Organization and Grading
Organization
My classroom management skills is molded around the recommendations from the book Discipline in the Secondary Classroom by Dr. Randell Sprick. Below is a chart that is designed to show the different types of organizational structure and techniques used in my classroom along with the affects.
Medium Structure
My classroom is designed through a medium structure. This type of structure allows my students to have liberties while I still have control of the classroom. For example, students are allowed to leave their seats to grab material or sharpen pencils without having to ask me for permission. This type of structure allows students to develop some autonomy while still maintaining control and structure.
Teacher Led Instruction
According to Sprick, teacher led instruction creates a “great way to generate classroom momentum.” This type of instruction gives students the ability to start thinking about the subject or unit by activating their background knowledge. 30% of the class time is spent with me explaining or teaching while 70% is student based learning.
Access
Sprick also explains the importance of students having access within the classroom. One of the most important ways I implement this in my classroom is through desk arrangement. All desks are arranged in a way where it is easy for me to travel through the rows and groups. However, once my pattern of walking becomes obvious, I then tend to change up the pattern in which I check on students. This helps keep track of students' work while ensuring they are staying on the topic.
Effective Classroom Procedures
One common classroom disruption that teachers face is lack of procedures or too complicating procedures for students to understand. There are several suggestions from Sprick that I have implemented within my classroom to limit these types of disruptions. An example of these suggestions would be how students enter my classroom and get situated once inside the room. All students are aware that they are to enter my classroom in a respectful way, there will be no running or being on their phone; once inside the classroom students will get their notebooks out and start working on their science question of the day that is located on the board. Another way that I have implemented Sprick suggestions is the way I get my students attention to focus on me. The technique I use to get their attention to the front of the room is to start playing a song that we selected at the beginning of the week, once the song stops all focus must be on me. I have realized that by uses these techniques it helps establish positive habits and promotes order within the classroom
Sprick, R. S. (2013). Discipline in the secondary classroom: A positive approach to behavior management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand.
Grading System
This is a breakdown of my grading and how much each category is weighted.
Ms. Pillay's Grading
Participation 5%
Classwork 10%
Homework 10%
Test 40%
Lab Reports 15%
Research Project 20%
Total 100%