Running head: POSITIVE CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT

Educational Foundations, Law and Ethics

Positive Classroom Engagement
Paul La Marra, 103399308
05-80-205-04
University of Windsor
05-80-203
Monday, March 9th, 2015

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Positive Classroom Engagement

Teaching Philosophy
My beliefs are that a teacher should be the basis or foundation for all students learning.
The students being taught should be able to build on tools given to them by their teacher to help
them through the process of learning. I believe in an approach built through demonstration where
I can act as a role model to students. I help provide them with a starting point to instruction by
providing and demonstrating learning goals and by given students key instructions. From there
students have the autonomy to work on the process on their own. The students can adapt my own
methods to better suit their needs. This is an existentialist approach as the students have the
choice to develop their own learning techniques.
My role in this approach is to build relationships with these students in order to motivate
them to learn and become active members of the school. Taking skills learned from working with
in-risk youth as part of the L.E.A.D. program, these students have various learning styles and
abilities. I work with these students in being able to relate the content they learn in school to their
personal lives. I believe part of this is based on being personable with students and looking for
shared interests. Allows me to related content taught in class to the students daily lives. I provide
clear direction for students, so they have a clear understanding to where my teaching leads. Also,
based on experience on many different sports teams, students are required to share and

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collaborate their learning with others in their classrooms. Students learning improve when they
work together with peers to accomplish their goals.
Working within the framework of teaching personal and social responsibility through
physical education students first learn to develop respect for themselves and each other in the
classroom. From there, they have the tools to explore effort, which may include discovery and
personal definitions of success. Building on effort, students develop on-task independence and
carry out personal plans and goals. Once the effort is there, my students will develop care for
other and their work and hopefully be able to transfer the values and goals of this framework
outside the classroom.
Classroom Management Practices and Strategies
Looking at positive classroom management strategies, the common aspect of most
research is the quality of teacher-student relationship. Teachers who had high-quality
relationships with their students had 31 percent fewer discipline problems, rule violations, and
related problems over a year's time than did teachers who did not have high-quality relationships
with their students. (Marzano, 2013) As a pre-service teacher, developing that relationship with
students is essential to classroom management. Based on experiences in the classroom, those
students who I have developed some sort of connection with were the easiest students to manage
in a classroom setting.
A caring attitude is another practice that must be developed in order to ensure a
classroom that fosters student learning. Brown (2004) states that a teacher must provide a caring
attitude to students, especially in urban communities, as they may not get that caring attitude
from anywhere else. Also, the classroom must be an area where students feel comfortable and

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supported. My experiences working with in-risk youth as part of the lead program has shown that
for many students, you may be that only model of care they have.
Another key classroom management practice is establishing an appropriate level of
dominance. With the use of legitimate power (Parkay and Parkay, 2012), teachers are able to
manage a classroom based on given control by legal authority. Students want teachers that
provide a key purpose to their actions and provide strong guidelines. This is done by establishing
clear expectations and guidelines. This includes procedures for group work, seat work,
transitions, use of materials and procedures for the beginning and end of class. These rules
should be established collaboratively with the students at the beginning of the school year.
(Marzano, 2003) This encompasses the proactive and preventative models demonstrated by
Barbara Coloroso and Jacob Kounin. There models suggest establishing trust with students on
the outset, and allow students to police themselves. Teachers need to also facilitate student
behaviour during the execution of lessons. This can be done by acknowledging students
behaviour, both negatively and positively, providing a wide range of verbal and physical
reactions and cuing the class to expected behaviour like raising a hand. There should also be
tangible recognition to good student behaviour, enforcing the student in a positive way.
Another strategy is the establishment of learning goals. This coincides with the ideals of
the ministry of education in Ontario (2010) which suggests the use of learning goals as
assessment for learning. Marzano (2003) states that by providing learning goals, teachers offer
clarity about the content being taught and provide clear expectations of students. This can be
done by using rubrics to clearly state the learning goals for the particular area. Also, in a study
done on urban schools in the United States, students preferred the businesslike approach to their

