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The classroom learning community is a strong yet delicate dynamic that supports student engagement. Student voice is the most important aspect to consider when engineering a thriving learning community. By providing students with more voice, they are motivated to draw and connect their personal experiences into content curriculum and construct new knowledge. Teaching with an autonomy-supporting style allows students to express more of their voice and build intrinsic engagement. Teacher moves that support student voice include:

1. Being responsive to student’s questions and comments

2. Acknowledging the student’s perspectives and experiences

3. Creating time for independent work

4. Giving students the opportunity to talk

5. Encouraging students’ effort

6. Providing responsive feedback and praise

This type of autonomy-supportive teaching style has been shown to increase student participation, satisfaction, and performance in math classrooms. It also encourages students to tackle new problems and explore mathematics passionately, as opposed to a traditional lecture-style approach.

The danger with providing more student voice is that it shifts the dynamic from a teacher-centered class to a student-centered approach. If a teacher is not prepared for this shift in power, they can get caught off-guard when new behavior issues arise due to student excitement or uncertainty. It also makes classroom management more dynamic as the students have more freedom and opportunities to succeed/fail. When students make poor choices with their established freedom, it is important to help them develop and grow emotionally from their mistakes. Restorative justice offers a great perspective on how to move forward and rectify the damage caused to the learning environment. Helping a student understand how their choice in actions has affected the learning environment and providing them with the opportunity to make things right will foster more student growth than implementing typical punishments like detention. The more a classroom can provide students with the opportunity to learn, the more student growth will take place. Restorative justice also provides teachers the opportunity to model mutual respect and community values.

My philosophy is influenced by an asset-based pedagogy, which focuses on student’s personal, cultural and community assets. Leveraging these assets through a socio-cultural approach, I am able to better connect and engage students with mathematical curriculum. I recognize that many of the disciplinary systems that I grew up with have the detrimental impact of removing students from the learning environment and punishing them without providing an opportunity to make things right. These disciplinary systems are problematic as they stipend student growth, are not equitable, and contribute to social justice issues such as the school to prison pipeline. At the end of the day, students will be better served if a teacher shows them more grace and tries to help identify root causes to a student’s behavioral needs. Using a social emotional lens and providing the student with support resources and frequent well-being checks allows a teacher to ensure the whole student’s needs are being addressed. Others may argue that a classroom without consequences like detention will make students misbehave more. This may be true when there are not other classroom management strategies in place such as a co-negotiated classroom conduct agreement. These strategies help support an asset-based pedagogy. The more students are engaged in the classroom, provided with freedom of expression, and understand their behavioral expectations, then the more likely they are to succeed in school. Building differentiation into lessons fosters more student engagement, which in turn supports the needs of diverse students. This type of equity and social justice approach to classroom management ensures that my future classroom will be inclusive, positive, and fun!

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One challenge that I saw come up  a lot in the padlet and in my discussions with peers is how to get people to engage and participate in class.
I think that a way to work with students who are not engaging is to get an idea of their cultural background. In the music classroom, this could manifest as listening/performing music in class from their cultures, or going over composers from their home countries/cultural background.
I think that another aspect of this to take in is how their culture affects how they interact with others.

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Articulate the beliefs, values, and assumptions that guide your emerging approach as the leader of a learning community, especially as those ideas have been informed, reinforced, or challenged by the readings, discussions, and activities in this course.

I believe that classroom management is the means by which a teacher ensures that learning is being optimally facilitated in their classroom. I think this is done first and foremost by establishing strong relationships with students through respect and trust. But teachers must first give trust and respect before they can ever expect to receive it.

I think it is important that classroom management be culturally responsive. We need teachers that are multi-culturally fluent so that we are not filtering student behavior through a euro-centric cultural lens and that we acknowledge our students diversity from an asset based perspective.

Lastly,  should be in the interest of the student, and not the teacher. The benefit of good classroom management is not that the teachers job is easier, it's that a higher quality of learning can take place. A classroom management philosophy should always come down to the question of whether or not we are enhancing learning.

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A common challenge identified by myself and others during the pre-statement was how to better connect with students in the online learning environment. A key issue with the remote learning space is the loss of one-on-one interactions with students, which makes forging connections more difficult.

A few strategies stood out in Pinto Ch. 8 to help remedy some of the social barriers in the online classroom. Ch. 8 focused on Reward Systems in Your Classroom, which work well since most strategies are designed to build rapport with entire classes at once. This works well in the Google Meet classroom, where instructors spend the majority of class time interacting with a large number of students.

As noted in Ch. 8, “having a reward system in place allows you to encourage positive and productive student behavior” (Pinto, 160). Without the one-on-one interactions common in the physical classroom, focusing on group rewards helps build community with students: “The group reward gives groups of students something to work toward and forces them to cultivate the skills to be productive together in ways that support 21st-century skills” (Pinto, 161).

Strategies such as Class Points or Celebration Jar allow students to accumulate points based on good behavior by all students. When a certain number of points / tokens are collected, the class can earn an agreed-upon reward, ranging from choosing the music played during class entry to a curriculum-appropriate game the class could play at the end of class. This incentive system allows students to hold each other accountable and work together to be more productive to earn rewards.

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Articulate the beliefs, values, and assumptions that guide your emerging approach as the leader of a learning community, especially as those ideas have been informed, reinforced, or challenged by the readings, discussions, and activities in this course.

Classroom management is nothing like it sounds because educators must never mange their students but work together with them to facilitate the optimal learning strategies to engage and motivate the student. Classroom management is about taking the extra step as an educator to truly get to know your students on a personal level so that a holistic model of education can be implemented and achieved. Classroom management is about scaffolding the materiel to each individual student based on need by using multiple teaching strategies and models that is both productive and relevant to the students life. Classroom management is about sequential learning that creates a foundation and built upon is easily understandable and applicable forms. Classroom management is not a summative nor cumulative assignment, instead it is a continuous process that is about creating life long learns that become active members of society.

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I’m continuing to think about how to be “Fun AND Firm” as an area of growth in my classroom management style. This term’s readings have helped me reimagine my role as a teacher to be more separate from that of a disciplinarian figure in the classroom and instead view myself more as a guide for students. While teaching students, I am now focusing on how to provide responsive feedback that is positive and supportive without traditional punitive/embarrassing consequences. Always assuming the student had the best intention is one way to help with quick reactions to situations where immediate feedback is necessary. Using a framework of restorative justice, I can see how it will be helpful to have a co-negotiated classroom contract so that students have more voice in their learning environment. When students have more voice in the classroom, they have more freedom and control which also means that a contract is a helpful strategy to regulate ongoing expectations for behavior and responsibilities. This contract also helps to proactively address any issues which are harming the community learning environment and holds all students to a transparently equal standard of conduct. Combining restorative justice with classroom contracts will help students understand the environment we are working towards building together and that may need to grow as individuals to achieve our goal. Valuing this growth is incredibly important because it is an asset-based mindset. Giving students more freedom will inevitably lead to more learning opportunities for students in their moral integrity and self-regulation skills. Another benefit to contracts is that students will be able to community monitor more clearly and help each other succeed in maintaining a collaborative and supportive learning environment.

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Select one or more challenges that you or your colleagues identified

Share ideas and strategies about how you might address them using what you have learned about culturally responsiveness

One challenge that resonated with me was what Eli posted about doing checks for understanding and different methods of feedback students. The issue is that sometimes students just don't want to respond and we have to respect those decisions sometimes. I think we all like to imagine our classrooms as buzzing centers for knowledge and fun but we may not realize that what we see as engaging might be intimidating for our students.
I think an important concept to remind ourselves when we are challenged by a student's reluctance is the neuroplasticity of the brain. Students may be making the choice to avoid participation because of a strong wiring towards not sharing. Rewiring does not happen overnight, either. So being aware of the state of our students as well as having patience for their improvement can lead to improvements. Overreacting might only strengthen their anti-participatory wiring.
Allowing small, simple chances for participation can scaffold towards more bold forms of participation.

