Creating a Learning Environment for Success

Meyer and Rhoades (2006) stated, "the ultimate goal of all educators is to improve the quality of life of the individuals" (p.85).  Teachers have responsibilities to care for their students and provide them with skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in life; contribute positively to the society and continue to improve their quality of life.  It is one of the most important and influential profession to be able to educate the next generations to come, and at the same time, it puts tremendous pressures and responsibilities on teachers to create an environment for success where students can flourish.  There are so many things to consider in order to create such an environment; physical space, cultures for learning, positive and safe atmosphere, cultivation of discipline, and fostering teamwork.  Classroom is a community where students and the teacher learn together, play together, and grow together.  So how do teachers create such an environment?

“In short, the teacher’s job is to create a trap for student success so that the student has opportunities to be praised and thereby be more inclined to act appropriately again in the future” (Hirn & Park, 2012, p. 7).  It is essential that teachers set up their students for success in their classrooms.  It is a goal as educators is to maximize all students’ academic achievement and their social/emotional, and behavioral development.  It is crucial that teachers meet social/emotional needs of students as much as their academic needs.  Students come from different backgrounds, socioeconomic status, and cultures; nevertheless, it is teachers’ responsibility to get to know each student, build a positive relationship, provide appropriate attention, support, and care that all students deserve.  As Cooper & Cefai asserted, “the teacher-student relationship stands at the heart of the formal educational process” (2013, p. 86).  It is easy to imagine that students would learn more from a teacher that they have a positive relationship with.

Sieberer-Nagler (2016) discussed how everything a teacher does in the classroom, including creating the setting, decorating the room, arranging the chairs, speaking to children and handling their responses, putting routines in place, developing rules, and communicating those rules to the students, has imprecations.  Students respond well to instructional environment that is predictable, safe, and expectations are clearly stated.  Students respond to well-developed structures.  Furthermore, Oliver & Reschley (2007) identified components of effective structuring of a classroom, including physical arrangement that eases traffic flow, minimizes distractions, and provides teachers with good access to students.  They stated that highly effective teacher structure the classroom environment so that it decreases the likelihood of inappropriate student behavior and increases desirable student interactions.  In other words, physical set-up for classroom is a key component to creating an ideal learning environment. 

Teaching appropriate behavior and expectations, and social/emotional skills to students is another crucial part of effective and positive classroom management and creating an environment conducive for learning.  Jones et al. stated, “classroom management is not about controlling students or demanding perfect behavior.  Instead, effective management is about supporting students to manage themselves throughout daily learning and activities” (2014, p. 19).  Instead of responding to students’ misbehavior in reactive and punitive manner, teachers need to teach students the skills to self-manage so that classroom management becomes thoughtful, calm, and positive.  Students need to be taught of social-emotional skills and expectations before they are held accountable for their behavior.  Oliver et al. (2007) also pointed out that disruptive behavior is minimized through higher rates of academic engagement.  Students are less likely to engage in disruptive behavior if they are busy working hard and participating in academic activities.  Furthermore, it is quoted by Lewis et al. (1996), “students work harder, achieve more, and attribute more importance to school work in classes in which they feel liked, accepted, and respected by teachers and fellow students” (as cited in Nooruddin, & Baig, 2014, p.24).  Again, the importance of positive interactions and supportive learning environment is stressed.

School-wide implementation of Positive Behavior Support System (PBSS) is critical in supporting both teachers and students with their behavior, and ensuring consistency and accountability across the school.  It is widely understood that students do well in consistent and predictable environment.  Jones et al. (2014) stated, “when all adults in the school community use the same strategies, children experience predictability in the quality of interactions throughout the school day, which promotes their understanding and use of appropriate behavior” (p. 21).  Effective school-wide program such as PBSS establish clearly stated behavior expectations for both students and staff.  The idea of PBSS is that not all students need intensive and strategic plans; therefore, primary prevention is implemented across the school, while three-tiered interventions system allows students to receive intensive interventions as needed (Horner, Sugai, & Anderson, 2010).  Knoff noted (2007), “in general, effective accountability processes consist of meaningful incentives and consequences that motivate students to use their pro-social skills” (Knoff, 2007, p.1).  Educators not only need to ensure to teach social skills, but also provide students with motivators to use the skills learned.  With appropriate motivators, more students will be inclined to use pro-social skills and appropriate behavior while minimizing inappropriate behavior with consequences.

Ideally, with strategic and effective classroom management, teachers minimize disruptive and inappropriate behavior while maximizing pro-social and appropriate behavior.  However, there are always students who need more intensive approaches and interventions.  The grade level and building level interventions become essential with teachers struggling with a challenging student in the classroom level.  With uses of the Behavior Matrix and school-wide discipline plan such as PBSS, teachers can seek additional help in a consistent manner.  When a school has a discipline plan in the grade level, building level, and administrative level, and all staff are consistent with the plan and enforcing the same expectations, both teachers and students are supported in every way to achieve the goal; maximizing academic achievement and social/emotional development.  Positive and safe school climate is conducive to learning.  For a school to create such a climate, it takes all members of the school to value healthy, positive and connected relationships.  Yahn (2012) concluded, “we are social animals and our children need to be part of a peer community just as much as any adult.  But our society teaches us to conform to the group, while valuing individualism.  Instead, we can teach our children to be individuals, but to value community” (p. 27).  Teachers, administrators, school staffs, and parents need to work together to create a strong and supportive school community for the children.

Effective teachers set up students for success through classroom structures, academic engagement, and positive interactions.  Students are taught self-management skills and consistently held accountable for their behaviors.  In a positive learning environment, every student feels accepted, supported, and safe, and every adult on campus feel responsible for all students at school.  Preventive and proactive behavior management plan along with intensive intervention plans for challenging students are implemented across the school, and consistency and accountability is ensured through implementation of PBSS, uses of the Behavior Matrix, and development of effective school teams.  The school community is valued thus all members of the school; teachers, students, and parents feel supported in achieving student success. It is important that us, educators, reflect back to our ultimate goal; to improve the quality of life of the individuals.  In order to accomplish this, teachers have imperative responsibility to create a learning environment that every student can be successful.  

References

Cooper, P., & Cefai, C. (2013). Evidence-Based Approaches to Social, Emotional and Behavior Difficulties in Schools. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 81-101.

Hirn, R., & Park, K. (2012). Teacher-Mediated Instructional Strategies for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders. Beyond Behavior, 22(1), 1-9.

Horner, R., Sugai, G., & Anderson, C. (2010). Examining the Evidence for School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support. Focus on Exceptional Children, 42(8), 1-14.

Jones, S., Bailey, R., & Jacob, R. (2014). Social-Emotional Learning is Essential to Classroom Management. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(2), 19-24.

Knoff, H. (2007). Time-Out in the Classroom: A Step-By-Step Guide for Consistent, Educative, and Effective Implementation. Little Rock, AR: Project ACHIEVE Press.

Meyer, C., & Rhoades, E. (2006). Multicultralism: Beyond food, festival, folklore, and fashion. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 42(2), 82-87.

Nooruddin, S., & Baig, S. (2014). Student Behavior Management: School Leader’s Role in the Eyes of the Teachers and Students. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 11(1), 19-39.

Oliver, R., & Reschley, D. (2007). Effective Classroom Management: Teacher Preparation and Professional Development. Washington, DC: National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality.

Sieberer-Nagler, K. (2016). Effective Classroom-Management & Positive Teaching. English Language Teaching, 9(1), 163-172.

Yahn, M. (2012). The Social Context of Bullying. Encounter, 25(4), 20-28.