Hello Student Teachers:
Your text, "Why didn't I learn this in College?", is organized around the big question "What do schools look like when they are organized around the commitment to the achievement of high standards by all students?" That is a powerful question. That is the type of question that transforms schools and children. It is a question that I myself am grabbling with in terms of the college experience.
This is a quote from the author on how we move to forming a picture of what those type of schools should look like.
“A focus on building a positive and productive learning environment rather than an environment based on compliance and control seems to be an important first step."
"F. J. McDonald wrote in 1980 that teachers within the first six months of their teaching experience adopt a teaching style that will be the basis of their decision-making throughout their careers. If beginning with chapter one and marching through a text, focusing on compliance and control, or activity-driven decisions frame that style, we will never reach our goal of high achievement for all students. It is, therefore, essential that we "begin with the end in mind" and provide guidance for those new to our profession as they learn to do the same with their learners."
The Book , "Why didn't I learn this in College" provides an excellent summary of the practices that you have learned through out your years here at Etown. The first area to address is creating a culture for learning ( Danielson Domain 2, Rutherord Chap. 2).
Blog Entry 2 is based on Rutherford Chapter 2
Reflection: How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom? What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
In order to create a positive learning environment I think I need to show the students that I truly care about their learning and about their future. Some students come into school dreading the day because it can be really repetitive and not differentiated. Students can feel like just a number and may just blend into the crowd. It is my responsibility to make each child feel important and like they have a purpose to come to school every day. I can do this by making it a priority to get to know each of my students and allowing the students to get to know each other. I want to be able to create a sense of community in the classroom so the students feel comfortable to think and share their ideas. I want to also encourage and praise the students whenever possible. Students should want to learn, communicate and be involved. The more I create a comfortable, positive learning environment, the more this will happen.
ReplyDeleteIn order to create a culture of learning I think the students should be active in the learning process. I do not think teachers should just read out of a book and ask questions that do not promote active thinking. Students should play a big role in their learning and teachers should work with their students to create this type of culture. I think students should always have the opportunity to do research about topics and share information they have found. I think students should advocate for their learning styles and instruction should be tailored to every student. Children should also be able to use their creativity every day and they should be constantly reminded that they are capable of anything if they put the effort forward. No student should feel like they can not do something. Not only should students advocate for themselves, teachers should advocate and support each and every student. It think this is a good step toward creating a culture of learning.
Alex, I like the idea of teaching students to be advocates for themselves. I agree that this is a part of becoming active in the learning process. I also agree that students should play a role in their learning as producers of information. This can be done by sharing information with classmates. As teachers, we can create a classroom culture where students are comfortable with the idea of collaborating to learn.
DeleteAlex, I love that you made the point to treat students as individuals. If they know you truly care, they will too! This goes along with a sense of community. Classes that feel like a family are much more likely to succeed and definitely have less behavior problems.
DeleteIn order to create a positive learning environment, I agree with Alex, that I want my students to know that I care about them as individuals. I want to make sure that I get the chance to talk to each of them individually at least once each day, just to say things like "good morning", "how was your weekend?", or "how are is your day going so far?". I believe that little things like that go a long way and can truly make your students feel like you care about them. I also want to make sure that the students respect each other, so students are not afraid to answer a question or to ask a question, in fear that they will be made fun of. I want to create an environment where everyone's opinions matter and that there are no stupid questions. I have already observed that my co-op does a great job of making sure that the students feel comfortable asking questions and sharing their opinions.
ReplyDeleteTo create a culture of learning I believe that the students need to play a large role in their own learning. This idea is already very apparent in my co-op's classroom. The students rotate through reading groups, math groups, and word study work. Each of these times of the day require the students to work independently or in a group to enhance their own learning. I also think that students need to be reminded to do their best work and that they can do anything if they just try their best. I think there is so much pressure on students these days because of state testing that any test can cause anxiety or stress. My co-op always reminds students to do their best work when they are taking tests. I have also witnessed her and the other adults in the room reminding students to just try their best and motivating them if they look like they are struggling or feeling anxious over a test. I think to create a culture of learning we need to allow students to take an active and responsible role in their own learning, as well as the opportunities to explore different topics of interest and different ways of learning. As Alex said we also need to advocate for our students and teach our students to be advocates for themselves.
