Domain 3: Professional Development
Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors
3:00 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today Mrs. Brown and I sat down and talked about my lesson plans, as well as what classroom management will be like. We went over my unit plan and looked at two of the lessons that I had shown her earlier. We also discussed classroom management because Mrs. Brown will be teaching a class on classroom management to second year teachers, starting next week. In talking about classroom management, we talked about self-motivated or “big headed” children, “structurally at risk” children, and “go with the flow” children. She told me that often times your class acts as a teeter totter and the go with the flow children are the ones who tilt the class one way or another. We also talked about one of the best things for classroom management in my classroom is keeping the children busy. The children in this class cannot handle very much down time. Mrs. Brown encouraged me to come up with a list of activities that I can use whenever there is down time.

Analysis:
Mrs. Brown’s experience in classroom management and her looking at my lesson plans helped immensely in making me feel more confident. Also, I learned some new terminology in looking at classroom management. Thinking of the children in this way will help me with grouping, seating arrangements, and general instruction. Also, in thinking about ways to take up extra time, I decided I might use a “bucket of fun”. In this bucket, I will place pieces of paper with short educational and fun five-ten minute activities. Then, if there is down time, my students can draw an activity from the bucket.