Affects of a Caring Community

9/26/2012 EDT 473E A Jennifer Isbell

Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 Abstract In this inquiry project I focused on how a caring community can affect the discipline structure in a classroom. During my field experience I observed how social and emotional interactions are approached. I also wanted to see if social and emotional interactions are addressed in class or in the curriculum.

Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 Inquiry Project Inquiry Question: Can a caring community create a classroom structure that can build relationships and resolve discipline issues without having traditional punishments or disciplines used? Personal Narrative: When I was in elementary school I was diagnosed with a learning disability so I was placed in a special education class for a portion of the day. In the special education classroom we had created a classroom family. We all looked out for each other and there was minimal misbehavior, but when we went to other classrooms this caring structure was not in place. Most of the boys I was in class with had behavioral problems throughout the rest of the day but not while in the special education classroom. While I was in school, I was able to see the effects that a caring community could have on one single classroom. While in the special education classroom we felt secure, we all had struggles in some area of learning so we didnt name call or say negative things to one another. This wasnt the case in other classrooms, other students often made fun of us for our disabilities. In the special education classroom this was never allowed and our teacher always told us that it wasnt that we arent smart, it was just that we learned differently than the other kids. This made us feel good about ourselves and made us feel secure in that classroom. Now as an adult I am still seeing this struggle between the types of classroom structure and how that allows the teacher to respond to situations. I work at a child care center and had to struggle daily in trying to create a caring community when the center itself didnt have this type of discipline structure. The child care center I work at does not teach curriculum, so it is not as structured as some other centers. We also have a large range of kids from kindergarten to middle
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 school. Even with a less structured environment I still struggled with creating a caring environment and maintaining authority. One of the children enrolled in the center I work at has extreme anger management issues. If this student had an episode it often took the full attention of at least one if not multiple workers which left the other children without very much guidance. When this child became violent, we didnt have a caring plan or a structure to deal with this and still carry on with the normal activities the other children were doing. Our child care center did not fully create a caring community which I think might have contributed to the behavioral problems we experienced. On occasions when I was this childs teacher, I often talked to him about his emotions as well as the children around him to try to get him to understand that his actions affect those around him. After experiencing this, I began to wonder how other center or even schools handle children who have behavior issues and what structures they have in place to do so. Literature Review: When I began looking into classroom discipline structures, I discovered that there is a growing trend in developing social and emotional connections to promote appropriate behavior and that there is a move away from the traditional reward and punishment systems. Researchers and educators have promoted alternatives and supplements to traditional classroom management approaches (Bailey, 2000; Brophy, 1999; Dollard & Christensen, 1996; Smart, 2010), many of which incorporate the use of social and emotional learning. (Caldarella, Gunter & Page, 2012, p. 589) While reading Learning To Trust I saw that the Child Development Project was adopting these similar beliefs of developing social and emotional skills and a move away from Assertive Discipline. While in my field placement, I will need to determine whether my cooperating teacher is using a traditional discipline model or a discipline model that utilizes social and
