I.

Observation 3:
Guidance

II. Grade:
Fourth Grade

II. Students:
9 girls, 10 boys

II. Setting:
Classroom at St. Matthias School in Somerset, NJ
19 Students, ages 9-10, one teacher

V. Pre- Observation:
The purpose of this observation was to analyze how behavior management and guidance
affects students. Fourth grade is a stressful time, when students can be anxious and need
reassurance. Prior to this observation, I read the article For Positive Behavior, Involve
Peers by Bryan Goodwin and Kirsten Miller. This article discusses encouraging social
interaction in the classroom and positivity.

VI. Data:
In this Fourth Grade classroom, behavior management often includes yelling and
negativity. The teacher becomes very easily frustrated by students for a variety of
reasons. Students talking to one another is one of the main problems. Students with
ADD/ADHD tend to have trouble staying in their seats, which is another problem in the
classroom. Due to their schedule, the various times that the fourth graders switch rooms
caused a lot of distraction. There is a lack of positive reinforcement and an emphasis
more on the negative. The teacher uses mocking words or singles students out when
disciplining. The teachers disciplining often turns into a lengthy tangent and rants about
irrelevant topics. There is no actual punishment or consequence that I have seen for
students. The teacher uses threats of calling the principal or parents as warnings for
students. It is obvious that the teachers discipline tactics are not successful, since
behavior continues to be a major issue for some students in the classroom. The students
in this class are highly underestimated and ultimately seen as inept by their teacher. The
teacher not only told me in private about how bad and how dumb some of her
students are, but also directly to them in class.

VII. Analysis:
I think the teachers approach to guiding students is not effective. Many of the students
with ADD/ADHD and IEPs need extra guidance and attention. The teachers negative
attitude reflects on the students and lowers their confidence. Negativity only makes
students less motivated to succeed. The way she approaches misbehavior is humiliating
and degrading for the students. According to authors Goodwin and Miller, students
 benefit from a combination of punishment and reinforcement and say, In a metaanalysis
of studies of disciplinary techniques, Stage and Quiroz (1997) found that reinforcement
alone more effectively decreases disruptions than punishment alone, but that a
combination of punishment and reinforcement decreased disruptions the most (Goodwin
et al., 2012, pg. 83). Words of encouragement are rarely used. When the teacher does
praise her students, it is often out of surprise due to her low expectations. She sets the bar
very low for her students and often doubts their abilities. Children are affected by the
behaviors and attitudes they see on a daily basis. If the teacher begins to treat her students
with respect and high expectations, she will see less behavior issues and the day will run
smoother.

VIII. Recommendations:
I think the teachers negative attitude is dramatically affecting her students performance.
With positive reinforcement and a positive attitude, students would benefit greatly. In
their article For Positive Behavior, Involve Peers, authors Goodwin and Miller talk
about ways to promote positive behavior when they write, Research suggests that
teachers' positive relationships with students (as demonstrated through such
characteristics as empathy and warmth) lead to higher engagement, fewer resistant
behaviors, and improved achievement (Cornelius-White, 2007) (Goodwin et al.,2012, pg.
82). From the moment students enter the classroom, they are not greeted with a smile
and are exposed to negativity. The teacher should create simple and general rules of the
classroom. Instead of threats and scolding, the teacher could create a behavior contract
for students to sign at the beginning of the year and enforce it throughout the year. Dr.
Richard Curwin talks about effective consequences for students in his article How to
Make Consequences Work and says, Tone of voice matters, especially if it indicates a
high degree of emotion, including fear, anger, frustration or "not you again." Sarcastic
inflections that are subtle but, to the student, unmistakable will generate higher resistance
than straightforward communication (Curwin, 2012, pg. 1). When disciplining students,
the teacher should not react with anger and should speak to the student privately. Also,
punishment should be reasonable and have natural consequences. With better systems and
forms of communications, the classroom would be more effective.

IX. Post Observation:

The teacher has been very kind and welcoming to me since the beginning of my
observations. She has excellent ideas and strives to make her class as hands on as
possible. However, her attitude toward her students can be very nasty, making me
question her as an educator. I relate to the students since I have experienced teachers like
this as well. Im concerned with how she speaks to her students and treats them when Im
not there. She lacks the empathy and understanding to work with students at such a
pivotal age in their lives. The condescending attitude she uses toward her students only
lowers their confidence and excitement to come to school. To see a change in student
behavior, the teacher will have to be more respectful and not act with anger.

X. Citations:
Curwin, R., Dr. (2012, May 25). How to Make Consequences Work. Edutopia.

Goodwin, B., & Miller, K. (2012). For Positive Behavior, Involve Peers. Educational
Leadership, 70(2), 82-83.
Date Completed: Spring 2017
Date Submitted: Spring 2017
Title of Artifact: Observation Three: Guidance
Standard: Standard Two Learning Differences The teacher uses understanding of individual
differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that
enable each learner to meet high standards.

I am placing my artifact, Observation Three: Guidance under Standard Two- Learning

Differences as evidence of continued mastery towards creating an inclusive learning environment
and understanding student differences. Students differ in a variety of ways and have ranging
abilities. During my observation, I noticed that the teacher lacked compassion and understanding
for her students. She used mocking and yelling to discipline students. In the recommendations of
my observation, I discussed how the teachers attitude affects the students and their self
confidence. As a solution, I recommended that the teacher create concise rules and speak with
misbehaving students privately and calmly. This is evidence of my understanding of behavior
management and how students benefit from positive reinforcement.