Component 3:  Description of how classroom is organized and managed.

There are several principles I follow in organizing and managing my classroom. An encouraged teaching practice is to set up classroom rules. I have only two classroom rules:
    Everyone in the classroom is to be on task all the time and put forth their best effort.
    Everyone in the classroom shows one another and the equipment we are using appropriate
          care and respect.

These rules are discussed at the beginning of each semester. I typically ran this discussion as I would a lecture, letting my students know exactly what I expected of them.  In the fall of 1998, I will start using techniques I learned in  Teaching for Better Thinking, a course I took in the spring of 1998.  In this course I learned  to facilitate a focused discussion.  The first discussion each of my classes will discuss "What characterizes an action that is good (or right) vs. one that is wrong (or bad)?"  As the discussion progresses (with students giving their ideas and me asking open questions and facilitating) we will map ideas on the board.  When we are finished I am hoping for a good consensus on what is right and wrong.  This will lead into a discussion of the above two rules.  As I have in the past I will make the point that the rule states that 'everyone in the classroom . . . ' and I certainly am a part of that.  Students can and should look to me to model how the rules translate to day to day behavior.  I use positive reinforcement as much as possible in my classroom.  Especially at the beginning of the semester, but as the class proceeds also, I will consciously try to 'catch' students when they are following the rules.  I point this out to the student in a voice loud enough for the surrounding students to hear, but not necessarily the whole class. In Psychology of Teaching we discussed the 'embarrassment factor' and the negative effect that praise can sometimes have. So I try to make my praise personal and specific.   If I feel that the class is starting to 'slip', I try to praise individuals more.  If a particular student is not following the rules I start out with a private word about what behavior they need to display, if after repeated counseling the student does not change their behavior, a make a phone call to their parent.  Caravel Academy is a private, college prep school.  Most students really want to do their best and if they are having trouble motivating themselves then asking  parents to become involved can really bring results.  Of course, if that does not, then Caravel Academy does have a discipline code and I can take that route as well.  I find that I do not have many instances of students 'breaking the rules'.  I think that this is because of the positive reinforcement, my modeling acceptable behavior, and the fact that I use many open-ended assignments where students can express their individuality.  Bruning, Schraw, and Ronning in Cognitive Psychology and Instruction (1995) state that "Providing enjoyable and challenging tasks, making favorable attributional responses that emphasize the role of effort and strategies . . . and evaluating in a non threatening manner are all ways that teachers promote intrinsic motivation and autonomy."  I have tried to put these ideas into practice and I have been successful in using them to promote intrinsic motivation and autonomy in my students, which in turn encourages students to stay on task and treat others with respect.
 

As the first rule states,  I expect everyone to be on task all of the time.  As a teaching technique I often will have students follow a short set of verbal instructions. For example, I might be showing students how to use Word Art in Microsoft Word (ver. 6) -- I will tell them to click on 'Insert' on the menu bar and then to click on 'Object' then to click on 'Microsoft Word Art 2.0', etc. When using this technique it is imperative that I be able to see each student's screen so that I can tell who is following and who is having trouble. There are many other times that being able to see each student's computer screen is important: when they are practicing a skill, when they are using the Internet, when they are working together on projects, etc. When students know that I can see what they are doing (and I am ever observant) they stay on task most of the time.  The picture below is taken from the front of my computer lab. As you can see I have a great view of everyone's computer screen.

Using the cognitive principles that I have learned through my Master of Instruction course work, I recognize the importance of students working together. I use cooperative groups, students working in pairs, student (cognitive) modeling, and group investigation. The computers are arranged two to a table, six to a row to help facilitate this interaction. The picture below shows this arrangement.

The atmosphere in which students work is important to me. A neat and organized classroom goes a long way in communicating the type of work ethic I want to observe in students. Students have access to a duster for whenever their screens get dusty. We clean the computers (wash off fingerprints, vacuum keyboards, etc.) at the end of each semester. Students' book bags are kept under their chairs. I believe students work better in a clean and uncluttered room. I have different kinds of artwork displayed on the walls from the masters (DaVinci, Monet, etc.) to more modern works (Kadinski, O'Keefe, etc.). I find that art can help me to illustrate difficult theoretical points. For example, when I teach C++ I use Kadinski to illustrate the idea of abstraction, an important concept for students learning an object oriented language to grasp. I also believe that surrounding students with good art can give them inspiration when they are trying to think of a creative or interesting idea for a presentation or World Wide Web page. I include artwork from different cultures so that students can be exposed to many points of view. The picture below shows some of the art that I have displayed in the room.

Informative displays have a place in the classroom as well. This year (1997-98) was the year that Internet access was installed in my room. So teaching students about the Internet was important. Below is a picture of a display that explains what the internet is and how it works (along with two (of five) computers that have Internet access in my room.)

Students are each individuals. They come to my class with their own beliefs, attitudes, and cultural history. In my class I try to encourage each student to express that which makes them unique. Many of the projects the I have designed for students are open ended so as to allow for individual skill ranges, approaches, and expression. Below is a picture of some of my students working on the spreadsheet survey project.

When students arrive to my class the first day I have a course syllabus for them that details the important information that they will need in my course to succeed. In addition, I provide a week by week guide that summarizes what we will learn. This is a good way for students to realize the scope of the course and for me to refer them to when we progress from one topic to the next. Click here to see a sample course syllabus.

When students arrive to class they are expected to get their disk and log in to their assigned computer. Each student is given a disk at the beginning of the semester. On this disk they will save all their work. This helps with management of the hard drives of the computers and minimizes cheating. When students log in the first screen they see is a list of my classes and their homework assignments for the week. I post these the friday before the week begins, sometimes earlier.  Students at our school are provided with agenda books, students copy the assignment into their agenda book. Then they load the program we are working with. This covers the time I need to take attendance and fix any equipment problems. Below is a sample homework message screen.

Homework Assignments for the week of May 11,1998

C++

    Test essay is due on Wednesday, May 13.

Introduction to Computers

    Test on spreadsheets on Monday, May 11.
    One page, typed summary of Spreadsheet unit is due on Friday, May 15.

Keyboarding

    Assignment #18 due Monday, May 11.
    Speed test on Friday, May 15.
 
 

I expect students to show respect for each other. I try to model this by the way I speak to the class and to individuals. I expect them to turn assignments in on time so I have assignments (instructions, materials, etc.) to them in a timely manner. I want students to do their best, so I often provide the rubric when I first make the assignment. Click here to see some sample rubrics. On objective tests I am careful to list the point values for each problem so that students can see which ones I consider most important. By doing these things I show my students that they are respected and I can then expect the same treatment from them.

Managing equipment is a big job for a Computer Science teacher. There are two networks in my room. Twenty-five of my computers are networked to a server in my classroom; there are two printers (dot matrix and color ink jet), and two CD towers (11 CD bays in all) linked to that server; we use Windows 3.1 for our operating system. The other five computers are linked to the library network that serves the rest of the high school, this is where our Internet link comes from. There are two printers (laser and color ink jet) and a CD tower with seven bays connected to it. The library networked computers use Windows95 for the operating system. As you can imagine there are many challenges to having two operating systems and two different networks in the same room. I try to buy networked copies of software and install everything on the server to help cut down on maintenance time. I also depend on (and train) students to help with this aspect of classroom management.

In conclusion, I would say that my main tools for organizing and managing the classroom are planning carefully, respecting students, and using the cognitive educational techniques I have learned through the Master of Instruction course work.