2014 Blog 5- How will you address classroom management in the final weeks of school?  Will you change anything? What kind of positive incentive plan will you implement in your classroom?  How will you communicate it to students and parents?

Classroom management in the final weeks of school is challenging. Students are burnt out and I am a little as well. In the last weeks of school it is incredibly important to be transparent with students, making sure they understand why you are doing each review activity. If students understand the reasons behind an activity they are more likely to be motivated to complete the assignment. Another idea to improve behavior is to use games and competition to get students invested in an activity. I use a class points system in my classroom to reward positive behavior. I have my classes compete against each other to see who can earn the most amount of points in a certain amount of time. I am sure to emphasize this in the last weeks of school. If any class gets 15 points they receive a class rewards. I also run a "Neel Notes" systems for individual rewards. If a student earns five "Neel Notes" they can choose from a certain number of three individual prizes. Finally communication with parents is key. You do not want to have any surprised parents when report cards come out at the end of the semester. I have called all my potential failing or failing students' parents. However, I also believe it is important to call home when students behave well (especially for students whose parents only receive bad phone calls). This positive reward has really helped some student behavior problems in my classroom. 

2014 Blog 4: How do you plan to implement active engagement strategies in your classroom?  How will this impact your instruction?

Engagement strategies are key for creating a successful classroom. I am a really big fan of Kagan engagement strategies because they make sure students are actively involved while having them reach higher levels of thinking. Another engagement strategy that I frequently use in my classroom is whiteboards. Students love whiteboards and it gives me immediate feedback. One "branch" of engagement that I would like to explore further in my classroom is incorporating more technology in my classroom. This could consist of running a flipped classroom, where students use youtube videos to learn a concept before they enter the room, or it could consist of having students looking up definitions and examples in class. My students are so technology focused I think they would have fun with it and it would allow them to have ownership of their own learning. Overall I think it would improve my instruction because students would be actively involved in the lesson instead of passively observing me teach.