SA 1 (Grade 1)

The children were expected to attempt and engage the activity or topic of discussion in a respectful way — she encouraged her students to experiment with different orders of carrying out activities (ie — cutting all the pictures and separating into piles before pasting vs. cutting and pasting each individual picture) by verbally announcing strategies to the class, but chastised others when their experimentation infringed upon classroom expectations (ie — an innovative cutting method results in bits of paper all over the floor).  She introduces her expectations verbally, models appropriate behaviour, and calls to attention student exemplars of meeting or exceeding classroom expectations.

SA 2 (Grade 4)

This SA’s big rule seemed to be CLASSROOM PARTICIPATION.  Her teaching style is peppered with humourous anecdotes and quips, and her students are encouraged to laugh and enjoy themselves.  Interspersed between jokes, she compels students to participate by asking them many questions — some requiring very simple responses, others requiring more processing — and instigates competition amongst the students by playfully calling to attention a lack of willing participants with raised hands, at which point she would call upon someone without a raised hand for an answer, thereby communicating that students must participate in her class.

SA 3 (Grade 6)

This SA places a strong emphasis on self-regulation and self-motivation.  She shared that initially, she imposes a “strict” style complete with regimented routines and later allows students more freedom after they have demonstrated the ability to self-regulate and express themselves within the confines of classroom expectations.  While she places much importance on individual work — students are “cheating” if they are looking at their neighbour’s work or collaborating — she encourages social participation in small groups (students gain “table points” for positive behaviours/performance and lose them for negative ones), and also provides them with the opportunity to work as a class (entering the classroom quietly and being fully prepared for the start of class in the morning, after recess, and after lunch) towards “Freedom Friday”, where students are given an hour of freedom to do anything they want.