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 emotional decisions. Traditional discipline models often rely on punishments rather than positive enforcers to modify student behavior. One way to incorporate a social and emotional model of discipline that has changed the classroom structure is that the students are more involved in classroom decisions. In Two Teacher Narratives this change can be seen, When the meeting began, I wondered what would become of the issue. I could not anticipate what the children would say or how the decisions would be made, andcontrary to the admonishments of classroom managersI did not have a preplanned conclusion (Leafgren, 2004, p.135). Having class discussion to establish rules is a great way for students to see what everyone thinks is socially acceptable and sees how the different options will make other students feel. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process by which children learn to recognize emotions in themselves and others, manage their own emotions, develop empathy, make good decisions, establish constructive friendships, and handle challenges successfully (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], 2003) (Caldarella et al, 2012, p. 590). By discussing class issues students can see how each student feels and other viewpoints that differ from their own. Leafgren (2004) states, The process of discussion and looking carefully at one another and at feelings was enough to cause the children to rethink their behavior toward each other and the imposed situation of lines. Most children conscientiously left spaces for children who left their place, and the most generous and generative acts were directed toward Daiyaan (Leafgren, 2004, p. 142). Understanding the emotions of other students allowed for a positive behavior change. A rule wasnt necessary to establish for the students behavior to change in a way that all the students thought was fair. Classroom meetings are a great way to facilitate caring relationships in classrooms; Lauras classroom is an excellent example of this. Watson (2003) states, Laura began every day
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 with a class meeting. She used these informal morning meetings to touch base with all her students, to give her students a chance to touch base with one another, to introduce the days work, and to set the tone for the day (Watson & Ecken, 2003, p. 81). Classroom meetings can be used as a time to model appropriate social interactions, to share stories and feelings and to build a trusting environment. In Leafgrens narrative meetings are also addressed, So the following morning the class addressed the issue as a topic at our daily meeting. While the meeting is not the focus of the statement you have a better view of the kind of classroom structure that was in place. Her students felt comfortable enough in their environment not only to discuss an issue that arose but to resolve it while considering everyone in the class feelings. In my field placement, I will observe whether classroom meetings are utilized to discuss situations and emotions with her students or whether the students are disciplined without this discussion. I will also try to determine, by the language that is used, whether students have been taught skills to hold these types of discussions. In Learning To trust Watson (2003) stated, They had many skills to learn, and they had to develop trust, the capacity for empathy, and an understanding of the importance of collaboration, in relationships. They had to construct and, for many, reconstruct their basic understanding of social relationships, as well as acquire the skills involved in communication and negotiation (Watson & Ecken, 2003, p.70). Social and emotional development must be worked into the curriculum of the classroom, sometimes by directly teaching about social and emotional interactions or more subtle approaches to the subject. While in field I will observe if emotions and social interactions are directly discussed or indirectly worked into other curriculum areas, such as incorporating literature that discusses positive social interactions and ways to handle emotions. While in field I will need to pay strict

Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 attention to how conflicts are handled, whether they are discussed considering all parties emotions, or are resolved quickly through the teachers interpretation of the conflict. Most of the research I found not only discussed having class meetings and talks but also creating positive friend or school family relationships. As students and teachers engage in helpful acts, fulfill responsibilities, creatively solve problems, resolve conflict, and demonstrate care for others, the school family is enhanced so it can provide a sense of belonging, interdependence, and safety (Bailey, 2000). The positive relationships within the school family become the fundamental motivation for students to choose appropriate classroom behaviors. (Caldarella et al, 2012, p.592) Building strong relationships in the classroom cuts down on problem behaviors and creates a safe learning environment where more focus can be put on curriculum. These types of relationships can be seen in Laura Eckens classroom as well, She made it clear that refusing to work with a partner is unacceptablea violation of their moral obligation to treat others kindly and respectfully (Watson & Ecken, 2003, p.65). I think that when using a classroom structure based on social and emotional behavior it is vital to build kind and trusting relationships between students and their teacher. Context: For my field experience I was placed at Creekview Elementary School in Middletown Ohio. The schools current designation is continuous improvement but Creekview did not meet adequately yearly progress and only one of the eight state indicators was met. The average daily student enrollment is four hundred and ninety nine. Seventy one percent of the students attending the school are considered to be economically disadvantaged with the median income being $37,808. The occupation of the majority of Middletown residents involves manual labor such as plastic and metal workers. The mission statement of Middletown school district is, The
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 mission of the Middletown City Schools is to provide our culturally diverse students with highlychallenging and engaging school work, which assists them in gaining valued knowledge and skills. We will continue to operate the district in a fiscally responsible manner with a priority of student achievement. In my observations I will try to determine if this mission statement is an accurate summation of the classroom experience. I am in a kindergarten classroom for my field placement. There are twenty-three students in this classroom. There are thirteen girls and nine boys. There are no exceptional learners in this classroom but there are seven struggling learners. This class is made up of seven African American students, one Hispanic student, and fifteen Caucasian students. The one Hispanic student that is in our class is bilingual, at home both of her parents speak Spanish and she can speak both Spanish and English. The classroom I am in for my field experience is very large with seven tables for the students to sit at. Most of the tables have four students at each; however there are three tables with only three students at them. There is a large teachers desk at the front of the room which houses her attendance sheets, computer, and lesson plans but she is rarely at this desk. There is also a teacher work table where my cooperating field teacher works with individual students during center time and also worked on projects during planning period. There is a large carpeted area in the back of the room where most of the school day is spent. On the back wall of the room a calendar, schedule, classroom jobs, and weather chart is posted. There are multiple centers around the room that the teacher has designated for center time, they are the computer center, reading center, word work, listening, journals, read the room and rhyming. In the front of the room there is an area for attendance and ordering lunch. Along the right side of the room there is a cubby for every child that includes a smaller storage area above them that has a stay here and a
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 take home side. There are multiple educational posters around the room such as the alphabet which is posted twice, colors which are also posted twice, the numbers one through ten and six shapes. Student work is posted in one place in the room. On the left side of the room above the three laptops is a word wall that contains all of the popcorn, or sight words, that the students know. As the students are taught more popcorn words they are added to the word wall for the students to reference. Most of the objects in the room are labeled for the students to read and reference if they need to write the word. The room is slightly cluttered but mostly organized. There is some parent involvement in the classroom but there could be more involvement in the classroom. Parents are encouraged to bring in snacks for the students to eat in the late afternoon. Most of the parents bring their children into the classroom in the morning and stay until they are settled in. My cooperating field teacher sends home a monthly newsletter as well as other letters to let parents know what is going on in the classroom. The first week I was in this classroom we had a costume parade which parents were encouraged to stay for. My cooperating field teacher often encourages students to read at home with their parents or family. One of the students guardians did not come in for conferences and he is struggling in class so my cooperating field teacher calls his home about two or three times a week and sends notes home in order to figure out how best to help the student. Method of Investigation: The first two days I am at my field placement I will observe how my cooperating teacher handles any problems or students who need extra attention. I will see if my cooperating teacher has any rules posted in the classroom and how students questions are handled. I will note students who seem to have behavior problems or which students ask for help often. This will

Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 help me to narrow my observations down to see the types of structures my cooperating teacher has in place. Once I have determined which students seem to require more attention than others I will watch their interactions with the teacher more closely. I will try to determine if there is a traditional discipline model or a discipline model that is based on social and emotional decisions is in place. I will see if the teacher seems to have the problematic students sit closer or further away from where they are currently teaching at. If I have the opportunity I will ask the teacher about her classroom rules. I will observe how emotions and social interactions are handled in the classroom. I will try to determine if any time has been put into building caring and trusting relationships in the classroom. I will try to determine if social and emotional learning has been worked into the curriculum or if it is directly taught to students. I will pay attention to how conflicts are discussed, whether they are discussed with all the parties in the situation or if they are quickly resolved by the teacher. Findings: The question I hoped to answer through my field experience was; can a caring community create a classroom structure that can build relationships and resolve discipline issues without having traditional punishments or disciplines used? The way I sought to find this was by observing how my field teacher handled problematic situations and students who need more attention. I also looked for any rules or behavior charts posted around the room to see the expectations students were held to. I planned to observe whether the teacher had problematic students sit closer or further from where she is instructing. I wanted to try to observe whether social and emotional interactions were taught and how they were handled.

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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 In my first few days of field I was able to identify the students that required more attention either due to their learning abilities or behavior problems. There were about three students who regularly disrupt class in one way or another. After I narrowed my main observations down to these three children I was able to observe the interactions between the teacher and these students as well as the interactions between these students and their fellow classmates. Also in the first few days of my field experience I looked for any rules or behavior charts that might be posted around the room. In the front of the room next to the door there is a poster of handwritten rules. One day during our planning period I asked my cooperating teacher whether these rules were school-wide or rules that she had created for her class. My cooperating teacher informed me that she had created this list of rules with the students the first week of school. She told me that she had a morning meeting and introduced the idea of creating their own classroom rules, she also said that when the students started listing rules they were things that they shouldnt do, rather than positive behaviors they should do. My cooperating teacher wanted to make the rules positive behaviors to do rather than things they shouldnt. In order to make the rules more positive my cooperating teacher took the students ideas and phrased them as positives rather than as negatives. The rules poster is labeled as Pawsitive Behavior and the rules are as follows; Use hands to help, Listen so we can learn, Be nice, Walk everywhere, Share, and Take turns. Another thing my cooperating field teacher did in the first week of school was to organize the groups for centers. The first week of school she chose not to have structured centers so that the students could move to different areas as they saw fit, as the students engaged in different activities my field teacher observed the interactions of the students. She then based her groups off of the interactions she saw between the students in order to have a nice working environment.

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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 When I asked my teacher about the classroom rules she also told me about a few changes she has made to her classroom discipline this year. This year the teachers are required to display their learning objectives, because of this she no longer had a space for a flip chart for student behavior. She began the year without the chart due to a lack of space and she decided not to use it this year because she wasnt seeing a lot of behavior problems. Another facet of my cooperating field teachers discipline model is what she calls paw print days. At the elementary school I was placed there is a behavior pledge that is said every day after the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge is, Today I expect to be the best possible me. Responsible, respectful and ready, Creekview cougars are all three. If my cooperating field teacher felt that the class had been responsible, respectful and ready that day she gives them a paw print sticker on a chart, after they get a certain amount the class receives a prize. While I was in field the class received their first paw print prize, they had accumulated twenty five stickers so they received cookies at snack time for their good behavior. A way that my cooperating field teacher tries to elicit good behavior from the students is not by pointing out and punishing bad or inappropriate behavior but by pointing out those who are engaging in good behavior. My cooperating field teacher often says, I love my kids who are sitting quietly reading, or I love my kids who are walking, or any other good, on task behavior. She points out good behavior so that students who arent making good decisions can modify their behavior based on the positive behavior model that the teacher has pointed out. One of the things that I hoped to be able to observe while in field was how my cooperating field teacher handled behavior problems in class. One day during our read aloud time one of the students was playing around and stepped on another students hand. My cooperating field teacher asked the student who had been playing around to apologize to the