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One thing that Naomi brought up is about equity in the classroom, especially online. And Kiaya's comment about being a "fun and firm" teacher. I wanted to bring these up because I really "enjoyed" the part of the Pinto text in Chapter 3 about power and control. This has always been a paramount issue to me, not just as a teacher, but in my daily life. I have always been fearful that I'm not going to be the "ideal" employee because I don't like to assert myself as someone who is an authority figure nor a person in power. I have always said that one of the worst things people can do to others is to try to assert power and control over another person.
The text offers that a way to provide equity and cultural responsiveness in the classroom is recognizing how these traits play into being a teacher and how we use them. The important part is to not use "power and control," but instead to have clear guidelines and rules that are fair for everyone and to be consistent. By asserting these traits you are inevitably showing that you are "better, smarter, above, etc." I strongly believe that we are all humans and we are all equal. I feel that it is expected of teachers to have "control" over their classrooms and to be in a position of power." Instead I offer that we think about having a "respectful classroom community" and the teacher is "a co-collaborator that is learning alongside the students."

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One of the challenges that I shared in the first class meeting was "equity issues with online instruction”. So far, I am pleased with the effort my district has made in ensuring that every child has an electronic device to fully participate in online learning. The district has provided all students with a school provided iPad, optional Wi-Fi hotspot, and tech support. For example, if the student’s iPad is not functioning correctly and the teacher can’t solve the problem, they submit a “tech ticket” and someone from the tech department contacts them in a short amount of time and helps them figure it out.

A culturally responsive strategy TTSD uses is newsletters that are sent out to families and translated in several languages. This weeks Pinto group presentation #1 talked about how maintaining regular communication with families and students (especially those most vulnerable) during school closures is an equitable and responsive strategy that can be used to support students and families.

Another one of the challenges that I shared in the first class meeting was, “Coping with massive amounts of sound for an extended period of time.” Although this concern is more directly related to health than management, many music teachers suffer from hearing loss so it is extremely important to me. After reading some articles and teacher blogs on hearing loss prevention I have learned that I can prevent hearing loss for myself and other musicians by purchasing a good set of decibel reducing ear plugs, practicing with a mute, minding the placement of instruments within the orchestra, using baffles, and having periods of silence.

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Some challenges my classmates mentioned not being able to accept whether or not some students are engaged or not and how to maintain consistency from class to class. I think these two challenges work together in a very unique way.

A student may appear as if they are disengaged from a lesson, when in reality they are completely engaged to their definition of classroom engagement. The student may be introverted or have difficulty with certain tasks that the teacher has assigned. This is why it is important to adapt your lesson on the fly to then make the lesson custom for that specific class while still accomplishing the lesson.

It is important to practice your lessons and have multiple options at specific points where students could get lost or confused. If you make a slide deck for a lesson and you’re finding it is too long, move extra slides to the end. Now you have some extra teaching tools in reserve that you have practiced teaching. If a student seems disengaged, you could jump to a slide you had for the lesson that may be better tailored for the class.

You can maintain consistency with a daily schedule identical for each class. A teacher could easily maintain all student engagement by making each component on that schedule unique to that class. Adjusting the amount of time it takes to teach each component will help keep consistency while also being unique enough for each class to stay engaged.

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Given that students can mute their voices and screens, and there isn’t as much accountability online, it can be challenging to get students to contribute (particularly to discussions), let alone want to.

Some strategies that I have picked up through student teaching to remedy this challenge are:

1.) Utilizing interactive Zoom features like “raise your hand” helps with students anxiety about speaking over their peers. The poll and chat feature help keep them engaged and participating in the activities.

2.) Interactive platforms like Padlet and Jamboard allow students to interact with you and each other in real time, and it’s a less formal way to get them talking.

3.) Showing videos and having them write in the chat as we watch the video is something they have enjoyed doing. This is an activity we have seen huge participation with.

4.) Rarely using breakout rooms, and when we do, allow students to pick who they are with. It’s not ideal, but I have found through experience and a survey of my students that they kind of hate breakout rooms. They tend not to talk to each other, and don’t get much from the activity. But when they are with people they know, or are comfortable with, they are more likely to participate. We are working on building a community in the classroom so they feel more comfortable speaking, but this is challenging due to only meeting once a week, and being in AP we have to move fast.

5.) I found by being honest with my students at the beginning of each class, and telling them how much I’d appreciate them turning their cameras on so I can learn their names, and actually see them, they do so. Well, about a third of them do. But hey, that ain’t too bad!

6.) Lastly, ice breakers, and “daily openers or brain teasers” (Pinto 72) are useful to get students engaged at the beginning in class, and more open to talking during the class session.

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1) Many issues experienced in the current online classroom include engaging adolescent learners, respect, and having clear expectations for all our students. Having enjoyment while at the same time providing equity, is quite challenging when young adolescent learners are not having cameras on during class. Yes, there are many work arounds but it can be frustrating not only to others students but for the teacher too.

2) One of the ways in which I engage with the learners in my health class is to ask them for their assistance with the lesson (active involvement/participation). Whether it be asking them what technology tools to use, Jamboard, flip grid etc.… or just asking them if what you are teaching and or the way you are teaching is working with them i.e. style of teaching.

3) Having an open door policy with communication in class has been very beneficial in providing an engaging classroom. Humanizing myself as well as asking for students opinions has shown to be a crucial element in classroom management and providing an inclusive environment.

Anticipated Challenges_F20 pallet, I noticed Kaiya's "Fun and Firm" concepts as well as Sean's  "keeping students engaged and inspiring accountability."
Using fun + inspiring catch phrases in my classes as well a using common GIF video clips to emphasis points has reinforced this fun aspect, as well as prompting inspiration for the different ways adolescent learners think.

Philosophy Statement Post:
As I end this wonderful fall term I have been able to learn a lot from my students about different techniques and strategies in classroom management. Having clear outlined norms and expectations and reviewing these in each class has been helpful. Ensuring expectations are clear by having students read them aloud in class and share what they would like to change has helped my digital classrooms.

Communication is key, and identifying with each student what communication tools work best with them has proven successful. Many students have anxiety about communicating by email and so working with the students to use the online platform or other means for communication such as one-on-one office hours has shown to be successful.

Making the class welcoming and greeting students when they arrive as well as having student speak out about the slides has shown to assist other with engagement (having cameras on, using chat to talk, unmuting and speaking up.

By keeping adaptation to the digital classroom simple and in line with our in-classroom management will also aid in improving respect as it is demonstrated. Respecting students, and the difference in cultural values and beliefs can be challenging by expressing and giving sensitivity warning when covering these concepts will benefit the classes I'm teaching.

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For this mid-term statement, I have chosen two challenges; although, the first one relates the most to the culturally responsive literature that we have been reading and covering in class. Many of my colleagues have mentioned worries over engagement in the online classroom. While it continues to be an issue for me to this date, I have picked up a few tricks that at least help me know if students are still present while their cameras are off. The first of which is having quick check-ins that are yes/no questions. The kids type back a 1 or a 2 in the chat to let me know if they are struggling with a concept or if they need help. If I see a student with a two, I usually ask them to elaborate on what they are struggling with. This allows me to give a few different types of instruction to clarify for that student. The more I do it, the more I’ve been noticing students willing to respond with questions as opposed to just a 2. I also have random emotional check-ins at varying points in the class so that I know if I need to change my pacing, add in a mindfulness minute, or give them a 5-10 minute break. These tactics have helped some of my students take more ownership in the class, similar to the models that Kohn chapter 6 covered. Granted, my classroom is not entirely student-led. Breakout rooms have also been effective (on occasion) particularly for my ELL student. If my CT and I intentionally set up the breakout rooms so that my ELL student is with another Spanish speaker, then ze can make more connections to the content and zir peers.