I agree with Holly in that students need to feel comfortable participating in class and they need to build positive relationships with their classmates as well as the teacher. Students should not feel like they are too embarrassed to share their thoughts and ideas.
DeleteI have also seen a lot of independent work in my placement. The students get an hour in the morning to do seat work and work ahead in their homework. When they get done everything on their list, they are able to work on an enrichment project. This year's enrichment project has to do with life cycles. I like that the students do work to work toward doing an enrichment project. The students have the chance to take responsibility and pride in their work. I think it is also a good idea to motivate and support our students so that they feel confident in their abilities and do the best they can do.
I also have noticed that my students have a lot of independent work that they complete during the day. I think this enhances the culture of learning because they take responsibility for their own learning and have to remind themselves to stay on task. In my classroom I have students who have a low academic level. I find that in order to create the positive culture of learning that my teacher will call on those students for things that she knows they will answer correctly. This gives them the confidence to participate in class on a regular basis and want to come to school each day. I too try to make a connection with each of my students. I think that this allows them to see that we are interested in who they are as a person rather than what they have written for their homework the night before.
DeleteHow are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteIt's important that the classroom is a safe place for students to learn both physically and emotionally. Students need to know their ideas, thoughts, and answers will be heard and listened to and that it's ok to make mistakes and experiment with different and challenging topics. I've been trying to create a positive learning environment by creating a positive rapport with my students. I've been showing interest in who they are as individuals by socializing during their snack time and asking them questions about their routine and school day. I think showing interest in them as people will create understanding that I care about them as people and asking for their expertise about their classroom shows I respect them.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
A culture of learning is created through promoting the idea that everyone can learn something new everyday. My teacher demonstrated this during a science lesson about salt and fresh water. She based the lesson on the students' questions and answers to each other questions. She scaffolded their thoughts with her own knowledge, but when students had questions she didn't have answers for she pointed out that students could use research to find answers and bring them back to the class. I think making the students experts as well as adding her own knowledge made the lesson a group learning experience rather than just lecture.
Amanda, I love that your teacher did a lesson that was mainly based off of the students' questions. Inquiry is crucial in the classroom, and allows for students to have more control with their learning. I also like your idea about learning something new everyday. It is so true for both students, and us as teachers.
DeleteHow are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteSince we began student teaching half way through the school year, I found that the classroom I entered already had a positive learning environment in place. It was great to observe from the start how the students took ownership of their classroom and were proud of the space they have to learn. I have found that the classroom environment promotes positive relationships, which creates opportunities for positive learning. These relationships exist between the student and the teacher and also amongst classmates and are fostered by the set up of the environment. Along with getting to personally know each student, I plan to add to the learning environment. For example, my co-op has provided me with wall space to create my own bulletin board about my science unit. In doing so, I will be supporting the positive learning environment.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
One of the aspects of the classroom I first observed were the classroom routines my co-op had established. I felt that once I knew the class rules and expectations, I would be able to truly help in creating a culture of learning. One of my favorite parts of the day is the morning time. Previously established by my co-op, my students are allowed to talk with their classmates when they first come in and are finishing their breakfast. I think this is important to establish a culture of learning for the rest of the day. After the students have told their stories they sit down and begin their morning seat work. I feel that this routine is not only important to the classroom starting the day off, but it creates a culture for learning to then take place.
My co-op also allows the students to come in and talk in the morning. At first, I found this time to be very unproductive and noisy. However, I am starting to think like you Anna and see the value in their conversation time. We also have a five minute snack break in the middle of our morning that I think really helps my students to reboot and get ready for another round of instruction.
DeleteI feel like my classroom is the opposite - when my students arrive in the classroom, they are to hang up their bookbags and coat and get busy on their morning work. Their morning work consists of 2 or 3 academic worksheets (rhyming, finding letter sounds in words, etc) and they know that they shouldn't be socializing until they complete their work. Although this may not completely promote a culture for social learning, it is important for students to be in charge of their own work and take responsibility.
