Classroom+Learning

To establish a kindergarten classroom that creates the most positive learning environment teachers can look at the opinions of Piaget, Vygotsky and Bandura. Piaget states that a child's development depends on their interaction with the environment. Kindergarten students are probably in the pre-operational stage- they are dealing with language, concepts and symbols. The children are using symbols to represent objects. Its important to remember that children don't have a sense of time at this point, and that they tend to think others see situations from their views and that they take information to fit what they know. Teachers can use their knowledge of these stages to build closer relationships with their students. Teachers can ask the students how they feel and create an open environment for their students. For example, when kindergarten students are upset they cry or whine, teachers should ask the students what is wrong and instead of telling them to be quiet, teachers can create a "safe place" in the corner of the room where students can calm down and think about why they are upset. Knowing that they can express how they feel in an open environment will make the students more comfortable with the teacher.

Kinesthetic learning is really important for this stage as well. Vygotsky thinks that learning precedes development. He believes in cooperative learning, which is something we could definitely bring into our classroom as well as scaffolding, another viewpoint of Vygotsky. We can use that scaffolding technique as well. As teachers, we should be aware that children need guidance until they are ready to do the activities on their own. Teachers should not smother their students but, help them when they need it.

Bandura states that people learn from one another. So, like Vygotsky, cooperative learning and scaffolding could be really beneficial in our classroom. Since we are talking about Kindergarten, perhaps learning centers and one on one attention with older students, for example, reading or the buddy system, would be helpful to model positive student conduct. Teachers should model good learning habits, for example, if the teacher asks the students to read silently, the teacher should read silently too. Teachers should make a set of rules for their students and enforce the rules the same with every student. Teachers can give rewards (extra free time or snacks) and punishments (time out) to give the students motivation to do well. If teachers treat all students the same and enforce the rules like they say they will, the students will know the consequences and hopefully, follow them. If students see their friends getting in trouble, they will learn not to do the things that got their friends in trouble in the first place.

A good idea to add is a game that teachers can play on the first day of school. You get a beach ball and write various questions on it like "what yours favorite thing to do?" or "what is your family like?" any kind of questions that make you and the other students learn about each other. Once that is done you toss the ball and whatever question a student lands on when they catch is what they answer. This activity can help you as the teacher as well as have a sense of control and behavior standards when playing!!

Communication with fellow professional educators. **It is really important to get information and ask questions to other coworkers who have been there longer, or even those who have not. You can share successes in the classroom and you can share things that don't work. In Harry Wong's video he states that being a great teacher is using other people's ideas that work, he encourages you to be an informational thief- he highly encourages teachers to collaborate and share information.** A change in the physical environment. **If I were to be hired as a paid intern, right away, I would change up the way the chairs are, and make a new seating chart. I think it is important the the student's don't dwell on the way things were before and you want them to realize there is a new teacher and a new classroom layout and seating chart could help portray that message.** A method to present yourself to the students as professional, different from the previous teacher and in charge. **As I stated before, a seating chart. Additionally, something routine, like Bellwork could be presented daily. Explain the instructions to the students, "I expect you, everyday, to come in, have a seat and finish your bellwork. You will have 5 minutes. " Of course this depends on the age of the students as well.** A method or methods to get to know each student well. **Hopefully you will already know the students names. If not, table tents are great! Also, if you do know names but not a lot about the students, you could play a game, or have the students do a "get to know each other" activity"** A plan to develop new classroom rules or procedures and practice them until they are routine and a set of consequences when necessary - Remember, if you chose a consequence that removes a student from the room through administrative referral to the office, that student will be back tomorrow and maybe empowered in his peers view. Only send someone out if there are no other solutions. A student cannot learn outside of your class and it is dangerous to turnover your disciplinary issue to another person, even a skilled administrator. **As I have mentioned, I think routine is really important. I also think that students need to know your expectations. You need to let the students know how you want them to behave and what you want them to be doing. For example, the bellwork is a good way to get the class started in an orderly, focused manner. If students are being disruptive, walk over while they are teaching. Sometimes just being in their proximity will have them behave better. Also, perhaps moving their seat, if the students around them are also causing issues.**

Communication with parents or guardians. Communicating with guardians is very important when you are running a classroom. Aside from newsletters and a syllabus, teachers might need to call the parents of the student if the student is continually being disruptive and other disciplinary actions have already been tried. After speaking with the teacher I volunteer for now, I learned that some parents are overly involved, some are not involved at all and some are involved when they need to be. The other day, the teacher I work with called a students mom because he was continually being disruptive, the boy immediately started crying (this is a kindergarten class), this showed me that students are afraid to call their parents and this is a good way to enforce discipline but only when needed.

Commuication skills are big in schools. A good idea would be have to students communicate in different forms like writing, singing, poems or letters. Whatever way they feel more comfortable with. I mean they can communicate about anything what they like or dont like, whats happenin in their life good or bad. Talking or writing is a great way for students to express what ever they are feeling and hopefully with someone they can trust and learn from, the teacher! (This reminds me of the movie Freedom Writers, the students wrote in journals to express their life until they were able to talk to someone about it!)