The last issue was how to efficiently prep. While I wouldn’t say that I am the most efficient prepper (I spend a lot of time practicing repertoire to teach), I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. The first thing I do is called backward planning. I look at my general idea of where I want my students to be by the end of a week. After breaking that down into things they need to learn between now and then, I think about how much time it will take to learn each of those things. From there I can break those down into small lessons to cover each week. After outlining these lessons, I break it down further into activities. By doing the big footwork at the beginning of the week, I am able to just insert activities into each lesson plan (and practice them a few times) during the week when I am busier. Of course, everyone is going to have different tools to help them as they go, but I hope this will help as you progress at your placement.

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Something I was worried about and anticipating was engaging uninterested students. Some strategies that I've learned and had to develop a little was making lessons fun. If a students has fun, they're more likely to be interested. And then I think mixing up the activities and not getting too stuck in monotony because different students respond better to some activities than others.

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For some of the anticipated challenges I thought of, I noticed that a classmate of mine the same viewpoint on trying to find ways to connect with our students via online learning. Austin responded to my anticipated challenge and gave me some good insight and strategies on how I can tackle this situation. One thing that I took from what Austin wrote was just to create an environment where the teacher (me) shows humor and is light-hearted so this can create an avenue for students to feel like I am approachable. Another strategy Austin gave me was, "the students are younger and grew up with frequent technology use so the use of video, webcams, and messaging has become an informal process for them." This stuck out to me because the majority of all my professors have been talking about how students can see through fakeness and students will actually admire/respect teachers more, when they show their students that they are human and make mistakes also. I also think that at the end of the day, it truly comes down to being human and talking to students and asking/learning about their weekends or interests which shows them that you do care about them.

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1.a. During my pre philosophy statement I discussed concerns over encouraging participation for students who get discouraged easily while completing their art assignments. I have just begun my placement this week, but already I have noticed that this is currently happening in my classrooms, mainly in the form of missing work. This may be related to one of my other concerns regarding the resistance to and how to promote engagement and connection with students in a remote learning environment. It is difficult to tell whether the students do not want to complete their assignments because they have an aversion to remote learning, the instructions are unclear to them, they do not know how to navigate Canvas, or if it is because like I stated earlier that they are discouraged by their experiences making the artwork itself. The latter may be especially true, as with this year they have to complete their work with less teacher assistance than they are accustomed to. It is my goal to find the answers to these questions as I spend more time in the classroom.

Like I said, I have just begun my practicum this week, so it has been difficult for me to feel like I am in a position to make changes to how these classes are conducted, and much of this time I have just spent introducing myself and observing. It’s hard to know when to point out areas that need improvement to my CT, when I have just started, but I do feel like there are many (mainly regarding engagement). I’m excited to get more responsibility in the classroom these upcoming weeks and start trying out some strategies.

1.b. Some strategies I would like to try:

Asking students what difficulties they have been facing while creating/submitting their work. What has been hard for them? My CT is a little old school, and I think he expects that because he feels the instructions are clear, that the students just don’t want to complete their assignments. I am thinking that there are several different reasons why they are having difficulty. I think identifying the obstacles and challenges they are experiencing is the first step toward remedying this dilemma. I think this could be done just by asking them, listening to their responses, and making changes.

I would like to ask them about what they are feeling when they are working on their assignments. Are they frustrated? Are their assignments for other classes taking priority? Do they just feel confused about what to do? Does it seem just to be kind of silly to them that they are doing drawing assignments, meanwhile the world has become such a weird and uncertain place?

I think a survey may be a good way to find the answers to these questions. Mainly with the focus “What can we do to help you succeed on your assignments?” “What support can we offer that can help you with your assignments?

2.a. As this course has presented me with more information than at the beginning of the term, I definitely have generated more concerns about classroom management. These mainly come from the practices outlined in TT- Critical Practices for Anti- Bias Education. I think my biggest concern is in creating a place where students can engage in shared inquiry and dialogue. There is some of that going on in my classroom, mainly as student responses to what is successful or unsuccessful about a collection of art pieces (presented in slideshow), but students are very timid and reluctant to respond, and even more reluctant to support their reasoning.

2.b Some strategies I would like to try:

Using Peardeck. I think this would be the best way for students to make comments on artwork, as it is anonymous. Also you can see many more responses instead of just one at a time.

Using breakout rooms. So far I have not been in a class where breakout rooms have been utilized. I have heard good and bad experiences from my colleagues about them so far, so it might take some getting used to.

Chat Avalanche/Waterfall. I don’t think there is an official name for this, but I have heard good things about students writing responses in the chat and submit them all at the same time. I think I will suggest this to my CT.

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Like many others have noted, I had concerns about how to determine whether or not students were participating and understanding material in the online environment. Since many of our students prefer to have their cameras off, it is important to find other ways to get feedback from them. Some ways this could be accomplished are:
1. Requesting that if students are not comfortable unmuting their mic, they instead share their thinking via chat.
2. Having check-ins with students you see are not getting work turned in. This is not meant to shame or scold the student for missing work, rather an opportunity to talk 1 to 1 and determine what the barriers to their learning are thus far.
3. All communications with families are sent in Spanish and English, along with translators being available for conferences.

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One of the common themes that I noticed with the anticipated challenges was about student engagement, specifically in the online format. Many of the strategies that we are taught to increase student engagement may not be applicable over Zoom. This is something that has been on my mind a lot, and I worry that, as an art teacher, I will have a harder time keeping my students motivated during distance learning.
Even though it may look slightly different in this context, I think that the main ideas  that were discussed in Pinto Ch. 3 are still useful even if we are not able to interact with our students face to face. Pinto points out that using scaffolding during lessons, always acting with kindness, and showing an interest in our students' lives outside of the classroom are ways to help ensure that students feel more comfortable engaging with the material and lessons.
These techniques will likely need to be altered for an online learning environment, but we can still use them to make our students feel like who they are as people, and how they learn, is important to us as educators. Taking a few moments out of our lesson to implement these strategies may make a world of difference in our students' engagement levels in the virtual setting.

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In response to some of the posts concerned about a lack of self-confidence or confidence in the classroom, and working on accepting non-perfection, the easiest answer is that these things will be resolved with experience. I have some other thoughts about how to navigate these concerns, though, based on some of what we have learned in this class so far. First, I would say that just like with classroom management as a whole, it is best to be as consistent as possible. Even if you get nervous at points or get bothered by something you messed up, having a consistent structure to your lessons and transitions you repeat often will provide you (and your students) with touchstones of stability and familiarity throughout the class time, so you have opportunities re-center yourself. Also, making mistakes, owning them, and being human with your students will make you more comfortable on top of making students more comfortable with you - rather than aiming to be some sort of intimidating, perfect, larger-than-life figure which is a lot of pressure on you as well as alienating for your students.

Another way to approach these concerns is to get the students involved as much as possible. Both in class and in the readings (esp. Pinto and the Teaching Tolerance text) there is a lot of emphasis on student involvement and voice. If you are not comfortable being the center of attention and fully leading the lesson the entire class duration, build in more activities where the students lead discussions, do collaborative work largely on their own, or even (within reason) let them choose what direction to go in next. That can give you some breathing room outside of the spotlight if a lack of confidence is getting in the way, plus those types of activities are a great benefit to the students.

Most importantly, if we are open and honest with our students that we are not perfect, that we are also learners just like them, and set the expectations as a group for how to learn and grow together, even if we waiver sometimes, if we are sincere and caring towards our students, they'll pick up on that, and then it doesn't matter so much if you're not the 'super-teacher' 101% of the time.

