3. Competency 005
The teacher knows how to establish a classroom climate that fosters learning, equity and excellence
and uses this knowledge to create a physical and emotional environment that is safe and productive.
The beginning teacher:
Uses knowledge of the unique characteristics and needs of students at different developmental levels to establish
a positive, productive classroom environment (e.g., encourages cooperation and sharing among younger students;
provides middle-level students with opportunities to collaborate with peers; encourages older students’ respect
for the community and the people in it).
Establishes a classroom climate that emphasizes collaboration and supportive interactions, respect for diversity
and individual differences and active engagement in learning by all students.
Analyzes ways in which teacher-student interactions and interactions among students impact classroom climate
and student learning and development.
Presents instruction in ways that communicate the teacher’s enthusiasm for learning.
Uses a variety of means to convey high expectations for all students.
Knows characteristics of physical spaces that are safe and productive for learning, recognizes the benefits and
limitations of various arrangements of furniture in the classroom and applies strategies for organizing the physical
environment to ensure physical accessibility and facilitate learning in various instructional contexts.
Creates a safe, nurturing and inclusive classroom environment that addresses students’ emotional needs and
respects students’ rights and dignity.
4. Competency 005 – Reaction Statement
What this competency means to me
Competency 005 means I must create a classroom where students can spend time that is safe both physically and
emotionally. I must create an atmosphere that promotes learning that approaches all levels of a student’s potential
ability to learn subject matter at multiple levels of the spectrum of knowledge. A student should be able to enter my
room and know he or she will be respected by both his/her peers and teacher. Promoting equality and dignity over
competition will create a more cooperative environment. I will need to be aware of the influence upon the student that
is outside my control and promote a classroom that will allow the student feel that he or she can approach me with
anything he/she might need to feel comfortable in my classroom.
How I am going to accomplish this in my future classroom
I will have my students create a rule guideline of how they wished to be treated themselves. I will, as part of the
classroom add to those guidelines at the start of the semester. This will be posted for all to see somewhere in the room.
I would also have each student sign a copy of the guidelines. The rule I would add, if they had not, is that you want to
be treated with respect, you need to treat others with respect and curtesy.
To get to know the background of the students and where they are coming from, even in teaching math, I would have
them give me a short few sentences of what they expect out of the class, with what they know they need specific help in
both in the subject and on a personal level. This would be a private survey and I would personally write responses to the
student and return to the student so they will know I am aware of their issues and what I plan on doing about them to
help them.
I will create and promote games and exercises like the ones in my artifacts that promote cooperative learning with
minimal competition.
The most important way I feel I can accomplish an environment of equality and safety is to ensure that private concerns,
such as being bullied, emotions, health issue, student progression, and grades remain private and out of social dynamics.
5. Artifact(s) for Competency 005
Student Development Analysis
I have selected my case study as my artifact for Competency 005. It discusses
my observations on an eighth-grade student for four types of development
and identifies the stages of development in each category. Click on the icon
to link to my study.
Case Study - Observations
Case Study – Potential Plans
Case Study – Results of implementation
6. Competency 006
The teacher understands strategies for creating an organized and productive learning environment and for managing student behavior.
The beginning teacher:
Analyzes the effects of classroom routines and procedures on student learning, and knows how to establish and implement age-appropriate routines and
procedures to promote an organized and productive learning environment.
Demonstrates an understanding of how young children function in groups and designs group activities that reflect a realistic understanding of the extent of
young children’s ability to collaborate with others.
Organizes and manages group activities that promote students’ ability to work together cooperatively and productively, assume responsible roles and develop
collaborative skills and individual accountability.
Recognizes the importance of creating a schedule for young children that balances restful and active movement activities and that provides large blocks of
time for play, projects and learning centers.
Schedules activities and manages time in ways that maximize student learning, including using effective procedures to manage transitions; to manage
materials, supplies and technology; and to coordinate the performance of non-instructional duties (e.g., taking attendance) with instructional activities.
Uses technological tools to perform administrative tasks such as taking attendance, maintaining grade books and facilitating communication.
Works with volunteers and paraprofessionals to enhance and enrich instruction and applies procedures for monitoring the performance of volunteers and
paraprofessionals in the classroom.
Applies theories and techniques related to managing and monitoring student behavior.
Demonstrates awareness of appropriate behavior standards and expectations for students at various developmental levels.
Applies effective procedures for managing student behavior and for promoting appropriate behavior and ethical work habits (e.g., academic integrity) in the
classroom (e.g., communicating high and realistic behavior expectations, involving students in developing rules and procedures, establishing clear
consequences for inappropriate behavior, enforcing behavior standards consistently, encouraging students to monitor their own behavior and to use conflict
resolution skills, responding appropriately to various types of behavior).
