PROMOTING POSITIVE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FRANCIS RYAN D. AÑODepEd Ragay District, Division of Camarines Sur

Session Learning Objectives:■Describe positive classroom environment. ■Identify the elements of positive classroom

environment in public schools. ■Clearly understand and apply the seven (7)

strategies for building positive classrooms environment in public schools.

POSITIVE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTPositive classrooms have come to mean

places where:■learners arrive at school ready to learn; ■work diligently to master academic

standards (particularly math, science and reading);

■go home and accurately complete homework; and,

■return to school the next day eager to learn more.

Source: Allred, C. G. (2008). Seven Strategies for Building Positive Classrooms. ASCD: The Positive Classroom , Vol. 66, Number 1.

ELEMENTS OF POSITIVE

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEARNERS’ VOICE

■School gives LEARNERS the opportunity to provide input on matters related to their learning and school environment.

■LEARNERS are given various opportunities to lead and/or contribute to school activities.

■LEARNERS’ perspectives are taken into account in the decision making process.

■LEARNERS are encouraged to be involved at all levels.

LEARNERS’ VOICE: Classroom-Level Activities/Practices ■Post a list of appropriate volunteer

opportunities available in the school and in the community activities. Include opportunities available both during the school year and in the summer.

■Set up peer-mentoring programs, such as “buddy” program.

■Encourage learners to participate in creating their own learning environments. For example, simple investigatory project, group/collaborative activity, etc.

PARENTS ENGAGEMENT

■School provides parents with opportunities to learn about, support, and actively engage in their children’s experience at school.

PARENTS ENGAGEMENT:Classroom-Level Activities/Practices ■ Communicate with parents by various means, including

telephone and email, to keep them informed about pupils’ learning. For example, contact the parents of a learner who was facing challenges in learning to report that the learner is making improvements.

■ Provide parents with tip sheets and suggestions on how they can support their child’s learning.

■ Invite parents to volunteer in the classroom as reading mentors, math coaches, or storytellers.

■ Create a “parent-buddy” program to help parents of newcomers to the school navigate the school system.

■ Find ways to show appreciation of all parents’ efforts to support their children’s learning.

■ Hold teacher-parent-student discussions to go over pupils’ learning goals and their progress towards achieving the goals.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ■School provides learners with a wide

range of opportunities and ways to learn and to practice and demonstrate their learning.

■Pupils learn about the diversity of their world and come to understand the importance of learning.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:Classroom-Level Activities/Practices■Promote a culture of high expectations for all

students. ■Differentiate instruction and assessment to meet

the individual learning needs of all students. ■Recognize and discuss qualities such as respect,

social responsibility, empathy, honesty, and fairness where relevant in all areas of the curriculum, and draw attention to their significance in creating safe and healthy schools.

■Teach positive social skills through modelling and role play. Practice positive behavior, and give positive feedback when a student behaves well.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:Classroom-Level Activities/Practices Cont…■Rotate classroom duties among all

students throughout the year. Allow students to suggest leadership roles they would like to take on.

■Take advantage of “teachable moments” to address immediate relationship issues that may arise among students.

■Develop classroom rules collaboratively with students at the beginning of the school year.

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT ■School promotes fairness,

equity, respect for all, and a sense of belonging and connectedness.

■They create a safe and caring environment for all.

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT: Classroom-Level Activities/Practices■Promote belonging and connectedness in the

classroom through “getting to know you” activities (teacher-to-student and peer-to-peer).

■Promote positive relationship building through peer mediation, conflict resolution, and restorative practices.

■Teach skills such as meditation, yoga, and t'ai chi to help students reduce stress. Encourage students to notice when they are experiencing learning as fun.

■Encourage students to demonstrate behavior that promotes emotional wellbeing among their classmates. Ask them to notice any improvement in their own sense of well-being as a result.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

■The school environment, inside and outside the building, is welcoming and makes the school a safe place that is conducive to learning.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: Classroom-Level Activities/Practices■Set up and organize the classroom in a way that

promotes collaborative learning, learners engagement in learning, and principles of inclusive education.

■Display the work of all students in the classroom.

■Ensure that classroom displays reflect the diversity of the student population. Students should always be able to recognize themselves in their learning environment.

SEVEN (7) STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING POSITIVE

CLASSROOMS ENVIRONMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

1. Make Learning Relevant ■Learners are more engaged in learning and retain

knowledge better when they see that it is relevant and vital to their own success and happiness.

■By discovering students' talents, learning styles, and interests, teachers can adjust teaching methods and strategies.

■By giving students a say in how the classroom operates, teachers increase students' sense of ownership in the education process.

2. Create a Classroom Code of Conduct

■A positive and productive classroom requires a common understanding of positive and negative behaviors.

■To establish this understanding, teachers ask students to identify the ways they like to be treated.

■This discussion elicits lists of behaviors that are respectful, fair, kind, and empathetic.

3. Teach Positive Actions

■Teach students positive behaviors in a thorough, consistent, systematic way; we cannot assume that students just know them.

■Coverage: The importance of doing positive actions to feel good about yourself. Positive actions for a healthy body (such as nutrition, exercise, and sleep). Positive actions for the intellect (such as thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving skills).

3. Teach Positive Actions cont...

■Coverage:Positive actions for self-management (such as managing time, energy, emotions, and other personal resources). Positive actions for getting along with others (such as treating others fairly, kindly, and respectfully). Positive actions for being honest with yourself and others (such as taking responsibility, admitting mistakes, and not blaming others). Positive actions for improving yourself continually (such as setting and achieving goals).

4. Instill Intrinsic Motivation

■Learners need to feel good about themselves.

■Three-step process for choosing positive actions: First, we have a thought; second, we act consistently with the thought; third, we experience a feeling about ourselves based on the action.

■In practice, pupils learn that if they have a negative thought, they can change it to a positive one that will lead to a positive action and a positive feeling about themselves—a powerful intrinsic motivator.

5. Reinforce Positive Behaviors

■Teachers can strengthen intrinsic motivation by recognizing and positively reinforcing positive actions when they see them.

■Recognition activities and items—such as tokens, stickers, and certificates—can be effective.

■But when teachers or other staff use this strategy, it's important that they recognize the positive behavior, ask how it made the learner feel, and tell the learner the extrinsic reward is a reminder of that good feeling.

6. Engage Positive Role Models■Families and community members are

concerned about their children's welfare, often want to be engaged in their children's education, and have resources to offer.

■Educators can integrate them into many classroom and school activities, such as curriculum activities, assemblies, committees, after-school events, and homework.

7. Always Be Positive

■Perhaps the most important strategy, yet often the most difficult to carry out, is to be positive—from classrooms to playgrounds, during school and after.

■There is always a positive way to respond to a situation.

■A positive attitude is the change agent that will create positive classrooms and schools that produce happy and successful students.

REFERENCES■Allred, C. G. (2008). Seven Strategies for Building

Positive Classrooms. ASCD: The Positive Classroom , Vol. 66, Number 1.

■Adopted by MLHU of Ministry of Education.(2012). Promoting a positive school climate: A resource for schools.

Thank you!!!