Creating a positive learning environment in our classrooms
· An important aspect of effective teaching that I learned during the past year relates to creating a supportive classroom environment.
· It refers to the prevailing mood, attitudes standard and tone that a teacher and students feel, when they are in the classroom.
· A positive classroom feels, safe respectful welcoming, enjoyable and supportive of students learning.
· According to Wilen et al., (2004), part of building a supportive climate for learning involves teachers sharing their expectations concerning learning of content, achievement, and social behavior with their students.
Key factors in creating a positive classroom climate
1. Developing and reinforcing classroom rules and norms
Laying down the ground rules early in your relationship with a class is quintessential to your success as a teacher. Involve your students in this to be sure that they are aware of the rules and the consequences. This is another great way to add to the ambience of your classroom – post the ground rules and always lean towards positive, rather than negative, re-enforcement of them. Posting something on the wall when a student doesn’t follow the rules will likely affect the entire class in a negative way, but posting something for each student that did adhere to the rules will do the opposite.
Maintains classroom rules and regulations will clearly support safe and respectful behaviour. Having classroom rules helps to create a predictable, safe learning environment for students. Rules give clear boundaries and opportunities to practice self-regulations and make good choices.
2. Promoting positive peer relationship
Through different teaching strategies teacher can reinforced casual positive interaction between students on daily basis. Inside the classroom and outside the classroom teacher can deliberately plan relationship-building activities and games that encourage positive interactions.
3. Nurturing positive relationship with all the students
Learning students name will be a very good trick to build a positive relationship with the students. Being firm and assertive with students make the students feel better in classroom environment.
4. Respect
Educational research supports creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and support in the classroom, where students feel safe in expressing concerns or asking questions, and where tolerance and a sense of common identity and community are promoted (Stronge, 2002; Wilen et al., 2004; Shepard, 2000).
5. Classroom management
Classroom management refers to all of the things that a teacher does to organize students, space, time and materials so that instruction in content and student learning can take place. In all that you communicate, no matter how insignificant or innocuous it may seem, it contributes to your status as a teacher and your ability to manage the classroom.
“A positive learning environment is one in which school staff, students, and parents build safe and peaceful environments where people are accepted and respected and where learning is the main focus” (Schauffele, 2007). Research has shown that a positive learning environments maximizes the learning of every student, help children become full participating citizens of society, and help build a sense of community. It is important that this vision is shared among all stakeholders: families, staff, and students. “Schools acting in partnership with their communities, can create and maintain these type of environments” (Safe and Healthy Schools, 2000).
· An important aspect of effective teaching that I learned during the past year relates to creating a supportive classroom environment.
· It refers to the prevailing mood, attitudes standard and tone that a teacher and students feel, when they are in the classroom.
· A positive classroom feels, safe respectful welcoming, enjoyable and supportive of students learning.
· According to Wilen et al., (2004), part of building a supportive climate for learning involves teachers sharing their expectations concerning learning of content, achievement, and social behavior with their students.
Key factors in creating a positive classroom climate
1. Developing and reinforcing classroom rules and norms
Laying down the ground rules early in your relationship with a class is quintessential to your success as a teacher. Involve your students in this to be sure that they are aware of the rules and the consequences. This is another great way to add to the ambience of your classroom – post the ground rules and always lean towards positive, rather than negative, re-enforcement of them. Posting something on the wall when a student doesn’t follow the rules will likely affect the entire class in a negative way, but posting something for each student that did adhere to the rules will do the opposite.
Maintains classroom rules and regulations will clearly support safe and respectful behaviour. Having classroom rules helps to create a predictable, safe learning environment for students. Rules give clear boundaries and opportunities to practice self-regulations and make good choices.
2. Promoting positive peer relationship
Through different teaching strategies teacher can reinforced casual positive interaction between students on daily basis. Inside the classroom and outside the classroom teacher can deliberately plan relationship-building activities and games that encourage positive interactions.
3. Nurturing positive relationship with all the students
Learning students name will be a very good trick to build a positive relationship with the students. Being firm and assertive with students make the students feel better in classroom environment.
4. Respect
Educational research supports creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and support in the classroom, where students feel safe in expressing concerns or asking questions, and where tolerance and a sense of common identity and community are promoted (Stronge, 2002; Wilen et al., 2004; Shepard, 2000).
5. Classroom management
Classroom management refers to all of the things that a teacher does to organize students, space, time and materials so that instruction in content and student learning can take place. In all that you communicate, no matter how insignificant or innocuous it may seem, it contributes to your status as a teacher and your ability to manage the classroom.
“A positive learning environment is one in which school staff, students, and parents build safe and peaceful environments where people are accepted and respected and where learning is the main focus” (Schauffele, 2007). Research has shown that a positive learning environments maximizes the learning of every student, help children become full participating citizens of society, and help build a sense of community. It is important that this vision is shared among all stakeholders: families, staff, and students. “Schools acting in partnership with their communities, can create and maintain these type of environments” (Safe and Healthy Schools, 2000).