Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Developing Classroom Rules in an Early Childhood Special Education Classroom

Well, a whole new school year is up and running.  And in our case, I truly do mean running!!!  We have a very busy group of Buddy Bears this year...but oh, the potential!!  It is going to be a great year.
 
To start the year off right, I changed our classroom rules and added a component that really serves as a model of the rules for our students. 

We have always had rules in our classroom.  For the past seven years, they have aligned with Becky Bailey’s Conscious Discipline program.  

We use. . .
our looking eyes, our listening ears, our quiet voices and kind words, our waiting hands and gentle touches, and our walking feet.
This year I made one modification to our rules based on my experience at TASN’s Summer Institute.  I removed "looking eyes" as many of our students do not have the ability to look as they attend to a person or activity.  I have always known this but felt there is a part to teaching and learning that requires students to look at the person and activity to be successful. However after speaking with colleagues at SI, I realized it is not necessarily with looking eyes but rather through listening ears and attentive bodies.  

If my students were older and could better understand the word "attentive", I might add a rule about being attentive. Since they are not there yet, I decided to focus on my other four rules and really support them in learning to be attentive by focusing  on listening ears, quiet voices and waiting hands.  

I then added a much needed preschool rule, "WE ARE KIND TO EACH OTHER!"  Sharing and playing with others is a main goal for our little preschoolers as they move from a toddler-centered world, where everything is about themselves, to a preschool-centered world, where they learn through playing and interacting with others.

To teach our classroom rules, they are posted in the center of our large group area.  

You can access the board for this poster via Board Maker Share.

We review the rules every day during opening group as we recite them with actions.  



This specific video clip will be shown all week this week during our opening calendar activity via the Smartboard.  It provides a video model for the students to follow along with as they learn to recite the rules.  For our lower students, it is a great way to practice gross motor imitation.
 
As we progress throughout the year, we will use the Smartboard to show video models on how to follow specific rules.  Last year, I based the video models on specific needs of our students.  For example if we have a lot of students using loud voices, I might show a video of raising your hand to get a teacher's attention and then quietly telling the teacher what you need.  Each morning after showing a video example, the rule helper discusses what body parts were used to follow that rule. 


For more information on video modeling and its effectiveness, click here. 

One last thing,  I added classroom rules to our Buddy Bear song this year.  We have a theme song that supports our classroom in becoming a unit and a school family each year.  The kids always love it!  And thanks to the help of my musically talented para, Miss Penny, it actually serves a dual purpose this year. Not only do the students recite the classroom rules, they also learn their friends' names.  

The song is to the tune of the Addams Family.  We show it on our Smartboard each morning at the end of opening group and then sing it throughout our day when we are waiting in line or transitioning.  

You can access the song on Boardmaker Share. 

Teacher's Tip: To paste it to a Smartboard Slide, simply view it as actual size and copy and paste.  If you paste it in fit to window view, the image is blurry.

    

30 comments:

  1. Very informative thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the way conduct the executives is inserted in the every day schedules. Would you be able to talk more on your slides with a model? I'm going to utilize that thought for the current year.
    James Bond Jacket

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing this piece of information. I really enjoyed it. keep up the good work and all the very best of luck! Leather Bomber Jacket

    ReplyDelete
  4. Did you ever discover a site that caught your eye on first look and you wished to have a similar plan for your site? There are some key components that make any site eye-getting and ground-breaking. In specialists feeling a normal guest remains on a site. Custom logo design Services

    ReplyDelete
  5. Women's Shearling Jacket specialists offering quality Bespoke, Made To Measure and Alterations services alongside our Ready To Wear

    ReplyDelete
  6. I need to say thank you for this fantastic read!! This is an absolutely remarkable post that it should be interesting. Achasoda

    ReplyDelete
  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Developing Classroom Rules in an Early Childhood Special Education Classroom of the New York Times's Teachers at Work program teaches how teachers should incorporate child and parent concerns into their instructional practices. For this lesson we have chosen a hypothetical case with several children involved to show that each can be identified as different types from both parents Dissertation Help Here, I will introduce my students (and demonstrate what would happen if they were caught by those who believe one or more are "different"), then attempt only a few real classroom rules where it is appropriate.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really appreciate reading this blog it is full of knowledge and informative content good work keep it up vin diesel triple x jacket

    ReplyDelete
  10. Should you create much more about in the foreseeable future, very interesting subject matter will take note of your blog to confirm jhf

    ReplyDelete
  11. Such a helpful article. Interesting to peruse this article.I might want to thank you for the endeavors you had made for composing this marvelous article

    ReplyDelete
  12. You have good thoughts to share something like this. A debt of gratitude is in order to share this data

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for sharing such information with us. It was too useful and productive. Cruella Baroness Cotton Tailcoat . Please keep posting such great work.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Information article, it was very helpful! I simply began in this and I'm attractive more familiar with it better!
    Order Now!

    ReplyDelete
  15. If you made a YouTube I would definitely subscribe!
    Order Now!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This Blog is very informative for us. Thanks for writing about it. In this article, some examples help me in applying in daily life. amazing You have explained each and everything very well in detail. I hope you will write more pieces which help us in our daily routines.

    ReplyDelete
  17. great very informative artical and great Colour combination

    https://oktra.pk/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great Very Informative And Gorgeous Artical


    oktra

    ReplyDelete

  19. Highly appreciate your custom motorcycle jacket work and research. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's great to see this post. I really appreciate your work astros world series jacket

    ReplyDelete
  21. I really like this article.Thank for sharing this post.spider man red tuxedo

    ReplyDelete

  22. I really like this article.Thank for sharing this post

    ReplyDelete
  23. I wish to learn more from your website. Your website is doing top-notch work for us. Christmas Outfits

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ready to make waves on Facebook? buy fb followers and amplify your social media presence. Quality service, quick delivery – the perfect solution for a thriving online profile. Elevate with confidence!

    ReplyDelete
  25. No doubt, your article is very knowledgeable. Post more articles briansclub credit card

    ReplyDelete
  26. What an exciting start to the new school year! It's wonderful to hear about the proactive approach to developing classroom rules, especially in an early childhood special education setting. Creating a positive and structured environment sets the foundation for learning and growth. As educators, it's inspiring to see the dedication to supporting students' social and emotional development. Partnering with organizations that specialize in early childhood, like NDIS, can provide valuable resources and support. Here's to a fantastic year ahead! 📚 #LookForEarlyChildhoodPartnerNDIS

    ReplyDelete