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One major piece I consider for classroom management is to address behavior as being separate from students' character. When approaching how we perceive students, it is important to understand that we do not like particular behaviors students exhibit, not the student themselves. Considering trauma informed classroom management, students may behave undesirably due to external factors happening outside of the classroom. Additionally, I believe that academic punishment for undesirable behavior is not an appropriate response a teacher can make. For example, penalizing students for late work by deducting their grade is inequitable. Teachers should use other forms of incentives to help encourage appropriate behavior. I strongly believe that my ability to build authentic relationships with people is a key component of my classroom management. Building those relationships not only help reduce the abrasive reactions students have at times, but also gives me rapport to help students in crisis when they need it.
- Austin

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Select one or more challenges that you or your colleagues identified

In the music content area a common challenge is participation. In a classroom it can be difficult to get/keep students invested in presented material. In a digital setting this issue is only exacerbated. In a home setting students are responsible for navigating a myriad of distractions that wouldn’t normally occur in a brick and mortar school: pets that need attention or to be let out, siblings that are making noise, neighbors playing music, or even semi trucks using jake-brakes. In addition to external influences, a student must also handle internal temptations- Netflix within arms reach, having to do class in bed (so you might as well nap), needing a bathroom break or snack, or the trap I sometimes fall into… social media!

In my placement about half of the students did not choose to be in choir, and were placed there- as you can imagine being thrust into a choir class headlong with no experience can be intimidating. Often, a class may only have 2 or three students with their cameras on- the rest are blank boxes or profile pictures.

Share ideas and strategies about how you might address them using what you have learned about culturally responsiveness

Something that I have seen help is that my cooperating teacher tends to use the chat for participation (they can only chat to him, as to limit distracting conversations). It seems that when students don’t feel put on the spot they are much more likely to participate; crazy right?  A unique problem with music classes is that they require a very specific and audible participation. Many students share the house with schooling siblings, as well as parents who are working from home. As such, many classes I have been hearing about hold a synchronous class to discuss and introduce theory/history/what have you, and then institute some form of asynchronous elements for musical participation.

My cooperating teacher has been using Canvas, and student interaction factors into attendance. Some of my peers have been seeing success by using various hosting services that students can listen to clips, watch videos, and record then submit their own work on the same platform. There are a lot of aspects of music that are unfortunately lost through digital means, but at least we can get students in the habit of making music, and provide them with some feedback.

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1.) The most important attributes of a thriving learning community; dangers, downsides, and liabilities associated with those attributes?

-I think the most important aspect of a thriving learning community is community. Building relationships with my students, and having them build relationships with one another is how they begin to feel comfortable to exist in class, and participate. If students don’t feel comfortable they won’t engage with each other. Additionally, I think having classroom expectations (from both the teacher and the students) helps promote a thriving classroom, because students understand what’s being asked of them, and vice versa for the teacher.

2.) What motivates students to apply effort and to behave pro-socially in classroom settings, what might tend to undermine such motivations?

-Having a sense of community — so ice breakers, group actives (especially when they can pick who they work with), open seating chart, etc. can all help motivate students to be more social. I also like to use think-pair-share and small group discussions (breakout groups) to get students to interact with each other. If there’s a lot of lecture, individual assignments, or a strict seating chart, students will likely feel unsafe, or unsocial in class. These methods don’t allow them to participate with each other.

3.) Why students choose to engage or disengage, to comply or resist, or to behave or (mis)behave in school:

-I think this often comes down to two things: 1.) students don’t enjoy the material, and unfortunately we can’t always remedy that, but we can try to do more student-centered work (where they pick their paper topic, or book, etc.) and 2.) students don’t have enough support and are struggling with the material.

4.) What roles that control, discipline, authority, punishment, reward, justice, equity, retribution, restoration, relationship, accountability, power, trust, social location, identity, autonomy, and/or agency play in the development of classroom learning communities:

-I think classrooms should have guidelines — classroom expectations, but I don’t like the idea of being an authoritative figure. Restorative justice and development should be prioritized over punishment or criminalization. Relationships and community are key to a safe and happy learning environment. I also like to think that building on student autonomy is important, so that students can find where they want to go, and how my class can help them get there.

*My philosophy is mostly informed by my personal experiences as a student. I want to give students better than I often got. And I want to make sure they feel important, and enjoy learning. A lot of my teaching philosophies come from research and theory, too. Much of the work we do in class is determining best practices, and thus, much of my work is centered around research that shows its effectiveness. I think I hold some unintentional biases surround student ability. For example, I assume all students have the ability to learn, but that can lead to ignoring students that struggle. However, learning about IEPs, UDL, and accommodations has helped with understanding the various students I will have in my career, and how I need to support all of them.

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Some perspectives of classroom management and specifically towards why students engage or disengage that I want to talk about is relevance. I believe relevance is a huge component to either keeping a student engaged or disengaged. Specifically for my content area, I have seen engagement from my students when either my CT or I create a slide deck that allows students to interact or catches their attention. For example, I taught a lesson and incorporated Jam Board and the kids loved it. I think because they were able to work independently for a little bit and it got them engaged and also they were in a breakout room talking about why they were placing certain sticky notes on certain spots of the number line to their classmates. On the other hand, there have been some lesson plans that have been pretty dry and I can tell students have checked out because by the time we send the students on their way, there is usually 4 or 5 blank screens still signed on.
My philosophy towards assumptions and biases is still a work in progress because I want to focus on the kids who are giving great answers/reflections on their homework assignments. However, for the students who do the bare minimum, they get me frustrated because I don't think the homework that my CT and I are assigning them is that hard, so I always wonder why they don't just do the work. From a different perspective I know that I am very passionate about physical activity and I want everyone else to be also, but thats not the case. Surprisingly enough, some students have been honest with their reflection answers and have said that the reason they didn't turn in an assignment for PE was because they had a more important math project they had to get done.

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“What kind of learning environment do you want to develop in order to establish respect and rapport, and to support students’ engagement in learning?”

My goal is to develop a classroom where students are comfortable learning, exploring, wondering, and thinking. I feel that when we think of the ideal classroom, for some, that may look like a self running classroom, students attentively listening to the teacher and one another, eager to respond to questions, eager to complete assignments, communicating and working with each other without hesitation. Although I would love to have any and all of these attributes in my classroom I realize that this type of classroom is never given and rarely exists. However, one item at the top of my list is a sense of community, a sense of being seen/heard, and a sense of a safe place.
One way to do this that stuck out to me was "zero indifference". As an educator, I know that there will be times when a student says something inappropriate and it will be uncomfortable to keep composed and address the issue. However, I feel that it is so important to not necessarily punish, but to address any wrong doing taken place in the classroom.  By addressing the wrong doing it holds the students accountable without criminalizing their behavior and also restores justice in a sense, for those effected by the inappropriate action in the classroom.
As well as always acknowledging any wrong doing in the class, I intend to acknowledge all right doing in the classroom. If a student display an act that demonstrates great support for a classmate, standing up for what is right, or being courageous, I would like to acknowledge those moments as well.
In addition, to establish respect and support in the classroom to support student engagement I intend to foster a classroom of empathy. I believe that a foundation of empathy is communication and for successful communication all members must be able to actively listen and speak out. Whether that be in a whole class discussion, small groups, or one on one. Another component is that students must be willing to lean in to the uncomfortable. Because feeling uncomfortable takes vulnerability and is humbling, and the presence of empathy, vulnerability, and humbleness are all important components of a safe space for leaning, exploring, thinking, and wondering.

