Establishing a Positive Classroom Climate
It is the first day
of school. My hands tremble as I grasp the doorknob to open my classroom door
and walk into the room I have been preparing for the past few days. The
bulletin boards greet me with their colourful displays - some filled with
pictures, plans and schedules, and some bare, waiting for the students to fill
them with their pictures and work. What does it take to make a room a welcoming and inviting
place? Will my students want to sit in this room? Will they want to work here?
More importantly, will they want to learn here?
The Classroom Setup:
The first thing the
students will notice as they come into the room is how it is set up. It says a
lot about how learning will take place. To make it a positive learning
environment, I have to think about how my students are going to learn: in
groups, whole group and small groups, in pairs, or individually. I have to
ensure that every student will have easy access to all the learning materials.
The special needs student shouldn’t have to struggle to get to the pencil
sharpener in the corner.
A reading corner,
where students can sit on cushions or on a rug, is always a good idea. Bookshelves
filled with their favorite books, written by their favorite authors would help
them to spend some productive time in this corner. To these, I would add my own
selection of books, which would include genres reflecting different reading
levels, interests, and cultures.
The Classroom Culture:
Creating
a Positive Classroom Culture: What can I do to ensure that every
student feels valued and respected in this class?
First, it is
important to create an environment in which every student feels safe and
secure. Relationship and community- building activities in the first week (and
subsequent months) will help
students to get to know each other. Games and ice-breakers can be used for
students to learn each other’s names, their likes and dislikes, their families,
and other details. Putting students in groups for these activities will further
help to establish a sense of community.
My students come from diverse
cultures, language groups, religions, socio-economic backgrounds and other
social constructs that separate and divide people. Scharf (2014), in Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education, talks about the importance of
“genuinely seeing diversity as a strength and an opportunity, rather than as an
“issue” or problem.” This diversity in my class gives me an opportunity to
teach my students to understand and embrace diversity as it exists in the real
world. To prepare my students to live and work successfully in the community, I
should help them to appreciate diversity by focusing on understanding each
other’s cultures and on what we can learn from, as well as do for, each other.
Making our classroom a safe and
secure environment would mean teaching them to respect each other, and treating
each other well. While focusing on relationship-building is important, I would also
need to educate my students on issues like bullying and other forms of abuse that
can happen in schools and communities. In teaching about bullying prevention
and intervention, I need to focus on helping them to understand what bullying
is, and what everyone needs to do to establish a safe and secure environment in
the school; that it is not only about not bullying others, but also stepping in
to stop it, or doing something about it when they see it. In addition to
educating them on all these issues, I would need to ensure that I never let any
disrespectful remark or behavior go unaddressed. Brownstein (2009) calls this ‘zero
indifference.’ I need to practice ‘zero indifference.’
Discipline and Behaviour Management: It is important for any class to
have a well-thought out and understood system for the way things are done. My students
would need to know what the expectations are in reference to behavior as well
as completing assigned work. When students have a say in their classroom rules,
they will have a sense of ownership, which in turn, will make them more
responsible. And with regards to implementing consequences, Sharf (2014) recommends
‘restorative justice’ which emphasizes “repairing harm and restoring relationships
rather than simply punishing those who have engaged in misconduct.”
Instruction and the Learning Culture:
Every student in my
class comes with different experiences and skills. I have to think of ways to
get them to share these experiences and skills.
Researchers report that students learn more from their peers when they
work in groups, and as a teacher, I should look for opportunities to let them
work on projects and other activities in groups. Working with their peers will enhance
their social and communication skills as well.
Keeping in mind the learning styles,
capabilities, and interests of the students will help me to craft lessons that
will reach every learner. I have to ensure that each culture is addressed and
celebrated in our class.
Culture, as defined by Scharf (2014), “can refer to an individual’s race, class,
gender sexual orientation, religion, immigration status and age, among other
things.” Marzano recommends bringing students’ interests- which can include any
of the factors listed by Scharf- into content and personalizing learning
activities. Knowing the range of diverse cultures in my class will enable me to
personalize learning activities and make learning relevant and meaningful for
my students by connecting it to their real-world experiences.
How will I as the
teacher pull all these threads together to make our time together in this class
a meaningful and worthwhile one? Do I know the cultures of all my students? As
an Asian teacher, I do not know all the ins and outs and
nuances of other Asian cultures, let alone the cultures of other races. I need
to educate myself by designing my professional development plans to include learning
about the cultures represented in my class, which can and should include
parents as a resource.
In conclusion, to create a positive classroom
climate for my students, I would need to get to know each one of them. I would
need to
let them know that I’m interested in them as individuals, and that their
interests and dreams matter to me. A positive attitude will help me to get the
message across that I enjoy having them in my class. I can show them that I
care by showing respect, trust and a caring attitude. Teacher-student relationship,
according to Marzano is the ‘keystone’ of effective management, and that “teacher
behavior is the language of that relationship.” There’s so much that I need to
learn.
For now, I will begin by greeting them at the door.
References
Brownstein, Rhonda. (2009) Pushed Out. Retrieved from
http://www.tolerance.org/pushed-out
Scharf, Amy. (2014). Critical Practices for Anti-Bias
Education. Montgomery, Alabama. Teaching Tolerance.
Marzano, R.J. (2007). The Science and Practice of Teaching and
Learning. Alexandria, VA. ASCD.
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