Classroom Management & Discipline

Education 326 - Faculty of Education
Centre for Online and Distance Education
Continuing Studies
Simon Fraser University

                                  Educ 326 Portfolio

                                                 Week 0/Journal Entry:
  
What do I know at the start of this course?

I’m a little leery about this course and what the assignments might be since I’m not a teacher. I hope I will be able to communicate with and relate to my classmates (who I assume are all teachers or soon-to-be teachers and quite a bit younger than I am). I realize this is about me and what I learn but I have to admit that the competitive side of me feels at a disadvantage because I am not trained to think like an educator.

I am a parent though and I am working towards becoming a counsellor so I am looking forward to learning skills that will make me a better parent (or make parenting easier) and that will help me to be a better counsellor as well.  I don’t really know anything concrete about classroom management except what I have experienced as a student but I imagine there will be some overlap between the principles, theory, and thought involved in both classroom management and counselling.  At this point what I know and/or believe are good practices for classroom management and discipline are:

-          The fostering and earning of respect on both sides

-          Clarity on ways to proceed and what to expect

-           Challenging, interesting, useful work

-          Teacher’s awareness of the need for self-care

-          A sincere wish to be in the classroom and to do one’s best

-          Consideration of individual personalities and histories, sensitivities and status

This Portfolio:
I have organised this portfolio in the same order as the course is presented.  Comments from my journal and/or life experiences that are connected to each unit will precede the evidence I have chosen to include as demonstration of my learning. In this way I can present my thinking and learning sequentially – although I also plan to add any amendments, fresh connections, thoughts, and learning to each section as I go along or at the end of this course.