provide a one paragraph reflection of what you learned from the simulation. Was there something that surprised you about the feedback you received in response to your answers? Is there something you realized you need to learn more about in order to handle this situation in a real time environment? Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Background

The sense of safety, structure, and caring students experience in their school and classroom is a significant factor influencing positive student behavior and academic achievement. Years of research and practice, including recent work associated with the Positive Behavior Support approach, indicate that classrooms and schools where students are systematically taught school behaviors that enhance a calm, supportive learning environment have fewer student behavior problems and higher student academic success.

Situation

You are told that the class you will be teaching has a reputation for students demonstrating a high rate of behavior that disrupts the learning environment. You know this is a culturally and academically diverse group of students, many of whom are relatively new to the school community. You decide that rather than dread this year, you have been provided with an opportunity to enhance your skills in working with students to cr.eate a positive, supportive classroom community, but you're not sure where to start. What do you do?

YOU CHOSE OPTION3

You do some reading in the area of creating positive learning environments and discover four key areas of research: (1) the importance of working with students to create behavior standards supporting a safe, well-organized learning environment, (2) the value of cre.ating a sense of community among students, (3) the role positive teacher-student relationships play in creating a safe, supportive learning environment, and (4) the value of having students actively engaged in and successful at meaningful learning activities. While you view all four areas as important, you believe you have a history of establishing positive relationships with your students and engaging them in meaningful learning, so you decide to focus on helping students learn and commit to behavior standards that will support learning and provide a foundation for positive interactions in your classroom.

Mentor Feedback

You identified campaign C as the one generating the most revenue per dollar spent. This was a wrong choice. Campaign C cost $1750 and generated $14,000, resulting in $8 per dollar spent, which while effective, was not the largest amount per dollar spent.

Situation

Since you have never really focused on helping students learn the behaviors you want them demonstrate in the classroom, you decide to seek assistance in how best to accomplish this task. What do you do?

YOU CHOSE OPTION3

You have reviewed the literature on establishing classroom behavior standards and decide it is best to actively involve students in developing rules within the classroom community.

Mentor Feedback

This is an excellent decision. Please clickhereto find a detailed discussion on how to effectively establish behavioral standards in the classroom.

Situation

You are pleased about how excited your students were about the process you implemented for establishing classroom behavior guidelines, but several students have questioned why they need these guidelines and why they cannot act like they want to in the classroom. Not surprisingly, these students' behavior has not consistently supported a calm, supportive learning environment. What do you do?

YOU CHOSE OPTION2

Incorporate this question into a social studies unit on the United States Constitution and help students understand rules exist to protect their constitutional rights as citizens in this country.

Mentor Feedback

Especially when the behavior standards in the classroom are inconsistent with what students experience outside of school, it may be helpful to assist students in better understanding the context for your classroom behavior expectations. Clickhereto review a model for helping students understand their constitutional rights and how these relate to classroom behavior expectations.

Situation

Your previous interventions have had a positive impact on most of the students who were reluctant to accept the classroom behavior standards. Unfortunately, you still have two students who continue to violate classroom rules and therefore disrupt the learning process. What do you do?

YOU CHOSE OPTION3

It is time to implement interventions that are part of your classroom and schoolwide student management system. This may involve problem solving, consultation, and the development of individualized behavior change interventions.

Mentor Feedback

It is clearly time to implement additional interventions to assist the student in learning and/or demonstrating responsible behavior. Just as many students need specialized assistance in developing academic skills, so do many students require differentiated instruction related to behavioral skills. This is an excellent selection.