Ediger (2009) finds a deluge of variables that impact students in the classroom. It could be how hot or cold it is in the classroom, group versus individual work, various objectives and methods of learning, a quiet versus loud environment, zero tolerance in discipline, activities that are directed by the teacher versus a learner-centred approach, explanation versus creative thinking to solve problems, flexible against traditional seating and the culture itself.

The theory has to be applied to practice and teachers need to pay attention to harassment and need to listen to the victim and perpetrator. The school counsellor needs to be perceived as a partner of the teacher and not viewed as a standalone counterpart to help adapt and shape behaviours (Bluestein, 2013). Anger and attitude towards teachers and fellow students should not be tolerated and addressed in a timely matter as this is vital for a classroom to perform well (Blanton, 2002).

A community of positive students thrives when cooperation in advancing an environment to maximum academic skills (Blanton, 2002)

Students from different cultures, ages, sexual orientations, and backgrounds need to be accepted and for their equal worth (Holland, 2006). The keyword is inclusion and not exclusion. Immigrants and First Nation/Indigenous students should be celebrated, integrated and accepted in all different ways such as their food, culture, music, language, clothes and can be revealed (Cooper, 2016).

Students need to be willing to work in groups and be polite towards one another and their expression (Hymel, 2009). This kind of collaborative skill is also a part of the core competencies we teachers need to incorporate into students’ learning (BC Curriculum, 2020). It is worthwhile to find ways to help students scaffold what ‘teambuilding’ is so they can work collaboratively in a group. Teachers can introduce games in their classrooms just as ‘walking in the space’.  To play this game, the teacher ask students to walk around in the classroom and greet each other in ways they suggest such as ‘high-five’, ‘fist-bump’, ‘shoe-to-shoe’, ‘hand-wave’ and ‘windshield-wave’.  While students are walking around the room at different speeds: slow, medium and fast, the teacher can halt ‘stop’ at any time. Students then take a look at who is closest to them and they form a group of 2’s, 3’s, 4’s and so forth. Students that are standing far from other students will raise their hand in the air to look for another student that is in the same situation.  Peers can have these students locate each other.  Cooperative games such as this help students take on perspective-taking, problem-solving, and self-efficacy as they too may end up in that situation and is relatable to self-experience.  It also gives students who are helping out peers a sense of responsibility toward friends and community.  Overall, it builds a sense of camaraderie and communal atmosphere.

The personal accomplishment of each student needs to be highlighted and they need to be felt important. Praise is important and positive feedback.

The emotions of students tend to get ignored. Cognitive objectives must be set by the principal and met by the teachers (Karafotas, 2017).

The principal and teachers need to apply these theories and are aware of their ramifications towards all stakeholders and society (Bergen et. al., 2016).

As Burns (2014) illustrated a good teacher is someone who genuinely understands and has a passion for the subject they are teaching. If not, the kind of ‘why’ sessions that are described by Marilyn in a subject like math, for example, can lead to dead ends in even seemingly simple issues such as why 100/200 is 1/2 when zeroes are removed but not for 101/201. This reminds me of doing additions with my grades 1 and 2 students.  Addition math seems easy for adults but not for some children.  And also, some children may not grasp the number bonding concept. This is when teacher-guided facilitation comes in and spark students’ wonder on how did my other peers got their answers. Instead of force-feeding information or teaching it as a procedural rote equation.

An effective application I opted-in on is the multimodal approach showing them the age-appropriate videos then next students learn through inquiry using different manipulatives such as the number chart and line, straws, and teacher-guided drama in order to get students to participate. For example, if a house can fit 10 people, there are currently 6 students already inside, grouping 6 students on the left side of the classroom. How many more students can fill up this house to make it all 10? Then another group of 4 students will stand on the right side of the classroom.  Providing the opportunity for students to question and come up with different ways of solving their own questions helps students to foster agency with their learning.  It also evokes critical thinking, reflecting, collaboration and resiliency leading to a growth mindset.

Practical hands-on teaching of abstract concepts and then linking those practical, real-world activities back to those abstract concepts is another crucial skill. I really enjoyed the explanation of going on a field trip and the bus can only take 20 but we have 35 students for both classes, how can we solve this problem and how many ways we can solve this problem? Students in situations like this can make connections because the situation is real, and it pertains to them.

Burns’ article was a real inspiration and reminder of what I mean to be an effective teacher and motivated me to make efforts to be someone who understands so that I can teach, and to extend teaching from what to why (Burns, M. 2014).