Chapter 11 Creating Productive Learning Environments 1 Characteristics

Chapter 11 Creating Productive Learning Environments 1

Characteristics of Productive Learning Environments • A focus on learning • A focus on learners – Classrooms as learning communities – Emphasis on personal and social development – A positive classroom climate 2

Classroom as Learning Communities • Inclusiveness: all students participate and believe they can succeed. • Respect for others: students respect the teacher and other students. • Safety and security: students feel safe and protected. • Trust and connectedness: students count on each other for help and assistance. 3

Elements of Personal Development • Self-discipline and motivation to learn • Organizational skills and goal setting • Personal and moral responsibility • Control of personal impulses • Self-awareness in terms of personal strengths, needs, and values 4

Social Development • Students’ ability to interact with and get along with others • Perspective taking: the ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others • Social problem solving: the ability to resolve conflicts in ways that are beneficial to all involved 5

Social Skills That Develop in Productive Learning Environments • • Perspective taking Social problem solving Respect for others Working cooperatively with classmates • Empathy and compassion • Appreciation of diversity 6

Essential Human Elements of Productive Learning Environments • • Caring Personal teaching efficacy Positive expectations Modeling and enthusiasm 7

Communicating Caring • Learning students’ names quickly and calling on students by their first name • Greeting students daily and getting to know them as individuals • Using effective nonverbal communication such as making eye contact and smiling • Using “we” and “our” in reference to class activities and assignments • Spending time with students • Demonstrating respect for students as individuals 8

Positive Teacher Expectations • Teachers’ beliefs in students’ capabilities to learn • Ways that teachers communicate positive expectations – Emotional support – Teacher effort and demands – Interactive questioning – Feedback and evaluation 9

Classroom Management Goals • Developing learner responsibility • Creating a positive classroom climate • Maximizing opportunities for learning 10

Dimensions of Classroom Time • Allocated time: amount designated for a particular topic or subject • Instructional time: amount left for teaching after routine management and administrative tasks are completed • Engaged time: time students actually spend actively involved in learning activities • Academic learning time: amount of time students are both engaged and successful 11

Elements of Successful Management • Preventing problems through planning – Rules – Procedures • Intervening effectively • Handling serious management problems 12

Common Classroom Activities Requiring Procedures • Entering and leaving the classroom • Handing in and returning papers • Accessing materials such as scissors and paper • Sharpening pencils • Making trips to the bathroom • Making up work after an absence 13

Guidelines for Effective Rules • • State rules positively. Emphasize rationales for rules. Minimize the number of rules. Monitor rules throughout the school year. 14

Guidelines for Effective Interventions • Intervene immediately. • Direct the intervention at the correct student(s). • Use the least intrusive intervention. 15

Serious Management Problems: Violence and Aggression • Most management problems are minor and involve day-to-day logistical and cooperation issues. • Steps to follow when serious problems arise – Stop the incident – Protect the victim – Get help • Teachers are legally required to intervene when problems occur. • Seek the advice of administrators and veteran teachers. 16

Assertive Discipline • A comprehensive approach to classroom management that clearly specifies both teachers’ and students’ rights and responsibilities • Successful but controversial • Advocates claim it – Works – Clearly specifies both teacher and student actions – Is fairly easy to learn and apply 17

Assertive Discipline (continued) • Critics claim it – Emphasizes control and obedience at the expense of personal development – Focuses on behaviors instead of the reasons for rules – Treats symptoms (e. g. , talking) versus possible causes (e. g. , boring or ineffective instruction) 18

Effective Classroom Management in Urban Schools • More challenging because of student diversity and large class sizes • Essential components for effective management: – Caring and supportive teachers – Clear standards for acceptable behavior – Structure – Effective instruction 19

Benefits of Involving Parents • Greater willingness to do homework • Higher long-term achievement • More positive attitudes and behaviors • Better attendance and graduation rates • Greater enrollment in postsecondary education 20

Strategies for Involving Parents • Start at the beginning of the school year with a letter. • Maintain communication by sending home frequent and periodic packets of work, descriptions of new units of study, and other information about the class. • Use e-mails, newsletters, and individual notes to emphasize positive student accomplishments. 21

Communicating with Parents from Diverse Backgrounds • Cultural diversity, SES, and caregivers for whom English is not the first language all pose communication challenges. • Effective teachers make a special effort to reach out to these parents. • Sending homework guidelines and suggestions are effective in involving parents in their children’s education. 22