Classroom Management Essay

During my classroom observation, I observed the classroom of Mrs. Shanesta Pettway. Mrs. Pettway is a 9th grade history teacher at Jeff Davis High School. She runs a very structured class with a well plan classroom management plan. Mrs. Pettway follows a strict schedule during the 50 minutes of class time that students follow such as 15 minute bell ringer at the beginning of class, 15 minutes of lecture and class participation, and 15 minutes of section review assessment questions. She utilizes the final five minutes for students to put away books and prepare for their next class. Her classroom management plan does not allow students much time to talk or interact with each other. Her transition from the bell ringer to the class lecture was very smooth and the students seem to be in routine with moving from one assignment to the next. I believe her daily schedule is a great method of classroom management because it helps her to keep the students on track. Interaction with Students Mrs. Pettway fully interacts with her students throughout the class period. She walks also the classroom and monitors the progress of each student and makes sure they are staying on task with their assignment. She gets students involved in the discussion questions by randomly calling on them to answer questions. When her students have questions or do not understand information about their assignment, she provides them feedback to get them back on the right track. Classroom Setup The classroom is set up with 27 students. The students’ desks are all facing the front of the classroom. Her class consisted of a whiteboard, smart board, and projector. Mrs. Pettway desk is also stationed at the front of the classroom where she is able to see each student. The students are seated  in the classroom in alphabetical order facing the white board where the objectives and assignments and daily schedule were placed visible to the students. She also has two tables in the classroom that are seated away from the rest of the class for students with behavior issues. Classroom rules are placed on the wall near the entrance of the classroom visible for all students to see as they enter the classroom. Examples and Incidents of Mutual Respect Mrs. Pettway seems to be the person controlling the class at all times. She has built a personal rapport with students and they have a lot of respect for her. Mrs. Pettway greets the students by theirs name as they enter the class. When students want to get her attention they raise their hand, she acknowledges them and provides them with an appropriate answer. For example, when Mrs. Pettway was during her lecture, all students were attentive and listening. Her class exhibited no behaviors or distractions during class time. She also gives her students mutual respect by acknowledging and praising them for engaging in class discussion and completing the classroom before the end of class. Preventive Procedures and Activities At the beginning of class, Mrs. Pettway had already had her books turned to the chapter that she would be lecturing from. She also had the students’ assignments for the day listed on the board so they would know what the tasks were for the day. Her lesson was prepared before class and she was confident in the information she was teaching. The class activities were in line with the lecture and class discussion that was previously discussed and they were engaging and seemed to be interesting for the students. Discipline model used in the classroom and school The discipline model that was used in the classroom was to separate the students that had disruptive behavior from the rest of the class. She stated that she uses this model because it helps to cut down on the distractions and helps the rest of the class stay on track. Another discipline that she uses is parent teacher conferences for students with disruptive behavior. The schools discipline policy of disruptive behavior usually result in ISS in school suspension, detention, or suspension away from school. How does the teacher deal with a parent or guardian of a disruptive child? Mrs. Pettway stated that she holds parent or guardian conferences for her students often. If a student is being disruptive in the classroom, she makes contact with the parents or guardian for a conference to discuss the behavior. Mrs. Pettway stated that she deals with a parent or guardian of a disruptive child in a calm and professional manor. She discusses the student’s behaviors with the parents and possible solutions. She also stated that she works closely with the parents to set achieve goals for their child, monitor their behavior and holds follow up conferences with the parents to determine if the student’s behavior is improving. In conclusion, I learned how to effectively run a classroom management plan. The classroom observation was very informative and a great learning experience. I discovered different ways to deal with classroom behavior without affecting the learning of the other students in the classroom. I really enjoyed this classroom observation experience.