What Makes A Good Learning Environment

How to build a good learning environment

Strategies for Building a Productive and Positive Learning Surroundings

by Becton Loveless

Positive, productive learning environments are key to students' academic, emotional and social success in schoolhouse. Unfortunately, positive learning environments don't merely happen on their own–they must be created. There are many components that go into making a positive learning environment for students. For starters, positive learning environments should offer a climate of rubber, where take chances-taking is encouraged, there is open authentic conversation, trust and respect are fostered, and positive interaction is the norm.

The best time to start developing a positive learning environs in your classroom is during the first days, weeks, and months of the school year–simply it's never besides tardily to get started. Below, nosotros'll explore positive action strategy, and several elementary tips, that teachers, educators, and even parents, can employ for creating a positive, productive learning environment for students. By implementing these strategies, you'll be able combine the demand for positive learning environments that foster improved bookish functioning, with the ability to promote students' social and emotional wellbeing and progress inside and outside the classroom.

Pace one - Make learning relevant

The more than relevant a topic or subject is to students' ain success and happiness, the more engaged they'll become in the learning process. On the whole, when educational activity math, science, social studies, fifty-fifty history, find ways to adapt the lesson or lecture to the interests of students. It's besides helpful to discover the interests, talents, and learning styles of each student if possible. Every bit resources permit, adjust didactics methods and strategies to come across the needs of students on an individual basis and yous'll come across students go more attentive and engaged.

Pace ii - Develop a Code of Conduct

If students don't have a clear and agreed upon agreement of positive and negative behaviors, information technology's hard to create a positive learning environment in the classroom and at school. The beginning pace to establishing a code of conduct is to inquire students how they like being treated. From this question students should be able to brainstorm a list of behaviors they believe are respectful, kind, off-white, and appropriate. At this point, together students and teachers should be able to agree that treating others the way nosotros each desire to be treated is the best code of conduct, and should fix the stage for appropriate classroom behaviors.

Pace 3 - Apply a Positive Deportment Curriculum

While it would be nice if all students shared the same agreement of positive behaviors, they don't. Children come from diverse family, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. All these influences, and others, shape students' perspective of what's appropriate, and what is not. Information technology's important that students are taught positive behaviors in a consistent and systematic fashion at school and in the classroom. Developing a Positive Action curriculum is 1 of the virtually effective ways to teach and instill in students positive behaviors. Positive activity curriculum should teach students:

That positive actions lead to a adept feeling and positive self image.
Positive deportment such as nutrition, holding practice, and slumber that lead to a healthy body.
Positive actions such as problem-solving, decision-making and thinking skills develop the brain and brand united states smarter.
Positive actions such as kindness, living the Gilt Rule, and existence respectful permit us get along with others.
Positive deportment such equally time management and managing our emotions help us meliorate manage our own diplomacy.
Positive actions such as admitting mistakes and taking responsibleness for our deportment permit united states to exist honest with others and ourselves.
Positive actions such as goal setting lead to personal growth and improvement.

Positive actions atomic number 82 to positive behaviors, which aid children feel practiced nearly themselves and others.

Step four - Help Students Develop Intrinsic Motivation

Feeling good about themselves is an intrinsic motivator to students–especially elementary age students–and positive actions assistance children feel adept near themselves. So, how practise you aid students consistently engage in positive actions? Get-go, actions are always preceded by thoughts. Second, actions and behaviors are typically consequent with thoughts. Third, feelings, children experience virtually themselves, are based in big part by their actions. Helping students larn that past changing a negative thought to a positive they can produce positive actions, and that positive deportment will assist them feel skillful about themselves is a powerful intrinsic motivator.

