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Runninghead: OBSERVATION #3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ROUTINES
Observation 3
Karina Diaz
Raritan Valley Community College
Professor Kimberly Schirner
April 14, 2019
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OBSERVATION #3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ROUTINES
EDUC-212-02 FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION
I. Observation #3:
Classroom Management and Routines
II. Grade Level and Subject Area:
Pre-Kindergarten
III. Setting:
Classroom type is inclusive general education, in a private day care setting which is
located in an urban area. The classroom has one teacher and one teacher’s aide, with nine
boys and six girls ranging from the ages of three to five.
IV. Pre-Observation:
Before beginning my observation on classroom management and routines, the
teacher should have clear representation of the class schedule posted on the wall. There
should be a good daily schedule which consist of visual cues such as, the use of a daily
picture schedule so the children can easily follow. There should also be a great balance
of activities such as from active to quiet time or small group to large group time. Having
a right type of schedule and routine is important for young children because it helps
children learn classroom activities, understand expectations, reduce behavior problems,
feel secure, and higher engagement rates. Children by now should be well within goal in
story time routine such as, being able looking at the pictures, gathering in a the carpet,
listening to teacher read, and sitting like a pretzel with phrases like criss cross apple sauce
to redirect (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundation for Early Learning, 2007).
In addition, for some preschool age children some dilemmas come from when it
is time to transition to a new activity. Kids sometimes have so much fun during work
time that they have trouble stopping and cleaning up so the class can go on to the next
step in the schedule. For this the teacher will need transition strategies such as having a
countdown from ten to one before transitioning from one activity to the next can help
children feel better prepared for the transition. Setting a timer or music may even be a
great alternative for this age. At this age many children have meltdowns for various
reasons, looking forward to seeing strategies such as little bottles of bubbles to get kids to
blow, take deep breath and calm down (Ruesink, 2015).
Furthermore, through the observation of the teacher and how she manages the
class behavior, one way of doing so is by having alternatives. Every child behaves
differently to different circumstances. Observing how teachers deal with this kind of
situation is critical. Looking forward to seeing more active and engage and not being
intrusive. It is important to ask question to the child to help their thought process but not
intervene until it is necessary. It is important to take a step back and observe a child
during arguments and then be like their guide to help them come up with their own
solution (Elkins, 2019).
V. Data:
The classroom schedule is posted in two areas of the class.
One is as soon as you walk in by the door written with the times/ duration of each
activity.
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OBSERVATION #3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ROUTINES
The other is posted in the block area were children can see and has visual cues such
simple pictures for kids to understand.
Children have one hour of outside time which is mandatory by the state
Daily schedule fits around the times of 9am to 3pm
In toy area and calm area, the teacher has placed Conflict Resolution Pictures such as
“Play Together” “Share” and “Please Stop”
Teacher has posted the 6 Steps in Resolving Conflicts, which she stated that she
constantly uses.
The 6 Steps consist of: Approach calmly, stopping any hurtful actions; Acknowledge
children’s feelings; Gather information; Restate the problem; Ask for Ideas for
solution and choose one together; and Be Prepared to give follow-up support
Many children felt secure enough to go the teacher or teacher aide for help with a
conflict.
Teacher always starts off with a question such as “What can we do?” this helps kids
find solutions on their own
Children are always encouraged to use their words, especially kind words
Children have respect for both teachers and the class never became too chaotic as
teacher seem to manage the class accordingly.
When doing something wrong, kids are requested to remove themselves from the area
immediately and redirected to go somewhere else. Therefore, consequences are being
redirected
Teacher talks calmly and explains a solution to the child in their level
As of this moment the teacher is working on listening and following directions,
Classroom rules are posted in the block area were kids can easily see and follow.