DeleteMy co-op also allows the students to talk in the morning while they complete their morning work. I think it helps to let some of their energy out because they can tell the stories that they want to tell, without having to wait until lunch or recess. I think this also allows for the students to get to know each other and form friendships with each other. My students also have a snack break, Rachel, for usually about 10 minutes. They usually have a "working snack", so they have to keep working on their assignments but also have their snack at the same time. I agree that the snack helps them to reboot and get ready for more instruction. Last Thursday, my students had to complete a very long reading assessment. So my co-op split it into 2 parts and they got to take a break for snack in between where they were aloud to talk and move around. I thought this was a really good idea because they were able to kind of relax and reboot before completing the second part of the assessment.
DeleteHow are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteOne of the ways in which I am trying to create a positive learning environment is to set my students up for success. I feel that it is important to create that place where the students can learn. Many students in my class come from troubled homes. Whether that means that they are in a single parent home, they have a low SES, or there are drug/alcohol problems. I have noticed that many of the parents have a low education level and do not place a strong emphasis on schooling. With this in mind I have noticed that my cooperating teacher spends the time to make sure that there is ample time for the students to complete an activity. This allows all of the students to succeed because they are given that extra time that they need. I have been able to incorporate this idea into my teaching so far because I create activities where if the students need extra time it is there, but I also provide other things to complete when students finish early. I have also noticed that my class, and the other third grade classes, spends a lot of time learning about how to learn. I believe that this sets the students up for success because they understand how we learn and can use that when presented with new information. Another way in which I am creating a positive learning environment is that I celebrate the small things for each student. Many of my students have are at a lower level and I try to remember that certain things; such as remembering to write their name is a huge thing. I try to give them specific praise so that they understand that they have learned something this year. This is also important because many of the lower level students get frustrated because they are having difficulties solving a math problem that others got with no problem. My class also creates daily goals of things that they want to work on for the day. I feel that this is important because it gives them the opportunity to strive for something each day.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
One of the ways that I am trying to create a culture of learning is allowing the students to take part in their learning. One of the lessons that I observed was having the students share their animal reports. While all of the students needed to create a report with more than four sentences, they were able to pick whatever animal they wanted. This allowed them to take control of their learning and feel pride in their work. While I did not take part in this, my cooperating teacher shared with me that the students worked together to help create the rules. She spent a lot of time on this and explained that it allowed the students to feel responsible in the classroom and help create the learning environment that worked the best for them. Another way that my cooperating teacher has explained to me creates a culture of learning is taking the time at the beginning of the year to establish routines. While this may take time away from instruction, it allows the students the ability to take responsibility for their actions. For example, my students do not get dismissed by table each time we move to different sections of the room or building. This is because they have practiced getting in line by alphabetical order and are able to do so silently. I have noticed that this cuts down on the transition time, allowing for more instruction time. I also think that the daily goals my students write each day helps to create a culture of learning because no matter what the day holds, they are always trying to better themselves to reach their goals.
Laura, I agree with the idea of allowing the students to take part in their learning. I feel like this is the key to all successful learning. Students are more willing to participate in lessons when they feel that they are important to them. While it may be difficult for us to always understand what is going on in an elementary schoolers mind, I have observed my co-op relate to our students. One interested way I have seen was to allow the students to question lessons, which we normally do. However, my cooperating teacher will take it to the next level. For example, we were reading a book and the students said this sounds like a movie I saw. My co-op then played the preview to the movie and the students discussed how they were alike or different. This really got the students interest because it was a movie that most of them had seen. They understood the meaning of the story at a deeper level after it was connected to something in their own life.
