PLE 5 (9-24)

Creating a productive learning environment is essential for any and every classroom. Without a safe and inviting atmosphere, students will not be productive socially, emotionally, or educationally.

I frequently think about my first day of classes with my new students. I can see myself giving them the once-over on what they can expect in the class, my expectations of them as far as education and behavior, and explaining the classroom setup. Skipping these procedures within the first few days is a vital error because it can lead to ignorance, misunderstandings, and laziness from the students.

I've never pictured myself as the type of teacher who insisted that the classroom be a place of lecture where students are to be seen and not heard. I feel that I will encourage a healthy amount of sharing one's opinions and ideas with the class, encourage questions from all (after all, there are no dumb questions), and will not be stuck on the idea of raising hands before speaking as long as respect towards others is shown in conversation.

My perfect classroom includes:
A large room with 1 window
Chairs and desks in a semi-circular pattern around the whiteboard/smartboard
Sound eliminating/minimizing materials (curtains, carpeted floors, etc)
A 'technology corner' with computers and ipads
A 'chill pill corner' with magazines, flowers, small aquarium with fish, and a bean bag
A 'book corner' with a bookcase full of books of all genres and reading levels, complete with a reading mat and pillows

PLE 4 (9-12)

For me, I was always motivated extrinsically. I wanted a prize, recognition, and to feel special for the work that I had done. Though I've tried to change into a person who is intrinsically motivated, it's not quite worked. Even now in college, I'm not necessarily motivated by the degree itself I will get in December, but rather I'm motivated because I don't want to fail or do poorly and end up wasting my money. In my opinion, this mind frame I have seems to be the Behaviorist theory.

However, my family has a huge impact on my success. I'm not necessarily motivated by them reminding me every week that I should get a Ph.d, but over the last few years I've started to see for myself that I probably should strive to do that. This fits perfectly into the Sociocultural theory.

Because everyone is different, as a teacher, it's smart to implement motivation that is beneficial for those who are extrinsically and intrinsically motivated. That means reminding students how important x is, tell them what a great job they're doing, have a supportive environment for all successes and failures, as well as having rewards for doing good, and incentives to not do poorly. I feel that these concepts put into action should be able to cover many of the students that would be motivated this way.

In my classroom, I would like to use the cognitive theory by letting the students feel that they have control and choice in their activities, because this is the point where they figure out the causes of their successes and failures, which in turn influence their behaviors. For example, my students can have a set list of projects to do, and may choose which to do, having seen what each consist of and the requirements that go into it. They choose how much input they do, knowing what the rubric says is required of them, putting them in control of their grade. Being specific in detail while grading helps them understand what they missed and why, giving them an understanding of how to improve for the next project, motivating them further.

PLE 2 (9-3)

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Performance assessment: I would use these in my classroom frequently, simply asking each student to share one example, of fill-in-the-blank topic, with the class. These assessments are great for my deaf students since most struggle with writing in English.

Teacher-developed assessment: I would prefer to use these with my students, rather than the standardized tests. My deaf students are already behind grade level on most content areas. Though time consuming, I'd gladly make exams that will show me that they know the content area of what was covered without having material they can't understand or that is over their head. These would not necessarily be written tests because I would give them options of different ways they could convey what they have learned.

Criterion-referenced assessment: Each of my students is on a different learning level and language level, highly dependent on his/her background. With that in consideration, I don't find it necessary to reference them to each other. I would rather focus on whether or not my students understand the content and have mastered it. Instead of a written assignment, I can always have them "talk" me through the process of content area topic, to show mastery or non mastery.

Authentic assessment: Because the majority of my students live on campus and rarely leave, it is vital for my students to have as much access to skills needed in the 'real world' as possible. Setting up stations and doing role play would be great assessment for my students because it is authentic.

Informal assessment/Formal assessment: I'm torn between these two. The majority of students, whether special Ed or not, dislike tests, but they must complete them, regardless, at the end of the year (TCAP/PARCC/EOC) and possibly later, when planning for their futures (SAT/ACT). I would do occasional formal tests because they need to know how to handle that kind of situation and the pressures that come with it. I would prefer, however to do more frequent informal assessments, such as writing a short essay, group work activities, power-points, etc.