EEA202

Assessment 2
Student Name: michelle Heaslip
Student Number: 11344297
Degree: Bachelor of Education k-12
Campus: Bathurst
Stage three classroom

Personal Philosophy (750 words)

I believe that in order to effectively teach the students in my class I need to be prepared with many strategies to manage and teach the students before entering the
classroom. In order to prevent student indiscipline, strategies should be devised before entering the classroom. Before entering the classroom, I would ensure that I was
aware of any disabilities that would affect the students in my class, I would ensure that I have investigated possible strategies that could assist the students to reach their full
potential. Before entering my classroom, I would have prepared engaging lessons that are relevant to all the students in my class. The lessons that I would plan will cater to
many of Gardners Multiple Intelligences, Gardner (1995) believes children and adults have at least eight distinctly different abilities or Multiple Intelligences (Teresa
Mcdevitt, 2013). These lessons would be relevant to the students and their lives outside of school so that the students could see that the experiences and knowledge they
are gaining is important and relevant to them.
Within my classroom there will be increased emphasis on communication between myself and the students, and between the individual students. In my class I would like the
students to feel they can answer questions and speak in class without fear of being embarrassed, according to Brown (2005) effective communication is the basis of
developing an environment of mutual respect between students and teachers (Brown, 2005). Brown (2005) emphasises that effective communication increases the
likelihood that students will be willing participants in class. In my classroom I will utilise a variety of different methods to teach the students so that all learning styles are
catered for, all students learn in different ways some need active and hands on activities to learn the required content, other students need to work as part of a group, some
students need a quiet space where they can work without distraction. I will have prepared various activities to allow for the different learning styles that will be present in the
classroom. My lessons will also be designed to allow for students who are at different academic levels.
By being aware of my beliefs in regards to why students behave the way they do, I will be able to prevent indiscipline before it occurs when possible or take actions to
minimise the indiscipline when it occurs. Students misbehave for many reasons one major reason is because their needs are not being met. According to McDonald (2013)
these needs are features of the circle of courage and are: belonging, mastery, generosity and independence. This concept of the students having needs that they require to
be met or misbehaviour will occur is reiterated in William Glassers: Choice Theory (1998). Glasser promotes positive behaviour through the development of an
environmental system that satisfies needs (Michael Arthur-Kelly, 2003). Students will also often misbehave if they are not engaged in the lesson. This can be due to a
dislike of the teacher, the students lack of interest in the content and perhaps the student does not feel the content is relevant to them and their lives.
In my classroom I will implement a set of rules that have been developed by the students that aligns with a set of guidelines that I have given them. This will allow for the
students to take responsibility for their own behaviour by developing the rules they are to abide by it will also enable the students to see the reasons why these are the set
rules. Within my classroom I will assist the students to become in control and responsible for their actions so that any incidences of misbehaviour can be minimised and
quickly brought under control. There will be consequences for the indiscipline, these will be appropriate for the students age and cognitive development for example if a
student was capable of completing the set work in the time frame allowed but has chosen not to then they would be required to remain after class, during lunch or recess to
complete the work. However, if the student had a very good reason for not being able to complete the work for example they have been diagnosed with autism or ADHD
then I would not expect the work to be completed all the time therefore they would not be required to remain after class but they would need to catch up another time.

Learning Space Design

Smart
board

whiteboa
rd

whiteboa
rd

Resource storage

Teacher desk

Soft
chair

Floor
seatin
g area

Beanbag
s

Book
shelves

Class
library
Book shelves

Michelle Heaslip, 11344297

Work
tables
With
cushioned
chairs

Round table:
with soft
chairs,
cushioned
seats and
beanbags.

