Journal Question: Provide an example of how you have applied something learned during your undergraduate education in your first few weeks of student teaching.

There are a few different things that I have learned during my undergraduate studies that I have incorporated into my first few weeks of student teaching.  However the most important thing that I think I have used are different management strategies and behavioral management strategies.  In my health education placement at Morgantown High School it was very important that you had good management skills.  Every single class that I taught had at least 25 kids in the room.  I had to juggle teaching them, assigning homework, class work, taking role, collecting and grading work, and many other things.  By using different management strategies taught to me in my undergraduate studies they helped me overcome these difficult obstacles in student teaching.  I used a portfolio binder in which I kept all my information regarding my health education placement.  I had everything in it, all of my role sheets, my daily reflections, my grade book, and many other things that helped keep me organized.  Organization is a huge strategy I learned in my undergraduate studies that have played a huge role in my first few weeks student teaching. 

            Another situation in which I have applied a learning experience from my undergraduate coursework has happened more recently and it deal with behavioral management.  When teaching at Morgantown High School behavioral management wasn’t all that necessary, the students were old enough to know right from wrong.  Also if a student acted up in high school the teacher really never had to deal with it because they would be sent to the office.  However now that I have started my 2^nd placement at Valley Elementary, behavioral management is needed every day.  I have to constantly remind students of the rules and regulations of the school.  I also have started using a reward system.  I’ve noticed that when students are motivated to achieve a reward they will listen and do whatever they want.  Also my school has a couple behavioral management strategies that I use to my advantage as well.  Some teachers have cards and if a student’s behavior isn’t appropriate, they will receive a card flip.  A card flip can be anything from no recess to having to go see the principal.  These behavioral management strategies have worked great for me and my classes.  They are strategies that have been taught to me in my undergraduate coursework and I have most definitely benefited from learning them and applying them throughout my entire student teaching process.