My inquiry question is how do I create a safe and productive learning environment in a foods & nutrition or textiles classroom while keeping students engaged? Beginning this project, I focused mainly on researching classroom management techniques as I thought this would be the best way to effectively implement and experiment with my inquiry in the classroom. Through my research and learning at UBC I have discovered that I am beginning to think about my inquiry as a question of how to build a strong community through facets of SEL learning. Classroom management has been associated with the ideas of rewards and punishment for behavior, whereas I want to focus on fostering positive classroom atmosphere. Outlined below is what I have learned so far about my inquiry and how I want to explore my ideas during my practicum and in my future teaching career.
Quick Outline:
Past – inquiry 1: I thought about my question was associated more with classroom management and behavior strategies. I was worried about how to get students to cooperate, stay engaged in their learning and not misbehave. I focused on researching management strategies.
Current – I have found that I am beginning to also think about my inquiry as not only focused on management strategies. Through research it has morphed into a question of how to foster positive classroom atmosphere to build a strong community. During my practicum I want to experiment and implement some of the strategies that I talk about below.
Future – My inquiry question is very relevant and important to me, so much so that I have included it in my teaching philosophy. I want to continue to explore ideas and ways to create a safe and engaging classroom so that my students walk away from my class feeling positive and know that they have learned important life skills. To me this is a career long inquiry.
Introduction to Links to Practice
The classroom environment is essential in student engagement and learning. A classroom with a positive and supportive environment helps motivate students and keeps them engaged in their learning. It is much more difficult to promote this kind of classroom if students fear punishment for their behavior or academic standing. This is why I want to move away from a classroom centered on management to a classroom centered on environment. Research has shown that management or “formal systems for following student progress kept the focus on support, not censure. […] Trust replaced shame” (Cervone, Cushman, 2014). Students are more motivated to be engaged in their learning when they know that their teacher cares about them and is there to support them. Currently we are seeing a shift in education where we are moving away from purely managing classrooms with the idea of rewards and punishments, to classrooms that encourage critical thinking and exploration. In my classroom I want to try to engage my students in discussions or a dialogue to prevent and correct behavior issues. Setting clear classroom expectations with the students instead of just dictating the rules and consequences is a more positive approach to classroom management. There will of course be times where discussion alone may not be the appropriate reaction to a student’s negative classroom behavior where a punishment may be needed but this should be the last resort.
Findings
When on my practicum and in my future teaching career it is important to me that I focus on engaging and motivating my students to learn. There are many strategies that will support me in this that do not involve using positive and negative behavioral reinforcements like punishments and rewards. At the beginning of the school year it is important to establish rules and guidelines for behavior so students understand what is expected of them. In Gossen’s article a middle school teacher starts off the school year with her students by collaboratively creating a My Job/Your Job list. Together they define what each other’s jobs are and are not in the classroom. It is used a visual reminder of classroom expectations.
As a teacher I need to model the behavior I expect to see in my students which means “identifying a personal mistake and then taking responsibility for [my] part of the problem” (Gossen, 2007). By doing this I am showing the actions I expect in my students and teaching them about self-regulation and restitution. I also want to create a classroom that is not teacher centered meaning that I make decisions with my students rather than for them. In Freiberg’s (1996) article he lists many things you would see in a person-centered classroom like “shared leadership, students facilitating the operation of the classroom, discipline coming mostly from the self, all students are an integral part of classroom management and students share classroom responsibilities” (Freiberg, 1996) are some examples of things I will incorporate into the classroom.
Create Supportive and Safe Environments
An important step in creating a supportive and safe classroom environment is to envision your ideal classroom. I want my classroom to be both a fun and safe place for students to be, and a space for students to feel and be creative and explore their interests. My ideal classroom would be clean, organized, one where students have input on what they learn (choice), and a place where students feel valued and cared about. In the classroom students are engaged and excited to participate and learn about things that are relevant to them. In my classroom I want to build a strong sense of community that “emphasize[s] not only the importance of academic learning, but also the other qualities essential to social and civic participation” (Freiberg, 1996).
Creating a supportive and safe environment starts by trying to create or form a sense of community within the classroom as it promotes a positive learning atmosphere, respect and building supportive relationships. Establishing routines in the classroom is one way to gain trust in students as they know what to expect and what is expected of them. From the very beginning of a new class it is important that I set up the rules and expectations that I have as a teacher. It is also important for me to get to know my students in order to build relationships with them to show them that I care and support them in their learning. To do this on my practicum I want to do some kind of activity sheet that students will fill out and give back to me. I will read what they wrote and try to begin our relationships there. In my foods classes there will be group work which will help students work on communication and teamwork skills which are essential in a positive classroom.
