Creating Learning Environments

Cluster 12

Modules 33 – 34

Focus Questions What are the special managerial demands of

classrooms and the needs of students of different ages?

How will you establish routines and rules for a class? How will you arrange the physical environment of

your classroom to fit your learning goals and teaching methods?

How will you manage computers in your classroom to fit your learning goals and teaching methods?

What are Kounin’s suggestions for preventing management problems?

How would you prevent problems by building connections with students?

What are the two different approaches for dealing with a conflict between a teacher and a student?

Overview of Cluster 12

I. The Need for OrganizationII. Creating a Positive Learning

EnvironmentIII. Maintaining a Good Environment for

LearningIV. Dealing with Discipline ProblemsV. Violence in SchoolsVI. The Need for CommunicationVII. Diversity and Convergences in

Learning Environments

What Would You Do?

Review “What would you do?” on p. 509 How would you handle this situation? Who should be involved? What would you do about the verbal

homophobic insults? What would you do if the bullies were in

your classes? What would you do if the bullies and victim

were girls?

I. The Need for Organization

Classrooms are dynamic environments: Multidimensional (people, tasks, time pressure) Simultaneous (many events happening at once) Immediate (the pace is fast) Unpredictable (behavior or mechanical problems) Public (teacher is judged by all) Histories (current actions depend in part on what has

happened before)

Goals of Classroom Management More time for learning

Allocated time (specific time set aside)

Engaged time or time on task Academic learning time (when students are actually

succeeding)

Access to learning Students must know what the participation

structures are Management for self-management

If the focus is on compliance, students may see the purpose for school as following rules

II. Creating a Positive Learning Environment Routines and procedures

Administrative routines Student movement Housekeeping Routines for accomplishing lessons Interactions

Rules Consider the impact on atmosphere Assure rules are consistent with school rules and

principals of learning A few general rules that cover specifics better than a list

of dos and don’ts

Creating a Positive Learning Environment cont’d Consequences

Don’t wait until a rule is broken before thinking about the consequence

Separate the deed from the doer Emphasize that students have power to choose

their actions Encourage reflection, self-evaluation, and

problem solving Help students identify and give a rationale for

what they could do differently next time

Student-Created Rules: A Real Example from a Preschool Classroom

No running—use your walking feet No poking eyes out or pushing Talk to your friends nicely Say your sorry Save kisses for mommies and daddies Keep your hands out of your mouth Wash hands with soap No calling names or using potty words Sit quietly on the rug with a bubble Share Listen to your teacher

Guidelines: Designing Learning spaces

Note the fixed features and plan accordingly Create easy access to materials Provide clean, convenient surfaces for

studying Avoid dead spaces and “race tracks” Assure you can see students and that they can

see instructional presentations Make sure work areas are private and quiet Provide choices and flexibility Be creative: Try new arrangements, then

evaluate and improve

Getting Started: Elementary

First day: well planned and organized Deal with student’s main concerns Teach rules and procedures Appeal to student interests Monitor the whole group Stop misbehavior quickly

Getting Started: Secondary

Establish rules, procedures, and standards

Clearly communicate standards for work Consistently enforce expectations Monitor students closely Deal with rule infractions quickly Shorter work cycles for lower ability

students Monitor student progress carefully

III. Maintaining a Good Environment for Learning

What activities keep you completely engaged?

Is it the same for everyone? Are there general principles for

keeping students engaged?

Encouraging Engagement Busy students are better behaved Supervise students closely Include cues for desired behaviors Clear steps for activities Provide necessary materials Engage students in authentic tasks Employ curiosity, interest

Prevention is the Best Medicine Withitness

Communicate to students that you are aware of everything that is going on

Prevents minor disruptions from developing into bigger problems

Not waiting too long to intervene or blaming the wrong student

Overlapping and group focus Supervising several activities at once Keeping as many students as possible

engaged

Prevention is the Best Medicine Movement management

Keep groups moving and appropriate and flexible pace

Smooth transitions

Student social skills as prevention Teach social & emotional self-regulation

Caring Relationships: Connections with School Students respect teachers who:

Maintain authority w/o being regid The perceive as fair and honest Make sure they understand the material

Positive student-teacher relationships associated with the following student outcomes:

Higher participation Greater critical thinking skills Increased motivation Higher self-esteem

IV. Dealing with Discipline Problems

Make eye contact Verbal hints: name dropping Ask students if they are aware of the

consequences of their behavior Remind students of the relevant rule or

procedure Ask the student to state the correct rule or

procedure and follow it Assertively tell the student to stop the

misbehavior Offer a choice

Bullying and Cyber-Bullying Teachers tend to underestimate amount

of bullying “Silence” from teachers regarding

bullying may communicate acceptance Help students to make the correct

attribution to others’ behavior Teach students how to prevent cyber-

bullying (Table 34.2 on p. 535)

Special Problems with High School Students

Work not completed: Teach students how to use a daily planner Keep accurate records Enforce established consequences Do not grade on “the benefit of the doubt”

Continue to break rules: Seat student away from other students Catch them before they break the rules Enforce established consequences Don’t accept promises

V. Violence in Schools

What factors might contribute to school violence? Is it any one thing?

What are some steps that a school can take in order to prevent violence? A teacher?

Warning Signs of Violence Daily loss of temper Frequent physical aggression Significant vandalism Drug/alcohol use increase Risk-taking behavior increase Detailed plans to commit violence Enjoying hurting animals Carrying a weapon

Peer Mediation & Negotiation Strategies Jointly define the conflict

Separate the person from the problem

Exchange positions and interests Reverse perspectives

Put yourself in their shoes

Invent at least 3 arguments that allow mutual gain

Reach an integrative agreement

Title, EditionAuthor(s)ISBN

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.All Rights Reserved.24

VI. The Need for Communication

Message Sent = Message Received? Sometimes the intended message

doesn’t get across Hidden messages Body language Choice of words Paraphrase rule (must accurately paraphrase

what has just been said before being allowed to speak)

Diagnosis: Whose Problem Is It? Determine who ‘owns’ the problem

If it is the student’s problem, then the teacher may take on role of ‘counselor’

If the teacher’s, then the teacher will need to address it.

Whose Problem Is It? A student write obscene words and

draws sexually explicit illustrations in a school encyclopedia.

A student tells you that his parents had a bad fight and he hates his father.

A student quietly reads a newspaper in the back of the room.

Confrontation and Assertive Discipline

Use of “I” messages clear, non-accusatory statement of how something is affecting you

Passive responses not effective—doesn’t make remediation explicit & always ‘one more

chance’

Hostile responses not effective—condemns the student

Assertive response you care enough to confront. Characteristics: eye contact; calm, firm,

and confident voice

Do not debate “fairness” of the rules Expect changes, not promises or excuses

Gordon’s “No-Lose Method”

Define the problem what are the behaviors involved (what are students getting

out of the behavior)?

Generate many possible solutions Evaluate each solution Make a decision on a solution

through consensus. All need to be satisfied with the solution

Determine how to implement the solution

Evaluate the success of the solution

VII. Diversity and Convergences in Learning Environments

African American and Latino/a students are punished more than their White counterparts

NOT because their behavior is more serious Teachers may misinterpret culturally divergent behavior

as disrespectful

Effective teachers: Practice culturally responsive management Are “warm demanders”

Convergences: Research on Management Approaches

Student-owned responsibility for learning associated with:

Talking with students about how their behavior affects others

Involving students in class discipline decisions Providing nondirective hints and descriptions about

unacceptable behavior

More positive classroom environment associated with teachers and parents having similar expectations and mutual support