While reading the assigned chapters for the week, I was struck by some of the stuff that was said about the importance of setting up the classroom environment, mostly because of how true it rang to the stuff that I've experienced in my own teaching experiences.
On page 16 of Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced Approach, the author discusses the importance of setting up a learning environment that is "safe and respectful" to help motivate the students to become involved and learn. This, in my experience, is vital. From what I've seen, when students are frightened or intimidated by the environment, they tend to stay quiet and hang back, participating as little as possible for fear of getting into trouble or getting teased, while students who are comfortable with their surroundings and their community are more willing to jump right into thing and experiment. Many children learn best when truly engaged in the material and, more importantly, when trying new things. A child who feels comfortable and safe is more likely to try and reach out to try things that they've never done before because they don't fear making mistakes as a child who feels uncomfortable with their environment. The issue, of course, is that the students who are likely to learn the most are the ones who are willing to take those risks. It's never wrong to take a risk and make a mistake because you can learn from that and perhaps succeed the next time or figure out a better way to approach their goal.
To put this in terms of reading instruction, since that is the point of this blog, a child who feels comfortable is probably going to feel more willing to try to tackle reading harder words and books as long as trying harder reading exercises, while a child who is not is not likely to want to stray outside of his or her comfort zone. And, in the end, leaving that comfort one really needs to be the child's choice, once they feel comfortable because if the teacher makes that choice instead of the student, then it is only likely to scare the already nervous student more.
Something else that is brought up in the book on this topic on page 18, is that teachers should make use of the first two weeks of class to put all this into motion (That is the book's suggestion for length of time. I'd have to imagine that length of time needed for this would vary depending on the class. For example, younger students who haven't had much school experience might need more time focused on this topic, whereas older students who have a large amount of time in school might need less time for this.). As is pointed out by the author, students need to be introduced to the classroom policies and rules as to what will be expected of them as it's unlikely that they will come in knowing what you want and expect of them. Even if they are coming from another classroom, each class's rules are a bit different and expectations can vary from teacher to teacher, so it's important to lay all this out right at the start. This is also important though because you want to make it clear to your new students that the classroom is a safe place and that our goal here is to learn. The earlier that this is all set into place, the more ingrained it will become. Plus, it can be difficult to put new stuff into place after the fact.
This matter might seen trivial on the surface, but I really think that it's something that should be taken very seriously. The tone of the classroom set at the start of the year will affect everyone throughout the year and, depending how the situation is handled, it can either affect the students' learning very positively or very negatively.
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. Creating a safe and nurturing learning environment certainly represents an essential part of an effective teaching approach. I have spent time in many different classrooms - as a parent volunteer, an instructor, and as a student - and based on what I have observed and read, the learning atmosphere no doubt affects how students perform. As a mother, I have also observed up close how learning works with my own children. As many parents often do, my husband and I have deliberately combined reading with nurturing for our kids- stories at bedtime each night, lots of family outings to the library and to Barnes & Noble, etc... books everywhere in our home... I'm convinced that the connections we have made between reading,loving relationships, and fun have played a role in helping our kids to be successful early readers. Interestingly, I think many principles that work for mothers will also work for teachers - if the child feels safe, comfortable, and loved, she is going to be more receptive to learning. I don't know if you have taken the Hum Dev course yet, but the class repeatedly emphasizes the importance of providing a safe learning environment. As you probably already know, when a child senses a physical or emotional threat, learning pathways in the brain simply shut down temporarily. For elementary age students, I think the physical classroom should quietly refer to a positive home environment - good lighting (something other than those awful flourescents), comfortable chairs, organized materials,uncluttered decorative elements, etc. And why do kids often have to sit on those uncomfortable carpets and hard floors for extended periods? Give them chairs! Would most adults enjoy sitting on the floor for 40 minutes?
I agree with what you are saying about how teachers need to create emotionally safe learning settings. Students need to be allowed to learn through making mistakes - lots of them. A professor and educational reformer named Sir Ken Robinson (great speaker)says that by and large, the American public school philosophy does not encourage learning through making mistakes and taking risks. In other words, many students leave the classroom with a squelched creative instinct and curiosity.
The peer aspect of the classroom setting looks a lot more challenging to control. What does a teacher do about the mean kids and the critics who belittle others? Much tougher to control, I'm sure.
Anyway, I appreciate how you pointed out the importance of creating the right classroom environment. Essential!