Establishment of a Safe and Positive Learning Environment

STOP -> GO -> IDEAL

High emphasis on the importance that all students feel physically and emotionally safe when at school. Especially those students who have problems at home - coming to school can be a relief.

• Students will bring with them values and attitudes from outside – from home, from other friends and family, and their individual life experiences. As teachers we have to work WITH this and encourage positive values.
• BE CONSISTENT! - Students need to know that when they walk through the school gate certain rules and expectations apply TO THEM.
• Staff united – enforce various rules, uniform, language, respect for others etc. Good executive staff will BE SEEN and be accessible to students. This reinforces the fact that someone cares (for both students and regular staff members) it also helps enforce rules and expectations.
• General discipline – much of what is established in the classroom continues outside it. Having expectations of students increases their self aweness and monitoring skills.
• COMMENT! Too often we comment on the negative. Notice the positives as well - lead by example. It is all about attitude!
• Teachers support - general support for each other; personally, within departments, of executives and also support for the students.
• Reflection – personal, professional. Helps to maintain a positive environment within your own classroom - and this will extend to the wider school community. Students pick up on how teachers are feeling – stressed, angry, happy, uncomfortable etc. Students will quickly work out which teachers care and which don’t.
• Pastoral care for students, parents and teachers.

Focus on Student Learning

STOP -> GO -> IDEAL

• ICT – (Prensky's digital native)
• Sage on the Stage - with so much information available we need to focus on teaching students how to USE and APPLY information when and where it is NEEDED. (Loader, 2007).
• Loader says; “…another very important goal is to ensure that students are able to make sense of their learning experiences and thoughts, and of society. Learning is about personal growth, achieving a stable base from which individuals can function effectively with resilience in a testing, changing society. Hopefully it’s also about creating a better, sustainable world”. (Loader, 2007).
• Options for learning – different uses for ICT to support different learning styles.
• Opportunities to develop individual skills – make sure everyone is accommodated – and valued!
• Opportunities to follow and develop areas of interest – choice of curriculum electives.

Understanding of Physical Environmnet of Learning Space

STOP -> GO -> IDEAL

• Open, sunny, airy - rethink design of new schools to exploit natural energy use.
• Visually mentally stimulating - aesthetically pleasing, CLEAN environment.
• Each student connected to wireless.
• Individual space for each student (own workspace) as well as opportunity for group / collaborative work and social interaction.
• Physical arrangement of classroom – no longer teacher centred; ‘desks facing the blackboard’ etc. Circular, or cluster desks (Vygotsky; Zone of Proximal Development)
• Expand the use of resources - why confine learning to the classroom? Wireless is your blackboard – take lessons outside on a nice day. Go on virtual excursions.
• Ideal learning space would be environmentally sustainable. We need to rethink design for example; lights in the middle of the day are often not necessary. Solar power – schools are relatively large blocks of land – find somewhere for solar panels and storage of energy. Likewise with water collection and storage.

Understanding Classroom Dynamics

STOP -> GO -> IDEAL

• Catering for different learning styles (Gardner)
• Knowing your students
• Provide opportunities for students to use their talents and give everyone a chance to speak. GENERALLY BE AWARE of what happens in group dynamics.
• Bullying / peer group friction
• Pastoral care - being sensitive to students situations; personal, home, and school life. Be aware of how this affects their school work and friendship groups. Make allowances for bad days and different personalities (Same goes for teachers (peers) and parents)!
• Encouragement and recognition of efforts - praise when praise is due.
• Sharing and displaying students work

Understanding of Teaching Strategies

STOP -> GO -> IDEAL

• LESS 'Sage on the Stage' - too much readily accessible knowledge out there!
  

• Teacher becoming more of a background guiding figure - BUT - so we still have structured lesson but learning is about the student discovering for themselves rather than have the teacher tell them “this is how it is”.

• In my ideal learning environment ALL teachers would be competent and enthusiastic. Ideally teachers and students would be grouped together to exploit relationships that were most conducive effective to learning. (Logistical and testing problems with this).

1. Draw from the teacher pool of knowledge! - Share teaching ideas, resources and problems (i.e. This lesson worked well because... Trying to teach poetry this way was a total disaster because...). Teachers have different teaching styles, just like students have different learning styles.


2. Organisation (know your subject)! – At some point we will all teach a kid who is smarter than us! If you are not organised and go into a lesson unprepared, kids will collectively pick up on this … and play up!


3. Discipline in the classroom. BE CONSISTENT! HAVE EXPECTATIONS! Ask yourself..."how do you want the kids to see you?" (Brennan, 2007).
   
4. The world is NOT the same as in “my day”.


5. SNAPSHOT gives a clearer understanding of strengths and weaknesses. Can be used to snapshot a teacher, student, group of students, or a whole class.


6. BE ACCESSIBLE - a student should always feel they can ask when they need help.

ED 4236 Assessment 2 - Ideal Learning Environment

My ideal learning environment is ...

• a place for growth!
• about supporting ALL aspects of development for ALL members of the school community - students, staff, parents and carers!
• about developing and maintaining environmental sustainability.

