Feap 2

FEAP 2: The Learning Environment. To maintain a student-centered learning environment that is safe, organized, equitable, flexible, inclusive, and collaborative.

a. Organizes, allocates, and manages the resources of time, space and attention

The photo above is of reading centers taking place in my classroom. There is a timer displayed on the board so that the students can self-manage their progress. I am in the front of the class with a guided reading group.

b. Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system;

In our class, we use Class Dojo to manage behavior. Class Dojo is an app where teachers can reward or deduct points for student behavior in the classroom. The parents can log in throughout the day and view their child's behavior, which is updated in real-time.

c. Conveys high expectations to all students;

My blog entry entitled "Taking a Step backward In Order to Move Forward" is an example of how I have conveyed high expectations to all students, even those considered "below level." In this blog I explain how I differentiated my instruction in order to help two third graders understand a math concept after their peers had moved on. I believe a high standard should be held for all learners, as it shows we believe in the potential for all our students to be successful.

d. Respects students’ cultural and family background;

In the classroom, I communicate the importance of respecting each others' culture, ideas and background, and feel respect is the bases for effective cooperative learning. This respect should be modeled by me, the teacher, in order for the students to do the same. In my blog entitled "Teacher Behaviors" I wrote, "Fostering a cooperative learning environment will encourage the students to respect one another's opinions and view, and only provide constructive criticism. All classrooms should have a sense of community, but it is much more difficult to happen on its own when the students are culturally diverse. Cooperative learning will unite these cultures, and they will have opportunities to learn from each other's perspectives."

e. Models clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills;

During my Fall 2015 interbship in a 3rd grade classroom, I used the above anchor chart help students use appropriate sentence starters when citing text based evidence orally or in their writing.

f. Maintains a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness and support;

In my blog entry entitled "The Importance of Physical Environment," I wrote about how morning meeting areas are the "heart of the classroom" where students feel free to share the thoughts, ideas, and experiences aloud with their classroom. This semester I have used morning meetings to share what we did on the weekends, and the same area is used for read aloud and sharing work. The photo above is of an anchor chart students and I created together in our meeting area. The students responded to the prompt on post-it notes, shared their responses with peers, then stuck them on our "main idea flower."

g. Integrates current information and communication technologies;

Class Dojo, is a great way to keep parents up-to-date on the children's behavior, and I'm able to contact parents (and vice versa) via instant messenger. I also use this app to post pictures from honor roll assemblies, spirit days, etc, and reminders for parents.

h. Adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of students; and

i. Utilizes current and emerging assistive technologies that enable students to participate in high-quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals.

During my Fall 2014 internship, for the first time I had to use a hearing impaired microphone when communicating to the class. One boy in the class is hearing impaired and my CT wears a microphone that transmits to his hearing aid. The most amazing part about this is how responsible Charles is with his device. He always remembers to store it properly, and make sure it's fully charged. I learned about assistive technology in my Exceptionalities class in the Spring, but this was my first experience with one.