...The Effective Classroom Environment The environment created by the teacher in his/her classroom can have a positive or negative effect on student learning. In the school that I work in, this presents a formidable challenge. There is no way around it, MHS is an ugly building. The main walls are orange and yellow and there are virtually no walls between the classrooms. It was built in the 1970’s with an open classroom concept. This “experiment” proved to be an absolute failure. Teachers could not hear students, students could hear lessons going on in other rooms; confusion and noise abounded. Since its original construction, some temporary cubicle-type walls have been put in place but they have not solved the problem. The walls that do exist remain a loud “in your face” orange and yellow. The “mood” created by these colors is not relaxing or conducive to learning. In an attempt to combat this, I try to create a classroom that has a calming, positive and friendly atmosphere. In order to mask the color scheme, I display a lot of student work and put up a variety of other decorations and information. I have created separate sections for each class, a section for student rewards (called the 100 Board), a section for school information, and several smaller sections of miscellaneous education-related and insightful notices and posters. A theme of diversity, tolerance, and achievement is emphasized throughout. Displaying student work is an excellent way to enhance...
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...In this paper I will first give a detailed description of a classroom environment that supports Developmentally Appropriate Practices. Then I will be describing the furnishings, equipment and materials that support children’s growth and development. In conclusion of this paper I will explain how the environment I created lines up with my Vision, Mission and Philosophy I created in week one. To implement developmentally appropriate practices in the early years, it is vital for teachers to be aware of the developmental characteristics of the children they teach. This enables teachers to successfully support the child’s progress toward becoming well-adjusted, confident, and thoughtful learners. The components of a child’s learning is also very important (Eliason, Jenkins pg. 3). Educators and other concerned people need to determine how to best provide for the needs of young children and enable all children to reach their full potential. All children should be provided with high quality childcare regardless of their gender, race, religion or economic situation. All teachers should be highly trained, thoughtful, enthusiastic, creative, empathetic, hopeful, tolerant, understanding, warm, and nurturing (Eliason, Jenkins pg. 29). The importance of play in early childhood education is significant to the child’s development. Young children explore and learn through their environment. During play children learn how things work, they build social skills and learn how to solve problems...
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...inclusive environment have on all the children in the classroom covering aspects of learning and transitions? Brief Review of the Literature: In the school systems, there are inclusion classrooms created for students with disabilities of all kind that spend their entire school day in this setting with students without disabilities. Many issues may arise that effects the actual student, classmate, and staff. Some issues that are faced by the majority in this setting includes limited emotional support, adaption peers and in the actual environment, as well as more distractions created when the goal is for those issues to be limited so that all students can focus more in a supportive and calm environment to reap a fair amount...
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...Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Research Report Number 10 Teaching in High–Tech Environments: Classroom Management Revisited First – Fourth Year Findings Judith Haymore Sandholtz, Ph.D. Cathy Ringstaff, Ph.D. David C. Dwyer, Ph.D. Apple Computer, Inc. Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 acot@applelink.apple.com Introduction Since 1985, the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT)SM research project has provided teachers and students at five public school sites with individual computers for use at school and at home. Consequently, these teachers have spent more time teaching in high-tech classrooms than any other teachers in the world. Although most ACOT teachers taught for years before entering the project, the introduction of computers into their classrooms significantly altered their teaching environments. In many ways, they felt like novices again. None anticipated the range of student misbehavior, changes in the physical environment, shift in their teaching roles, and technical problems that would accompany the new technology. Nor did they anticipate how quickly they would learn to utilize the technology to their advantage in managing the classroom in areas such as grading, individualizing instruction, developing materials, and increasing motivation. While preservice teacher education typically includes training in classroom management techniques, little is known about classroom management in high-access-to-technology environments...
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...My Ideal Classroom within my ideal school A Classroom is a place where individuals gather for the purpose of learning and studying. The classroom may be of a primary school, an elementary school, a college or a university - but the purpose remains the same. In order to get the most of the learning process, there are certain standards that a classroom should meet. A classroom should be in a way where students can comfortably spend their time, getting the most of their study and where teachers can be at comfort too, to provide the sublime education. Without proper configuration and set-up, an ideal classroom cannot be made. The environment, room plan, decoration, and utilization of a classroom have a huge impact on how a child learns and behaves. This semester-long project will help you learn techniques for setting up your own classroom in a way that will enhance student learning. You will research and write about an 'ideal' early childhood classroom. You will take a virtual field trip via the Internet to critique online classrooms. You will then design your own "Ideal Classroom" and present it to the ECD163 class. My first requirement will be parents that support me in my task of educating their children in the way I was trained to do. Myself and parents need a clear picture of the sort of person we would like a young person to become. Next I want a class full of students that enjoy learning. I want students that feel comfortable to voice their opinions about any...
