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Auto-Ethnographic Summary
Sierra Afoa
Governance
Classroom rules and expectations change from teacher to teacher, grade level to grade
level, and from the types of learners in each class. From my personal experience, I can
remember the most important part of establishing a positive classroom environment, where
students listened to the teachers, was teacher-student relationships. If the students did not feel
a connection with their teacher or felt like their teacher did not like them, it was hard for the
teacher to lead their classrooms and set the expectations. This created a more chaotic
environment where less learning and teaching was done than in a classroom where teachers
had positive relationships with each of their students.
In my interview with my host teacher, my host teacher said that the way to build
relationships with students is to get to know their interests, their family dynamics, and build
relationships with their families through reporting positive things the student does when
possible. My host teacher does this from the start during kindergarten profile meetings the
week before kindergarten starts their school year. The parent interview confirmed this as the
parent I interviewed said positive communication from teachers helped to show the teacher
was not playing favorites and that it wasn’t always the same student getting into trouble. My
fourth-grade host teacher uses it as a writing assignment during the first week of school. She
asks students to write about their likes, their dislikes, and anything else they would like her to
know about them. Positive relationships help to set the stage in order to establish expectations
and classroom environment.
When it comes to setting classroom rules it is helpful to do this with the class as a
whole. This gives them more ownership and leads them to having more buy in to follow those
rules. My kindergarten host teacher establishes some of the classroom rules by following the
school philosophy of safety, responsibility, and respect. She also says that she guides the class
to coming to the conclusion of their classroom rules through discussion and framing them in a
positive light. Some of the classroom rules are decided on throughout the year as new
situations occur. The teacher will problem solve the situation as a group and with the individual
students.
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the tools they need to feel comfortable and ready to learn (Fisher & Frey, p.2). Placing students
in the classroom and in seating they are most comfortable in sets them up to be successful and
prepared to learn.
Learning Management
Learning management all stems from the relationships with students and from the
ability to motivate students to want to learn on their own. I want to be an intentionally inviting
teacher when I have my own classroom. An intentionally inviting teacher is one that is
consistent and notices when students are learning and when they are struggling (Fisher & Frey,
p. 8). These teachers know when students are struggling and need extra support because they
have relationships with their students. They know what interests and motivates their students
and what their students do not like.
A way to motivate students is through the freedom of choice. Students engage more in
the learning when they are interested in the topic or at least get a say in what or how they learn
about a topic. Freedom of choice involves letting students have a voice when it comes to their
own learning (Fisher & Frey, p.12). When a student gets to make a choice about their learning,
they take ownership in it. The classes that I had to hardest time engaging with and getting
excited to go to were the ones where I had choice. I was often told exactly what to read or
write and that rarely meant it was a topic that interested me. This led me to completing the
work because I wanted a good grade and then moving on without really building any
understanding about the topic. The more motivated and interested in learning students are the
better chance they have of building understanding and not just learning a topic and forgetting it
once the lesson is over.
Engagement means to take interest and to participate in something. To engage students
means to interest them in what they are learning. If a teacher were to just teach straight from a
textbook and have students write the answers to questions in the book with paper and pencil,
the lessons would not be very engaging. My host teachers engage students through movement,
art, and hands on activities. When students get the chance to really work with the concept,
they are learning about it creates an experience the students are less likely to forget.
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When reading Fisher & Frey what stuck out to me the most was a teacher that had the
sign “We celebrate errors and opportunities to learn in this room” (p. 2). Celebrating errors
helps students to relax and encourages them to step outside of their comfort zone. Mistakes
not only teach the individual something but it creates the opportunity to teach other individuals
as well. As teachers, if we can make the classroom a place where making errors is a good thing
because it means we are learning, we can encourage students to really push themselves in their
learning journey.
Cross-Cultural Competencies
The cross-cultural competency self-appraisal was a great way to understand where my
strengths and weaknesses are. My strengths are in working with a member of the LGBTQ+
community and working with racial/ethnic minorities. My weaknesses are when it comes to
supporting an individual with a disability or a linguistic minority. Taking note of my strengths
gave me some confidence while acknowledging my weaknesses encouraged me to figure out
how to address those specific areas.
When it comes to an action plan to increase cross-cultural competency, I need to find
ways to immerse myself in other cultures. My weakness in working with linguistic minorities
comes from the fact that I only speak English and haven’t had to work with very many ELL
students. One way I am addressing this is by working individually with a few ELL students in my
practicum classrooms to become more comfortable in my abilities. Another way I am
addressing this is through conversations with my host teachers about what they feel is the best
way to support students who are learning English. As for supporting individuals with a disability,
I scored myself at a 3, I have some knowledge and experiences with working with students who
have a disability because I worked as a paraprofessional for a year. I labeled it as a weakness,
however, because there are so many different disabilities that exist and there are so many ways
to provide support for students, I feel like I need more experience before being confident in my
own abilities. I gained some confidence while taking classes and learning about the different
ways that teachers have provided support for students in the past. I believe that the best action
plan for me would just be through experience. I have some knowledge and have had some
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experience, talking to my host teachers and learning what I can with the students I come into
contact with will provide me with more tools to use as I get ready to have my own classroom.
The goal for my classroom is to make it feel like it belongs to the students and I just have
my one area that belongs to me. I want the students to take ownership in how it looks, how it is
treated, and the way that it functions. The circular table groups allow for students to interact
with each other and face each other. This makes it less of a formal classroom where all students
are facing the front of the room. I would have smaller tables or desks where students can go to
work independently when needed or wanted. There would be a dedicated area, or areas
depending on the size of the classroom, where students can go to decompress. This may mean
having a bean bag chair, a special mat, some stuffed animals, etc. The students just need an
area where they can take a break and calm down when needed. My desk would not be in the
front of the classroom. It would be off to the side where students are welcome to be when the
teacher is over there. I would not use my desk as an area to teach a lesson from because then it
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creates the feel that I am the boss and the students must do as I say. Overall, I want my room to
be an inviting place where students feel welcomed, supported, and free to be themselves.