Promoting Collaborative Learning: A Classroom Perspective

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1. A positive learning environment was established because the students were given the opportunity to take ownership of their learning. Almost all of the learning I witnessed in practicum occurred through collaboration and self-discovery; there was very little lecture time that happened in the classroom. Seating the students in groups so they could discuss with each other and provide help when necessary fostered this collaborative classroom style. Also, the students each had their own roles in the classroom so they were personally invested in the class as a whole and how things operated on a daily basis. My cooperating teacher mainly disciplined by taking away classroom money. (This is further described in question 2). The student’s misbehavior or failure to complete a …show more content…

My cooperating teacher set up a “mini-economy” system in her classroom. Each student has a job in the classroom such as teacher’s assistant, door holder, or police officer. The students get paid weekly according to their job, but they also have to pay the teacher weekly for utilities and taxes. Additionally, if the student wins a game or behaves well, he or she receives classroom money, but when a student misbehaves that individual owes the teacher money. This is a good system because it teaches the student simple concepts like salary, taxes, and bills. It also provides the teacher with a consistent way to discipline students since, for example, talking is the hallway always costs $10. I could see myself implementing a modified version of this. I love the idea of giving students jobs in the classroom so they take better ownership of it, and I like that it keeps discipline more consistent and objective. However, I do not like that this system teaches the kids to value and work for more and more money. I believe our society already has a problem of overvaluing money so I do not want to perpetuate that view in my classroom. I may still use this same system, but use tickets or points instead of

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