7. Competency 006 – Reaction Statement
“The teacher understands strategies for creating an organized and productive learning environment and for managing student
behavior” (Nath & Cohen, 2001, p.215) is also an aim for Texas teachers. To me, this goes hand and hand with the classroom
environment discussed above. Classroom environment above is being aware of the atmosphere set up in the classroom and its
effect on students while I must also look at the tools and strategies that I will use in my classroom to handle students’
behavior. I will need to monitor students carefully so that I am “constantly aware of and correcting children’s behavior” (p
217). Both feedback and praise are some of the strongest tools a teacher holds. My ability to stand behind and follow through
with my rewards and consequences are also important tools. I will need to have a plan developed so that I can adapt to
student behaviors and promote the most ideal environment for learning. Part of that adaptation is to understand the stages of
children’s social development and how their ages affect their responses to my strategies both in effecting their behavior and
learning. Another important strategy is to “find the environment, routines, and classroom activities” (Nath & Cohen, 2001,
p.221) that the students will find satisfying. I will be aware of the need for students to find school satisfying; I must ensure
their five basic needs are handled. Those five basic needs are “survival, love, power, fun, and freedom” (Nath & Cohen, 2001,
p.221). We should also be aware that learning academically and behaviorally is “affected by other emotional elements of the
classroom” (Nath & Cohen, 2001, p.222). There is a theory of seven conditions of learning by Cambourne. Those conditions
are “immersion, demonstration, expectations, responsibility, employment, approximation, and engagement” (Nath & Cohen,
2001, p.222). The organization of children in the classroom is an effective tool for the teacher to use in “creating a caring,
supportive environment”. With the right structure I can understand how they function together and adjust to “facilitate
cooperation and productivity” (Nath & Cohen, 2001, p.224). This organization can also give students their freedom to be
trusted on their own in groups and promote social interaction. This will also help guide students to self-management. Overall,
I need to be fair and also firm in encouraging students to maintain an ethical and equitable behavior.
8. Artifact(s) for Competency 006
Behavior Contract for Student speaking out in class.
Positive, Productive Classroom Environment – my plan for creating a positive
and productive environment in my classroom. This is relevant to Competency
006 as it outlines effective classroom expectations in the classroom.
9. Competency 007
The teacher understands and applies principles and strategies for
communicating effectively in varied teaching and learning contexts.
The beginning teacher:
Demonstrates clear, accurate communication in the teaching and learning process and
uses language that is appropriate to students’ ages, interests and backgrounds.
Engages in skilled questioning and leads effective student discussions, including using
questioning and discussion to engage all students in exploring content; extends students’
knowledge; and fosters active student inquiry, higher-order thinking, problem solving and
productive, supportive interactions, including appropriate wait time.
Communicates directions, explanations and procedures effectively and uses strategies for
adjusting communication to enhance student understanding (e.g., by providing examples,
simplifying complex ideas, using appropriate communication tools).
Practices effective communication techniques and interpersonal skills (including both
verbal and nonverbal skills and electronic communication) for meeting specified goals in
various contexts.
10. Competency 007 – Reaction Statement
“The teacher understands and applies principles and strategies for communicating effectively
in varied teaching and learning contexts” (Nath & Cohen, 2001, p.262) is a further aim for
Texas teachers. To me, this is the most important competency as it relates to how the
teacher applies what he/she learned on how to teach. I am far from being a master, yet but I
have already seen firsthand the principles and strategies that are in the book about
communicating effectively. When they are not employed, the teaching fails and the student
is not able to learn the material. The activity also showed me how important it is for a
teacher to be organized. Part of learning about that ability comes from applying and
understanding principles for communicating effectively. The communication from the
teacher needs to be clear, accurate, and appropriate to the subject. Part of that
communication is supporting verbal language with nonverbal. For example, the teacher can
demonstrate an activity while she speaks or shows a slide. Organization is key to keeping the
objectives of the lesson on task. As I have experienced, the teacher I observed was not
organized, and the students lost the objective. Questioning should be skilled and thoughtful
to provoke students’ mental growth and challenge, but the questions should not be too
difficult or too easy. A teacher should not just provide the student an answer to a question
but provide tips and hints to find their own answer.
11. Artifact(s) for Competency 007
From my own experiences in the classroom, I have noticed that one of my biggest strengths
falls under applying and understanding principles of effective communication. I feel that it
takes what I have learned from other competencies and applies it in the classroom. I am able
to think quickly on my feet during the classroom, and adjust and think about what is
happening with the lesson plan, and modify the plan according to the needs to the situation.
I have an adept ability to think outside the box and come up with unique ways so that the
students can relate to the lesson with their own life. Many of the students in the remedial
math class that I am observing are missing the basics and need even more attention to
understand that they do not know how to relate 2 × 2 with objects and things. This week we
were going over the various ratios, unit costs, and proportioning. The teacher had the
students working on a worksheet that had some definitions with blanks that they needed to
fill out and examples. The quite a few of the students were finishing the lesson too quickly
while others were taking significantly longer. I proposed the idea to the teacher that we add
another activity where the students stand up and show them how they are a ratio between
boys and girls, blue eyes to brown eyes, and so on. It worked out quite well in helping them
to relate to the idea of proportion and ratio.
Lesson Plan – Representing Motion – I choose this for another Competency 007. It was an
active and engaging lesson plan for the students. It focused on student centered learning so
that the students could discover properties of motion and speed on their own.
12. Summary
My Management Plan
Positive, Productive Classroom
When I started PD1, I was a little nervous about being a teacher. This
semester from the classes in PD1, and the observations in the actual
classroom took away any concerns I might have had. The lessons have given
me a deep grounding in the psychology of students along with providing me
multiple tools to manage the classroom. Such tools as being “With-it”, “being
real”, making my classroom warm and inviting. Ensuring that I give my
students a clear understanding of my own expectations of them in my
classroom. I observed from my own initial experience of being focused on a
single student the need to develop the ability to be “with-it” so I can pay
attention to all the students in class and not just a single student.
13. Resources and References
Nath, J. (2011). Becoming an EC-6 teacher in Texas: A course of study for the
Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) TExES. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Slavin, R. (1997). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