Student lockers/tote trays

whiteboard smartboard whiteboard

This table is for those who wish to work

alone or for a child who is easily
distracted by their peers

e
urc r
o
s
,
Re le fo , art
b
e
ta enc
sc i .
etc

Collaboratio
n mat

doo
r
Storage for resources and class ipads
and laptops

Windows

Sink

Storage
cupboar
d

windows

Timeout
beanbag

Resource
storage

door

Rationale of Design (250

words)

The classroom I have designed is an indoor classroom for stage 3. Within the classroom I have
placed two sets smart boards that are flanked by white boards so that the boards are easily viewed
from both the floor space and the work tables. The floor space and the work tables are separate in
the classroom to allow for easy transition from the two and also to allow students to use both areas if
they are completing group activities. The floor area is for any class discussions that occur at the
beginning or end of a lesson and for the introduction of new topics. The floor area has soft chairs that
are capable of seating three students and will be used as a reward for students who are listening well
or participating in class discussions. The classroom has a small class library to encourage the
students to read during their free time or if they have completed their set work early. The round
table is for class meetings or small group work, class meetings are held because theorists such as
Hobbs (1982) have proposed that group experiences (pow wows) or class meetings would assist
students in problem solving and to grow in competence and compassion (McDonald, 2013, p. 181).
The work tables area contains enough seating for all of the students with the two seats at the front of
the class being for students who need additional assistance with staying on task, for example
students who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The table is
located at the front of the class to eliminate distractions for these students.

Michelle Heaslip, 11344297

Class library
The class library is to encourage reading during free time and
when the students have completed the set work early. The
library has books and several eBook readers that allow for
many books to be stored without taking up any space on the
shelves. Marchionini and Maurer (1995) believe that digital
libraries will allow teachers and students to use information
resources and tools that have traditionally been physically and
conceptually inaccessible (Maurer, 1995), the e-readers allow
the students access to fiction and non-fiction books that
increases the quantity of books that they have access to.
Michelle Heaslip, 11344297

Space Number 2 and 3

Collaboration mat

McDonald (2013) states for many Aboriginal

students, learning in community is better than
learning in isolation, as is more common in
Western education settings (McDonald, 2013,
p. 265). The classroom therefore has a
collaboration mat to enable students who wish
to share ideas or clarify instructions are able to
go to the mat and communicate with their
classmates who also wish to collaborate on the
task. The students go to the mat so other
students are not disturbed by the task related
discussion. If the students needed assistance
from the teacher, they could then send a
representative to ask the teacher to come and
assist them.

Michelle Heaslip, 11344297

Time-out area

The time out area is a beanbag strategically placed in the

classroom so that it can be seen from both the floor area and
the work tables. the beanbag I not meant as a place of
punishment but somewhere students can go if they need a
break from the task to refocus on the work. According to
Mulligan (2001) time out zones are commonly used in
classrooms but as punishment for misbehaviour particularly in
relation to students with ADHD, in my classroom this is not the
case. The zone can be used by all students in the class.

tote trays and

lockers
The classroom has a tote tray for each
of the students to store their classwork
in the ensure that it is not damaged or
lost. The students also have a cubby
where they are able to store their
personal items so that the items do not
interfere with the students learning
during the day. The students having
their own personal place to store their
belongings assist the students to feel
that they belong in the class which is a
need that is identified by McDonald
(2013). According to McDonald this
need is an environment where all
students feel they belong and are
wanted and trusted in the learning
environment (McDonald, 2013, p. 8).

Michelle Heaslip, 11344297

ICT storage cupboard

The Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) storage

cupboard is in the classroom to ensure there is a safe and
secure place to store the class technology. The class has
enough Ipads and laptops for each students and one for the
teacher to use when necessary. The ICT plays a very important
role in the classroom which is partially due to theorists believing
that todays classrooms need internet access for research,
distributed multimedia curriculum online, access to digital
libraries, distance education courses and remote collaborative
tools (Eadie, 2001, p. 10). Access to all of these aspects of
technology allows increased opportunities to differentiate
content and lessons for their students.

Michelle Heaslip, 11344297

References
Brown, D. (2005). The Significance of Congruent Communication in Effective Classroom
Management. The Clearing House: A journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and
Ideas, 12-15.
Eadie, G. (2001). The impact of ICT on schools: Classroom design and curriculum
delivery. Schools for the future, 9-17.
Maurer, G. M. (1995). The roles of digital libraries in teaching and learning.
Communications of the ACM, 67.
McDonald, T. (2013). Classroom management. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Michael Arthur-Kelly, N. B. (2003). Classroom Management: creating positive learning
environments. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Teresa Mcdevitt, J. E. (2013). Child Development and education. Frenchs Forest:
Pearson.

Michelle Heaslip, 11344297