An effective teacher provides an environment of safety, productivity, and involvement in the classroom. Without these elements, students cannot successful acquire the skills, information, and lifelong desire to learn that all educators hope their students will achieve. The following paragraphs will discuss elements involved in creating a satisfactory learning environment, as well as how these elements can be applied in the classroom and instructional settings.
One way in which a welcoming, safe, and motivating learning environment can be created is through the teachers’ relationships with their students. Getting to know students on an individual level usually results in meaningful learning, due to knowing how to catch their attention and how to make curriculum meaningful. As stated in Gloria Ladson-Billings’ (2006) chapter, “Yes, But How Do We Do It?” from the book White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms, in order to create a learning environment where students feel comfortable and are motivated to engage in activities, a teacher must create lessons that are culturally relevant. Culturally relevant lessons consist of three elements: academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness. Ladson-Billings calls these three components “culturally relevant pedagogy”. The basic idea behind this concept is to emphasize the importance of creating lessons connect classroom curriculum to elements of students’ lives—from outside the classroom as well as from inside the classroom. As a result, the educator shows a level of care for the child as a person, not just as a student, and makes the material covered in the lesson more applicable.
A second way to build a welcoming learning environment is to build trust in the teacher-student relationship. This trust can be created
and maintained by the teacher’s demonstration of genuine care and concern for the student. This idea is described by Anne Gregory and Michael B. Ripski (2008) in their article, “Adolescent Trust in Teachers: Implications for Behavior in the High School Classroom.” The authors believe that by adopting a relational approach to teaching, teachers can gain their students’ trust. This trust is manifested through respect for authority, compliance to requests and rules, and greater academic achievement. A relational approach to teaching in this article as a teacher-student relationship in which a teacher connects with students in connection with their lives and stays in tune with their emotional needs.
A third way to create safety, openness, and a positive atmosphere in the classroom is through the creation of basic class management procedures. Just as with any other community, a classroom cannot function without procedures to protects and structure the environment. If there is not level of order instilled, learning cannot take place (Queen, Blackwelder, & Mallen, 1997, as referenced in Kellough & Kellough, 2007).
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In applying the information obtained from the research above, I will demonstrate how those ideas can be applied in the classroom. In practicing the concepts of getting to know my students and building their trust, I attempt to consciously provide opportunities for them to tell the things that matter to them in conversation and in writing. In the classroom, I try to make a habit of talking with students between classes, during lunch, and after school to build rapport. Most students are pleased that their teacher is interested in learning what songs they like, what sports team they follow, and what they will do over the weekend.
Second, in starting my fall semester student teaching experience, I provided written opportunities for students to express their interest in reading and other free time activities. For instance, in a reading attitude survey I distributed to my class, students indicated their interests in reading, their choice of reading materials, and how these selections fit into their culture and personal interests outside of school.
Finally, during the fall student teaching experience, I established some guidelines and goals for creating the welcoming, trusting environment mentioned in the research portion of this essay. Three of the guidelines I set for the class include respect, community, and fairness. Respect included care for one another as diverse assets to the classroom as well as care for themselves as capable and smart individuals. Community refers to the idea that the classroom is a small community of cooperative learners, not competitive learners. Fairness went both ways in the class: the teacher toward the students, and the students toward the teacher. I promised to not intentionally pick favorite students or be inconsistent in giving learning opportunities.
REFERENCES:
Gregory, A. & Ripski, M. B. (2008). Adolescent trust in teachers: Implications for behavior in the high school classroom. School Psychology Review, 37(3), 337-359.
Ladson-Billings, G. (2006). Yes, but how do we do it? Practicing culturally relevant pedagogy. In J. Landsman & C. Lewis (Eds.), White teachers/diverse classrooms: A guide to building inclusive schools, promoting high expectations, and eliminating racism (pp. 29-41). Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Queen, J. A., Blackwelder, B. B., & Mallen, L. P. (1997), Responsible classroom management for teachers and students, as referenced in Kellough, R. D. & Kellough, N.G. (2006). Secondary school teaching: A guide to methods and resources. Boston: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
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