CLASSROOM CULTURE

PART 1: Overview Questions

Instructional Context Overview
Please tell us a little bit about the educational environment you were observing to
complete this micro-credential.

Type of school/program and the grade/subject configuration

(single grade, YMCA afterschool program, etc.)

Single Grade

Grade Age Level Number of Students

1st 6-7 years old 20

Course

Math

How long have you been working with this class in an educator role prior to the
featured lesson(s) examined in the micro-credential submission?

I have been within this classroom for about 3 weeks.

Briefly and specifically describe relevant:

State or district mandates that impact the featured lesson

Type of community
 Public School

Access to current technology

All of the students are provided with their own I-Pad which is accessed with learning tools and games.

Your relationship with the teacher you observed

I have a very close relationship with the teacher I am observing, due to her being my
past first grade teacher and staying in touch with her throughout the years. I

Any other information you believe would be important for scorers to know to
understand your micro-credential submission

The teacher I am working with, was the first teacher who began my motivation to
become a teacher myself, one day.

My Perspective Essay
Describe two past experiences you have had as a learner in which your teacher succeeded in
facilitating a sustainable, equitable classroom culture. Describe specific strategies the teacher
implemented to do this and what that meant for you and your peers. Use the Teaching
Tolerance five critical components of classroom culture as a guide for framing the experiences
the teacher facilitated.

Essay

When I started first grade, I had a huge fear of leaving my mom in order to go to
school. However, once I got into my classroom with Mrs. Silicato, I felt completely
better. Mrs. Silicato had her classroom theme as “Puppy Town”. I love puppies so it
automatically made me feel a lot more comfortable. Mrs. Silicato constantly did a
great job with demonstrating Puppy Town throughout multiple aspects within the
classroom. Due to the focus of Puppy Town throughout each activity within class, I
forgot about my sadness regarding being away from my mom. Mrs. Silicato did a
great job at distracting students from the “first grade blues” and focusing their
 attention on happier thoughts and feelings. Another time I distinctly remember the
teacher creating a equitable classroom culture was when I was in sixth grade. My
sixth grade english teacher, Mrs. Iavarone, always made everyone feel comfortable.
Sixth grade, the first year of middle school, is a hard year to adjust for everyone. The
first day of english class, Mrs. Iavarone started by showing us a slideshow about her
family. She told us about how her and her husband met, her two children and
showed us multiple pictures and videos of them. By starting the first day of class like
this, I immediately felt comfortable around Mrs. Iavarone by knowing a little bit about
who she is. She did a great job at introducing herself to the class, that it then made it
easier for everyone else to share things with her due to feeling comfortable. Mrs.
Iavarone and Mrs. Silicato definitely honored students experiences, created a
thoughtful classroom setup and structure, shared her inquiry and dialogue, provided
social and emotional safety, and created a classroom management system based on
values.

PART 2: Artifacts
Observation Notes
Use the spaces on this form to type up the notes that you wrote while conducting observations
during your visits to the learning spaces. Your notes should relate directly to the critical
components in each section.

Tips to make your note-taking most effective:

● Focus on the critical components of classroom culture. It's impossible to document
everything you observe! Stay focused on what matters, and avoid cluttering your notes
with information that isn’t relevant to examples of how the classroom culture is
developed or maintained.
● Be specific and descriptive. Use descriptive words to document what you observe.
You can even include quotes from the teacher or students that bring these concepts
to life.
● Make note of your insights and thoughts as you observe. As you observe, jot down
why you are making note of each activity, quote, classroom set-up, etc. You could simply
write “ex. of honoring student experience.” This will help you remember the importance
of the event when you write your notes or essays later.

Observation Notes: Visit #1

Date of Observation

February 20th, 2018

Honoring Student Experience

 After starting class by doing the calendar, Mrs. Siliato allowed time for students to talk about their
weekend and anything fun they did over the long four day weekend. This allowed the students to have
their experiences honored by Mrs. Silicato and the other teachers within the classroom. Each student
was extremely eager to share as they were waving their hands so high in the air for her to see. Mrs.
Silicato focused deeply on what each student had to say.

Thoughtful Classroom Setup and Structure

The desks within Mrs. Silicato’s classroom are set up in four groups with five desks within each group.
Each group of desks are set up in a “u” shape with a set of drawers in the middle filled with supplies
the students might need. Mrs. Silicato decided on this day it would be good idea to rotate seats
especially after a long weekend. Each student got up and rotated their desk over to the next spot.
They all remained in the same groups but just got a new spot in the group. This really allowed for
children to possibly have a different view of the board, and the classroom. I automatically realized how
much time Mrs. Silicato put into designing these type of groups for the classroom.

Shared Inquiry and Dialogue

Mrs. Silicato created a space for shared inquiry and dialogue when discussing what everyone did over
their weekends. She took time to hear what each student had to talk about and even responded to
each student with a follow up question. The sense of trust throughout the classroom was felt
immediately. I could tell that students felt trusted and safe to share whatever they wanted to about
their weekend, even if it was spending the weekend at their grandma's house where they were bored.

