Recently in CLE Category

    I began helping with dismissal routine from the beginning of the year, and on my own when my teacher was unable to do it either because she had to leave or when there have been subs.  This is actually more difficult for me than morning routine, because our students are so wound up by the end of the day.  Not only are they wound up, but they are also carrying around their backpacks which makes it easier to bump into each other and gives them something to swing around.  Normally during the end of the day, the students come back from their special at around 2:40.  Right away, they grab their backpacks, walk into the classroom to put up their chairs, and then head to the carpet for a quick activity.  By this time, a lot of the kids just feel like talking or hanging out, so they won't play the activity like Simon Says or the Hokie Pokie, but other students enjoy it so we do it anyway.  The issue I ran across was when we actually line them up once intermediate students are called.  Our students still have to wait a couple of minutes before primary is dismissed, but we like to have them lined up and ready to go for when it's their turn.  I started trying something different for the dismissal routine.  At the end of the day, once the students have their chairs up and their backpacks on, we gathered to the carpet for a little chat time with each other and also for announcements.  This is when the teachers share different things like reminders of what needs to be done for the next day, to start bringing warmer clothes if necessary, to get their classroom jobs done and to bring snack.  After that, I lined them up once intermediate was called, and this is when I did the activity.  We played a quick game of Simon Says as they were standing waiting in line.  This helped keep them a little entertained while waiting, without touching the computers, counters, or other people's desks.  We left on a good note because for the last one I said "Simon says to walk quietly down the hall and have an excellent evening!"  I think I will continue to do this on some afternoons, and also have the original way we've been handling the afternoon so that the students have a little variety in the routine.

For this week's task, I focused on using non-verbal cues as my mentor taught the class.  It was a great experience to be able to reflect on my use of non-verbal cues as a classroom management technique and form of communication with my students.

Balarezo:task:11-22.doc

Thinking about my future classroom truly took a lot of planning.  I took a classroom space and added features such as learning centers, teacher storage, student storage, and desk, and placed them in positions to maximize safety, student experiences and my own experience as a teacher.



classroom rationale.doc

For this assignment, we were asked to take pictures of various classroom spaces that work.  The Park Forest Elementary interns got together to collaboratively compile the pictures into an I-Movie to show how we can use the school and classroom resources effectively. 

Park Forest Elementary CLE iMovie.mov

My classroom learning environment plan was a thought provoking exercise.  With this assignment, I was able to create a classroom profile of my current class, a letter to the family of my future students, a community building plan, and management tools and strategies.

FinalCLEplan.doc

family letter.doc

In this paper, I was able to compare morning routines across various grade levels.  It was a great experience to see how different teachers handle morning routines and their expectations for their students during this time.  I was able to get wonderful ideas for my future classroom, and also see developmentally appropriate expectations and morning routines for students.

Balarezo-Observation2.doc

I was given the opportunity to observe a student for several weeks who appeared to need additional behavioral and social support while in the classroom.  After compiling my observations, my mentor and I came up with multiple interventions to help this student with his behavioral issues.  I implemented these interventions with my case study and later came up with a report of the student, his behavior, and the interventions we found helpful.


case study.doc