What is the Classroom Environment?
Classroom Environment is what determines everything from the physical setup of a classroom, to all of the spoken and unspoken rules which produce a respectful, fair, and appropriate space for learning.
Establishing a positive rapport with students is a major part of creating a successful classroom environment.
The Heart of My Classroom Management
The following points are what I believe are the most important aspects of developing a supportive, focused classroom environment:
- Set a respectful tone from the very first interaction with the students. I let students know that I respect them, and I expect nothing less than the same from them.
- I care for my students very much. At the same time, I am their teacher before I am their friend. I believe this is a pivotal part of keeping a proper level of respect from students in order to maintain a classroom environment with minimal distractions.
- Motivate the students - when students say they cannot do something or feel down about an experience they may have had, these are the moments the teacher is a nurturer. When the teacher is available as a supportive adult who is there to cheer them on, students not only feel more motivated, but they also gain trust in the teacher.
- Have a behavior plan that students agree with. In other words, make sure the students "buy in" to the behavior plan. Therefore, students will more readily understand why it is important to behave well and how it affects productive learning.
Behavior and Motivation Management Chart
The chart in the center of this page serves two purposes: behavior management and motivation.
Behavior
Every student has a pocket with his or her name on it. In the pocket, there are three cards: a green card, a yellow card, and a red card. All students begin the day on a green card, which indicates positive behavior.
As the day progresses, students who need to be reminded constantly to stop exhibiting disruptive behavior are instructed by the teacher to move his or her card to yellow. Yellow indicates a loss of recess for the day. The student has an opportunity to regain a status of green by behaving well for the remainder of the day.
If the student does not do better, a red card requires a written reflection from the student about respect and/or a call to the student's home.
Motivation
Students receive tickets in their respective pocket of the chart when they volunteer during class and answer correctly.
At the end of each week, tickets are counted and students can choose to receive a prize or save their tickets and wait for a larger prize.
The prizes for my 5th graders were selected by both the students and myself, in collaboration. Below is a document with the sign that was placed next to the chart, indicating ticket amounts and prizes associated with each amount (Note: "Myrtle" is a pet turtle I brought to class during a lesson on reptiles).
More on Classroom Environment
Below you will find a more thorough description of my thoughts on:
- Classroom Management
- Room Arrangement
- Classroom Rules
- Classroom Procedures