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I am someone that grew up with a lot of trauma. It affects me everyday and it has changed how my mind works. Growing up in a situation where there were a lot of unmet needs and an excess amount of stress, I found safety and prosperity at school. That was largely due to the positive experiences I had, mentorship, and support my school provided me. When critically reflecting on my school experiences in high school, college, and grad school with the materials we received in this class, I see a major shift to my emerging perspective. I think that we forget that school can be a positive experience and learning can be fun. School can be fun or it can add a layer of negative experiences and stress, leading to greater complex trauma as an adult. In schools, we need to be aware of our students as emotional beings engaging in the emotional act of learning.
Embarrassing students in class, yelling, reinforcing negative self images, and encouraging consequences at home for students behind are ways that teachers justify trauma contributors as “classroom management”. Teachers should use warm tones, greet their students by name as they walk in, create predictable classroom routines, and, most importantly, make sure students are enjoying school. School is a place for exploration, confidence building, skill building, cultivating resilience, and emotionally growing. If it comes to compromising some content or compromising student experience, I believe a teacher should compromise content. This is reinforced with the science that shows that people do not retain memories well if they are stressed. Compromising the students emotional well being compromises the content as well. I will get to know my students emotional needs in the classroom and design my practice to make sure I am not creating complex traumas in my students. Plus, I am really funny so that will help.

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Reflecting on what we’ve learned this semester, I think what’s stood out for me has been the idea of adopting a social-emotional lens to all our interactions with students. Ultimately, a thriving learning community is one where students feel seen, heard, and recognized for what they contribute to the classroom. Students are motivated to complete assignments and stay on task when they are engaged with their curriculum, classmates, and instructors. On the other hand, students who disengage and/or cause disruptions in the classroom often do so because of problems they’re confronting either at school or at home. Rather than take an authoritarian approach to discipline, it is important for teachers to adopt an engagement approach that looks to forge connections with students and find pathways for them to succeed, in spite of the various challenges they’re facing.

After studying different strategies and approaches, I believe my own classroom management philosophy will be based firmly in the idea of student-centered engagement. By adopting a social-emotional lens when interacting with students, we as teachers can better understand individual needs and adopt strategies that help struggling students thrive, rather than be disciplined for not fitting into the traditional mold. The research we’ve done on Teaching Tolerance’s “Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education” has taught me effective ways to shift classroom management from a deficit model to more student-centered instruction. These include strategies such as “Personal Reflection Prompts,” in order to let students share more about what’s going on in their world, and “Tiered Activities,” which allow students to participate in classroom activities at their own pace (Teaching Tolerance, 2018). Ultimately, it’s crucial to find opportunities for all students to be included and not feel pushed out because they lack the skills or motivation to engage with the material.

Differentiating my instruction has been critical for confronting my own biases and misconceptions about student behavior. Rather than looking for ways to discipline students who act up in class, I see how important it is to respond with a developmental approach. Students aren’t going to start engaging with school after being villainized by teachers and administrators. Instead, we need to look for ways to connect with students on their level, whether that’s finding out more about their interests or simply taking time to listen when they choose to share with us. By staying flexible and shifting our curriculum from a single rigid model to one that adapts to students’ needs and abilities, we can foster stronger student engagement with learning. Ultimately, even if students aren’t interested in their education, we still need to be there to provide support for whatever traumas or problems they may be confronting in their personal lives. In developing a classroom culture that values each student and their contributions, we can help create a safer space for students to feel a sense of belonging, as well as uphold a strong commitment to equity and social justice.

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Explain your perspective about several of the following aspects of classroom management:

1. the most important attributes of a thriving learning community; dangers, downsides, and liabilities associated with those attributes?

A: I think the most important part of a thriving learning community, or any community for that matter, is open and honest communication. A culture of being able to speak your truths and not be afraid of shame is vital. Also as a teacher being able to set realistic expectations that you can hold but also alter if needed is super important to creating a positive environment.

2. what motivates students to apply effort and to behave pro-socially in classroom settings, what might tend to undermine such motivations?

A: I think making class fun and inviting is a great way to get students to engage and enjoy class. I think setting clear expectations and boundaries can help with pro-social behaviors but I think having a dialogue about the consequences of actions is super important as opposed to simply punishing.

3. why students choose to engage or disengage, to comply or resist, or to behave or (mis)behave in school?

A: Students can choose these behaviors for a variety of reasons but I think boredom, trauma, or a feeling of exclusion can all lead to the behaviors we see as "bad". Some of these things such as trauma are out of our control but we need to do what we can as teachers to be positive in those areas we can have control.

4. what roles that control, discipline, authority, punishment, reward, justice, equity, retribution, restoration, relationship, accountability, power, trust, social location, identity, autonomy, and/or agency play in the development of classroom learning communities?

A: Students will feel more motivated and engaged if they feel they have a sense of control or autonomy in the way the class works and the assignments that are given. I think that there needs to be a delineation to how far that extends but I think giving students power to shape the class can really engage them well. I am also a big believer in intrinsic motivation over extrinsic so I don't really like the ideas of rewards like prizes.

5. Share how your philosophy is influenced or informed by:

your own assumptions, biases, prejudices, and experiences

research and theory

how others with different experiences and assumptions believe differently than you

your commitment to equity and social justice

A: My experience is that of a straight, white, cis-gendered, Christian male so I don't really understand a lot of the struggles or issues that many of my students or my colleagues have to deal with so it will take a lot of intentionality and research on my part to be who I need to be to reach and care for all of my students and coworkers. And I think it's okay to have different beliefs or assumptions from other people so I think as long as I can foster healthy relationships with those I am teaching or working with I think it will all be good. Research does shape a lot of my theory but I should be more up to date with my research and make sure I stay current rather than becoming apathetic. I think equity and social justice are crucial to giving everyone the same opportunity and giving everyone equal footing.

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The most important aspects that motivate students, in my opinion, is worthwhile goals, trust, and a sense of self-efficacy. Students have to feel like there’s a purpose to what they’re doing for them to want to do it. This goes for almost anyone at any age. No one wants to waste time doing tasks that they feel mean nothing or won’t help them in the future. This is why it is important to make things relevant for our students and make connections between learning tasks and the real world. The student must also feel a sense of trust to be motivated, as well. This trust makes it so the student knows that you care about them and that you want them to do well. In turn, this builds mutual respect where the student (hopefully) will want to return the favor of your efforts with working hard, as well. Finally, we have self-efficacy which leads a more intrinsic motivation. Accomplishing goals and tasks tells our brains that we’re happy and it makes us want to be better and do more. This motivation will be undermined if the student doesn’t feel like there’s a point or reason to what they’re doing or learning, they don’t care about you or if they do well, or don’t think they can do it. It is important that we as teachers take an authoritative approach versus authoritarian. We are all people and deserve to be treated with mutual respect. With this, we can co-create and learn together. This way students will feel empowered and in control of their futures.

My philosophy is mostly influenced by my experiences, how other believe differently than me, and my commitment to equality and social justice. I feel like a great purpose for my life has been having difficult experiences and being able to see other’s experiences to change the world for the better. I had a very difficult time socially and academically all the way through school and I was very observant of how those types of experiences affected myself and others and what supports we needed. I also feel like I have the gift of seeing things from other’s perspectives, like seeing the hurt behind the people who bullied me or others. Also, knowing that empathy is actually a difficult emotion to have because we have never actually experienced the same exact thing as anyone else. Knowing that everyone around you is having unique experiences is important to not imposing my views or feelings on others. My philosophy at its core is that we are all individuals and we are all human trying to make it through this world. I just want to show love and support for those around me and I hope that my teaching will reflect that.

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Explain your perspective about several of the following aspects of classroom management:

the most important attributes of a thriving learning community; dangers, downsides, and liabilities associated with those attributes?