DeleteHow are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through Rutherford Chapter 2, I have realized the many different aspects that make up a positive learning environment. Personally, I am trying to make my students feel welcome and that they are a part of this classroom. They are not just another student, their opinions matter. In order to help them realize that I care about them as a person, I quickly learned each of their names. Calling someone by their name is important to me. That is who they are. They are not just a student they are an individual who identifies themselves by that name. Therefore, I managed to learn everyone’s name by the end of the first day. My cooperating teacher was amazed, and so were the students. I was a new person to the classroom. The students were not too sure if they should trust me yet, but just the small touch of knowing their names helped tremendously. They immediately saw me as someone who cared about them and was going to assist them in their learning. As the semester continues, I am trying to get to know each of them a little better. Knowing your students can help relate lessons to their personal lives. These connections can help them understand the material.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
In my classroom I am trying to create an interactive learning culture. Students are more likely to have a positive outlook on their education if it is enjoyable. Therefore, I am trying to create a culture where the students are involved and taking a part of their learning. I hope to do this by incorporating real life examples which involve the students input. I also hope to create lessons where the students are generating the questions. Being an active part of their education can help these students fully understand the material that is being presented to them. With this type of culture I am hoping he students are interested in the material and view the lessons as relevant and relatable. This can make all the different in the classroom.
I agree Brittany, having students come up with questions allows them to take charge of their learning, and also tailors it to what they want to know. If the teacher consistently asks the same questions that the students know the answers to, the students aren't going to learn anything new. Participation and interaction are key to involving students and creating an environment dedicated to the students and their learning.
DeleteHow are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteI am trying to create a positive learning environment by making my students feel safe. I am building my relationship with each student every day by getting to know my students individually. I try to always stay positive and be a support system for my students. I focus on the positives, even when I have to discipline the students. I show them respect and model how to be a responsible citizen. I want my students to feel safe in my classroom and to know their voices will be heard.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
I am trying to create a culture of learning by ensuring they are taking part in their own learning. They are at the point where they must take responsibility for their learning. The students should be excited about learning and being involved, and I will do my best to support them in their journey. I want to make learning fun for the students. I want my students to know it is okay to make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, which is what helps us learn. I want my students to try their best in everything they do. I will teach equitably to make sure that everyone's needs are being met.
Sophie, I completely agree that students need to take a responsibility in their learning. That idea becomes even more true for students at higher grade levels. I also really like that you have created an atmosphere to show that mistakes are normal and that it is okay to make them. I feel as though many people see mistakes as a bad thing, but really they can positively influence us. They help us learn! Students are not always aware of the positive side to mistakes, so it is good to broaden their outlook. The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes and that is what we as teachers need to emphasize. We don't only learn in school, but we also learn in everyday life!
DeleteIn order to create a positive learning environment I need to be cognizant of my own assumptions and expectations. Personally, I feel I need to set the expectation that all of my students are capable of success in the learning process. I can set up an environment for success in a few ways. One thing I have already done is to rearrange the seating arrangement so that students who distract each other are separated and students who could benefit from a buddy have that accommodation in place. Another aspect of my classroom that contributes to a positive learning environment is that bullying in any form is absolutely not tolerated. My cooperating teacher has set the standard for our class that all students are unique and valuable. There is never a student excluded from a game or from a group in our classroom. I feel that since our students are constantly practicing inclusion, there is less pressure for the students to need to "fit in" and thus they feel more comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. I also feel like a positive learning environment fosters a common level of respect. I have been trying to engage all of my students in meaningful conversations. I feel that to successful differentiate my instruction to each individual student, I must have a relationship with each one. Ultimately, I want my students to feel valued, respected, and able to be successful in my classroom.
ReplyDeleteI feel like in order to create a culture of learning, there must be a positive learning environment. In order to foster a love of learning, I have been trying to intentionally emphasize the relevance of all content that is taught. For example, I was working with a small group on division. I began with a real world problem as an example to show how you would use division in your every day life. In math, I have also been encouraging students to challenge themselves with more complicated problems. After students completed their work, I had them use white boards to make challenging practice problems for a partner. I just want my students to feel the importance of content while also developing an ownership of that knowledge. As I keep going through the next weeks, I think I will continue this effort by trying to help students answer their own questions as much as possible.