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...observation took place in a third grade classroom of twenty-two students. All students were of Mexican descent and labeled as intermediate/advanced English language learners. The classroom environment itself was very warm and welcoming. There was a bulletin board that displayed pictures of students and their families along with autobiographies. There was another bulletin board dedicated to celebrating Mexican culture and people. The teacher was a Caucasian women in her mid twenties with three years of teaching experience. The second classroom I observed was a first grade class of twenty-five students. Students in this class were all of Mexican descent and labeled as early intermediate English language learners. The classroom environment was very welcoming and appealing. There were colorful posters and pictures displayed on the walls. There was a bulletin board that displayed pictures of students with a caption that said “I am special because...”. Another bulletin board celebrated diversity with pictures of people of different cultures. The teacher was a Mexican-American woman in her early thirties with five years of teaching experience. My last observation took place in a fourth grade classroom of twenty-four students. Twenty of the students were of Mexican descent, one was Caucasian, and two were African American. This was a mainstream class with intermediate/advanced English language learners. The classroom environment was somewhat plain and boring. The walls...
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...teaching provides an invaluable experience in which student teachers (ST) can not only be introduced to the curriculum but also the classroom environment. The classroom environment is directly affected by cooperating teacher (CT) and the ST’s methods of interaction and instruction. Student teaching allows for the ST to experiment with different strategies and approaches within an environment that has a built in safety net. This safety net creates opportunities for the ST to try new strategies that may not have been used by a first year teacher. Furthermore, because never again will the ST be given so much direct direction, the CT’s feedback and advice becomes priceless. Thus, I am able to grow quicker as a teacher rather than figuring much of this out on my own. Consequently, my experience has enhanced my five core beliefs: * Students are never to be given up on * Classrooms are to be student-centered * Reading, writing, and speaking skills are irreplaceable * Classrooms must be a safe and encouraging learning environment * Soft skills are perpetually worked on and enhanced Throughout student teaching, some of strengths have become apparent and a true asset to the classroom. First of all, I use positive language and respond positively to the students whether they make a great comment or misunderstand. This creates a safe environment and lets them know that I do appreciate their effort. Next, I am as direct as possible. If a student is misbehaving, I let him...
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...trough flashbacks. When one of the kids from the class called Christian tease Joseph, he grabs his finger and when the teacher gets angry at them he threat Joseph by saying he is dead. In the schoolyard Christian throws a carton of milk after Joseph. Joseph, Christian and Seth are about to end up in a fight but are stopped by their teacher. When the teacher tries to solve the problem a girl from the class called Hazel interrupts. The teacher commands hazel to get back inside the classroom and on the way back into the classroom hazel calls her a Bitch. That makes the boys laugh together and they end up as friends instead of enemies. Short analytical essay: It isn’t always easy to be the new kid in the class and it doesn’t make it easier when you need to mix in to a whole new environment. I will in this essay focus on Joseph and how he tries to cope with his situation. The Short film takes place in a classroom, corridor and a schoolyard in Ireland. Through flashbacks we see josephs Classroom in Africa, where his father is his teacher. Through out the film we switch between Ireland and Africa. When we see flashbacks from Africa there are happy world music and in Ireland there are only diegetic sounds. Overall the atmosphere is a lot lighter in Africa, the light is a warm yellow colour and the kids in the class are laughing. When they do math tasks they do it together and no one stands alone. When we switch back to Ireland we get a sad feeling. The light is grey and...
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...Classroom Activities and Behaviors Classroom setup can dramatically affect students' attitudes toward learning and their habits of learning. Students need an environment that is organized, stimulating, and comfortable in order to learn effectively. One way a teacher can create this type of learning environment is by creating learning centers throughout his or her classroom along with instructional areas. Take the physical features of your classroom into account when planning out what type of learning centers you want to have in your classroom. As the year progresses, you can add different kinds of learning centers to fit your classes. When sitting up your learning centers you not only want to take in the physical features of your classroom. You also need to consider the age of your students, the number of students and the type of activities you want to be conducted. Learning centers consist of multiple stations for children to rotate through. Stations may contain activities from different subjects, such as math, science and reading, or different activities related to the same topic. Using learning centers in your classroom is a fun way for students to experience hands-on learning independently or in small groups. It also opens up possibilities for you to work with small groups or individual students. One type of learning center that is valuable for young children is a reading center. A reading center is a place for students to read independently or quietly with...
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...Classroom Management Procedure/ Routines Paper Classroom management is the most essential key to a successful learning environment in the classroom. When effective classroom management strategies are not implemented you take away learning time from your students. There are many important elements to have a productive, self- sufficient classroom. One of the most important elements is establishing procedures and routines in your class. According to Harry Wong, the teacher is the decisive element in the classroom. Therefore, it is up to the teacher to establish discipline and procedures in the classroom to have an effective classroom. The most important element of establishing discipline in your classroom is establishing a discipline plan. A discipline plan is composed of three things; rules, consequences, and rewards. The rules must only contain 3-5 rules, no more than 5. Harry Wong explains that when we begin to give too many rules it becomes a dare to the students to break them. Having a plan is very important, when a teacher does not have a plan it will resort to yelling. Harry Wong states, “ If you don’t have a plan, than you are planning to fail.” According to Harry Wong the number one problem in the classroom is not the discipline, it is the lack of procedures and routines. Establishing Procedures and routines will allow your classroom to be a productive self-sufficient classroom. Therefore, in order to have discipline in a classroom you must have procedures that...
