Re-Imagined Classroom

#1 Five images (you can take them or they can come from the Internet [provide proper credit]). These images should reflect, in some way, what you imagine your classroom will look like once you are a teacher. Please annotate your images by providing a description of the image and how it relates to your future classroom.

This is a sample picture of how I would set up desks in my classroom, in a semicircle. I prefer this set up for a classroom because I can visibly see all the students and what they are working on. I also like this desk formation because it allows for open discussion. This set up can also help accommodate students with physical disabilities such as a wheelchair because it allows them to sit on the end of the row and allows them to be part of the discussion. I want to create a classroom setting where my students can share their ideas and opinions. 

Students seated in circles. International and National plus Schools, Indonesia. Twenty Ten Theme, n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <https://gjismyp.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/classroom-desk-arrangements-rows-clusters-or-u-shape/>.

This is a question box. It is one of my favorite aspects of a health classroom because students can anonymously ask any question they want. In health we cover a variety of topics that students have questions about but do not necessarily feel comfortable asking in front of the entire class so, a question box is a great solution. Students can submit questions about any of the topics discussed in class such as mental and emotional health, tobacco and alcohol, sexuality, safety, nutrition, etc. Before I start answering students' questions I would like to show them how I obtain the information so, they can learn what sources are reliable to receive credible information. I also want to have students think about how they would answer the questions given before I tell them the answer in order to promote critical thinking on the students' part. 

Recker, Brian. "Health & Fitness Question Box." Mr. Recker's Blog. Google, 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <http://mrrecker.blogspot.com/2011/11/health-fitness-question-box.html>.

This is an example of one of the posters I might have in my classroom. I want to have a variety of health promotion posters in my classroom as a reminder to students of healthy habits and behaviors. This is an anti-bullying poster which is addressed in the mental and emotional health unit. Bullying is one of many issues that can arise among adolescents. In addition to purchasing posters like this for my classroom I can also have my students do projects that involve creating posters like this one to promote healthy behaviors in my classroom, school, and even the community. 

www.nobullying.com. "7 Types of Bullying Online." NoBullying.com. NOBULLYING.COM, 2015. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <http://nobullying.com/what-is-cyberbullying/>.  

This is a personal library of health related books. I want to have a similar library in my classroom. I want to have a classroom library where students can read books about topics they are interested in and can enhance their learning. This library in the photo is generally geared toward nutrition but I would like to expand my classroom library to any subjects taught during class such as tobacco and alcohol, sexuality, mental and emotional healthy, safety, disease prevention, etc. I would also like to have health textbooks in different languages in order to help ELL students learn the material for class.

Ding, Sara. Juicing/health book collection. Juicing for Health. Juicing for Health, 2015. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <http://juicing-for-health.com/books-i-read.html>.

This is a combination of a dry erase board and a projector screen. I want both of these items for my classroom. I want the dry erase board mainly to write down announcements for class. It can also be used to help students brainstorm different ideas and thoughts throughout the class. I want the projector screen for power point presentations in class. Both of these tools are useful for presenting information in class. 

Wall Mount Systems for Your Classroom, Boardroom or Custom Application. Track Technology Systems, Inc. Healey Visual Inc., 2016. Web. 7 Jan. 2016. <http://www.healeyvisual.com/interactive-whiteboards/diversitrack/>.

#2 Imagine the surrounding in your classroom. What does the room look like? What resources are available for students? How are the resources used during the lesson?