Rachel, I completely agree with emphasizing the relevance of all content that is taught. I think that is a great way for students to relate their lessons to real life situations. This is a great way to motivate students to engage in their learning!
DeleteI am learning so much from my cooperating teacher and am modeling a lot of the positive strategies I see her use. One of the most important things to her is her learning environment. In order to maintain the learning culture that she has created I follow many of her practices.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to building a learning environment in which the students feel safe, supported and comfortable to share their ideas. In order to instill these items into my classroom learning environment, I have taken the time to ask questions and learn information about each of my students. I know each of my students names and greet them every morning as they walk in. I also take the time to learn my students interest by spending some time one-on-one during various math and reading activities. The students have been very accepting of me and I am really enjoying my placement because of it.
Becca,
DeleteI also agree that it is so important to learn about each child individually. You want all your students to feel like they can come to you with whatever questions or concerns they may have. It is important for them to know that you care about them as a person and want them to succeed. By you greeting them every morning and learning about their interests, it is proving to them that you are interested in them. I am also trying to do the same in my classroom. My cooperating teacher has a lot of different ways that she is modeling in the classroom that is certainly creating a culture of learning as well.
I will try to create a positive learning environment by showing the students that the classroom is their safe place. One way that I will ensure this safety in the classroom is by continuing a strategy I saw my cooperating teacher use. A student tried very hard at coming up with an answer, but some of the other students thought it was ridiculous and funny. Immediately the teacher directed the students to stop laughing. She then proceeded to explain why the student's answer was actually a good attempt. I feel this type of safety, where students can speak their mind, is important because the students will be able to share and learn from one another.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to my co-op, I believe that the students should be active participants and interact with peers so they can learn. I believe it is important for students to actively participate, so they can truly learn the information being taught. I have seen my co-op use small groups, partners, and one-on-one time to help establish an interactive learning environment. I really like this because it allows the students to receive constant feedback. The feedback can come from another student or the teacher. Learning from one another is just as important as learning from the teacher.
Kimmy,
DeleteI too agree that it is crucial to build a safe environment for students. I really like hearing how your co-op handled the student's response and the laughter by explaining why the answer was a appropriate. That reassured to that individual that their thoughts/opinions were important to the discussion and immediately stopped other students from their negative behavior. That student will now continue to feel comfortable in sharing his/her ideas because your co-op addressed the issue properly. Active participation is key for both students and teachers. When students interact in discussion, they are required to retrieve that bit of information, thus helping with their comprehension and retention. For teachers, active participation works as an assessment tool. You an informally assess your students' needs through hearing how they respond to your prompts.
How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteThis topic actually came in conversation with my co-op and I during the first week. The students had a half day on Friday, but we stayed the full day for a team meeting and planning period. He asked me if I had the chance to make any connections with any students so far. I think this is so crucial to creating a positive classroom environment. Especially in early childhood, children need to feel that sense of welcoming and belonging, just like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs tells us. Since my co-op is a male, he really connects with his male students through sports and athletics. I think creating these meaningful relationships with your students is the first step to creating a positive learning environment.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
To create a culture of learning, I have tried to take each opportunity I have to talk to and get to know each of my new students on a personal level. I like to compliment them on their academic performance, interests, and appearance. It helps build a positive relationship between the students and I and allows them to better engage in learning.
In my classroom, I am trying to create a positive learning environment by reminding my students that they are able to succeed. It is important to motivate them to try their hardest and never give up. My cooperating teacher gives them morning work and they aren't allowed to be finished with it until they get everything correct. Like many of you have already mentioned, I am also trying to make my students feel safe in the classroom. Since we came into the classroom halfway through their school year, the students already have that sense of safety, but I want them to feel safe and comfortable talking to me as another teacher. I can do this by letting them know that they can ask me anything and that I want to help them grow as a student.
ReplyDeleteLike Lauren, I am also becoming more familiar with my students. On the first day that I was in the classroom, my cooperating teacher had me make a new desk arrangement without knowing any of the students. This prompted me to learn their names much more quickly and try to figure out their personalities. Ever since then, I have been asking them questions about their weekends and about what they like to do. This has helped develop that positive relationship. It is also important to tell and show students what your expectations are. This way, they know what they can and can't do around you. I made it my goal to remind my students what my expectations of them are before I begin any lesson. This might prevent disruptive behaviors during my lesson.
