Running head: EDE 4504 CRITICAL TASK

Lenae Proctor
University of South Florida
EDE 4504 Critical Task
Dr. Randi Latzke

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Table of Contents

Teaching Philosophy... 3
Learning Environment 4
Classroom Learners & Needs of Learners.. 5
Evidence (FEAP 2). 6
Reflection... 12
Citations. 14

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Teaching Philosophy

Over the last two years I have been developing how I view myself as a future educator.
From the beginning I knew I wanted some sort of rule system in my classroom, but I knew I
wanted my students to like me as well. I wanted to build relationships with my students. I want
my future students to know that not only did I care for them on a personal level but I cared
enough to discipline them as well. I have been learning about different teacher authorities and
classroom disciplines for the past fourteen weeks as well. This time period has allowed me to
hone in which discipline and authority base I am.
One theory of classroom discipline that I have connected with since the beginning of the
fall semester is Linda Alberts Cooperative Discipline. Out of the three I have knowledge aboutKohns, Assertive, and Cooperative- I best fit with cooperative. Albert suggests that students
should feel like they are included in the classroom and should feel like they contribute in the
classroom. Albert (1992) also suggests that the classroom should have a set rule system that
fosters an optimal climate for learning and teaching (P. 7).
I want to be in a cooperative relationship with my students. I want to have a personal
relationships and I feel those begin to form when you first meet your students
(reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-2016/ede-4504-blog-and-connect). But
I also know that I want to have a set of rules in my classroom; I want to create them with my
students, instead of creating them all and giving it to them. Of course I will guide them through
the rule making process, but I feel like students will follow them and have more of a connection
with them since they helped to form the rules. But I feel like each classroom discipline strategy a
teacher tries may or may not work in the classroom they have.

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For example, my current internship classroom aspects of on cooperative discipline, but it

is mixed in with other disciplines that I am not familiar with as well. But, my third graders are
struggling with following rules that they as a class created and following teacher directions. And
not only are my current students struggling under this discipline, but my CT is as well since it is
her first year using this current framework in her classroom. It is helpful to experience a version
of cooperative discipline because it is a chance for me to see that this discipline does not work
well with all students. So even though I connect well with Alberts cooperative discipline, I
know, through my internship classroom, that this discipline does not work well with all students.
Classroom Environment
I am currently interning in a third grade classroom in a Title I Elementary School in a
migrant farming community in Hillsborough County. I am currently co-teaching with a teacher
who has been teaching at this specific school for the last nine years and has taught both first and
second grades before moving up to third grade this year. When I first came to her classroom, I
first noticed her seating arrangement and thought how much I loved it. At the beginning of the
year, my CT had a U shaped seating arrangement (link:
http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-2016/ede-4504-seating-chartblog). This arrangement allowed for each and every student to see each other. This arrangement
allowed students to be seen when they are answering a question and giving their opinion when
my CT posed a open ended question. It also allowed the students to easily see me or my CT
when we moved around the classroom. The seating arrangement is also set up in a way that
higher- and lower-achieving students are interspaced throughout the room [which] can increase
involvement and participation (Levin & Nolan, 2014, p. 153).

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Students should feel comfortable enough to participate in the classroom and with others
who are on different learning levels than them. The U shape arrangement did not really disrupt
student learning or high traffic areas. The only disruption was the back row of the U. The
students sitting in the back row had their seats super close to the guided reading table. The
students, my CT, and I could not go behind those students desks because they were so close to
the guided reading table. So for a few weeks we had to find different walking routes in the
classroom because of the U seating arrangement. So after weeks of moving that row a couple
inches forward and having no room to walk, my CT decided to use a different seating
arrangement.
The seating arrangement in the classroom is a grouped seating arrangement. There are
four grouped tables in the class; three of the groups have four people sitting at it and the last one
has five people sitting at it. This seating arrangement allows for the students to create mini
communities within the class even with having friends sitting at different tables. The students are
able to converse with each other and ask each other questions about the assignment they happen
to be working on. Having the tables grouped also allowed for so much space to be opened up in
the classroom. No one has bumped into the back of anyones chairs and no one is sitting super
close to the guided reading table. The only problem is that some students chairs cause the
classroom rug to come up and can cause people to trip over the edge. But that is the only
problem right now with this seating arrangement.
Classroom Learners & Needs of Learners
I do not think the students minded the U seating arrangement, but U had its problems,
which cause my CT to think of a different seating arrangement. With having grouped tables in
the classroom, I can tell that students are more productive and talkative in the classroom. This