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 student that they had stepped on and to tell the student why what they had done was not a good idea. Another situation that my field teacher needed to resolve was when one of our students was punched by a student with an exceptionality from another class during lunch. My field teacher explained to the student in her class that the student who had punched him is a little different and probably did not mean to hurt him. After she calmed him down and explained this to him he seemed to understand that it was probably an accident and was able to stop crying and move on with the day. The main way that my cooperating field teacher handles conflicts or problems is by having the students apologize and if they are still upset she typically has a one-on-one conversation with the student about the problem. Another thing that I had hoped to be able to observe while at my field site was whether social and emotional interactions were explicitly taught, worked into the curriculum, or addressed at all. There were two instances when I saw emotions being addressed in the curriculum, both of which were during read aloud time. When we read the book The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler my field teacher pointed out the facial expressions of the characters and asked the students what they thought that character was feeling. Throughout this book we discussed how characters actions or what they said affected the other characters and how they could tell this, which was mainly based on the facial expressions of the characters. Another time that emotions and social interactions were discussed was when we read the book The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano. In this book the main character Spookley is bullied by the other pumpkins because he is different. My cooperating field teacher lead a discussion about how Spookley probably felt when the other pumpkins were mean to him and how after he saved the day the other pumpkins were nice. One of the students pointed out that the other pumpkins were mean and they should have liked Spookley before he saved the
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 day. Based on these discussion I feel that social and emotional learning has been worked into the curriculum that as already in place. Discussion: The conversations that I was able to have with my cooperating field teacher and the observations that I made have brought me to the conclusion that she has recently started to shift from a traditional discipline model to one based more on social and emotional learning. I think seeing a classroom while it was in a transition between a traditional discipline model and one focused on a caring community really helped to inform my inquiry. One of the things that showed me that my cooperating field teacher was moving away from a traditional discipline model was the fact that she decided to get rid of her flip chart this year. This is a very small change but it shows a shift in the type of classroom environment that she is trying to create. In a traditional discipline model it is typical to punish negative behavior and not draw attention to positive behaviors. In the classroom I was in for field positive behavior was enforced daily by pointing out correct behavior, and by rewarding the students with a paw print on days when all students have behaved well. Students did have their recess taken away if they continued the negative behavior after several warnings but this was often a last resort. This shows a move away from the traditional model of discipline, where punishment would be the first step, to one that focuses on social and emotional development, where positive behavior is recognized and rewarded. Another way that my cooperating field teachers classroom structure differed from a traditional discipline structure was that she involved the students in classroom decisions. My field teacher chose to let the students create the list of classroom rules, while there were things she hoped to see on the list, she left it up to the students to decide what was important to them.
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 Another thing that my cooperating field teacher did was she often had the students vote on classroom decisions such as what type of face to carve into the pumpkin on Halloween. This may seem like a very small change from a traditional discipline model but it gets the students more involved in classroom decisions and activities. Morning meetings are a great way to build a caring community and a good time to introduce class decisions. The morning meetings that my cooperating field teacher had were weak in building this type of community however she used her read aloud time for this instead. during read aloud time my cooperating field teacher discussed emotions, social interactions and voted on classroom decisions. In a caring classroom community this type of interaction and discussion is typically done during morning meetings or classroom meetings but my cooperating field teacher chose to have these types of interactions during read aloud time. My cooperating field teacher used the books she was reading to the class as a medium to start discussions about social interactions and character emotions. While these types of discussions dont take place during a class meeting they are still having these discussions. By having these types of discussions it shows that there is some focus on social and emotional learning taking place in this classroom. Through my experience in field I think that I have found an answer to the question of whether creating a caring community can create a classroom structure where a traditional discipline model is no longer needed. My cooperating field teacher was transitioning between a traditional discipline model and one that focuses on social and emotional development, because of this the interactions I saw were a mix of the two systems. I realized that it can be hard to transition between a traditional discipline model, which relies mostly on punishments, to one that focuses on rewarding positive behavior. I did however see that a focus on positive behavior and
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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 rewarding good behavior can cut down on the amount of negative behavior seen in a classroom. I think that a strong focus on good behavior can be a model for students who are struggling to understand what they should be doing. In my future classroom I will strive to create a caring community form the beginning by discussing social and emotional issues, allowing students to participate in classroom decisions, and by pointing out positive behavior models for my students to base their behavior on.

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Jennifer Isbell EDT 473E A 9/26/12 Bibliography:

Bailey, B. (2000). Conscious discipline. Orlando, FL: Loving Guidance.

Brophy, J. (1999). Perspectives of classroom management: Yesterday, today and tomorrow. In H. J. Freiberg (Ed.), Beyond behaviorism: Changing the classroom management paradigm (pp. 43-56). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Caldarella, P., Page, N. W., & Gunter, L. (2012). Early childhood educators' perceptions of conscious discipline. Education, 132(3), 589-599.

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL]. (2003). Safe and sound: An educational leader's guide to evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. Chicago, IL: Author.

Dollard, N., & Christensen, L., (1996). Constructive classroom management. Focus on Exceptional Children Leafgren, S. (2004). Two teacher narratives. In Curriculum wisdom: Educational decisions in democratic societies (p. 135, 142). New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall. Smart, J., & Igo, L. (2010). A grounded theory of behavior management strategy selection, implementation, and perceived effectiveness reported by first-year elementary teachers. The Elementary School Journal. Watson, M., & Ecken, L. (2003). Learning to trust: Transforming difficult elementary classrooms through developmental discipline. (p. 70). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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