How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteToday in my placement, we had a two hour in-service with all of the teachers in my school. This meeting started with a TED talk video. This video really focused on making connects with our students. Personally, I feel that if we build a strong relationship/connection with our students we can build a positive learning environment in the classroom. As teachers, it’s important to understand ours students first to do that. What are our students’ interest/hobbies? What are some things that might trigger students to show challenging behaviors? As educations, it’s extremely important to make a connection with our students so we can shape our classroom environment to meet the individual needs of our students.
If anyone has some extra time (haha) here’s the video we watched at our meeting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
Well going off my first entry, I plan on building positive relationships/connections with each individual student. It important to show each and every student you care about them as an individual and you also care about their learning. By showing you care, this is a great way to motivate students to want to learn. During our meeting, we discussed ways to make connections with students:
• 2x10 – Every week take 2 minutes, 10 times to talk one on one with each student
• Lunch buddies- have lunch with buddies once a week
• Post it Note it – leave little notes on students desk of a positive thing they did that day
• Morning Greeting- great students at the door every day!!
• Show Student Appreciation!
That was a really great video shay! Everything that Rita said was on point and it is truly great to see someone so passionate about learning! We need more teachers like her!
DeleteI love the post-it-note idea! Every day I give out "Eye Like What I See" coupons to children that exhibit positive behaviors during the day. Now I am thinking about writing little notes on the back of them! Any ideas on what to do when a student is misbehaving? I have a lot of intelligent students in my class, but some of them get so distracted and this causes disruptions. How do you feel that negative behaviors should be addressed? Should they still receive positive notes even when they have "bad" days. I believe that you can always find something positive about a child's day... but I struggle with addressing the negative behaviors. Any ideas?
Creating a positive learning environment can be a difficult task to fulfill, but my cooperating teacher has definitely done a fantastic job of creating a positive environment. My cooperating teacher and I have the same values when it comes to creating a positive environment. She and I feel that building a rapport with our students is very important. My teacher and I greet our students every morning when they walk in the door. The students come to us with stories of what happened the night before. Even though the students have only known me for a week, they feel comfortable with coming to me when they need help or want a pair of listening ears. My students know that I am there for them and want them to do the best they can. Building a positive rapport is important so that students feel safe and comfortable in your classroom.
ReplyDeleteCreating a culture of learning can be difficult, especially if students do not want to learn. I have been using my student’s interests to get them motivated to learn. My cooperating teacher always tries to incorporate some sort of activity that gets the students interested in what they are learning. Many of the students have a real interest in social studies. They enjoy getting to ready about our nation and how it became our nation. Students bring fun facts to class and really take interest in what they are learning. Incorporating a subject area in which your students enjoy can really boost
How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteTo create a positive learning environment in my classroom, I feel that it is important to first get to know the students. You should get to know who they are and what they offer. Understanding the students shows them that you care and want to see them succeed. Once they see that, they can begin to feel more comfortable in the classroom and find that it is OK to make mistakes. Since the first day, I have been getting to know my students and find out who they are. I make it a point to talk to every one individually at least once a day, even if it is simply asking how lunch or recess was. Another main component of a positive learning environment is respect among the students. While not everyone will be best friends, I feel that every student in the class should respect one another and their ideas and opinions. If there is no fear of judgment, students will feel safe to present their ideas and will not be afraid to participate. By allowing time for students to talk to one another I feel that they are creating a bond and level of respect. I also feel that creating different groups of students for collaborative work helps in a way that allows students who wouldn’t normally interact with one another to get a chance to talk. Essentially, creating a positive learning environment starts with getting to know the students, and letting them get to know you and one another. That safe, judgment-free zone creates endless possibilities.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
To create a culture of learning, I am ensuring that students take responsibility in their own learning. I want them to understand that they have the ultimate say in what they learn and how much they learn. One way I would achieve this is by having active participation in most of my lessons. My cooperating teacher does a fantastic job of getting students to participate and I feel that that is the key to create a culture of learning. Allowing the students to be a part of their own learning allows them to have ownership of it and provides them an opportunity to take pride in it. The students in my classroom understand what is expected of them, and seek to achieve and even go beyond those expectations every day. By establishing clear expectations and holding students accountable, I feel that a culture of learning is created and the classroom as a whole will be successful.