Stride five - Reinforce Positive Behaviors

Recognizing and reinforcing positive behaviors is one of the well-nigh effective ways to produce positive actions in students, strengthen intrinsic motivation, and create a productive and positive learning environment. Certificates, stickers, toy prizes, tickets, tokens and other reward systems are great ways to recognize students and reinforce positive behavior and achievement in the classroom. Even so, it'southward also important to help students make the connexion between positive behavior and the skilful feeling it produces (not merely the physical award). Every bit students make that connexion between positive behavior and good feelings, and continue producing positive actions, they'll feel adept nigh themselves, the intrinsic motivation is strengthened, and students volition continue producing more positive actions and exhibiting positive behaviors.

Stride half-dozen - Always Respond With Positivity

Positivity is a key component of a positive learning environs. Interacting with students in a positive style, exhibiting positive behaviors, and maintaining a positive mental attitude is ane of the almost of import steps for creating a positive learning surround and producing successful students. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, in that location is e'er a style to respond to and interact with students in a positive mode. Teaching students how to communicate and interact with each other in a positive manner is also fundamental to fostering a positive learning environment in the classroom. Positivity is ane of the almost powerful agents of change for establishing and maintaining a positive learning environment at schoolhouse and in the classroom.

Unproblematic Tips and Strategies for Building Positive Learning Environments

The Positive Activity strategy nosotros introduced above is i of the few character education programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse to produce positive results in students' academic performance and behavior. Only it isn't the only strategy. Below is an additional listing of simple strategies and tips from teachers, educators, and even parents, that take proven useful and effective for creating a positive, productive learning environs at school and in the classroom.

