Blog #4

The article I selected this week, Classroom Universals to Prevent Problem Behaviors, was written by Robert P. Trussell. There are two pieces of knowledge I gained about my topic as a result of the article I selected this week. First, this article mentions how it is important for teachers to develop daily schedules for their classroom and to make sure that the schedule is clearly visible to all students. The article mentions how when there is unscheduled time in a classroom, that gives the students an open invitation for disruptive behavior. I had never really thought about how important displaying the daily schedule would be before reading this article. I have noticed at my daughter’s middle school the daily schedule is displayed but I never knew why. Second, this article mentions that wait time is the amount of time a teacher waits for a student to respond after being asked a question or a prompt. According to this article, the longer a teacher waits for a response, the higher the student’s cognitive achievement is due to the students having ample time to think through the question or prompt. I did not know this information prior to reading this article.  

Some search strategies that were particularly helpful for me in locating this article included using the advanced search in the Academic Search Premier database. I have used this database for past classes but really had no idea on how to use the advanced search options to narrow my results. For our Assignment 1 this week, I narrowed my search by limiting my search to scholarly (peer reviewed) journals and references available. I also limited the search modes and expanders to boolean/phrases. After setting up the advanced search settings I wanted, I searched a couple different terms but found my article using the search terms “effective classroom management AND classroom behavior.” I did not have any difficulties or frustrations while searching for articles. I just used trial and error to limit my search results to articles that contributed to my research. As I continue to research my topic, I hope to find out more about how wait time is an effective way to enhance student’s cognitive achievement.

Post #3

The book I selected this week, ClassroomManagement: Creating a Positive Learning Environment, is written by Hue Ming-tak and Li Wai-shing. I gained two pieces of knowledge from this book that I would like to share. The first piece of knowledge I gained from this book comes from chapter five, Approaches to Students’ Misbehavior, which mentions that there are four goals of misbehavior. When students feel that they do not belong in the classroom they turn to these four mistaken goals that include: attention-seeking, power-seeking, revenge, and helplessness or inadequacy. The second piece of knowledge that I gained from this book comes from chapter three, Effective Classroom Management. I learned that you can break down classroom management into four smaller components so that it is easier to tackle, especially for novice teachers. The four components include: management of the physical environment, management of learning, classroom procedures and rules, and managing discipline.

This week I used some new search strategies that were particularly helpful in locating the books I found. I began by using Leatherby Libraries and narrowing my results by three search terms and e-books. This was not very helpful for me because I only received two results and neither had anything to do with my research topic. After that failed attempt, I changed my search to only include two search terms. This time I received more results and I found one book that would be helpful for my research, but I did not want to finish my research here. I decided to try the Google Books database. I put in my search terms and found one book that would be very helpful with my research. I liked using the Google Books database more than the Leatherby Libraries and will probably use Google for the majority of the research I do in the future. The only frustration I had with the Google Books database was that the book I found was not an e-book. However, the book had a very large preview that included the majority of all the chapters, the foreword, the preface, and the table of contents. I can overcome that the book was not available in an e-book version by going to my local library and checking out the book to continue my research.

As I continue my research I am hoping to find even more ways to effectively manage the classroom and student behavior. I am interested in finding out more information about the physical environment of the classroom. For example, I want to find out about seating arrangements and visual aspects of the classroom like wall colors and decorations. I am also interested in finding out more information about ways to discipline students who misbehave.   

Post #2

After beginning my research, I was trying to find information about using the credentials I have received in the military to become a high school teacher after I retire from the military. During this research I found some articles that had to do with classroom management and student behavior. I decided to change the focus of my research to classroom management and student behavior. I find classroom management and student behavior an interesting topic and there is a lot of information that I found on this topic in the little research I have completed so far. I find classroom management really important to having an effective classroom. Another aspect I believe is important to an effective classroom is the teaching methods used. For my future research, I may start looking into classroom management and teaching methods and how they tie together.

For our research assignment this week, I had to locate two sources, one from the Library’s e-reference collection and the second from a Google domain search. The way I conducted my research was different than I have ever done before. In the past, I go to Google and type in what I am looking for. I would look at the first couple search results hoping they would be helpful. Today, I went about doing my research a little differently. When I was using Google, I used the advanced search option to limit the search results to .edu domains. This approach helped eliminate results that would not pass the “CRAAP Test.” When using the Library’s e-reference collection I was not exactly sure what I was doing. It was hard to find a document that I could actually use, but once I did it was a really good article. I think to be able to use the Library effectively I will need to “play” around on it some more to figure out what I am doing. Overall, I think I had a pretty successful week of research.

Welcome! Post #1

Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Diana Barrett. I have been attending Brandman University since January 2013 and have so far completed four classes. My goal is to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Leadership by the end of the summer 2014. I am active duty Air Force and have been serving my country for just over 10 years. As far as my current career aspirations, my goal is to retire from the Air Force in about 10 to 15 years depending on my promotion progression. As of right now, I am unsure of what I want to do when I retire from the Air Force. The Air Force has been really good to me and I have not put too much thought into what I want to do in the future.  Part of the reason why I am attending school right now is so that when I do retire I will have the education to help me start a new career.  

Currently, because my goal is to retire from the Air Force, I am having a tough time thinking of a research topic that has to do with a career path I would like to pursue.  In the Air Force, my current job is that of a Professional Military Education (PME) instructor. I really love this job and because of that I could see myself teaching in the future. Therefore, I would like to research how the experience and credentials I have received in the military can help me become a teacher when I retire.  One specific area I would like to improve on in regards to information fluency and literacy comes from the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. I would like to be able to examine and compare information from various sources in order to evaluate reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias. I think it is very important to be able to evaluate information and sources critically, especially now a days with all the information that can be obtained from the internet. Improving this one specific area will help me become a better researcher.