Build Positive, Respectful Relationships
To create a positive classroom atmosphere, the teacher must create strong student-teacher relationships. There are many ways to do this that I can also use in my practicum and throughout my future teaching career. To build positive and respectful relationships with my students I can establish an open door policy so that students are able to come to me for help when they need to. In order for an open door policy to work students need to trust that the teacher will be in the classroom when they say they will be, for example for half an hour before school or after school. If the teacher is not there, trust can be broken with students. One of the most important things a teacher can do to form these relationships is learning their student’s names. Students feel like they matter when a teacher knows their name and even more if their teacher knows more about them. It is also important for students to build relationships with each other in the classroom, especially at the beginning of a new class where students may not know each other. Providing icebreaker activities where students have to work together and with different people can help build a positive atmosphere in the classroom.
Another way that a teacher can foster a positive atmosphere is showing their passion for the subject they are teaching. When the teacher is passionately engaged in what they are teaching they gain the interest and motivation of their students. For me, my passion is textiles and I know that I light up when I start talking about it because I get excited. I also get excited thinking about sharing this passion with my students and seeing them get excited to learn more and participate in classroom activities.
Foster SEL
The value in social and emotional learning in schools has become an essential unofficial part of the curriculum. SEL is important to be taught in schools because “students must develop sets of behaviors, skills, attitudes, and strategies that are crucial to academic performance in their classes, but that may not be reflected in their scores on cognitive tests” (Cervone, Cushman, 2014). As a teacher there are many things I can do to support SEL and create a positive classroom atmosphere. Examples include hanging up student work on the walls, creating purposeful student-teacher relationships, classroom rules created by students with collaboration from the teacher, reinforced expectations and applauding students’ accomplishments. I also know that group work is important for students to form relationships with their peers, but it also encourages social interactions which helps students to improve and practice their social skills. In the home economics classroom there is plenty of opportunities for students to work in groups (ex. Foods/cooking labs) and for hands on learning. Hands on learning is valuable in fostering SEL in a classroom as students are able to collaborate with each other, discuss and create/do work that is more meaningful to them. An example of hands on learning that could be applied to a textile class is making waterproof blankets for the homeless. This project would provide a service and show students that they can help others, therefore making the work done in class more purposeful.
In my classroom I want to ensure that I facilitate activities that help students to be more mindful and self-aware. By doing activities where students slow down and concentrate on the moment they are in, will help them learn techniques to self-assess their emotions and well-being.
Prevent Problems
It is much easier to prevent problems and problem behavior if the classroom environment has been set up by the teacher to be positive with a strong community. If the sense of community is strong within a classroom it is much easier to have conversations with students who may be causing problems in the classroom. It is also easier to prevent problems as students may have helped to construct the classroom rules so they know what is appropriate behavior and what is expected of them. Engaging students in dialogue about what appropriate behavior in the classroom looks like and modelling it as a teacher is another way to help prevent problems in the classroom. Engaging students in conversations around bullying and other issues in their lives shows them that their teacher cares about them and will support them in any way that they can.
Conclusion
Classroom management and classroom environment are areas that I am currently inquiring about. I understand that moving away from classroom management towards a better classroom environment is integral to students’ learning and academic performance. I know I will face many difficult situations where students’ behavior is not appropriate for the classroom or that they are not engaged with their learning. Through promoting a positive classroom atmosphere and enforcing classroom expectations that have been created by the students themselves I believe that students will be more engaged and motivated in their learning. This is especially important in a home economics classroom where there is equipment that I as the teacher must trust my students to use appropriately as I have shown them. A positive classroom environment helps my students and I grow those relationships so that we can count on and trust each other.
Please visit the link below. It includes some samples of activities and posters I want to use in my classroom to help promote a positive, safe and engaging environment.
Sample Posters-Links to Practice
References
Cervone, B. & Cushman, K. (2014). Learning by heart: The power of Social-Emotional learning in secondary Schools.
Freiberg, J. H. (2001). From tourists to citizens in the classroom. Educational Leadership, 54, 32-36.
Gossen, D. (2007). Student behavior. International Journal of Reality Therapy, 27, 17-20.
Noddings, N. (2006). Handle with care. Greater Good, 3(1), 18-21.