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learning environment. This included structured routines and clearly stated expectations (Brown,
2004).
Co-operation with students is another essential strategy for developing a positive
classroom. The student and teacher must function as a team and collaborating on the
management strategies used in class. This collaboration was suggested earlier when talking about
setting clear goals but providing flexible goals allows for students to set their own objectives.
The co-operation with students also involves building relationships with students by showing
personal interests. At the beginning of class, making an effort to get to know your students on a
personal level was shown to increase students involvement in class, as students appreciate the
personal attention. (Marzano, 2003) Ways to accomplish this include taking time each day to
communicate with students on non-academic mottos. Taking attendance yourself is another good
way to welcome students and it is also important to be real with the students and come from your
own experience. (Brown, 2004) This hopefully helps foster viable social community, which is
needed before a viable learning community can be established
Establishing assertive behaviour is also seen to develop positive classroom environments
for students. The use of assertive body language by standing straight, appropriate tone of voice
that is clear and concise and persistence of instructors helped communicate appropriate levels of
dominance. (Marzano, 2003) This was shown to be very important with in-risk students. Brown
(2004) suggested that students prefer instructors that are explicitly assertive. This means that
they provide clear expectations, do not allow excuses for incomplete work and deal with
inappropriate behaviour immediately.
The Teacher as a Reflective Practitioner

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Becoming a reflective practitioner is essential in developing the personal growth of

teachers. A teachers own personal and professional beliefs have an effect on their instruction to
students; therefore these beliefs must be examined by the teacher. Teachers must work on
reflecting, not only on what they teach, but they must reflect critically on it as well. As a teacher
you must become aware of your own assumptions on education, and recognize that your students
may not share these same ideals. Personally, growing up in a white, middle class family, as well
as taking the academic route through school, may not be the same as the students I teach. Critical
reflection can be done by recognizing and appreciating difference and diversity from a number of
angles for example race, ethnicity, gender, class, culture, religion, disability, age and how these
factors impact on learning and teaching. Challenging and dealing with the taken for granted
assumptions about teaching, learning, learners, and the learning environment .Identifying and
negotiating how power operates in an always contested learning and teaching context. Nurturing,
facilitating and enabling a learning and teaching environment which challenges students to think
critically and morally about a variety of issues. Initiating socially engaged lifelong and
transformative learning. (Boud, 1974)
The reflective practitioner is concerned with continual professional development. Their
own reflections must contain the following features; it must be deliberate, purposeful, structured,
link theory to practice and about change to development. Schonn provides a framework for
implementing two types of reflection: reflection in action and reflection on action in the figure
below. (Sarivan, 2011)
Reflection in action allows teachers to reflect on action and you are teaching your lesson.
This involves minor changes while we are working and encompasses thinking on our feet.

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Reflection on action is what takes places after lessons. This leads to a cycle of continuous
improvement.
Applications of this theory include, creating a written record of experiences, identifying
critical incidents. While writing, acknowledge what went well and any general conclusions that
can be drawn from it. Also, a useful framework for reflection is based on three questions. What?
Which includes what happened and what can be done? So What? This includes how you felt at
the time and what the effects of what was done and not done. Lastly, asking now what? This

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questions the implication of what was just analysed and how you can modify you practice based
on it. (Sarivan, 2011)
Strategies for Supporting Student Diversity
Working in a multicultural landscape like Canada, it is important to use the broad range
of experiences your students have as a resource for yourself and others to learn more. It is
important to not only learn more about these cultures but to help develop a global perspective for
our students so they are able to function in the global economy of the world today. Students need
to learn to work collaboratively with students of diverse population. The teacher must provide
the framework and necessary tools for this to occur. Zeichner (1992) summarizes 12 approaches
for diverse populations.
Zeichners 12 key elements for effective teaching for ethnic- and language-minority students.
1) Teachers have a clear sense of their own ethnic and cultural identities.
2) Teachers communicate high expectations for the success of all students and a belief that all students can succeed.
3) Teachers are personally committed to achieving equity for all students and believe that they are capable of making a difference
in their students' learning.
4) Teachers have developed a bond with their students and cease seeing their students as "the other."
5) Schools provide an academically challenging curriculum that includes attention to the development of higher-level cognitive
skills.
6) Instruction focuses on students' creation of meaning about content in an interactive and collaborative learning environment.
7) Teachers help students see learning tasks as meaningful.
8) Curricula include the contributions and perspectives of the different ethno cultural groups that compose the society.
9) Teachers provide scaffolding" that links the academically challenging curriculum to the cultural resources that students bring
to school.
10) Teachers explicitly teach students the culture of the school and seek to maintain students' sense of ethno cultural pride and
identity.
11) Community members and parents or guardians are encouraged to become involved in students' education and are given a
significant voice in making important school decisions related to programs (such as resources and staffing).
12) Teachers are involved in political struggles outside the classroom that are aimed at achieving a more just and humane society.