The schedule is flexible in case of any unplanned fire drills
Teacher does not make the schedule up, it follows regulations according to ECERS
She uses PBS (Positive Behavior Support) strategy pyramid for responding to
misbehavior and has multiple problem-solving books, such as Tucker Turtle Takes
Time to Think
No sarcasm or time outs are used
Parents are notified by a written incident report or a parent teacher conference are
arranged to discuss child’s behavior
Teacher can also email parent or tell them verbally when the parent comes at the end
of the day to pick up the child, depending on the severity of the behavior
Depending on the severity of the behavior, the teacher will involve the director
The teacher is assessed by two formal observation by the director Ms. Brenda. One of
them is announced and the other is unannounced
Teacher also gets visit from the state (ECERS)
Based on the report from the observation the Master Teacher will come in four times
to do her own observation
Teacher is told her strengths and weaknesses and when she is doing something
incorrectly PIRT (Preschool Intervention and Referral Team) would get involve and
provide the teacher with a teacher improvement plan
The director uses Frontline, an online website, where do teacher has to do self-
assessments
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OBSERVATION #3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ROUTINES
Write-up system is handled through frontline and is kept in the teacher’s personal file.
VI. Analysis:
The preschool kids that came into this classroom came with limited vocabulary
and some came with behavior problems already. Most of the kids are three years old and
are still in the learning process of adapting to routines. The class has one child who is
IEP and receives treatments from the case study team services. However, there is another
child who has a pending case. That child has a speech delay and compared to prior
records of when he first began the school year, he has showed tremendous improvements.
He went from a child that bites because of his frustration of not being able to
communicate to a child that now stops and thinks. Although he can say some words
clearly and very little expresses himself to the teacher, he is no longer a violent student
and a threat to others. This is all thanks to the PIRT whose main goal is to provide
support and suggest interventions to teachers so all children can succeed in the classroom.
PIRT steps in when there is child with challenging behavior and will get the help of the
child’s parent and master teacher to work together to help the child’s needs (Division of
Early Childhood Education, n.d.).
While observing in action a crisis between two children, when one of them took a
toy directly from the hands of the other. This type of behavior is common between
preschool ages and sharing and taking turns can be hard concept to grasp. The child
immediately went crying to the teacher. Instead of just telling them what is wrong. She
nurtures student’s creativity by having them on their own come up with a solution. With
the help of conflict resolution pictures, the child new he did something wrong and what
he was supposed to do was wait his turn. The child was able to verbally independently
come up with a solution. Creative thinking has been deemed valuable at both individual
and societal levels. This improves one self expression and problem-solving skills
(UCUS, ACAR, 2018).
A means of discipline the teacher uses for every child when they misbehave is,
she would redirect their attention to something else or remove them from and area if there
is a problem and they are being uncooperative. When asked if the teacher uses any form
of time-out practices, she declared that time outs have been banned and they were not
aloud to do them. Originally famous psychologist B.F Skinner says time outs are a form
of light punishment were kids will learn from their behavior, but research has proven this
be wrong. Any type of punishment is harmful because it takes the core needs of the child
and the most vital is emotional attachment. In other words, creating a punishment is
harmful in the long run from the children and other positive alternatives should be
introduced (Russell, 2016). Kids are aware of consequences in the classroom and now
when they are about to be redirected so action can be taken. The teacher calmly and
firmly approaches child and intervenes into the scenario.
VII. Recommendations:
When being only a few minutes in the classroom you can see the classroom is
well structured and the teacher can maintain order with the fifteen kids and the help of a
teacher’s assistant throughout the day. Teacher is following through with implantation
the school psychologist and the PIRT has given her. She has told me her goal for
improvement with the children is to have them listen and follow directions. That is one
of their areas of struggles. One suggestion that can work wonder is to reinforce positive
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OBSERVATION #3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ROUTINES
behavior. This can be done so by praising a child that has done something correct with
out being told to do so (Schieltz, 2017). For instance, it is notice when the children walk
up and down the stairs, they are not all holding the railings. This is a safety concern
because many incidents can occur, therefore, continuing to remind them to hold the
railing is not enough. The teacher should try praising the children who are holding the
railing and that can cause other children to do the same. At this age many kids learn by
imitating others. When kids see good behavior being done there is a higher chance, they
will copy the good behavior as well.
