rationale for Selection of Artifacts
For this competency, I selected as my first artifact a couple pictures that illustrate a
classroom management component I implemented during my second student teaching placement
a first grade class at Southeastern Elementary School in Chesapeake, VA. The second artifact
is an interview with a first year teacher, focused on her thoughts of classroom management.
I selected the first artifact because it demonstrates my ability, as a student teacher, to
recognize a class management issue and address the stated issue. During my first week at
Southeaster, I noticed that blurting outanswering a question or making a comment without
raising ones handwas a common practice for several of the students. My cooperating teacher
and I discussed several ways to manage the negative behavior. I created a simple pocket blurt
out chart and selected a book that addresses interrupting. First, I read the book to the students
and questioned them about the bad behavior of the main characterinterrupting. After
explaining how blurting out keep our class from learning, I introduced the chart. Every time a
student blurt out, they must take a Popsicle stick out of the pocket. At the end of the day,
students with no Popsicle sticks will not receive their daily sticker for their planner.

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I selected my second artifactan interview with a first year teacherbecause this
interview helped me continue the process of creating my own method of classroom management.
This teacher possesses a temperament similar to my ownnot extremely aggressive or assertive.
During the interview, I was encouraged by the teacher that my classroom management style
doesnt need to feel as forceful as other teachers styles. On the other hand, she also maintained
that whether naturally tough or gentle, every teacher must establish themselves as an authority
figure during the first days of teaching. This interview helped me combine University learning
with the hands-on application of actually teaching in a classroom.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

According to an Education Professors thoughts on a Gallup survey, Discipline problems
in Americas school have reached crisis proportions. Over the last 15 years, survey after survey
has pinpointed a lack of discipline as one of the major problems in education (Selig, 2009, p. 1).
Unfortunately, this seems to be a problem that continues to grow as parents are more and more
not disciplining their children in an effective and loving manner. During my college studies of
education, many theories of classroom management were thrown around such as, extrinsic vs.
intrinsic motivation, individual behavior plans, etc. These theories are definitely helpful, but do
not compare to the over-arching benefit of hands-on experience.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I must take an even closer look at my application of
classroom management. As Donovan Graham relates in his book, Teaching Redemptively,
Rather, it would seem that redeemed, image-bearing teachers have been given the challenge of
creating an education process that reflects redemption (2009, p. xvi). In Romans 12, Paul

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relates the God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. As a Christian
teacher, I need to establish authority in my classroom and discipline negative behavior in my
students, but always from a place of recognizing each students value and desiring their best.

References

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Graham, D. (2009). Teaching Redemptively. Colorado Springs, CO: Purposeful Design
Publications

Selig, G. (2009). Handbook of Individualized Strategies for Classroom Discipline. Los Angeles,
CA: Western Psychological Services