Phase 1 Findings
Overall, the results indicate that the community building activities are effective and our classroom is becoming a safe supportive place for students to learn. This conclusion is drawn based on the following three big findings:
1. The students successfully used the information learned and approaches introduced in lessons.
Throughout the two weeks of phase two, I both noticed and have less notes of individual incidences of students tattle-telling. Prior to implementation, I would have students tattling on other students running, being off task during academic instruction, and name-calling. After our tattle telling lesson, and with consistent encouragement, students started talking to each other, as opposed to tattling, to address these behaviors. One specific incidence of a child correcting his own tattle telling behavior occurred when the student began a statement with “Student A was… oh I just want him to get in trouble” and went back to his seat. The self-correcting of the behavior was a big step in the right direction, and this student was awarded for his self-correction and honesty, with his situation used as an example for a class discussion.
In solving their problems, students used our problem solving I-statement and protocol, when necessary. While I did realize that the students did not always need the support of a protocol for smaller issues, I found the support and familiarity with the protocol made the confrontation necessary for problem solving more comfortable. I also had students who used our anger management protocol outside of school, and taught it to friends and family, as I discussed with the student who introduced the protocol to his angry father.
2. Students were more likely to participate even when answers were not correct.
Throughout the two weeks of phase one, more students were participating in our academic lessons than were before implementation. In these academic lessons, students encouraged other students to participate, and recognized the classroom as a time and place to learn and make mistakes. Students often offered words of encouragement such as “good job” or “smart thinking” to students answers, regardless of if the answer was correct or not.
When students who participated in discussions offered information or answers that were not correct, the class as a whole was more willing to help one another, in a positive and encouraging way. The students would use the phrase “I can help him/her” and “don’t stop his/her thinking", and learned how to encourage thinking and give quiet time for everyone to process.
One incident of this positive participation and encouragement was specified in my notes. A student who rarely participates positively, and is one of our struggling readers, wanted to come to the board to spell a sight word in a sentence. The students encouraged him when he came to the board, and were patient while he tried to identify the word from our word box, and correctly copy it into our sentence. The student took a few tries, self-correcting his mistakes as he went, and after completion the students all clapped and told him “good job” and “you’re smart”. Not only were the students proud of the struggling student, but also they were proud of themselves for being patient and encouraging. I was proud too.
3. Behavior improved on a class wide level.
As a class, the student behavior seemed to improve as a community, above the problem solving and feelings understanding that I had planned. After the first week the class won “Best Behavior Award”, an award earned by one class a week for showing outstanding citizenship on the playground during the lunch recess playtime. In the second week, the students won a similar award, but this time for their behavior during the lunch portion in which kids sit at tables and eat.
Additionally, other teachers requested lessons as a result of the improvement in behavior exhibited by my students during their class time in those teachers classroom (for our ELD lessons our students work with other teachers). The teachers offered comments such as “the students are so polite”, “the students are helpful”, and “the students are kind and care about one another”.
As a result of the success of this first phase, the second phase of this inquiry project will continue to build this safe and supportive classroom community, but this time at a deeper level.
1. The students successfully used the information learned and approaches introduced in lessons.
Throughout the two weeks of phase two, I both noticed and have less notes of individual incidences of students tattle-telling. Prior to implementation, I would have students tattling on other students running, being off task during academic instruction, and name-calling. After our tattle telling lesson, and with consistent encouragement, students started talking to each other, as opposed to tattling, to address these behaviors. One specific incidence of a child correcting his own tattle telling behavior occurred when the student began a statement with “Student A was… oh I just want him to get in trouble” and went back to his seat. The self-correcting of the behavior was a big step in the right direction, and this student was awarded for his self-correction and honesty, with his situation used as an example for a class discussion.
In solving their problems, students used our problem solving I-statement and protocol, when necessary. While I did realize that the students did not always need the support of a protocol for smaller issues, I found the support and familiarity with the protocol made the confrontation necessary for problem solving more comfortable. I also had students who used our anger management protocol outside of school, and taught it to friends and family, as I discussed with the student who introduced the protocol to his angry father.
2. Students were more likely to participate even when answers were not correct.
Throughout the two weeks of phase one, more students were participating in our academic lessons than were before implementation. In these academic lessons, students encouraged other students to participate, and recognized the classroom as a time and place to learn and make mistakes. Students often offered words of encouragement such as “good job” or “smart thinking” to students answers, regardless of if the answer was correct or not.
When students who participated in discussions offered information or answers that were not correct, the class as a whole was more willing to help one another, in a positive and encouraging way. The students would use the phrase “I can help him/her” and “don’t stop his/her thinking", and learned how to encourage thinking and give quiet time for everyone to process.
One incident of this positive participation and encouragement was specified in my notes. A student who rarely participates positively, and is one of our struggling readers, wanted to come to the board to spell a sight word in a sentence. The students encouraged him when he came to the board, and were patient while he tried to identify the word from our word box, and correctly copy it into our sentence. The student took a few tries, self-correcting his mistakes as he went, and after completion the students all clapped and told him “good job” and “you’re smart”. Not only were the students proud of the struggling student, but also they were proud of themselves for being patient and encouraging. I was proud too.
3. Behavior improved on a class wide level.
As a class, the student behavior seemed to improve as a community, above the problem solving and feelings understanding that I had planned. After the first week the class won “Best Behavior Award”, an award earned by one class a week for showing outstanding citizenship on the playground during the lunch recess playtime. In the second week, the students won a similar award, but this time for their behavior during the lunch portion in which kids sit at tables and eat.
Additionally, other teachers requested lessons as a result of the improvement in behavior exhibited by my students during their class time in those teachers classroom (for our ELD lessons our students work with other teachers). The teachers offered comments such as “the students are so polite”, “the students are helpful”, and “the students are kind and care about one another”.
As a result of the success of this first phase, the second phase of this inquiry project will continue to build this safe and supportive classroom community, but this time at a deeper level.