It is important as teachers to maintain high standards and expectations for all ethnically,
culturally and linguistically diverse students. It is also imperative to show students you care by
getting to know their individual needs and seek to understand their home cultures. Information

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about students home lives must be sought after. This can be done by asking students about their
parents lives as children. This information can be used to inform the teacher of the diversity of
the classroom. (Cole, 2008)
Some other strategies suggested were to tap into students background to enhance
learning. This allows the student to be more involved when asked about a topic, as they can
relate to personal experience. Also, look to choose culturally relevant curricula, as it has been
shown the students self-esteem is increased when the see or reed about contributions of their
culture. (Cole, 2008)
In his book, Vacca (2005) provides four distinct instructional approaches to improve
cultural understanding in the classroom. First, the contributions approach, teachers emphasize
culturally specific celebration within the curricula. This approach reflects the surface level of the
culture. The additive approach, integrates themes and issues of culture into the curriculum
through a thematic unit of study, but on the whole the curriculum remains the same. Vacca
(2005) states teachers who help students understand diverse ethnic and cultural perspectives by
providing them ongoing opportunities to read about concepts and events and think critically
about them are using the transformative approach. (p.64) This approach, combined with the
decision-making/social learning approach provides students with opportunities to engage in
activities dealing with social action. This allows for cross-cultural integration of the curricula,
and provides those from diverse backgrounds a sense of belonging in the classroom
Strategies for Organizing the Physical Environment of the Classroom
Creating a physical environment that is different from the standard desks in a row layout
of traditional schools can help foster a more interactive learning environment. These seats in a

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row do not allow students at the front to interact or see anyone else in the class. This does not
allow for an interactive approach to delivering your lessons. (Philips, 2015) This may be
impossible in high-school classroom, especially if teachers do not have the same classroom
throughout the day. However, one strategy may be to rearrange the classroom at the beginning of
the period each day. Rome arrangement should be consistent with instructional goals; a
classroom used primarily for collaborative work will look much different than a class that is
primarily seat work. It is important to keep high traffic areas free of congestion, as you want
students to be able to easily return to their seats. Keep frequently used materials readily
accessible and make sure all students can be seen easily by the teacher.
The physical environment is important for allowing some activities to take place and
others to not. Patterson and McMillan (2015) suggest four goals that need to be considered when
properly designing a classroom. These include, developing a sense of belonging and personal
identity in the classroom. Students should be allowed to participate in the decision making
process about use of space, at least at the younger ages. Secondly, enhancing competence and
security, this can be done by setting rules for equipment, as well as letting students understand
the consequences of improper use. This is crucial in physical education classroom, the safety of
the students while performing physical activity is a collaborative job of both the teacher and the
student. This includes things like wearing goggles in badminton, and proper procedure when
using weight machines. There should also be a space in the classroom designated to achievement
and acknowledgement. In high-school classrooms, this can be done by posting newspaper
articles of the accomplishments of the students in the class. Third, promoting intellectual growth
and stimulus, this includes rich, varied and dynamic instruction. Students in stagnant classrooms

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become bored which results in behavioural problems. Lastly, accommodating privacy needs of
students.
When designing your room, a teacher must take into account the way in which you have
organized your classroom, what factors influenced the look of the room? How was the
placement of desks, tables, shelves, rugs, computers, learning centers determined? What criteria
or reasoning affected the placements of these items? What things are posted on the walls, doors,
windows, and other vertical surfaces? What hangs from the ceiling, or is clipped to wires
crossing your room. McIntyre (2015) provides the basics on how to arrange rooms and desks in
a classroom depending on the instruction planned. Rows promote attention to individual work,
while clusters of desks promote group work. He also suggest being careful of time on task by
taking note of distractions in the classrooms. This includes doors, windows, and computers.
Students who are easily distracted should be away from these parts of the classroom and also at a
point that is easily accessible by the teacher. This allows the teacher to supervise and keep those
students on track. Also, it is suggested that classroom dcor can be used to improve student
performance. This includes vibrant walls, which include many diagrams and art. This helps
foster a more positive learning environment.