• My classroom is at a public high school. When you walk in the door there is a dry erase board and projector screen at the front of the room. There is a question box in the front of the classroom as well. The walls have an array of colorful health promotion posters. There are are 30 student desks formed in 2-3 semicircles facing the front of the room. My desk is toward the back of the classroom. Near my desk there is a classroom library with a variety of books for students to utilize. There are several storage cabinets that contain textbooks, project materials, and other classroom necessities. There is a table near my desk that has a small filing unit for students to receive their graded assignments back. There is also a table toward the front of the room that has a sign in sheet for tardy students and passes to the restroom, library, and office. The resources that are available to students are textbooks, a school library, my classroom library, educational websites, and informational posters. Students will use textbooks to complete assignments and learn information. The school library will be used to do research for projects, papers, and other assignments where research is required. My classroom library is available to all students that are currently enrolled in my health class or have taken my health class in the past. Informational posters are there to aid students in the learning process. I plan to post my power point slides, video, and any other class documents that I will need for my class on my classroom website a day ahead of time. I want to post these materials early in order to accommodate all students that might be struggling in my class or want to view the material early to be proactive. Specifically, this will accommodate ELL students especially because it will give them an opportunity to read over the material so that language will not be as big of a barrier in class in regards to their understanding. If I have students with disabilities in my classroom I will work with the special education teachers to figure out what the best accommodations are for that student based on their disability. The main point that I want make with my accommodations is that I will integrate students into my class not segregate because of differences or similarities. I also want students to know what I am a resource for them as well. I want students to feel like they have a safe place to come to with concerns or questions for issues that happen outside the classroom.    

#3 Describe the students in your classroom. What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? What are they doing during the lesson?

• The students in my classroom come from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. I want students to understand each other and see how they are different and similar to one another. I want students who are poor, middle class, and wealthy. I want students who are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and everything in between. I want students who go against the social norms of gender and sexual orientation. I want students who have different personalities. I want students who are involved in music, sports, dance, school clubs, etc. I want students who are trying to figure out their identity. I want students who come from a everywhere and anywhere because I want them to learn from one another. I want students to realize how similar they are to each other but how different they are as well. 
• When the bell rings for class I want my students to be seated at their desks and working on their journal topic for the day that I will post on the board. After everyone is finished with their journal I want students to participate in a discussion about their ideas and thoughts they came up with  in their journal entry. I will present an object lesson that I want students to think critically about what I'm trying to communicate to them. I want students to share their thoughts with the class. If it's a day where there is a lot of information students need to get through then they will be taking notes as I present a power point. If it's a project day then they will be working on their projects in class. If we're in the library researching information the students will be doing researching. Students will be asked to share their thoughts frequently and grouped together to interact with their peers.  My goal is for students to be on task and engaged in class.

#4 Describe you classroom policies. What are you classroom rules? What is your discipline plan? What are your homework policies?

Classroom Rules:

1) Be respectful to the teacher and other students.
2) Attendance will be called at the start of class. If you are late sign the tardy clipboard at the front of the classroom. Take a seat and do not disturb the class.
3) No name calling, bullying, swearing, inappropriate, or negative language will be tolerated.
4) All assignments must be turned in to the turn in bin in order to be graded.
5) All disclosure forms for the class must be signed before a unit begins.
6) Raise your hand before speaking in class and wait to be called on.
7) If any of the classroom rules are not followed there will be a consequences.

Discipline Plan:

• First Time - Verbal warning 
• Second Time - Written warning (goes in teacher's file) 
• Third Time - Call home to parent
• Fourth Time - Sent to the office  

Homework Policy 

• All assignments must be turned in on time and to the turn in bin in order to receive full credit. 
• Late assignments can be turned in for half credit before the unit test of that assignment. 
• In order to make up work because of an absence the student must email the teacher with in 2 days of being absent in order to make up work for full credit. If the student fails to contact the teacher within 2 days of their absence the late work policy will apply. Due dates for the assignment will be given by the teacher based on the amount of time absent and the severity of the absence. 
• Extra credit is given at the end of the semester to students who have turned in all assignments (including late work.)

#5 Describe a typical lesson you will teach in your classroom. What will you teach? What is the topic? Why did you choose this topic? How will you teach it? What is the main thing you want students to learn during this lesson?

