Effective Classroom Environment

Observation #1

Jazmine Loaiza

EDTE 255
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My first observation towards the effective classroom environment consisted of a first

grade level class taught by Ms. Whipple. The classroom teaches 22 diverse students and are

arranged in a small table with three to four students in each group, in which I believed was an

essential way that brought out Ms. Whipples democratic teaching strategy. Throughout my

observation the physical arrangement of groups definitely contributes to the helpful classroom

environment.

Rules and Procedures

When beginning my morning observation at Citrus Elementary School, I was able to

point out plenty of basic classroom rules, as well as daily routines and procedures very easily.

One of the most important classroom rule that is repeatedly expressed is the students ability to

focus. First thing walking into the classroom, students are expected to sit in their designated spot

on the carpet, where they are encouraged to sit respectively and accordingly to their classmates

and focus on their teacher for further instructions. At any moment when a student is disruptive

and/or distracted, they are quickly reminded about their sole responsibility to stay focused. Apart

from focusing, Room 2 has plenty of reminders written on the whiteboard, in which includes a

list that reads:

1. I can use a hand signal

2. I can have a positive attitude.
3. I can make safe choices.
4. I can be focused.

I interpreted these four reminders as an essential way in which the students are able to grow from

who they were at the beginning of the school year. This as an opportunity for the students to

challenge themselves and see if they can make it throughout the day without misbehaving.
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These students are asked to read these every morning as a reminder of their responsibilities,

building a sense of maturity. Within these responsibilities, the students also have daily

procedures every morning to refill all water bottles belonging to their group and taking chiars off

the table. In the instance that a student is misbehaving or violates a classroom rule, he/she is

asked to remove their card, and, although, the student does not receive an immediate

punishment, the removal certainly warns the student that without hesitation, the next misconduct

will result in a reflective manner depending on its seriousness.

Surely, elementary level conduct can be, at times, difficult, and one in particular that

every teacher never fails to experience is the ability and quickness behind a single file line. My

class, uniquely has photographs hung on the wall, in which includes three separate lines formed

by the students in room two, and, each picture is ranked from a one to three. The first picture,

labeled 1, is what a typical messy line looks like, a 2 is moderate, and 3, as guessed, is a

perfectly straight line with students standing quietly, politely, and focused. Aside from this being

another rule added to their responsibilities, this also leads me to point out the students

expectations behind using hand signals as a way of communication in the classroom. To avoid

any student from shouting out an answer or shouting out their idea during a lesson, the students

were taught to use hand signals while patiently waiting to get called on. When reminded about

think time, they use both index fingers and press them against their temples as a reminder to

them that it is time to attempt and solve any problem/circumstance in their head and on their own

without any comments being shared or shouted out. In addition, when it comes down to finally

answering the problem/question, instead of raising their hands and hearing the usual OOH,

OOH, PICK ME, PICK ME situation, the kids are expected to press a thumbs up against their

chest and continue to wait until getting called on.

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Lesson of the Day

The lesson I observed was dealing with math and how to use shortcuts when solving

problems. While opening the lecture, Ms. Whipple encouraged and prepared the students in a

timely manner. She began by telling them what school supplies were gonna be used and so,

before running off to gather their belonging, Ms. Whipple set a timer and challenged them to get

back to the carpet in less than a minute. I saw this as a perfect example on how to, not only, a

chance to spend more time on teaching, but also a way that excites and is seen as a game to the

children. This approach, as I observed, was an essential way for the students to easily follow all

rules and procedures according to the lesson. When racing to get their whiteboards and markers,

they were filled with excitement and essentially, viewed it as a challenge on how fast they can

get back to the carpet before the timer set off. Once it set off, they realized it was time to pay

their full attention to the teacher and were ready to learn. The lesson itself, was easy to follow for

the students. Ms. Whipple pulled out a poster-sized lined paper that already included some of the

classroom math strategies, and explained to them, that they were going to continue to add to it.

For their lesson, the students were taught to use blocks of tens to use as a shortcut when

adding large numbers. Each block represented an amount of ten squares, and each single square

represented ones. In instances when a student would get distracted, Ms. Whipple would quickly

let out any silly sound effect to catch their attention and bring their focus back to the board. This

was perfect example on how the teacher encouraged her students on learning. Furthermore, when

motivating them, Ms. Whipple did in fact use various facial expressions that portrayed how the

student should feel towards whatever matter. When speaking about learning something new, her

facial expression became very bright and happy, while her voice, simultaneously, reached a

higher pitch. On the other hand, when the kids had time to think amongst themselves, Ms.
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Whipple proceeded to express a frowny/ struggling face to show the kids, that it is acceptable to

have a difficult time when thinking about a solution. Along with her facial expressions and fun

vocal tones, she also used gestures to explain any type of scenario.

Throughout the math lesson, students with the motivation to learn or who were kind

enough to help their classmates are always rewarded with orange slips known as power paws.

These power paws definitely give positive affections on the children. Everyday, these kids come

into class motivated and further express their motivation through the correct behavior. They now

have embedded the idea of a reward into their mind and will continuously act with respectful and

a polite manner towards their classmates. These rewards, during my observation, have shown a

student, Mara, to politely ask her neighbor to refrain from speaking when Ms. Whipple is talking.

The instructor, I think, has done an excellent job with motivating and encouraging her students to

do the best of their abilities everyday they walk into her classroom.

Reflection

Through this observation, I learned a lot about effective classroom environment and

effective instructional strategies. Specifically, when teaching a group of young kids, like Ms.

Whipples first grade class, using facial expression and hand signals can strongly impact the way

the kids grasp the information given to them. Also, beginning class every morning with

designated procedures can definitely help the students gain a sense of maturity and responsibility.

When becoming a teacher, I will certainly use most of these in my classroom. One in particular

would have to be the way Ms. Whipple lets the children rate themselves on their cooperation

because it helps them become better students. Plus, it gives them the chance to politely ask their

classmates to behave when they are doing differently. The one thing I would do differently is on

the disciplinary aspect. I believe that only giving warnings is not as effective because the
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students will keep misbehaving unless they receive some type of consequence. If a student

continuously shows they cannot focus and become a distraction to their peers, as a teacher, I

would ask them to stay in for recess and/or their lunch time. Since the student decide to waste

time and intervene between his/her classmates learning time, then it is only fair if I take away

some of their free time.

Admirably enough, Ms. Whipple is a great educator. Furthermore, her ways are perfect

for the age she chose to teach. I, personally, am not aiming to teach such a young age, and is the

only reason I would discipline the students differently. Although, when becoming a teacher, I

hope to adapt to every kids needs, especially because all kids learn differently and all require my

time and effort to be put in at all times. With my personal effect classroom environments and

instructional strategies, I believe my classroom and students will work tirelessly to succeed and

grow from one another.