I think the most important attribute of a thriving learning community is creating a community from the start. With this, creating a space where students feel welcome, heard, and cared for while giving them a voice in the classroom is key to creating this community. While it is unlikely that we will always be able to create a safe space for every student, we as educators should strive to make our space “safe enough” for every student to feel comfortable coming to school.

what motivates students to apply effort and to behave pro-socially in classroom settings, what might tend to undermine such motivations

The biggest motivator I have found thus far is simply creating a relationship with students. If your students do not have a relationship with you or with their peers, they likely will have little motivation to exert any effort in class.

why students choose to engage or disengage, to comply or resist, or to behave or (mis)behave in school

As I reflect on my own educational experiences, I have begun to feel that this is less of a choice and more of a natural bodily response. I know I am not alone in saying that I experienced trauma growing up which then impacted my ability to focus and be fully engaged in classes. As I have gotten to know my students better, I have come to find that they have had similar experiences, they are ruled by fear and shame.

what roles that control, discipline, authority, punishment, reward, justice, equity, retribution, restoration, relationship, accountability, power, trust, social location, identity, autonomy, and/or agency play in the development of classroom learning communities

While there are certain aspects of my life in which I crave control, the classroom is not one of them. When I think of myself as a teacher, authority, punishment, discipline, and control are not on the list of attributes I would ever want to bring into a classroom. I fully believe that putting equity, restorative justice, and relationships as a top priority is the most direct path to creating a safe, fulfilling learning environment.

My Philosophy:

My philosophy is mostly shaped by my experiences as a learner. There are many times in my life that I felt there was not an adult I could go to for help when I was not understanding the content or just needed someone to check on me. My first focus will always be on creating a trusting relationship with my students, ensuring that they feel safe in my room and understand that it is a space where mistakes are welcomed and celebrated. A part of my philosophy revolves around being a woman in math, in which I often found I was not supported and lacked role models.

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My final philosophy is in a Google Doc that can be accessed at this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oIsX3SEZigqKdIk0rBK5CbVrOf9PLS9vuYvw5MQuDFM/edit?usp=sharing

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Explain your perspective about several of the following aspects of classroom management:
the most important attributes of a thriving learning community; dangers, downsides, and liabilities associated with those attributes?
The most important attributes of a thriving classroom are student voices, trust in others, respect for all, a supportive community that makes everyone feel safe and welcome, and that the students can see themselves represented in the curriculum. I think that some of the dangers of these attributes are that they will take a lot of time and effort from not only myself to foster but also from my students. It might take time away from the class where I can’t get all the information into the year but especially this year, it has been seen that the time it takes to cultivate a classroom community is counteracted by the ability for the class to move through content as a unit. Also, it is a little unrealistic for a high school classroom to always be respectful and accepting but the way you remedy those situations is a testament to your classroom environment and its great social skills for the students. 
what motivates students to apply effort and to behave pro-socially in classroom settings, what might tend to undermine such motivations
When I was in high school, I was not excepted by my teachers, school staff, and some of my friends for being gay. I was taught that I was going to hell and I could not seek help at school because of the risk of being suspended/kicked out. I felt isolated and alone while at school and I wish that I had at least one teacher or person in a position of authority to lean on. I will always be that for my students. I will always be open with my students about who I am and what I have been through so that the students will hopefully feel comfortable with coming to me whenever they need. Something that might undermine that motivation is the risk of losing my job. I am not sure if I would want to keep a job that did not support teachers sharing themselves with their students but there might come a time where I have to give up aspects to keep my job. 
why students choose to engage or disengage, to comply or resist, or to behave or (mis)behave in school 
There are a myriad of reasons as to why students misbehave, disengage and resist and there is no way to list or discuss them all. Additionally, every student is different and as teachers, we will never fully understand the students' situation or life. However, some of the main reasons are culture, some cultures emphasize respecting elders and complying goes along with that, others might emphasize individuality/anatomy and resisting comes along with that. Maybe a lesson does not have representation of multiple cultures or voices and therefore students disengage. Maybe a student has had a really tough week and therefore has a more difficult time controlling their tempers. There could always be something going on with a student or a misunderstanding between the teacher and students about expectations so you should never use punishment right off the bat. Listen to your students and allow them to explain to come to a resolution/ understanding. 
what roles that control, discipline, authority, punishment, reward, justice, equity, retribution, restoration, relationship, accountability, power, trust, social location, identity, autonomy, and/or agency play in the development of classroom learning communities
I am not a fan of an authoritarian approach in a classroom. I think that students are still people and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Also, I have not seen an authoritarian approach to classroom management work in a classroom setting. I do think that power does play a role in developing classroom learning only because students are used to you as the teacher being in that role and might feel uncomfortable or confused without a person as an authority figure. The key roles that I think best help with the development of classroom communities is trust, relationship, restorations, justice, equity, autonomy, and identity. 


Share how your philosophy is influenced or informed by:
your own assumptions, biases, prejudices, and experiences
One of my biggest prejudices which I see pop up that I need to work on is my feeling towards people who are strong Catholics. I have such bad memories from church, school, conversations with clergy people that I have a hard time separating my bad thoughts from the person in front of me. I am also biased from women in stem because I had to fight for my position in labs for the other people in the class to take me seriously. However, this does not cloud my judgment as much as the prejudice above. 
research and theory 
I love student feedback and I think it is one of the best forms of research that I can do. I think that having students have their voices heard and taken into account in the classroom is so important. Test scores do not make up a student nor should they be heard over their actual voices. 
your commitment to equity and social justice
I think that it is so important for students to see themselves in their curriculum and especially in science, old white men have dominated the field. We can name so many white men that have “discovered” something revolutionary in science but we never highlight the women, people of color, and young contributors that in many cases were more critical to the discovery. I think it is important for science teachers to start highlighting those key figures in their teacher to move away from the bland tale of science we have today. 

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I believe that one of the most important attributes of a thriving learning community is to actually have a sense of community in your classroom. When students feel like their teacher and their peers will encourage their intellectual pursuits and support them when they make mistakes then they will be more likely to participate in class. And the more we can get students to participate the more likely they will be able to connect with the material. A possible pitfall I can see with this developed sense of community would be if students become too focused on building friendships in the class they may get distracted from the actual learning objectives. I think that a way to counteract this is to have an established routine and guidelines for the day.

Some ways to encourage appropriate social behavior in the classroom could be to build in lots of opportunities for the students to work together to enhance their learning. We have discussed many of these strategies in our various classes, such as Jigsaw and Turn and Talk, and I think that implementing them could be a great way to motivate students to apply effort. Because there is a social dynamic there is more incentive for them to participate.

One of the reasons that I believe that students disengage from school is because they do not see the relevance of what they are learning to their own lives. It can be discouraging to spend time on a project that does not appear to add any value to your life. This is why student choice and culturally relevant curriculum are so important. When students have some agency in deciding what they learn, the lesson has more value and they will be more likely to engage with the material.

My own teaching philosophy is influenced very heavily by my own experiences in education. I struggled in high school and had developed a reputation that made certain teachers less likely to see me as worth the effort. What happened is I had one teacher who really saw me and took the time to get to know me. Her class became my favorite and I felt like I was valued in her classroom. How she interacted with her students has become a model for how I want to present myself in my own classroom. I believe that developing a student-centered curriculum will help me to reach more students and I know from the theories we have studied that it is critical for me to ensure that there is an opportunity for student voice in every assignment. Another important aspect of my philosophy is to try to bring as much diversity into my classroom as possible. The art world tends to dominated by White European men, and while their contributions to the art historical canon cannot be overstated, I believe that we do our students a disservice by not highlighting the value of artworks from all cultures and walks of life. This is not only important for a well rounded art education, but it also allows our students to see themselves represented in the material we teach. This helps to draw our students in more fully to the subject and make it relevant to their lives.