• The subject I will teach is health. I will focus on information that is vital to puberty and adolescents as well as teach certain skill sets that go along with each unit. I will cover the content areas of nutrition and physical activity, sexuality, safety, mental and emotional health, disease prevention, personal well-being, and alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. A typical lesson in my classroom would be on one of the following topics. To begin the lesson I would start with a journal geared toward the topic of the day. For example if we're discussing prevention of sexually transmitted infections in class, the topic of the journal might be brainstorm ways that you can prevent the flu. I would choose a topic like preventing STIs because it is a topic that is relevant to adolescents because about half of high school students are sexually active and need to be aware of what they can do to prevent STIs. I would use the journal entry topic of the flu to start a brainstorming activity. I would have students brainstorms ways that they could help spread awareness about preventing the flu. I would then write down on the board information that people would need to know in order to understand how important it is to prevent the flu. For example, a person would need to know what populations are effective by the flu, preventative methods, statistics, and where to direct people in order to receive more information. After brainstorming these ideas I would relate it to STIs and how in order for people to understand the importance of preventing STIs they would need to know more about it. I would introduce a project where students would be making an informational pamphlet that a local health department could use in order to spread awareness about STIs. I would present a power point to the class explaining the most common STIs that are problematic among youth to give students a basis for their assignment. At the end of the power point I will gives students some websites as a resource for credible information about STIs. Then the class would go to the library to start researching more about a particular STI that they've chosen to create a pamphlet on. I would be available to students to answer questions, brainstorm ideas, and confirm that the information they are using is correct and reliable. The main thing I want students to get of out my lesson is understanding that STIs are preventable and out decisions impact their risk of contracting an STI. My personal goal with my lesson is to create an environment where students are the ones that seek out information and are engaged in the learning process.   

#6 Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson. What are you doing during the lesson?

• During different parts of the lesson I will be doing different things. When the students are doing their journal entries I will be taking attendance and preparing for discussion. I will then lead a brainstorming activity to discuss on preventing the flu. I will then compare preventing the flu to preventing STIs. I will introduce the health department pamphlet project to the class. I will present a power point to help students gain a basic understanding of common STIs that are prevalent among youth. Then I will lead students to library to work on their research for the pamphlet. I will be available to students to answer questions, brainstorm ideas, and confirm correct information. 

#7 Imagine your students again, what are they doing during the lesson? 

• During the lesson students are participating in the learning process. They will work on journal entries and participate in discussion. They will also participate in the brainstorming activity of connecting their journal entry about preventing the flu to preventing STIs. When I am presenting my power point they will be taking notes to give them a base point to start their research about STI. When we are in the library students will be working on their health department pamphlet projects. 

#8 Imagine how you will assess your students' learning and achievement. How will you know they have learned? 

• I want to assess my students' learning and achievements in a few different ways. I will give tests as the end of each unit but I do not want that to be the primary way I assess students. I will have different projects due for each unit to give students a chance to present to me and the class what they've learned through completing the project. I can assess for myself if I need to reteach information based on how the activities in class go. If the entire class is not understanding the information enough to apply it in an activity then I probably need to reteach the information. I can also assess learning and achievement by what students are participating, turning in assignments, and doing well in my class. Students that are not doing this probably need to meet with me in order to help them improve and see if there is something that is inhibiting their learning. 

Reflection: 

As I was redoing my "Imagined Classroom" I realized that there were some topics that I had not addressed or put much thought into. There is no way that I can address every issue that will come up in my classroom but by being aware of a variety of multicultural education topics it can help me mold my classroom to create a more open and inviting environment for my students. Some topics that I never really considered were English language learners, students with disabilities, gender, and sexual orientation. I made changes so that I could accommodate ELL students and students with disabilities. I plan on meeting with the ESL and special education teachers to review what the best accommodations would be for each student individually. I want to make my teaching material available to all students in order to aid student learning. I want to emphasize integration and not segregation. I also did not really consider how I would address gender and sexual orientation in my classroom while teaching in Utah. I think word choice will go a long way. As a health teacher I will be teaching sexuality education and it is a good outlet to talk about gender and sexual orientation. Since there are "No Pro-Homo" laws in Utah and the state is very conservation everything I say has to be presented as factual information and not opinion. The way to address more questions about these topics is by having students ask the questions and it allows me to discuss the topics further in a factual way. I implemented a project where students are in charge of researching information and then it allows them to ask even more questions to address many multicultural education issues and topics. The biggest change I made was trying to develop a classroom where students are the ones that ask the questions and facilitate learning instead of the teacher. I changed my lesson plan to be less traditional and more engaging for students. I added a project where students create pamphlets about STIs and have the opportunity to research more information than I as a teacher can give them based current restrictions of teachers. Overall, the goal of the changes I made to my "Imagined Classroom" was to be more inclusive of students and create a student lead learning environment that allows all students to be comfortable and safe.