In this mini 'lesson' we will be looking at five aspects that constitute my ideal learning environment these include:

• Teaching strategies
• Classroom dynamics
• Physical environment
• Focus on student learning
• Establishment of a safe and positive learning environment

NOTE: it is the sum of all parts that make this learning environment whole ... and successful!

ED 4236 Personal Reflection

I come from a psychology background and have always had an interest in the way people function. I am fascinated by the diversity of individual differences in learning styles; although I find the prospect of having to cater for this in the classroom a little daunting.

After spending 2006 working at a co educational boarding school in Lancashire in the UK – sort of a post grad gap experience – I have begun to appreciate the concept of the digital native (we looked at this with Kathryn) and the fact that kids today operate by way of multi tasking. A classic example of this was witnessing a boy playing a tennis match and talking on his mobile phone at the same time! The point being that from my perspective you EITHER play tennis OR you talk on the phone. It is thought that kids today learn in more of a spider web pattern than a linear pattern. This concept immediately lends itself to more creative methods of teaching.

Last year, I found working with the curriculum support kids the most rewarding part of my job because when they ‘got it’ they really ‘got it’! Their enthusiasm to apply the new found knowledge was contagious! However, it was not only the end result that satisfied me but the process we worked through to help the student find a method of learning / understanding that worked for them.

This process - of guiding the student to the next level so they are able to take the next step themselves - seems obvious when working on a one to one basis. But what about being in a classroom situation? When you have 30 odd students and don’t have the time to focus on each individual? How do you make the lesson as constructive as possible for ALL your students?

Until now I have never consciously considered the role of a teacher as being a facilitator of learning. I understand the value of helping students build up a repertoire of learning skills that they can call upon to choose the most effective problem solving method (for use both academically and throughout their lives). This discussion has helped to shift my focus from a one on one perspective to that of a group situation (although I’m still unsure how to best activate the building of learning skills for each individual in a classroom situation).

Until recently I have never been ‘taught how to teach’. Therefore, up until this point all my school experience has been based on instinct. But reflecting on my experience last year I have begun to recognize the significance of the saying that 'as teachers we wear many different hats'.

Last year I was teaching EAL classes, being a teacher’s aide in curriculum support and coaching both girls and boys sporting teams. I have begun to recognize that how I relate to kids (and how they relate to me), depends upon the circumstances and the defined role we find ourselves in. I have begun to think about why it is that I respond in a particular way and whether that response is appropriate. This is an important point because the kids see me as being in charge so, to a large extent, it is up to me to define the boundaries.

This year I have started working in boarding at an all boy’s boarding school. I mainly deal with year nine students but also older years as well. Although I have only been involved in this job for about three months I have begun to see another side to the teaching profession - that is being outside the classroom.

As boarding staff my role is primarily a pastoral care one. However, I sometimes find it difficult to get a balance between that and being the disciplinarian – especially on a rainy day when the boys haven’t been able to play sport. Rainy days = trouble in Year 9!

Boarding has opened up a whole new can of worms for me!

The boarding house is a fascinating environment. One of the most interesting phenomena’s has been the pack mentality of the boys, for example if one kid is a bit hyper chances are the rest of them are feeling the same way. Consequently, sometimes the year nine boarders are a fantastic group (individually they are great boys) but at other times they can be a bunch of rat bags! I am beginning to discover that dealing with year nine boarders is about getting the balance right. Sometimes I find myself taking the “do as you’re told” approach and at other times taking more of a back seat, relaxing a bit and really trying to hear what is important in their lives.

What I have noticed is that it doesn’t take much to show a kid that you’re ‘on their side’ so to speak. A few weeks ago a boy came back to the boarding house after school with an ice pack on his hand. In response to me asking him what happened he replied that he had punched a wall because he’d had a bad day. Later that afternoon I overheard the boy on the phone to his dad. He was quite upset. After he had hung up I asked the boy if there was anything he wanted to talk about because he seemed to be quite upset about something. Again he avoided me by saying that it was nothing and that he’d just had a bad day. That evening when his friends were playing sport he came and sat near me. I asked him how his hand was feeling and he blurted out that he was upset because his parents had forgotten his birthday. For me this highlighted the fact that the boarding house is the boy’s home away from home. It is important for me to consider how I am perceived as well as how I want to be perceived by the boys. It is sometimes difficult to be seen as approachable without the boys thinking you’re a push over and visa - versa. I have also become aware that on occasion a boy acts out because of other problems and rather than taking disciplinary action a pastoral care approach is more appropriate.

I chose to pursue a career in teaching because I see it as a positive career choice. Being able to give something back to the community is important to me. From a more personal point of view I think of teaching as a very human thing to do – learning to relate to different people. I find teaching is a positive career choice especially because it involves working with young people. It is about experimenting with new ideas and examining the results. I chose secondary teaching because I hope to extend myself, as well as future students, intellectually.

Assessment 1 - Why do you bother?

I had an extra this afternoon. Year nine straight after lunch. It rained all day so they stayed inside to eat. By the time the extra came round the room looked as though a bomb had hit it! I finally got their attention and they cleaned up, with much complaining and eventually settled down to work.

PART 1
“Why do you bother?”

