As teachers, we need to be able to manage our relationships with our students and make sure that they are positive and supportive relationships. We should be creating an environment of respect and rapport by the ways that we interact with our students with encouragement and cultivation. The teacher needs to be able to show the students how to treat one another, making sure to discipline when they do not meet the classroom expectations. It is important to make sure that the classroom is a respectful environment where students feel valued and safe. It is the teacher’s job to set this overall tone for the classroom.
There are two elements to component 2a. Teacher interactions with students, including both words and actions, a teacher’s interactions set the tone for the class. Their actions convey that they care about their students. Student interactions with other students, including both words and actions, it is important for students to be treating their classmates accordingly. Poor treatment will cause students to feel rejected while positive interaction among students creates an emotionally healthy environment. Teachers should model and teach students how to engage in respectful interactions with one another. Teachers who can demonstrate this component use respectful talk, taking turns speaking, respecting students’ life outside the classroom, being warm and caring, being polite and encouraging, and being an active listener. Teachers can use phrases like "I like what you are saying, let's look at it like this..." and "what questions do you have?' to promote student engagement when answering and asking questions. |
As a teacher it is so important to make sure that your students are engaged and excited to learn! A “culture for learning” refers to the atmosphere of the classroom that reflects the educational importance of the work taken on by the students and the teacher. It describes the interactions among students regarding the activities and assignments, the value of perseverance and hard work, and the general tone of the classroom. The classroom should have high cognitive energy, which means what is happening is important and there is an expectation to get it right. Expectations should be high for all the students, and they should know what is expected of them.
There are three elements of component 2b that further develop this idea of a culture for learning. The importance of the content and of learning, teachers should be conveying the educational value of what the students are learning. Expectations for learning and achievement, all students should know the classroom expectations, while the work is challenging, they are still capable of success if they are prepared to work hard. Student pride in work, when students know their capabilities, they are willing to devote energy to the task and take pride in their accomplishments. It is important to let students know that YOU are proud of their work too. A great example of this, especially in elementary, is letting students pick what work they want hung up in the class individually. This way students pick what they are most proud of and know it is being seen and recognized. Indicators of a teacher who actively uses component 2b: high expectations that are communicated clearly, expectations of quality, effort, and persistence, confidence in students’ ability, and the expectation for all students to participate in class. |
As a teacher it is so important to have a smoothly functioning classroom to promote good instruction and high levels of student engagement. Teachers need to establish routines and procedures for the smooth operation of the classroom and the efficient use of time. They should use instructional groups effectively, noninstructional tasks should be completed efficiently, and the transitions between activities should be done smoothly. You want to make sure you are maintaining momentum and maximizing your instructional time. Establishing these efficient routines, and teaching students to employ them, will allow the class to “run itself.”
There are four elements that help us define component 2c. Management of instructional groups, teachers help students to develop skills to work cooperatively and purposefully in groups with little supervision. Management of transitions, little time should be lost as students more form one activity to another, students should know the “drill” and be able to execute it. Management of materials and supplies, teachers should have all necessary materials prepared and on hand. Students should be able to distribute and collect materials with minimal disruption to the flow of class. Performance of non-instructional duties, little instructional time is lost in activities such as taking attendance, recording the lunch count, or returning of permission slips. A teacher who shows good indicators of component 2c has a smooth functioning of all the routines, little to no loss of instructional time, students help carry out the routines and know what to do and when. Teachers who demonstrate component 2d have clear standards of conduct, fairness, absence of misbehavior, and reinforcement of positive behavior. |
As teachers, we need to make sure our students are engaged with our content. In order to do so, the classroom environment must be orderly, the atmosphere must be businesslike and productive, without being authoritarian. An authoritarian classroom has low warmth and encouragement, high control, high expectations, and low autonomy. This is not something we want in our classroom. We need to have a warm and encouraging classroom while still having high control and expectations, allowing our students autonomy. Our standards of conduct should be clear to our students, they know what they are allowed to do and what they can expect from their peers. Even when their behavior being corrected, it is important that the students still feel respected. Skilled teachers regard positive student behavior as a prerequisite to high levels of engagement in content.
There are three elements of component 2d. Expectations, the expectations for student conduct have been established and they are being implemented. Monitoring of student behavior, Teachers should be attuned to what is happening in the classroom and can move subtly to help students re-engage with the content being addressed. Such monitoring should be preventive and subtle. Response to student misbehavior, how the teacher responds to infractions in the classroom. Teachers should try to understand why the students are acting the way they are and respond in a way that respects the dignity of the student. It is best to respond early on as to keep your classroom’s atmosphere intact. |
As a teacher we need to use the physical environment to promote student learning. In a primary classroom we should use centers and reading corners with structured class activities. With older students, the position of chairs and desks can facilitate, inhibit, or enrich discussion. Classrooms must be safe, and all students must be able to see and hear what’s going on, allowing them to participate actively. Both the teacher and the students must make effective use of technologies. We need to make sure our space is organized so our classroom has a sense of order.
There are two elements to component 2e that we can refer to. Safety and accessibility, physical safety is a primary consideration of all teachers, no learning can occur if students are unsafe or don’t have access to learning resources. Arrangement of furniture and use of physical resources, both the physical arrangement of the classroom and the available resources provided opportunities for teachers to advance learning. The students themselves can contribute to the physical environment. Indicators of component 2e are a pleasant and inviting atmosphere, a safe environment, accessibility for all students, furniture arrangement suitable for the learning activities, and effective use of physical resources such as computer technology. |