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seating arrangement is actually good for the eight year olds in my classrooms because according
to Clayton and Forton (2001), students are most productive in group activities (p. 30). But,
there is a few students that tend to start arguments with others and according the Clayton and
Forton (2001) tend to be negative and argumentative.
So there are a lot of conflicting behaviors in my third grade classroom since I have a mix
of eight and nine year olds. But my CT, mixed up all ages, behaviors, and learning styles in the
class. So each grouped table is diverse when it comes to those three things. The table groups are
also diverse based on race and gender as well. These tables have helped students talk to peers
they probably would have never spoken to if they had they choice. So this seating arrangement
has helped them work with others they may not have wanted to and helped them be productive
while doing it. These groups have become mini communities in the classroom.
Evidence (FEAP 2)
2A: Organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and attention

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/category/feaps-2a
2B: Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/category/feaps-2b
2C: Coveys high expectations to all students

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/category/feaps-2c
2D: Respects students cultural and family background

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Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/level-iii-blog-and-connect-2

For the past year, I have been interning in four different classrooms and
these classrooms has helped me solidify the fact I knew, which was that each and every
student is culturally different from one another. So I would need to plan for their cultural
differences, which has been hard to do up until this summer. Last year, I spent one day a
week in the classroom and it was hard to dig deep and get a grasp of what exactly what
the different cultural differences of all my students. Not only that, but I was also in two
different grade levels last year, so I had to not only get accustomed to the different
classroom communities but also their cultural backgrounds. So this summer, I spent a
month, every day, with a 3rd grade class in England and I was able to learn more about my
students than I thought I would. I was able to use what I learned about them in planning
the different lessons I had taught them during that time. I was able to infuse their cultural
backgrounds into my lesson I did about Florida, for example. A lot of the students have
been there or were going there, so I had asked them all the things they wanted to know
about before I had done my lesson planning. They originally wanted to know more about
the theme parks in Florida and I asked them to think past theme parks and think of
something that they dont know about Florida. So I did a lesson on Floridas geography
(I.E. rivers, lakes, sinkholes, etc) and I compared it to Englands geography. This made
the lesson so much more personable for them. So now when I am lesson planning, I make
sure I have a personal connection to the students so I can get to know students cultural
backgrounds so I can infuse those facts, their facts in my lesson.
2E: Models clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills

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Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/category/feaps-2e

Why is this evidence: My 1st supervisor observation (the lesson was on

inverse operations) for the semester is evidence under this FEAP because during the
entire time while I had clear and concise instructions with my kids. This lesson involved
students using dry erase markers, napkins, their desks, and plicker cards. So I knew my
students would be messing with all of those materials, so I made sure to clearly
communicate that these materials were to be used when I prompted them to use it. I also
clearly communicated to my students that if any of the materials were used when they
werent supposed to, then I would take them away from their desks. All students
understood this clear instruction and I made sure to tell them when they could use their
materials during the different points during the lesson.
2F: Maintains a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness and support

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/category/feaps-2f
2G: Integrates current information and communication technologies

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/category/feaps-2g

More Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall2016/supervisor-observation-reflection-1

o I choose to do this supervisor observation as added evidence because in this lesson I use a
website/app called Plickers. This site allowed me to create question and allowed students
to answer them using personalized cards and my phone to scan them. After I scan the
cards, the app would tally that collected data in a bar graph so my students and I can see
how they answered. I used this data to help drive my teaching for that lesson. Not only

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that, but it showed students, which answer was correct and how many students answered
similarly as each other. Plickers allowed me to input data, it graphed it for me, while I
interpreted for my students (communication technologies).
o Picture:

2H: Adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of
students

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/supervisor-observation-reflection-1
o Why I connected this blog: I connected my 1st supervisor observation to this FEAP
because I knew all my students learn differently and I had to plan for that. My 1st
observation was on inverse operations (multiplication and division). So for this lesson,
since I knew that my students were on different learning level, I decided to make a
leveled exit question. So I have a 3-tiered exit question to fit the needs of all my learners
(picture of this exit question is below). This exit question allowed me to see if my

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students understood what I taught and if I need to pull a small group to reteach anything
from that lesson. For this lesson, I had tried something I had never really done before. I
had decided to pass out all my main materials out first (dry erase, napkins, and plickers)
out first and have it put in one corner of the students desk. This was because I did not
want to waste teaching/learning time with my students. Not only that, but I knew that
some of my students attention span would break if I spent time wondering where the
markers where, where my CT kept the plicker cards, and collecting napkins. But not only
did I prep and get these materials out before the lesson started, but I made sure to have
the exit question in one specific area when I was teaching because I did not want to waste
subject transition time. I arranged all the materials the way I did so I could smoothly run
an effective lesson. Arranging the materials the way I did helped with the time
management and my students attention span. Their learning needs were the reason behind
my exit slips being on one table and why the lesson materials were passed out when the
lesson started.

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More Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/internship-spring-

2016/inquiry-step-three-data-collection-and-procedures
2I: Utilizes current and emerging assistive technologies that enable students to participate
in high-quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals

Evidence: http://reflectiveblogcoedu.weebly.com/level-iii-internship-fall-

2016/1st-ct-lesson-observation

Why it is under this FEAP: The lesson I taught did not have to include
technology, but it did. I infused plickers in my science lesson. Plickers is a site/app that
lets you create questions for whatever you need and it collects answers from your

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students. It does this by the students holding up cards, which are personalized to each
student, with A/B/C/D answers on each side of the card and you use your phone to scan
the room to collect those answers. These answers are then immediately inputted in a bar
chart so you and your students can see how many people answered one way or another
way. All the questions were opinion questions so there werent any right or wrong
answers, so the bar chart allowed students to see how others answered. Plickers allowed
all my students, no matter the learning level or disability, to get involved and to be
genuinely excited to use some form technology. (Picture of science data is below)

Some more evidence: Some students in my current classroom (Fall 2016)

use pencil grips and mechanical pencils. The pencil grips help some of my students hold
their pencils steady in their hands as they write as neatly as they can. The mechanical

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pencils help some because they dont want to get up when the teacher is talking, so it is
easier just to use a mechanical pencil.
Reflection
I have realized that the classroom environment affects everything- people, behaviors, and
motivation to work. I feel as if it takes trial and error to get the best seating and furniture
arrangement that works for that group of students. The first seating arrangement that my CT had
worked well for, the most part, classroom behaviors. But then the arrangement had to be changed
due to how close the back part of the U was so close to the guided reading table. That was not
only affecting the flow of traffic in the classroom, but it was affecting the student learning as
well because students had to constantly move up their desks.
But not only do I think that the seating arrangement affected students motivation and
behavior, my actions and expectations do as well. Students see me as another authority figure in
the classroom as well. I feel as if my students look to my CT and myself as role models; they
determine how they should be acting inside and outside of the classroom by how we both act
around the school. So I know if I hold my students to a high expectation (i.e. students not talking
while my CT is whole group teaching) I need to do the same for myself. Knowing that I need to
hold myself to high expectations like my students has lead me to connect my experiences and
knowledge to my teaching philosophies.
I believe that students should be in a positive cooperative classroom. But I also think that
any and all classroom disciplines are something that needs to be tested with the class you have
that year. This is because the classroom discipline you may want in your classroom does not
work for the students you have in it. So even though, I want my future classroom one way, it may
clash with the behaviors and learning styles of my future students.

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Works Cited

Charles, C. M. (1989). Building classroom discipline (No. 371.1024 Ch475b). White Plains, US:
Longman Scientific & Technical, 1992.
Levin, J., & Nolan, J. F. (2013). Principles of classroom management: A professional decisionmaking model. Pearson Higher Ed.