Samantha Hess

K. Schirner
Foundations of Education

I. Observation 2:
Guidance/Behavior Management

II. Grade:
Preschool, ages 2-3

III. Students:
6 boys, 1 girl

IV. Setting:
Raritan Valley Community College Daycare, 1 Teacher, 2 assistant teachers

V. Pre-Observation:
For this observation I thought it would be best if I would switch between
writing for a bit, and interacting so I can really see how they behave and how
the teachers deal with it and try to manage their students behavior.

VI. Data:
In the 2-3 year old classroom is the age where they are just beginning to learn
classroom rules and how to behave in school. It is the teacher’s job to show
them how to behave properly. I noticed that the teachers in the classroom
would correct a students behavior in a positive way. For example, one of the
boys in the class was running and instead of saying do not run, they say,
“walking feet”. The children respond better to this. If you say do not run, all
the children hear is the word run. The teachers in this classroom try to refrain
from saying from saying “don’t” and try to correct them in a better way
(Sunbury, What To Say Instead Of “NO!”). Some of the younger children in
this room do not use much vocabulary yet, and are still in the stage of whining
and crying to express themselves. The teachers really try to get them to talk
more to explain what is wrong or what they want. They tell those certain kids
often “use your words”. A good thing the teachers do here is get eye level
when talking to the children. Especially when they are trying to reinforce
rules. There are a few boys in the classroom who constantly run. Even when
being told to walk or “walking feet” they do not listen. One of the teachers
will get to eye level and tell them that if they cannot walk then they will do a
seated activity. One thing the children are very good at with no trouble is
clean up. Before they go outside or move on to another bigger activity they
are told they have to clean up. They know that they will not be able to go do
the things they want to do until they clean up so they all help cleaning up. The
teachers have taught the children to say please, thank you, get most things for
themselves, and throw their garbage away. The teachers talk to the kids a lot.
 Their behavior is better the more teachers interact with them. You want to get
the children very into activities, and into conversations.

VII. Analysis:
I feel that the way the teachers guide the children to behave better works.
They do and say all of the right things at the right times and it seems to stick
with the children. A way I know that the rules are used often is that sometimes
if a student is not listening, there will be one or two students that will go over
and tell them the rules. The students are learning how to act at school and I
could see it working.

VIII. Recommendations:
I would recommend that when the teachers are telling the children to walk that
they should get down to their level and tell them. When you are just shouting
it out in the classroom the students do not really listen, they might not even
notice that you are talking to them. I like the other things the teachers did, like
telling some students to use their words, you want to get them to express
themselves verbally instead of you guessing and saying words for them.

IX. Post-observation:
My observation for guidance and behavior management went well. I can tell
each time that I go to observe that the rules and guidelines do work. Any time
I helped the children with anything I would always hear a please and a thank
you. I can tell each time I go back that the children are slowly getting better at
not only remembering, but following the rules.

X. Citation page:
Sunbury, Lisa. "What To Say Instead Of "NO!"" Regarding Baby. N.p., 5
Nov. 2011. Web.