The last thing I wanted was that extra. Then you get some kid asking “why do you bother?” Despite the fact that I was thinking exactly the same thing, I took a few seconds to compose myself and surface an answer. My response was this… “It looked highly unlikely that anyone in this classroom was going to take the initiative to clean up. I would hope that most of you, now you are in year nine, are capable of taking responsibility for your actions (Piaget, 1970). You should be starting to realize now that your individual actions have an effect on other people. You are role models for the younger years and you have to start thinking about whether you want to be a positive influence or a negative one (Vygotsky, 1978).

The reason I bothered to ask you to clean up is because it is unacceptable to begin a lesson in the state that this room was in. How would you feel walking into this room next lesson? How would you feel if you had to clean up someone else’s mess and put up with a smelly bin?

We want our learning environment to be as pleasant as possible and having a smelly bin, scattered desks and students who don’t care is not a positive start (Vygotsky, 1978). I think some serious thought is needed from all of you in relation to how your actions impact on those around you.

I realize it has been a long term and you are all restless because it has been raining but in a sense, that makes it even more important to consider those around you - both staff and students - because it is likely they are feeling the same way as you (Piaget, 1928. Skinner, 1953). If anything we should be making more of an effort to be tolerant and respectful of one another. That includes the spaces we share.

Concentrating on your work this afternoon might require a little more concentration than usual. However there is no reason why you cannot apply yourselves quietly in what remains of the lesson.

PART 2
“Reference to the state of the classroom; why I had the class clean-up”.

When the student asked “why do you bother?” I thought, sometimes I don’t know! However, I believe that modeling desired behavior is important and to say what I was thinking would imply that I didn’t care (Vygotsky, 1978). School is not just about academic learning. There is a social and emotional development that occurs in this environment also (Vygotsky, 1978). I think it is important that students are exposed to positive values while at school (Bandura, 1986). Getting them to clean the classroom is advocating values such as respect for their school environment and respect for other people who are a part of the school community (not just their peers, but staff and visitors also). Taking pride in their school is a positive and responsible action. This is important on both an individual level because I believe it helps to instill a sense of belonging but also because the older student’s behavior is often modeled by those in younger years (Vygotsky, 1978).

Making the students clean up is also a form of operant conditioning – i.e. not giving them the option of thinking that it is alright to create a mess without taking responsibility for cleaning it up. Although I would argue that every teacher should enforce this, I think it is particularly important for the students to see that I have expectations of them and will consistently see that the students meet those expectations (Skinner, 1953).

Constructivist theory states that basic instructions facilitate external information. Given that the instructions to clean up, followed by the explanation as to why it is necessary would lead some students to a higher moral awareness. Some students will hopefully be awakened and empowered by the fact that their individual actions can and do have an effect. It is what we choose to do with this knowledge that will make all the difference. Social Constructivist theory claims that decision making is itself a learning process and choosing what action to take in this situation highlights this point. As a teacher I had the choice to do something about the mess. As students, in future they will have to decide if and how to take responsibility for their actions and the effect their decision will cause (Course readings).

PART 3
“Why get the students to work?”

I was trying to decide whether it would be easier to let them talk quietly among themselves or do the set work. Conditioning won again. The repetitive element of this theory and the fact that I am determined to remain as consistent as possible in my expectations won out (Skinner, 1953). Sometimes as a teacher I have to put on my trainers hat and training involves repetition. I also aim to encourage good habits of mind such as persistence, the development of self discipline and management of impulsivities (Costa & Kallick, 2000). Encouraging self awareness and self regulation is an important part of the learning process (Social Constructivist Theory). Self awareness particularly applies to the notion of taking responsibility for our actions and being aware of why we choose to do certain things.

PART 4
“Circumstances of the day outside the classroom”

The extra was the last thing I wanted, let alone a filthy classroom and disgruntled kids to go along with it! It is times like this when I make a concerted effort to be aware of my needs (Lecture notes). Recognizing that the student’s behavior is not an isolated case - being the end of term even staff are ratty - and that it has been compounded today by the fact they’ve been couped up inside because of rain, gives me some perspective on things. If I’m going to preach tolerance and patience to the students then I figure I’d best practice it myself. I try to be positive but firm because despite my exhaustion I want to continue to be a good role model (Skinner, 1953). Sometimes, though it is helpful to acknowledge that you can’t afford to spend all remaining energy on this one situation – for sanity’s sake! Many of my colleges affirm this point of view - especially as it’s the end of term. I find this reassuring (Lecture notes).

REFERENCES

Costa & Kallick (2000). Discovering and Exploring Book 1 Habits of Mind; A documental series. ASCD, Alexandria, VA.

Prof. Dabbagh, Nada (1999). Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory. Edit 704. E. M. Riddle.

Sigelman, C. K. & Shaffer, D. R. (1995). Life Span Human Development. Brooks / Cole Publishing. 2nd ed. California. (Bandura, 1986. Skinner, 1953).

Silverthorn, Pam (1999). Jean Piaget’s Theory of Development. Edit 704.

http://gsi.berkely.edu/resources/learning/social.html. (Social Constructivist Theory).

Lecture Notes, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3.