Relationships starting time, school 2nd . Don't jump directly into school work the offset day of school. Suspension the water ice and help get students out of their comfort zone at the onset by playing some interactive games and holding some team edifice exercises. This helps students get to know each other on a personal level, and experience the "human being" side of their teacher.
Share some stories from the summer . Before you transition into the school year accept the students share some of the fun things they, or their families did over the summer. As well, take a moment to share with your students what yous did over the summertime. This helps the students get to know each other and their instructor, and helps you build rapport with your students.
Go to know each student . At the beginning of the new year, or term, ask parents to write a "in a million words or less" letter describing their child. Once you accept received letters from all the parents, take some time to read each letter and learn about the unique character, desires, needs and talents of each child. Reading these letters at to the lowest degree one time, if non regularly, will help you encounter each child in a different low-cal.
Write an introduction letter . Get to know your students and let them get to know you lot through introduction letters. Write a letter telling your students most yourself, your likes, your hobbies, loves and aspirations. For their first assignment, have students write a letter most themselves for y'all.
Create an Internet Meme . Internet memes are a fun and constructive way for communicating important expectations, rules and concepts with students without coming off hateful or overbearing. They can include media, take hold of phrases, jokes and funny images.
Lean on Your Colleagues . Being a good instructor and creating a positive learning surroundings takes a lot of work–so don't become at it lonely. Attain out to other teachers, educators and people who will support you lot, build you up and who accept been successful at creating positive learning environments.
Plan for the Futurity, Alive in the Moment . As y'all piece of work toward creating a positive learning surround for your students, stay focused on the nowadays. Creating a positive working environment is a process, information technology won't happen overnight. Don't go and so caught up with the end goal that yous are not able to bask the moment.
Go Students Involved in the Procedure . Creating a positive learning environs should involve all your students. Have students help decide how to design the room, where pictures should go, what pictures should be used, etc. Allow them to accept ownership of their learning environment.
Create a Artistic Bookmark . Create a laminated bookmark with your contact information on it. This is a fun style to invite your students to stay in touch on with you. Include your electronic mail address, school web page URL or any other info you lot want students to take at their fingertips.
Create a Classroom Newsletter . Having your class develop a newsletter is a nifty way to go along students engaged, entertained and parents involved. But don't you do information technology! Take your students practice it. Make your newsletter a student driven project and you lot'll engender a positive classroom learning environment.
Connect Using Social Media . Social media tin can exist a great fashion for teachers to connect with students–especially given the propensity that kids have these days to access social media. Take pictures of class projects, awards, activities and events and post them on instagram for kids and parents to enjoy. Or maybe you can set a class twitter account to proceed students and parents upwardly to engagement on what'due south going on in the classroom throughout the year.
Create a Web log . Create and maintain a classroom web log. This is some other keen way to keep students and teachers up to date and involved in what'southward going on in the classroom. It's also a corking place to post upcoming projects, guidelines, written report guides and resources for students and parents.
Keep it Light-green . Apply digital technology to subtract reliance on paper products and to facilitate online advice between teachers and students, and their parents. Much of what was traditionally communicated using paper tin can now be communicated digitally online using Twitter, Facebook, or a grade web page. Going digital saves time, is more effective than paper (which can be lost), foster a positive learning environment, and protects our globe's environment.
Commencement with Relationships . Equally tempting equally it is to get a headstart on academics, go along the focus of the first day of schoolhouse on establishing relationships and building a sense of community within your classroom. Let each pupil know that the most important part of their instruction is them. Do some squad building activities. Bear witness students that they are valued for their contribution. There will be enough of time to focus on academics tomorrow.
Exist Enthusiastic . Exist enthusiastic! Smile! Let your students know that yous're excited to exist there and that you're excited they're there. Everything you say or do the first week of schoolhouse should communicate your enthusiasm for the new school year. Your positive mental attitude and enthusiasm is key to creating, and maintaining, a positive learning environs in the classroom.
Stay Optimistic . Later on the enthusiasm of the first few weeks of school starts to wear off and you lot get down to the nitty gritty of dealing with the challenges of being a instructor, you must stay committed to maintaining a positive attitude and a high level of optimism throughout the year. Students will pick upward on any negativity or bad moods immediately. Your ability to maintain a positive attitude, and stay optimistic, is at the core of your ability to establish a positive learning environment.
Treat Each Student As If They Were Your Own Kid . Are yous a parent? Have y'all experienced those struggles and fears that your own children accept experienced as they've gone to schoolhouse each day? Take you ever hoped or prayed their instructor would be sensitive to their needs and be agreement? Treat each of your students with the same dear, respect and level of attention that you'd desire for your own child. It takes work, but it will bring out the all-time in each child and foster a positive learning environment.
Focus on the Positive . At that place is something positive to be found in even the worst student. Each twenty-four hours find something good in each pupil and signal it out to them. Focusing on the positive in every student will enable you lot to create and maintain a truly positive learning environment for your students. And more importantly, you lot'll help each student build esteem and self worth that will last a lifetime.
Sometimes... Just Wing Information technology . Humans are unpredictable. Children are fifty-fifty more than unpredictable. Now matter how well you planned over the summertime, once your children arrive in the classroom, and you commencement getting to know them, you really can't make a concrete programme. Take a little fourth dimension to go to know your students. Afterwards the starting time few days of school, yous may need to re-evaluate your plan and go back to the cartoon board to fix a few things. Take fun. It's okay.
Review the Basics . Academics are important, but if students know proper classroom etiquette information technology's difficult to have a successful learning environment. Don't assume that your students know annihilation–review the basics. During the first calendar week of schoolhouse review with your students how to ask for help, provide aid to other students, work together, interact, be respectful, etc. Reviewing the basics sets the stage for a positive and productive learning environment in the classroom.
Reconnect at the Commencement of Each Year . Plan a school wide social consequence or activity to be held the week before schoolhouse starts. This provides students, teachers, parents and faculty the opportunity to reconnect without the pressures of school. Keep the upshot low fundamental and focused on socializing and getting to know one some other.
Found Positive Parent Relationships . The last thing yous want to do is look until there is an upshot or trouble with little Tommy earlier you attempt to establish a relationship with his parents. At the beginning of each year, reach out to the parents of each kid in your class in a personal way. Innovate yourself, let them know who y'all are, that you're excited to start working with their child, and what your plans are for the year. Building a relationship with parents early on sets the phase for a positive learning environs with their child the rest of the year.