Giving warmth and having a maternal instance helps promote positive behavior in
children. Providing that the teacher is a female and so is the aide the children have two
maternal figures who are their school teacher that they can rely and trust. Research
shows if the teacher provides more hugs and looks at the child if they were their own and
not using any type of physical discipline like time outs or yelling that the child will have
positive outcomes (Altschul, Lee, Gershoff, 2016). Furthermore, their outcomes can be
less aggression, social competence, and child compliance because they are able to trust.
The teacher is demonstrating warmth qualities to each child as she should they only
suggestion I would suggest is to get a translator so she can better understand the child’s
needs. Mostly all her children are fluent in Spanish and speak to the teacher in Spanish
as well even though she does not understand all the time what they say. Always have the
aide present when not sure what the child is saying can be helpful.
VIII. Post Observation:
After concluding the observations of classroom management and routines and
gathering all research about the subject has increased the prior knowledge about how to
manage a class. Classroom management is core to managing a class with children,
especially young children from ages of three to five. Every child develops differently in
all aspects whether it is socially, physically, or intellectually. Knowing this and being
prepared for each child is key. Seeing the teacher and being able to see practically half
the day of what a teacher does and how she handles the class was a great experience to
witness.
The teacher and aide gave plenty of guidance in how to handle certain behaviors
severity of situations. Learned more about disciplinary and which works, and which do
not. There are available resources online that are a great tool for teachers in dealing with
challenging behavior. Also print out powerpoint slides that are used as techniques to help
children deal with conflict such “Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Think and Breath” and “I
can Use My Words” are great tools for preschool age children. The site Center on the
social and emotional foundations of early learning is a recommended page for support
and strategies. Had a great experience observing and seeing conflicts resolve and can
take into own practice when in the teaching field. Got to witness the school psychologist
come in and give extra guidance, especially when giving a student with IEP. Was present
through a state visit and saw how relax the teacher was and not nervous. She was well
prepared for the visit and managed the class well according to standards. She met the
needs of all children which is essential so each child can learn and grow and be prepared
to transition to Kindergarten.
IX. Citations:
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OBSERVATION #3 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND ROUTINES
Altschul, I., Lee, S. J., & Gershoff, E. T. (2016). Hugs, Not Hits: Warmth and Spanking
as Predictors of Child Social Competence. Journal of Marriage & Family, 78(3),
695–714. https://doi-org.ezp.raritanval.edu/10.1111/jomf.12306
Division of Early Childhood Education. (n.d.). Planning for pre-referral support,
screening and referral services in preschool. Retrieved from
https://www.nj.gov/education/ece/psguide/prereferral.htm
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning. (2007, December).
Helping children understand routines and classroom schedules. Retrieved from
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/kits/wwbtk3.pdf
Elkins, A, NAEYC (2019, February). Creating a yes! environment: supporting creativity
and exploration. Retrieved from
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/feb2019/supporting-creativity-
exploration
Ruesink, M. (2015, October 26). 10 Proven Classroom Management Tips for Preschool
Teachers. Retrieved from
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/classroom-management-tips/
Russell, W. (2016, April 28). Column: Why you should never use timeouts on your kids.
Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/column-why-you-should-
never-use-timeouts-on-your-kids
Schieltz, K. M., Wacker, D. P., & Romani, P. W. (2017). Effects of Signaled Positive
Reinforcement on Problem Behavior Maintained by Negative
Reinforcement. Journal of Behavioral Education, 26(2), 137–150. Retrieved from
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1141241&
site=eds-live
UCUS, S., & ACAR, I. H. (2018). Teachers’ Innovativeness and Teaching Approach:
The Mediating Role of Creative Classroom Behaviors. Social Behavior &
Personality: An International Journal, 46(10), 1697–1711.
https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.7100