Education in the 21st Century

One of the most important considerations about education in the 20th century is how
technology will be used in the classroom. Mark Pransky (2012) suggests that teachers must
refrain from bringing technology into the classroom for just the sake of using
technology. Thinking about how you are going to apply this technology is a

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very strong learning technique in its own right. By forcing students and
teachers to reflect on how they will apply these new tools, teachers are
engaging in student-centred learning. This causes students to think about
the knowledge they already have in a particular area, and expands their
learning by forcing them to adapt their knowledge for the use of technology.
This is a form of inquiry-based and cooperative learning, as students and
teacher pose questions on how to integrate technology and must work
together to come up with solutions. This also creates an active learning
environment as students are not just listening, reading, and writing but are
engaging in higher-order thinking to accomplish the task. Research has
shown that students learn best when participating in inquiry and active
learning strategies and has already largely been adapted by the province of
Ontario to be used in classrooms.
Also, in the 21st century student will be required to be competent in
new skills. Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2009) suggests a framework
for building students outcomes and support system in the coming years.

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It
is suggested that students in the 21st century must focus on the mastery of
the core subjects of English, world languages, arts, mathematics, economics,
science, geography, history and government and civics. It is also believe
schools must try to weaving interdisciplinary themes into those subjects. This
includes global awareness, literacy in financial, economic, business and
entrepreneurship, as well as civic, health and environmental literacy.
Students in the 21st century must also learn to work creatively with others in
order to implement innovation to make useful contribution to the field.
Focus on education should also be on media, technology and
information literacy. Students must develop the skills to be able to analyze

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and create media, apply technology effectively and access and process
information efficiently and effectively.

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References

Boud, F. (1974). Critical reflection. Retrieved from

http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/groupwork/docs/Reflection.pdf
Brown, D. F. (2004). Urban Teachers Professed Classroom Management Strategies: Reflections
of Culturally Responsive Teaching. Urban Education, 39(3), 266289.
doi:10.1177/0042085904263258
Cole, R. W. (2008). Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners. Educating Everybodys
Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners (p. 317).
Marzano, R., & Marzano, J. (2003). The key to classroom management. Educational Leadership,
61, 618. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?
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McIntyre, T. (2015). Classroom design tips. [online] Behavioradvisor.com. Available at:
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Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and
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Parkay, F. and Parkay, F. (2012). Becoming a teacher. Toronto: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
Partnership For St Century Skills. (2009). 21st CENTURY STUDENT OUTCOMES.
Framework, 19. Retrieved from
http://www.p21.org/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf

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Patterson, J. and McMillan, K. (2015). The Physical Environment - Top Ten Strategies for
Classroom Management and Discipline. [online] Pattersonandmcmillan.weebly.com.
Available at: http://pattersonandmcmillan.weebly.com/the-physical-environment.html
[Accessed 9 Mar. 2015].
Philips, M. (2015). A Place for Learning: The Physical Environment of Classrooms. [online]
Edutopia. Available at: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-physical-environment-ofclassrooms-mark-phillips [Accessed 9 Mar. 2015].
Prensky, M. (2012). Before Bringing in New Tools , You Must First Bring in New Thinking.
Amplify, (June), 13.
Reports, E. (2008). Measuring skills FOr THe 21sT CenTury. Education, 3(November), 18.
Sarivan, L. (2011). The reflective teacher. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 11(As 4),
195199. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.01.060
Suleman, Q. (2014). Effects of Classroom Physical Environment on the Academic Achievement
Scores of Secondary School Students in Kohat Division , Pakistan, 4(1), 7182.
doi:10.5296/ijld.v4i1.5174
Teachervision.com, (2015). Creating an Effective Physical Classroom Environment TeacherVision.com. [online] Available at: https://www.teachervision.com/classroommanagement/decorative-arts/6506.html?page=1& [Accessed 9 Mar. 2015].
Vacca, R. (n.d.). Content area reading.

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Zeichner, K. M. (1992). Educating teachers for cultural diversity. East Lansing, MI: National
Center for Research on Teacher Learning.

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