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I think the most important attributes of a thriving learning community are safety and respect. Without them, students will never feel comfortable enough to come out of their shells and engage with each other. They need to feel that they are valued and appreciated if they are going to continue to speak up and interact in the classroom.

Respecting and encouraging student voice, setting classroom expectations, and fostering personal relationships are important aspects of a thriving community as well. This process starts from the first day, when the teacher works hard to learn their names, ask them about themselves, and shows that they care. It takes time to build these relationships, but I keep finding that you get out of them what you put into them.

Classroom expectations are important in creating accountability and are most effective when they incorporate students in the drafting process. Rules become an agreement between the student(s) and teacher and creates a sense of trust, protection, and accountability. The community has to be a safe place that students feel respected in order to have continued interactions.

I think students choose to engage with school if they are having fun and feel that it’s contributing something relevant to their lives, and disengage if it feels pointless or doesn’t resonate with them. It is regrettable that we don’t have terms other than comply or behave to describe ideal behavior in school. To me, the idea of them behaving or complying goes against that of student autonomy and freedom.

Students show respect if they feel it is deserved and reciprocated and lash out when there are problems at home or at school. It’s important to remember that there’s always a good reason for it and view it from a compassionate angle, rather than disciplinarian. Students are already facing challenges, we’re here to help overcome them, not pose another one.

My philosophy is that being a teacher encompasses many roles. You have to be an educator, caring mentor, student advocate, justice seeker, safe adult, and empathetic ear (just to name a few). The information from Teaching Tolerance has helped me “walk the talk” and develop strategies that support students of different identities that mitigate harm by promoting safety and equality. My goal as a teacher is to continue becoming more educated so that I can help create informed members of society and provide strong identity-building spaces for my students to learn.

I bring to the table strong character traits and a passion to help all students learn. I bring the assumption that everyone means well and I try to not take anything personal (until someone makes it personal). As someone who experienced childhood trauma, I have the unique ability to empathize (and in some cases sympathize) with students who are immersed in difficult circumstances.
As I think of ways to confront my biases, I challenge myself to monitor my own thoughts and hold myself responsible for my internal monologue, to become better educated, to engage in culturally responsible practice, to ignore others perceptions, and use my voice to better advocate for those who are marginalized. I do this in dedication to what I believe is one of the worthiest pursuits in life, teaching : )

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In my opinion, the two most important attributes of a thriving learning environment are emotional and physical safety and community. The absence of these attributes causes students to withdraw from the learning environment. It no longer becomes a comfortable place for them, and when I think about my continued association with the communities I have belonged to in the past, my participation with them was entirely reliant on the level of respect I received from its members. In the real world, if you have an abusive supervisor, you leave the workplace, but in school, students are often expected to continue putting up with a system that doesn’t always treat them as individuals deserving of respect. Withdrawing from this environment comes with more dire consequences, in this case, lost opportunities and a perpetuation of inequality between the educated and uneducated. This is why I believe that ensuring that all students feel recognized, respected, safe, and welcomed by their peers, teachers, and administrators in their school should be its number one priority, and learning is dependent on the achievement of this climate. Much of that responsibility lies with the teacher, and I believe it is their job to continually work towards building a community of learners who each celebrate each other’s differences and support their peer’s academic and personal growth.

I think that one of the most impactful motivators for students to behave pro-socially in the classroom is the teacher’s ability to inspire empathy in the classroom. A teacher who models a socio-cultural lens establishes both their expectations and acts as a role model for their student’s behavior. Being brave and bringing attention to acts of injustice and having difficult conversations with your students is no easy task, but students need to face these experiences that shape their ideas on what it means to be a compassionate member of today’s society.

Students’ disengagement or (mis)behavior in school reflects not the shortcomings of the student, but the failure of the school to connect and equitably serve each member of their student body. I think this is most prevalent in two categories. 1. Lack of relevant and meaningful learning experiences and 2. A school culture that makes particular individuals feel unwelcome, deficient, or less valuable. The latter has tie ins with systemic racism but even can greatly affect students of the majority who feel they are “different” than the typical school student.

Many students feel that when they enter a school they enter a them vs. us social dynamic between themselves and their “authority” figures. I want my students to feel like I am a friend and not just someone who wants to enforce rules and maintain order and conformity. Personally, my favorite students are the ones who challenge rules and request adequate explanations about why certain school procedures are conducted. This shows that they are capable of thinking for themselves, and I think it is a shame to silence these voices.

My Philosophy:

I am sure I still have biases. I am sure I still have prejudices that I am unaware of that shape how I interpret the world. I am fallible, I won’t act as if I am not, but more importantly, I believe I am quick to admit my mistakes or apologize for cultural insensitivity or other instances of my failure to recognize the feelings of others with different perspectives than mine. I am a straight white male and know that this may have consequences if I do not consider my biases and evaluate them with their relationship to classroom management and how these could affect the appropriateness of my dealings with crisis or trauma.  I think that bringing more student voice in the classroom, on topics I have not myself experienced will allow me to learn from my students and avoid pushing my beliefs onto them, or expecting that my outlook on life is the only “correct” one. As my content area is art, there is so much room for integrating student’s personal, cultural, and community assets into the classroom. That’s why I love art. Self-expression is something all students can get excited about and I will make sure that my curriculum has room for students to integrate their culture, feelings, and personality into their artwork, and it will be mine and their classmate’s pleasure to be their students.

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This sentiment has been echoed in most of my work in this class, but I maintain that not only positive, but powerful and profound student-teacher relationships are the touchstone for all things related to classroom management. Everything works better when the students trust and respect their teacher and have a firm belief that their teacher cares about them. The risk in this attribute is that you don't want to become so invested in  "niceness" that your class loses its structure and productivity. Showing that you care means respecting your students, but also holding them to a high standard.

Putting your students first in your classroom management philosophy is important because in order to achieve pro-social behavior from adolescents, they need to feel as though pro-social behavior is for them, not for the teacher. Students will disengage if they feel the classroom is about the teacher getting what they want out of students, but tend to engage if the classroom culture is built for the students to get what they want out of the classroom.

A classroom management philosophy should be based in research and theory. I plan to implement a philosophy of classroom management that is asset based and incorporates reward systems, restorative justice, cultural responsiveness, and community building. It is important that we make some critical shifts like adopting a social emotional lens and moving our paradigms from punishment to development.

Ultimate classroom management is about student success. If we want our students to succeed they need to be put first in our classrooms. We need build relationships and develop anti-bias practices to ensure mutual respect and equity. If you can do all these things successfully, you can bet your classroom will be a place where special things happen.

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what motivates students to apply effort and to behave pro-socially in classroom settings, what might tend to undermine such motivations

I think what motivates students to apply effort into class is the belief that their efforts are in some way meaningful, rewarded, and will eventually be successful. One of the comments that students might typically have when being confronted with learning material, especially when it requires an amount of effort to engage in, is to ask "why are we learning this?" It is important to include the answer to that question into your planning and into the discourse in the classroom. A teacher must have an answer to that question prepared before they think about something with the class. There should be a clear indication that engaging with class content will lead to positive and meaningful development.
Not only should there be meaning, but once students have actually engaged there should be some sort of reward for putting effort forth. Giving your all, only to be left feeling empty and unsatisfied with the fruits of your labor, would make anyone think twice about trying as hard again. I think it also gives students motivation to put that effort forth in the first place. There are tons of students who are struggling with the decision to try every day, and giving them something tangible to work towards will get them to engage in some way.
This relates to my last source of motivation, chance of success. People don't like to engage in activities where they are likely to experience failure. Sure, failure is a natural part of the learning process, but if that is all a student is experiencing then they will avoid class activities.
What undermines these motivations is a students beliefs. If a student has no reason to believe that they will find a reward, experience success, or do anything personally meaningful they will have no motivation. Also, how a teacher tries to affect these motivations can undermine them as well. If not done tactfully, respectfully, and with the student's need in mind, well intentioned attempts my backfire. Establishing a familiarity with class norms and expectation reduces the chance that students will have these negative, inaccurate beliefs about what engaging with content will result in.