Social and Emotional Safety

Throughout Mrs. Silicato’s classroom, there are multiple posters about how to be an active listener.
On these posters, they explain how when someone else is speaking, you should be looking at them
only, while being quiet and doing another task. I realized that these students fully understand active
listening while observing the class because for the most part, each student is paying full attention
while Mrs. Silicato is giving directions or teaching a lesson. The students even practiced their active
listening which listening to other students speak about something or try a problem.

Values Based Behavior Management

Mrs. Silicato’s classroom demonstrates behavior management based on values in a variety of ways.
The most abundant way this is portrayed is by the books on her back carpet. Mrs. Silicato has a ton of
books and each category of books are in their own labeled container. There are containers labeled for
every holiday imaginable, along with any problem. I have seen Mrs. Silicato lead a student to a certain
section of the books depending on how they are acting or how they are feeling.

Other Notes on Visit #1

Some other notes about my visit, include how respectful her entire class is. For first graders, these
students know how to respect Mrs. Silicato along with their other classmates. I was automatically
impressed at how respectful they all are to everyone.

Observation Notes: Visit #2

Date of Observation
 February 27th-March 1st, 2018

Honoring Student Experience

This week, the first and second graders had their Student of the Month assembly. While we were at
the assembly, Mrs. Silicato was anxiously searching through the parents to see if her students who
won, had their parents there. All of a sudden she realized, none of their parents were there and she
remembered she forgot to send home the letters. She felt horrible. However, in order to still honor
student experiences, she let the four children who won the award, call their parents once they got
back to the class. Even though she forgot to invite their parents, she still made them feel honored and
special.

Thoughtful Classroom Setup and Structure

Mrs. Silicato picks new jobs for each of the students every week. The jobs include having a paper
passer, a calendar helper, and things similar to that. This week I specifically noticed, how much the
students love having jobs throughout the week. Each student is eager to help out and be able to
participate in some way. Having this classroom setup and structure, allows for the students to feel
valued and helpful everyday.

Shared Inquiry and Dialogue

This week was also Read Across America Week. Everyday there was either a guest reader, or Mrs.
Silicato would read. While Mrs. Silicato was reading, I noticed how she allowed time for comments
and questions throughout her story. After each page, she would allow the students to make comments
about what was just read, or even ask questions. Also, after each page, Mrs. Silicato had a fun fact or
something similar regarding what was just read. This shared inquiry and dialogue really helped make
the classroom come together as one.

Social and Emotional Safety

Throughout Mrs. Silicato’s class, there are some extremely outgoing students. However, there are
also a few extremely shy students. I noticed this week how Mrs. Silicato keeps each students
personality in mind when she calls on them to answer questions. When Mrs. Silicato calls on a shy
student, she makes sure to help them out along the way if they are having trouble getting their words
fully out. By doing this, she is helping their social and emotional safety by encouraging them to grow
but also giving them a helping hand and not letting them become embarrassed.

Values Based Behavior Management

Before I leave each day, the students have their snack time. Each student goes to their cubby and
takes out their snack. They then go and sit at their desk, and also mingle with one another throughout
other groups of desks. This time to mingle with one another really creates a values based behavior
management classroom. Each student is not forced to stay at their seats and only talk to who is sitting
with them, but they are now allowed to talk to other people and make different friends.

Other Notes on Visit #2

PART 3: Reflection
My Reflection Essay
Respond in a fully developed essay to the following guiding questions to reflect on classroom
culture:
● In what specific ways did the learning space you observed succeed as maintaining an
equitable classroom culture? In what specific ways did it fall short?
● What are your recommendations to strengthen the classroom culture in the learning
space you observed?
● What are your specific plans to prepare yourself to implement and sustain an equitable
classroom culture in the future when you have the main responsibility for a learning
space?

Essay

Mrs. Silicato’s classroom maintained an equitable classroom culture by allowing each student to feel
important. Mrs. Silicato made sure each student feels incorporated in every lesson each day through
a variety of teaching styles. She allows students to answer questions, but also calls on students too.
However, I believe Mrs. Silicato could do a better job at incorporating more classroom culture by
allowing more time for students to share about their weekends, or other things on their mind. This
would allow the students some more freedom throughout their day and week. In the future, I would
plan to sustain an equitable classroom culture by having a variety of books in our classroom library
about all different topics and holidays for the students to feel more understood. Also, I would love to
decorate my classroom with a variety of posters incorporating problem solving skills, friendship
making skills, and different kind words and good deeds. These posters would allow for the students to
get an example of how they should act. I would plan on going over different posters every month as a
reminder to the students as how they should be acting and treating each other. Overall, just simply
giving my future students the time to tell me their ideas, and their thoughts would allow for an
equitable classroom culture to develop on it’s own.