Elexus Riquelmeś Portfolio Page

Link to: Classroom Management for Frequent and Unsafe Behaviors

About Me

My name is Elexus Riquelme, and I am a 3rd year kindergarten teacher. I am also our grade level leader. I specialize in math, science, and social studies. This is primarily why I chose CDIT for my degree as it falls under STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) studies. Before my time at UAlbany, I received my bachelor's degree at SUNY New Paltz in Early Childhood/Childhood Education. I have also worked as a teaching assistant in an 8:1:2 special education setting and participated yearly in our county wide Special Olympics. When I am not working with my students, I try to engage in as many community positions as possible. I volunteer for STEM nights, extended day instruction, and garden club. Outside of education, I am a mother of 2 young children who teach me something new everyday. I am currently planning my wedding while also completing my masters, so I like to keep busy.

My Topic and Purpose

Throughout the years, student behaviors in the classroom have progressed to what some educators can deem unsafe. One teacher can witness scholars as young as kindergarten displaying behaviors like throwing items, hitting, verbal defiance, and more. According to a survey conducted by EAB in 2018-2019, school districts across the country raised concerns about student behaviors increasing and affecting instruction. After the pandemic, those same concerns progressed from 61% of respondents agreeing to 84% percent agreeing. When these behaviors are frequent, it can be hard to meet instructional needs of students and maintain a safe, positive school environment. The survey continues to summarize the impact of student behavior by acknowledging barriers that need to be addressed in order to improve behavior management. These include lack of support staff, disconnects between teachers and administration, lack of training, and prioritizing curriculum over management. (EAB, 2023)

Group Focus

Students in grades K - 2
General education

Techniques can also be applicable in special education. However, if students have an IEP or 504, please follow that guidance first.

Children without IEPs or 504s (these guidelines should be implemented first)

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

Participants will reflect on the methods and techniques they have implemented. They will discover techniques or validation to continue. Consistency is key and the goal is to promote an environment students can thrive in.

In this course, you will:

Explore useful tools and techniques to manage student behaviors.
Explore resources to support relationship building with students of frequent, unsafe student behaviors.
Explore resources to support relationship building with families of students with frequent, unsafe student behaviors.
Identify collaboration techniques with school support staff.
identify the importance of classroom management in childhood education.

Needs Assessment

Educational Problem

Throughout an educator's educational experience, they are prompted to build a relationship with students and families. This fosters a positive classroom environment and supports students in their academic journey. Building these relationships can also motivate students to engage in their work because they trust the teacher they are working with. When discussing a student's academic success, information typically surrounds the curriculum and teaching techniques. However, a student's behavior can also influence academic success for themselves and their peers. (Epstein, 2018)

After speaking with some educators, there has been a communal problem voiced for years. Student behaviors continue to negatively progress, and there are inconsistent consequences or techniques that truly support them in these circumstances. There are a wide range of techniques that can be implemented, and educators feel as though they exhausted all their efforts. Throughout this mini course, learners will need to be open-minded and remember the overall goal: creating an environment students can thrive in. They will need to feel supported with the knowledge provided and be shown the proper way to implement techniques.

Analysis

The course is designed with the understanding that teachers have clear expectations and goals set for students to achieve. There is also an assumption that these educators have also implemented a wide range of management techniques for students with frequent and unsafe behaviors. However, it is known that not every school, nor every district, has the proper resources or support to provide students or teachers within this expectation. Some schools have resources like school psychologists and behavior intervention specialists while others do not. Different teachers also have different knowledge and needs within the classroom.

Existing Efforts

Positive Reinforcement Interventions
Social-emotional curriculum (SEL)
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

Intent

This course provides educators with the necessary tools and guidance on how to navigate and manage these frequent, unsafe, and inappropriate behaviors. I believe behaviors that are managed at an early age with high expectations and age-appropriate consequences set students up for success in the future.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

This course is for education personnel working with students in a kindergarten, first, or second grade general education classroom. These educators would have likely exhausted various efforts to manage student behaviors with little success. Special education teachers may also benefit from techniques provided. Learners can use this mini course to learn at their own pace. Learners will be provided time to implement techniques and test out their effectiveness before moving on to the next module.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Apply a variety of techniques to behavior situations to support classroom management.
Develop a plan to manage behavior with clear expectations.
Apply techniques to support home and school connection.

Recognize the importance of classroom management in childhood education.

Task and Content Analysis

Prerequisites: Learners are expected to have classroom knowledge or experience.

Terminal Goal: Identify useful tools to support classroom management of frequent and unsafe student behaviors.

Unit 1: Creating the Environment