Classroom Management Strategies in a First-Grade Classroom, Assignments of Educational Psychology

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Observations

1. How would you describe the environment of the classroom, including organization, materials, seating arrangement, visual aids, etc.? When you walk into the classroom it is very organized there are cubbies to the left when you come through the door. There are 4 tables with 11 chairs around the table. The educator has put 3 pencil holders with all the supplies the children might need, including glue, scissors, and pencils. She has also put tissue boxes on the tables. Once the children finish their work, they put it into their assigned cubbies. The teacher’s desk is in the back of the room with organizers and more supplies that children won’t need right now but may need later there are bookshelves on both sides of the room with chairs for students to utilize in quiet time. This educator has also put on the wall the daily schedule and other posters to help the students stay on track and prevent questions of “When is lunch, gym, or recess?” this can be especially helpful for curious students. The educator also has a fidget box so students do not use other supplies inappropriately.
2. How does the teacher create an environment conducive to group learning activities? The educator has created an environment where students can be creative and learn. They work on their work and if they get stuck they may ask their neighbor for help. The students are placed on the 6 tables with each student having one or two neighbors.
3. How did the teacher prepare students for group learning activities? How were expectations communicated? The educator talks in a clear loud voice so the whole room can hear the instructions. She states to them the expected behavior and how to ask questions. She is very clear to the students that they must behave and use appropriate language when talking to each other. She states the consequences for behaving inappropriately. I have observed that many students love to use scissors as fidgets, and she has to remind them. When it is time to transition, she warns the students and sets a 5 minute timer to prepare them for lining up and moving from the class.
4. What student behavioral situations did you observe during group learning activities? I observed a very well-behaved group of children. The students did try to play with scissors or color on their pages instead of creating words for summer. The educator always redirects them, and they listen. They were rocky on lining up for P.E. but she reminded them that safety will keep them from getting hurt or falling. I observed that the children have different 504 plans and IEP’s one student, in particular, has special needs but is supported very well and treated with a lot of respect and love from her classmates. One boy keeps approaching me because he is very curious about my attendance. He has come to tattle to me about other students and ask me questions about his instructions but the educator always redirects him. In the library, students sat in a circle and listened to the story. This day is the last library day for the students and I am happy to observe the bitter-sweet moments for the librarian reading and teaching

students what non-fiction books are and what a biography is. The librarian handles the students who are getting too noisy by asking for the students to raise their hands, and be respectful of the other students who want to share their stories. The class is very well managed. The educator has taught her students appropriate behavior, silent walking for transitions, and keeping their noses clean. Many of the students have runny noses and coughs but she takes very good care of them.

5. How did the teacher deal with behavioral situations during group learning activities? The educator was very quick and strict about the rules. Students who misbehave must sit out to prevent a situation from becoming unsafe. During physical education, if they did not follow instructions or displayed unsafe behaviors they would have a time-out. The educator is strict about bullying and mistreating others i observed her many times redirecting students and giving them warnings. She was very patient and calm with student with a tone of “I mean business” Students will always test the boundaries but it is important to redirect student all the way to the last day of school. If teachers do not stick to rules the classroom will fall apart.
6. If no behavioral situations were observed, what strategies did the teacher employ to prevent them? I did observe some students who misbehaved. One student was removed from the class because they were causing distractions and was moved to the room across the hall. He is farther behind in the lesson because he was reluctant to start his work package. For other students, it is easier for them to follow instructions or be redirected. She will tell the students to not play with their scissors and get a fidget out of the fidget box. Interview Questions
7. How did you develop your classroom management plan? Is it written? It was written down. She has been to a lot of training and at the beginning of the school soar posters which is a part of VB public school PBIS. She builds classroom expectations at the beginning of the day at the morning meeting.
8. Were you able to choose your own classroom management model and behavior management system? Yes and no it is a combination of things she uses and what is expected from the schools division. All of what she does supports the division so it was easy.
9. Were you able to accommodate your personal philosophies with the school’s initiatives?

Yes, she must teach the curriculum so she is able to incorporate her personal philosophies.

4. What are you doing visually and systematically in the classroom to support classroom management? When the room is put together the SOAR wall gives the expectations she has fidgets and many other things to support the student’s needs.
5. How do you create an environment conducive to group learning activities? Teach the expectations of how to work in a group. She teaches leadership and how to conduct themselves in learning as a whole.
6. How do you deal with behavioral situations during group learning activities? Promoting options on what they need. “Do you need the sit-down corner, do you need a break?” she always uses first and then phrases.
7. How do you set the expectations for group learning activities? She teaches her students how to handle job roles, compromise, it’s okay when things fail, and how to try again.
8. What strategies are the most beneficial when managing group learning activities? How you partner up your children first. It is very important to group children up so they can succeed. Reflection From my observations, I believe that I will use a lot of her techniques in the future. Kelly Gregory is a seasoned educator, and she is working on a thesis paper right now to further her education. I found that piece of information to be inspiring to me. I would love to continue to further my career after I graduate with my bachelor’s. Her students knew all the procedures except one or two students who were getting up from their seats and throwing things across the room. She would send the students to the educator’s class across the hall. I am not sure what that classroom is, but I would guess that it’s a room for when children in the first-grade hall are displaying dangerous behaviors. I would use her idea of having fidgets for the students. I had never seen it before in a class, but I do think it helped students stay in their seats and be more quiet. The students were almost in their last week, so many of the educator posters were down, and they did not have much work to finish. Their transitions were flawlessly executed. The students in her class were all very sweet. A child in the class had some physical and developmental delays, but all of the students played with her, helped her, and fully embraced her

as a classmate and friend. Kelly has done a great job of managing her classroom and teaching her students to love and accept their classmates. The environment was safe and welcoming. Kelly had a schedule on the wall for students so they knew when transition times were. She would also give the class a heads-up and set a timer for 5 minutes, which would alert the children that it was time to line up. Both of those procedures made the class run smoothly, and I will be using those strategies in my classroom. When the children were in PE class, they behaved and listened as if Kelly were in the room with them. The gym teacher did have to do some redirecting, but the classroom meshed well with the other classes that joined for PE. I did not observe students displaying dangerous behaviors, but I did observe tantrums, such as when they didn’t win a game or couldn’t be the person who was “it” for red light and green light. I believe that these 5 hours I spent with the classroom have helped me to see what it is like in a first-grade class in 2024. Today’s first-grade class is very different than my first-grade class in 2006. I feel it has changed for the better, especially with all of the new techniques for teaching. When I was in first grade, I was even scared to speak because of the consequences I could face if I got into trouble or were bullied. Now in this school, I see children who get along and are all friends, no matter what they look like or what developmental level they are on.