Creating a positive learning environment

A positive learning environment is one that encourages learners to achieve their potential, identifies and accommodates their individual needs and learning preferences, and deals sensitively with issues that arise within groups in the most effective and productive manner. A safe learning environment encourages questioning and sees “failure” as an opportunity to learn. Creating a positive learning environment affects many factors including the physical environment, temperature, colorful decorations, planning, students’ work on the walls etc.  

Importance of having positive learning environment

Creating a positive learning environment in your classroom will allow your students to feel comfortable, safe and engaged – something that all students deserve. In a classroom where values and roles remain constant and focus is placed on the positive aspects of learning, students will be more open to actively participating in class (footprintsrecruiting, 2001).

If they are given the opportunity to become responsible for their own learning, students will be more likely to benefit from the lesson, and thus more likely to be self-motivated. This should be a primary goal for all teachers, since lack of motivation is often the root of disciplinary issues (footprintsrecruiting, 2001).

 The goals of classroom management

One of the most important areas that have to be taken account when we talk about positive learning environment is classroom management. Classroom management is the term educators use to describe methods of preventing misbehavior and dealing with it if it arises. In other words, it is the techniques teachers use to maintain control in the classroom. Classroom management is one of the most feared parts of teaching for new teachers. For the students, lack of effective classroom management can mean that learning is reduced in the classroom. For the teacher, it can cause unhappiness and stress and eventually lead to individuals leaving the teaching profession (Mellisa Kelly, 2013). Motivated, engaged, challenged, and successful students are well behaved, not because they’ve been threatened but because they are too busy engaged in learning to misbehave. The goal of classroom management is not quiet classrooms, it’s productive students. The goals of classroom management are elaborated as below.

(a) To create and maintain a positive, productive learning environment.

This goal is not meant for absolute control or to create an inert, docile, and totally compliant classroom and student body. Rather, an effective classroom management is to maintain students’ interest, motivation and involvement. Thus, the focus is on activities that create positive, productive and facilitative learning environment (asiauniversity, n.d).

 (b) To support and foster a safe classroom community.

Another goal of classroom management is to support and foster a safe classroom community. It means that students are allowed to make the connections needed for learning to take place. Each student needs to feel comfortable enough to discuss their previous understanding without fear of being ridiculed for their misconceptions. In order to make the students comfortable enough to take these intellectual risks, it is necessary to set up the rules and routines which:

• The rules and routines will give them a structure in which to interact with the teacher and each other.
• The rules and routines need to be necessary, fair and specific if the students are to be expected to follow them.
• Each rule or routine should come with a verbal or written description of why the rule is needed. If the rule is too vague on its own, examples should be given (asiauniversity, n.d).

 Disruptive and disturbed behaviour

Disruptive behaviour is the behaviour that is problematic or inappropriate in the context of a given activity or for a certain teacher.  It is also called as problematic behaviour, such daydreaming, drowsiness, wriggling, mild interruptions, unnecessary and excessive movement, or those that disrupt the flow of activity for the whole group such as calling out, arguing, shouting, swearing, fighting and so on. According to my experience, this was one of the challenges that teachers are facing when talk about classroom management. Dealing with misbehavior. If teachers are successful enough to deal with these types of students 50% of the classroom management is done. I believe that there will not be a fixed procedure that can be applied to all misbehaving students. It may vary depending on the type of behavior, nature of the students, the consequences of the behavior, etc. So, as a teacher, its our duty to learn various classroom management theories and apply those theories most effectively in order to create positive learning environment in our classrooms.

 

References

asiauniversity, (n.d). Classroom management. Retrieved 10^th May 2013, from http://www.bobbijokenyon.com/crm/AEU_classroom_management.pdf

footprintsrecruiting, (2001). Create a Positive Learning Environment. Retrieved 8^th May 2013, from http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/for-teachers/teachers-playground/tips-for-teachers/564-create-a-positive-learning-environment

Mellisa Kelly, (2013). Definition of Classroom Management. Retrieved 8^th May 2013, from http://712educators.about.com/od/classroomhelpers/g/Definition-Of-Classroom-Management.htm