- what roles that control, discipline, authority, punishment, reward, justice, equity, retribution, restoration, relationship, accountability, power, trust, social location, identity, autonomy, and/or agency play in the development of classroom learning communities-

I think that how teachers interact with students on a disciplinary and behavioral level and how they establish their class conduct has a huge influence on the development of community. I believe that every teachers main goal should be to help students develop a love and inclination for learning. If a teacher focuses too heavily on the students kneeling to their authority and doing what the teacher says because they say it the are working towards that goal. If a teacher has that deficit mindset when addressing conduct, students will feel restricted and lose their sense of autonomy and motivation and fail to create a sense of community. They will only see themselves and each other only by the amount that they listen to the teacher. In that way, it divides the classroom and undermines the community by creating good and bad students and neglects their value as individuals by prioritizing the teacher's satisfaction. By giving the students choice, using restorative justice practices, and creating equal opportunities for success through various means of class engagement, it creates a level playing field. Now the expectations are established by students and maintained by students. This creates more accountability as well as develops the sense of community. Students are no longer individuals competing to be good students are fighting not to be labeled bad, they are collaborating to uplift each other in order to experience group success. Empowering students means they feel more comfortable and enabled within the walls of the classroom and only encourages them contribute more and more. It also reduces that looming fear that they will slip, because the class is built more on understanding than on judgment.

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The classroom community is an essential part of any learning environment. Building a classroom community can be used to engage and support students on multiple levels of their life. The most important attribute of a thriving learning community is student choice. Student choice not only supports and empowers students to make decisions in their own life but it also provides the students' equity in their learning environment. Student choice allows students to use their strengths as it relates to the learning objectives instead of being forced to do something in a specific way. Student choice allows the teacher to scaffold the material to the students based on their choice and strengths that they bring to the classroom in ways formal education can not. Now there are some dangers educators should understand before implementing student choice into their classroom practice. When students are given more choice there is a risk of the students having too much freedom than they are prepared for and can lead to poor choices. Educators need to help build up their students to a point of autonomy where they have a clear understanding of the learning objectives and what is expected of them. Students need to be supported and motivated in any type of classroom setting. Students can be motivated in the classroom by using a pedagogical tool that embraces student strengths and student choice. Educators must be culturally responsive to student’s questions, comments, and needs. This requires the students to have the opportunities to share their perspectives, experiences, and feedback. When students do share they must be encouraged and praised for their effort. One critical piece to motiving students to apply effort and to behave pro-socially in classroom settings is genuine relationships. If the educator or community is not genuine in respect to their students then their student will discover this and lead to disengagement. Losing students' engagement means you are losing their attention and in an online classroom the students' attention is everything. Students choose to engage or disengage based on numerous factors but engagement level benign at the forefront. Students must find relevance and value in each lesson otherwise their attention level will waiver. Students must be engaged to form a classroom community otherwise the curriculum will continue to follow the passive-teacher-led instructional model. Educators in classroom communities that have roles in (authority, discipline, reward, etc.) must move past traditional models that punish and condemn students. Educators should follow restorative justice practices that do not ask,” what is wrong with the students” but perhaps,” what happened to the student that led to this action”. Students should not be looked at as criminals but as victims of their environment. Educators must take into account all factors of their student's life in a more holistic model that gives attention to their needs. Educators must move past this “one size fits all model” and focus on centering the introduction and community based on the students' personal needs for growth.

My philosophy has been influenced by a considerable amount of factors learned over my lifetime. First, my time as a student made a huge impact on my educational philosophy. I spent a considerable amount of time in school and also changed schools over ten different times. I would argue that my philosophy as a teacher was first developed during my time as a student.  I would like to think along the way I have improved my pedagogical knowledge and ability to use tools to help educate students.  I also gained a lot out of my time as a freshman basketball coach. I was introduced to scaffolding and student-centered instruction based on my time as a coach. During summer workouts, everyone is allowed to come and I would see the vast differences in experience levels each athlete had. I still had to help them accomplish objectives and support their engagement level despite their prior knowledge. I would scaffold material and other strategic instructional methods that allow students' strengths to be further developed as well as supplementary materials for understanding. Scaffolding the material allows for educators to take a more active role in an asset-based pedagogy, which focuses on student’s personal, cultural, and community assets. I always will take a holistic model approach that motivates students both intrinsically and extrinsically. Students leave our classrooms and still have a majority of their day to get through thus they need to be given tools that are relevant to their daily lives. Each student comes to class with experience and identity that contribute to who they are as a person. Students should be taught to embrace their experiences and identity in a culturally responsive model. “It is a marathon, not a sprint.” Implementing change in a systematic educational model takes time and should be looked at as a continuous process for educators. As educators are job is not to teach students something temporarily. Our job as educators is to give the students the tools to be active, informed, and healthy participants in their communities.

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I feel that it is really important that I start the school year with a thriving classroom environment. This can be accomplished by group activities and taking an interest in my students lives. It would also be helpful to give my students time to work together and bond as a class without me directly involved. However, It is important that if we are on school grounds as a group, that I am in the room with them. In my methods class, we have talked about the crazy stupid ways people have gotten themselves in trouble. The main point I have learned from those conversations is to be upfront with your administrators, and always have more helpers than you think you need.

Students will apply effort when they feel like their effort will be appreciated. This is especially true with middle and high school students. They need to feel like we want them to be invested and involved in the learning process. Also, they will behave in the classroom if we have done the work to create a community in our classroom.

Students disengage in school for many reasons. One reason is that school has not been relevant to them and their lives. This can be seen in large schools, where students feel lost in the shuffle, or in classrooms where teachers are not doing any community work with their students. Most of the time if students are misbehaving in school, it means that there are things happening in their personal lives. This could mean that they have a learning or developmental disability that they could need more support for, or their guardians are not creating a safe home environment for them.

When building a community in our classroom, it is important that we are giving our students room to build it themselves. We should be setting the ground rules, rewards, and punishments for their actions while in class.

When looking at my own philosophy, I feel that my upbringing has affected my assumptions in the past. Prior to this summer, the typical classroom in my head was one that belonged to a well funded suburban school. Since getting some teaching experiences in Portland, I have gotten to see what a variety of schools are doing to be successful. I enjoy getting to read more subject specific textbooks as they do not usually use nearly as much academic language, which makes the reading much more interesting. When interacting with teachers who think differently than me, I always see it as a learning experience, as their viewpoint usually has things that can benefit my teaching style (especially considering their classes are learning and succeeding using their opposing viewpoint). As someone who comes from a pretty privileged background, I am always working towards equity in my classrooms, and I am constantly trying to learn about others and how I can improve.

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As I end this wonderful fall term I have been able to learn a lot from my students about different techniques and strategies in classroom management. Having clear outlined norms and expectations and reviewing these in each class has been helpful. Ensuring expectations are clear by reviewing and adapting them and having students read them aloud in class and share what they would like to change has helped my digital classroom environment.

Communication is key, and identifying with each student what communication tools work best with them has proven successful. Many students have anxiety about communicating by email and so working with the students to use the online platform or other means for communication such as one-on-one office hours has shown to be successful.

Making the class welcoming and greeting students when they arrive as well as having student speak out about the slides has shown to assist other with engagement (having cameras on, using chat to talk, unmuting and speaking up.

By keeping adaptation to the digital classroom simple and in line with our in-classroom management will also aid in improving respect as it is demonstrated. Respecting students, and the difference in cultural values and beliefs can be challenging by expressing and giving sensitivity warning when covering these concepts will benefit the classes im teaching.