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...SDENG3J – ASSIGNMENT 1 SAMEERA MANJOO 45909385 QUESTION A English in my school environment is used as a home language to 40% of the students in my classroom and as a first language to the remaining majority. The school is well resourced with textbooks, chalkboards, projectors and also writing books as materials and every student has a desk and chair to sit on during the school day. The school accommodates for students with the playground as well, they have a volleyball, basketball, and soccer and tennis court. All buildings of the school are well maintained and kept very clean, this allows for a comfortable learning environment. Each block of classrooms also has security guards that are visible to all students at all times providing a secure and safe schooling environment for students. The school is based on a diverse society, multi-racial students with different traditions and beliefs. This allows for students to intermingle with students that share a different value or trait, allowing for all students to see equality in our rainbow nation, South Africa. QUESTION B Social media applications have rules our youth for the past ten to twelve years. MXit is still one of the major applications used by majority of the students, as stipulated in the articles, “MXit also appeals to young people from poorer communities due to its low cost...”. The students in my Grade Ten classes come from the lower socioeconomic background. Students will be interested in...
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...versus Mainstream Classes: Contrasting L2 Learning Environments (TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 2, summer 1994). Linda Harklau explores the differences between ESL and mainstream classes. The article is a result of an ethnographic study of new comer students in a San Francisco Bay area high school. Harklau felt that in order for ESOL students to successfully transition into mainstream classes the differences in instruction in the two types of classes must be identified as well as the advantages and disadvantages of both learning environments. Harklau conducted her study over a 3 ½ year period. The subjects were newcomers to the San Francisco Bat area and were all Chinese ethnic students. She chose these students for the sample group because they represented the predominant group in the ESL program. Her study consisted of 315 hours of classroom observations, samples of homework, samples of schoolwork, school records, and 38 formal interviews. What Harklau found was that there were two significant ways in which the instructions differed. First was the organization and goals of instruction and second was the contrast in the types of social interactions that occurred in each environment. Organization and goals of instruction refers to how and written and spoken language was used, how teacher’s goals affected content, and how and to what degree feedback was given. Harklau found that while the mainstream classrooms offered lots of opportunity to get meaningful input...
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...Classroom and Behavior Management Plan Dr. Renee Murley Learning in the Urban Environment ICL 7709 July 31, 2009 Rules and Procedures On the first day of class, the students and I will have a conversation about my expectations and the students’ expectations for the classroom. From these expectations, together, we will create a set of guidelines for conduct in the classroom. We will also discuss common occurrences in the classroom such as late arrival, preparation for class, etc., and how they should be handled. From this class forum, we will derive the rules and procedures that will govern our classroom. Whereas, not all rules and procedures will be negotiable, we will discuss the meaning, rationality, and fairness of each rule, and also how these rules fit into the framework of the school’s guidelines. This is done with the idea in mind that if students have a part in creating the classroom rules and procedures that they will be more apt to follow them. These rules will be posted permanently in the classroom, on the teacher’s website, and also printed in written form so that the information may be given to the students, parents, and administrators. General guidelines for behaviors will be as follows: 1) Be respectful of the thoughts, feelings, personal space, and property of others and self. 2) Be on time and prepared for class. 3) Be in your desk and prepared to work when the bell rings. 4) Do ask permission before speaking or getting out of your...
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...good morning to our respective teachers and my fellow friends. Today I will be talking about the effects of smartphones. Smartphones is a cellular phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, Internet access, and an operating system capable of running downloaded applications. Nowadays, most of the students own smartphones. According to an article posted in Trends in Ed, 50% of students own it. The use of phones is usually discouraged on the first day of class by teachers and professors, or talked about in the class syllabus with consequences for even the first infraction. After all, since smartphones pretty much allow you to do anything you want these days, having them in the classroom might be distracting students more than ever. Smartphones allow students to text, check, and interact on social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, check their e-mails, play games online, and even watch TV. This is extremely distracting for not only the student because they are obviously not paying attention, but can also become distracting for other students around them. If a professor or teacher has to stop their lecture or instruction to ask a student to turn off...
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...A1. In scenario two, Mr. Collet permits his students to develop homework assignments during class. This homework policy encourages positive social interaction in a fifth grade classroom by fostering teamwork and collaboration. Students have an opportunity to bond with their teacher and peers through interpersonal communication. During this time they can ask questions, provide input, or request clarification concerning their homework assignments. This policy will also prove beneficial to students that struggle with social exchanges with their peers. It will provide a comfortable and structured environment in which to engage the other students. It will increase the overall achievement of the class by elevating their self-awareness and confidence. The Educational Broadcasting Corporation states that collaboration promotes a deeper understanding of homework content and inspires a higher motivation to remain on task (Wnet Education, 2004). Most significantly, this homework strategy...
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