Learning in Context

A positive learning environment is crucial to all students success and does not happen by accident. One classroom in which I worked over the past year was so busy and full of distractions that I chose to teach my 4th grade group in the commons area outside the classroom. I was sharing the classroom with another teacher and a group of assistants and found it easier to remove my group from the classroom and establish a new set of expectations. All seven students in this group responded positively to this change in setting and expectations. The change in the physical location of the class gave me the opportunity to establish new routines and implement new positive behavioral interventions. I also had the help of an assistant who was eager to try an approach that was different than the system that was being used in the rest of the classroom.
Together we implemented and modeled a new set of behavior as well as a behavior management program that motivated the students and tied in to their IEP goals. It took a lot of work to establish a new routine and keep up with the behavior management program, but the results where worth the effort. Unwanted behaviors dropped dramatically and academic successes increased.
For the second half of the year i worked in a classroom that had a clear established routine and set of expectations for every student. Each student knew their role in what can only be described as classroom choreography. The routines had clearly been established from the very beginning of the year and every assistant demonstrated a high degree of buy in to the classroom philosophy and modeled appropriate behavior. A wide variety of learners separated by grade and academic abilities were able to function in this classroom as individuals, small groups and a classroom as a whole.
As I look forward to a new school year and a new classroom with new students and assistants, I hope to be able to establish clear routines and positive behavioral programs that are tailored to fit the needs of the students I will be serving. I understand that creating such an environment in a classroom may require me to sell my philosophy and management style to my classroom assistants, and that their participation in creating and maintaining these systems will be vital to the students' success.