How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the most important aspects of teaching is to get to know your children! I start off every day by standing at the door and greeting every child when they walk into the classroom. This can give a positive outlook to the day right from the get go! Some children dread coming to school, but if they know there will be someone there that is excited to see them and cares about them it can make the day a little easier. During our morning meeting we have a "sharing topic" that students are allowed to discuss and share their feelings about. This gives the students a chance to create their own feelings and build off of others thoughts. Every idea and feeling that the students exhibit is valued! Another thing that I feel is very important is to show them my passion for learning. If students see that their teacher is excited to learn and portrays the importance of it, this will rub off on them so that they feel excited about learning also! Some children are so used to failure, that they just give up and stop trying. I believe that if you can find a way to engage the students and make them active participants, they will see the beauty that learning new things has to offer them!
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
"If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." I try to think about this quote every day that I teach! As a classroom teacher of 20+ students, sometimes it can be difficult to cater to every single one their needs. However, I believe that with proper planning, it can be done. I have made it a point to take notes on my childrens interests and personalities. I began by having them fill out and "all about me" worksheet on the first day. I also took notes on them for the first week. Mostly stories that they shared with me and things that they told me about their lives. During the second week I started using labels. I wrote things that I witnessed in the classroom... repetitive behaviors, interactions with other students, how the handled conflict with their peers, etc. This week I am going to hand out a student reflection sheet to see what they thing of themselves in terms of behavior and motivation. I am hoping this will help me get to know them better and help them get to know themselves better. I plan to use all of these things to create lesson plans as well as classroom management procedures that truly engage the students and also help them become reflective learners.
How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of ways I have been trying to create a positive learning environment. I am trying to let students accomplish tasks on their own without help from other classmates or a teacher. Most of the time, students make lazy mistakes (such as adding 6+3 wrong), just because they want to get it done and over with. I think that it is important to remind students to take their time in doing work so they don't have to waste recess time to complete assignments. Like many others said, I am trying to get to know my students personally, so when I begin to teach full time, they will be used to me and I will be used to them.
What can you do to create a culture of learning?
Like many others said, I believe students should be in charge of their learning. They should be doing hands-on activities to learn in a different way. I am also trying to include more engaging techniques in my lesson plans for students to take more interest in. This may be hard, especially because a lot of our lessons are scripted from books and fill the exact amount of time required; but even just the way you present something can have an affect on how students take in the information.
My curriculum is scripted too, Sara, and I definitely can relate to the struggle to keep students engaged when we do not really have a say in what we must recite and instruct the students. I agree with the fact that we can control how we present something. Keeping students excited and incorporating small and positive strategies when presenting material can make a world of difference!
DeleteI am also trying to get to know all of my students. It is hard because we are only in the general education placement for eight weeks. We do not get too much time to build that relationship. I had to kind of dive right in to everything and get myself familiar with all of the routines. I have had some time to get to know my students, but each day they are surprising me with new things they know every day and their personality. I enjoy learning from them.
DeleteWhen thinking about creating a positive learning environment in my classroom, I try to think back to my experience in elementary school. I have thought about things that my teachers did to make me want to learn. I feel as though so much of creating a positive learning environment is based off of establishing relationships and doing all that I can as a teacher to make each child feel accepted, welcomed, and encouraged. By establishing relationships and getting to know the children as best I can, they will want to please me. I remember those teachers that I felt connected to when I was in school, and I all wanted to do was please them and do all that I could to show that I want to learn and succeed. I have tried to get to know each child, greeting each student as s/he walks in the door, and asking each student a question. In addition, I have learned that positive reinforcement can be just as effective as punishments. I try to use positivity to encourage students.
