Portfolio of Jan Abernethy
Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
2a
Creating a unique classroom community begins the first day in my classroom every year. I show my students a PowerPoint presentation that has embedded slideshows from all of my classes from the past. Included are all of their names and all of the "special" projects they have done. By "special," I mean community projects or projects that make a difference. The last slide shows an "under construction" sign and challenges my new class to come up with a name and think about what they might do to change the world in the upcoming year. This year's class named themselves the Fantastic Ferrets. We discovered the Kid President videos. In these videos, a nine year old, tells adults to be less boring, tells us to treat everyone like it's their birthday and says everyone deserves a parade. Our class listened to him in the morning, and he gave us the energy to start our day and the resolve to make our mark on the world. Click below to see a Kid President video, our very own parade, and the beginning of the year introductory presentation.
DOMAIN TWO: THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
The physical space of my classroom doesn't change very often. It is generally set up as groups of desks with four to six students per group. I find this groups size to be most effective for behavior management and for most class projects. What does change, however, is the bodies behind the desks. Students move frequently in my classroom from one group of desks to another group of desks to another group of desks to whole group on the floor to whole group at their seats. Students rarely have the opportunity to use the word "bored" in my classroom.
Organizing Physical Space
2e
Managing Classroom Procedures
2c
To the casual bystander, my classroom may look like
chaos. Step into the room and stay a while and you
will realize that all of that chaos is calculated. Click
below to view videos of our morning routine. Note the
times on the videos. One is less than four minutes and
the other is less than six. You will be amazed at what a group of fifth graders can accomplish in that amount
of time. If that is chaos, the world needs a little more of it.
Establishing a Culture for Learning
2b
I use what I call the "Goal Sheet" to establish a culture for learning in my classroom. Without it, I would not be able to individualize and differentiate my instruction to the extent that I do. By giving each student a list of goals at the beginning of the week, students can be working toward individual and collaborative goals while I work with students in small groups or individually. Click below to see an example of the goal sheet and to learn more about how I use it in my classroom.
One ding...quiet, two dings...come to the carpet...three dings...socialize with your neighbor. Pavlov's dog has nothing on us when it comes to the bell! The bell is a nice way to get everyone to pay attention, and the students enjoy using it when it's their turn to present in front of the class, too. Beyond getting the class quiet, it seems hard to imagine what managing student behavior looks like. Click on the bell below, and find out why behavior problems are at a minimum in the Fantastic Ferret classroom.
2d
Managing Student Behavior
