jasleen toor | Ms. Toor's Blog

What constraints exist?

In the article “Principal Perception on Classroom Physical Environment” by Ramli Hidayahtuljamilah, a differed perspective is brought into question. It talks about the decision of arranging a classroom and how it should be based on many things such as the teacher role and pedagogy used in learning subjects, how the classroom is managed, the existing space, and the learning activities in the classroom. Although teachers may try to rearrange their classrooms to better suit the needs of the students, the teacher still needs to consider that that there may…read more

seating plans!

The article “The Role of seating Position in group Interaction: A Review, with Applications for Group Trainers” by Jerald Greenberg mentions the importance of seating positions. It talks about studies that have found that people who sit in central seating positions were able to maintain better eye contact with other members around them. The study also found that tasks requiring interpersonal communication were associated with the use of close seating arrangements and tasks requiring independent activities were associated with distant seating arrangements. This article provides studies and research to help…read more

A Learning Experience

As a teacher candidate, my biggest fear is not being able to manage a classroom environment and behavior; therefore, I’m always trying to find new ways to become more comfortable with this. My fear of classroom management and disruptive student behavior led me to various resources that could help me overcome this. I found an article “Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers” by Carolyn Evertson that offers techniques to prevent poor classroom management by planning and addressing decisions that a teacher makes on a daily basis. This article also mentioned that…read more

Process of Planning

My inquiry question and observations are something I really value! As a teacher candidate, it is important to gain and absorb all the knowledge I can while I’m still completing the program. Everyday and every single observation has been a learning experience for me, which I can hopefully incorporate into my own practice one day. By creating my own detailed lesson plans for each activity, I have been able to understand the importance of valuing every aspect from a teacher and student perspective. Through observation, I have been able to…read more

Inquiry Discussion

Today in my small group discussion I shared a resource about the physical classroom environment and its effects on students. This article was great because it gave my group an overview of the issue and my inquiry question. My group and I discussed direct impacts (classroom environment organization and structure) that we have noticed throughout our observations. The article was informative because it offered many factors such as seating plans and cleanliness within the classroom that have direct impacts on student learning. Prior to my inquiry question I was not…read more

The Physical Classroom

My inquiry has mainly focused on the effects of the physical environment on the behaviors of young children. The article “The Impact of Physical Classroom Environment on Student Satisfaction and Student Evaluation of Teaching in the University Environment” by Mary Hill and Kathryn Epps provides a different perspective on my inquiry by focusing on post-secondary students. This article would be very beneficial in my inquiry project because it brings various studies into conversation. It also looks at more specific factors that may affect student learning behavior such as tiered…read more

Inquiry Resource: Teaching and learning comfort levels

My inquiry arose from my observations in an elementary level classroom. I had the opportunity to observe the immense impacts that the physical environment has on students and their learning. In the article “The Classroom Physical Environment and Its Relation to Teaching and Learning Comfort Level” by Marzita Puteh, she focuses on an ideal environment for students to learn. “A conducive learning environment creates a comfortable teaching and learning environment while keeping the students focused and interested in the classroom” (Puteh, 237). Puteh looks at a study involving 916 students…read more

Inquiry in the classroom

It’s interesting to see how my inquiry plays out on a day-to-day basis in the classroom setting. My inquiry question looks at how the physical environment of the classroom impacts improved behavior and work ethic for the students. It specifically looks at seating arrangements, classroom structure, and organization for better class management. During my visit yesterday, I got to observe how students react when their environment has changed. In most classes, the students typically have a pre-set idea of where they are expected to sit before the instruction starts. However,…read more

“Does assessment kill creativity?”

Posted by jasleen toor in Uncategorized

Pre- Reading: • title to the article is very engaging • I believe that assessment does kill creativity • When someone is able to openly express themselves they are able to show more creativity in their work or performance • When a student doesn’t fear assessment they are able to work without boundaries During reading: • Creativity is often overshadowed by other demands placed on teacher’s instructional time -Demand that is backed by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 -Increased assessment of student learning • Teachers are required…read more

Inquiry resources: physical environment within a classroom

Posted by jasleen toor in Inquiry Project

For my inquiry question I decided to look at “Classroom Environment and Student Affective Performance: An Effective Profile” by Yin Cheong Cheng. This source provides a study in which the relationship between student performance and classroom physical environment, social climate, and management style are looked at. My inquiry looks at the effects of the classroom environment on student behavior, attitudes, and performance. The study provided in this source looks at profiles of effective and ineffective classroom environments. It depicts that an effective classroom consists of teachers caring for their students,…read more