ReplyDeleteTo create a culture of learning, I have encouraged my students to take ownership and take a more independent role in their learning. When students ask me questions as they are completing an assignment, I try not to give them the answer and instead encourage them to think of ways that they can find the answer on their own. I have tried to give them a foundation on which they can build to become lifelong learners. In addition, I have also tried to create a culture of learning in which each child is involved and feels as though s/he has a place. In lessons, I try to include parts which keep the entire class engaged, instead of just always calling on one student who has the answer. I also try to include the students who may be lower achieving and may struggle with the content, by also bringing them to the front of the classroom to do problems when they volunteer, and talking them through the problem for the class, if they make a mistake. This sends the message that we don’t always do things perfectly the first time, but we can correct our mistakes and try again.
When creating a positive learning environment for my students, I want them to feel comfortable with me. I want them to know that I am here for them with any questions or concerns they may have. I am getting to know each one of my students individually and really taking the time to learn what they like and don't like. I want them to know that I truly care about each one of them. I feel like this is so important in a classroom. A student is not going to want to learn from someone who they do not respect or vise versa. I stand at the door every morning when my students arrive and shake each one of their hands and say good morning. It lets them know that I am excited to see them and ready for the day to start! I feel like having a positive attitude towards school and learning at all times will really help each student learn better.
ReplyDeleteI have made it a point that when I am making my lesson plans that I am truly trying to reach all learners. Children learn in numerous ways and it is important to keep that in mind. I want each child to get all that they can out of the school day. I try to have things for them to do that is hands on (although not all lessons can be planned that way). I also challenge my students because I want them to expand their thinking. I always make sure that if students make a mistake to not criticize them or allow another student to do so. I also make mistakes and when that happens I make sure I tell my students that it even happens to teachers. I show them that it's okay, as long as you don't stop trying and asking questions.
How are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteGiven that we have had so many different placements here at E-town, I have realized there are tons of aspects that make up a positive learning environment. Personally, I always try to make my students feel as comfortable as possible when they are in the classroom. I want them to honestly believe that no question is a stupid question, and that they can come to me with anything. I am constantly trying to make connections with my students. Whether it is about a book they are reading that I read as a child, or about something more personal, I want them to know that I genuinely care about them and their learning. Building that sense of trust has made a huge difference with one student in particular who is believed to have ODD. He still acts out a lot, but because I try to be respectful and nice towards him, he hasn't given me any major problems. As the semester continues, I am trying to get to know each of my students a little better each day. Knowing your students can help make lessons more relevant, and help them relate even more.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
In order to create a culture of learning, I am trying to make their learning as fun and interactive as possible. I want their learning to be a process that they are absolutely a part of. I have done this by asking for suggestions on topics they would like to cover during our block of time when there is a bit more leeway in what we can teach. I hope to continue creating a culture of learning by incorporating real life examples which involve topics and issues that the students actually care about. As mentioned by other people as well, I also hope to create future lessons where the students are the ones generating the questions.
Liz, I really like what you said about your student with ODD. They can be some of the most challenging students but embarrassing them in front of the class (something I have seen WAY to often) only makes them lose all respect for you and escalates the problem.
DeleteHow are you trying to create a positive learning environment in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteI am trying to create a positive learning in my classroom by establishing rapport with each of my students. I started by learning their names quickly and greeting them each and every morning as well as having conversations with the students to know more about the students as individuals. I am also constantly encouraging my students to make good choices and get pluses on their behavior charts.
What are you doing to create a culture of learning?
I am constantly trying to get students to take ownership for their learning and make sense of information on their own rather than me just telling them the answer. I also celebrate the successes of my students and always encourage them to go back and fix wrong answers that way they are learning from their mistakes. About once a week, my cooperating teacher and I have the students pair up to compare their assessments and to explain their thinking for their answers and give them an opportunity to earn higher scores. The students really enjoy doing this and a lot of the conversations that they have with this activity is very beneficial because the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else!