Module 4 Unit 1 Activity 3: Establishing a Positive Classroom Climate

One thing that has come through loud and clear in studying for this unit is that the teacher sets the tone for the class environment and all the interactions therein. Where the teacher leads the students will surely follow, and if the teacher models caring and inclusive behaviour then it is more than likely the students will do the same. Successfully creating that environment is the tricky part, and this is where teaching moves from a science to an art, but the information contained in the resources in this unit provided lots of well thought-out strategies.

The first step is to strike the right balance between cooperation and dominance, and Marzano (2010) acknowledges that this is a fine line to walk. In relation to cooperation it seems that just getting the little things right can reap big dividends, so I will endeavour to smile and greet students at the door by name each day. Teaching in Asia, I have some students who prefer to use English ‘nicknames’ in class, and some who prefer to use their given name. I think that many students feel pressure to use an English name because they feel their given names are too difficult to pronounce for a non-native speaker. In future I will make much more of an effort to use the students’ given names correctly rather than relying on their nicknames. I do use a lot of humour in the classroom and smile and joke a good deal with the students, but I must confess that I could and should know more about my students. I teach AP test prep courses for economics and politics and the pressure to keep ploughing through material means that I haven’t devoted a lot of time to bringing students’ interests into the classroom. This is something that I will have to make time for in future; it is too important an area to ignore. 

With regard to establishing dominance in the classroom I feel that I have been reasonably good at providing a clear learning direction and goals. The feedback from my students has been that they appreciate the time and effort I put into prepping well-paced lessons that progress without too many lulls when transitioning between activities. I also believe that I am able to strike a good balance between being friendly and getting too close to students. Less successful, however, has been my ability to remain emotionally objective at all times. I have improved massively since I first starting teaching, but I still have a ways to go. I cringe now when I think back to how I dealt with difficult students or a rowdy class in my first few years of teaching. I will admit that I lost my cool on occasion and raised my voice at a class. It is something that you instantly regret, and you learn very quickly that it is counterproductive, in that the students realise they can get a reaction out of their teacher. I have found that the best way to deal with a student who is being really disruptive is to politely ask them to stand outside the classroom for a moment, and when the other students are busy with an activity go out and speak to them. The time between asking the student to wait outside and going out to speak with them gives the teacher a moment to cool off and think about their next move. I have made big strides in this area, but I still have more work to do.

 Another aspect of establishing dominance that Marzano (2010) highlights is consistently enforcing positive and negative consequences. This is crucial to achieving a safe and relaxed learning environment for students and ties into the bullying section we looked at in activity two. Again, the teacher sets the tone in the classroom, and the section on zero-indifference as opposed to zero-tolerance really struck a chord (Teaching Tolerance, 2017). The teacher must act every time they witness physical intimidation or hear slurs of any kind. I think the idea of asking the students to discuss and draw up a contract that establishes clear behaviour norms is an excellent idea and one that I intend to use in the future. The restorative justice approach is also a first-rate idea. Putting a bully in detention will not solve the underlying issue and it seems that a disciplinary policy that allows the bully to make amends is much more successful. I will also post ‘Bullying Stops Here’ and LGBTQI safe space stickers to reinforce the idea that my classroom is no place for oppression of any kind. Zero-indifference is a good approach to take but the resources in activity two made it clear that the root causes of bullying must be addressed, and it seems that committing to including social/emotional learning into the curriculum is the most effective way of doing this (Edutopia, 2015). I will familiarise myself with social/emotional learning strategies and incorporate them into my classes next year.

 The final step will be to bring these strategies together and use them in an ethnically diverse classroom. I intend to make my class as welcoming as possible for all students. To begin with I will introduce myself and share some of my own background to help the students relax. I will explain that my wife is Korean and we have a daughter who we are raising to speak both Korean and English. I will show them some images of family gatherings in Korea and the UK and discuss some of the interesting cultural differences I have experienced since meeting my wife. This will hopefully help the students to open up and share their own experiences and stories which could be assigned for homework. This will help to show that I value their lives and cultural experiences.

I found some of the strategies and ideas in the Critical Practices resource very helpful in this area (Teaching Tolerance, 2017). Giving some thought to classroom setup and how desks are arranged is very important, but the key point was that a teacher needs to continually ‘audit’ their own classroom. They need to view their room through the eyes of their students, who may very well be of a different ethnicity. A classroom must be a welcoming environment for all students regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. Everything that goes on the walls must pass the ‘welcoming environment’ test. This is not to say that we should shy away from questions of race and gender/sexuality. As teachers we must tackle them, but we need to be very clear about the rules of engagement and ensure that these topics are discussed in tone of mutual respect. (Teaching Tolerance, 2016).


References:

Edutopia. (2015). Social and emotional learning. Retrieved November 13, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning.

Marzano, R. (2010). The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for effective instruction. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Teaching Tolerance. (2016). Common beliefs. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/common_beliefs_descriptions.pdf

Teaching Tolerance. (2017). Critical practices for anti-bias education. Retrieved November 13, 2017, from https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/publications/critical-practices-for-antibias-education