Unit 1: Climate and Culture of the Learning Environment

Overview 

The key to effective classroom management begins with teacher-student relationships. Students’ academic achievement increases, and misbehavior decreases when teachers establish and maintain quality relationships with students. There are numerous methods teachers can employ to develop these foundational relationships. 

Learning Objectives

• Candidates will understand the importance of the teacher-student relationships 

• Candidates will identify the classroom benefits of effective relationships

• Candidates will develop multiple methods to establish relationships with students

What will you do?

1. During the Virtual Class, 

   • Watch the video “The Power of Relationships in Schools”

   • Discuss your positive experiences with teachers and how those experiences affect your learning experience.

   • Watch the video "Building Strong Relationships" and consider how relationships impact student learning. 

     • Meet in grade-level bands to watch the respective video and discuss how you build relationships with students:

       1. Elementary - “Grade 1 teacher welcomes students with special greeting”

       2. Middle - “Charlotte teacher connects to students with personalized handshakes”

       3. Secondary - “Relationship Building: Getting to Know Your Students”

     • As a cohort, come together to share the benefits of establishing positive relationships with students.

2. Independently,

• Research different strategies and cite your sources to:

1. Create a forum post that identifies

   • three or more routine strategies you can employ to establish positive relationships with students and  

   • three or more intervention strategies you can intentionally use to bridge the gap between a struggling student and the teacher. 

2. Complete Step 1 (Building Relationships)

Candidate assignments

• One forum post

• Submit a link to LEP with completed Step 1 (Building Relationships) of the Learning Environment Plan

Reminder: to maintain academic integrity, you must cite any information, ideas, text, or images used in this activity by identifying the source.

Content specific methods requirements

Method Subject: English as a Second Language

As per your certification area, one of the most important components of successful language teaching is understanding your students' unique backgrounds. For this Methods activity, follow the instructions for M4U1A1 as described by your M4 instructor. Then, complete the following:  

• Devise a method (student survey, student interviews, small group interviews, home visits, etc.) to gather data about the personal characteristics of your ELL students. You will implement this method of data collection in M7U1, before writing your baseline video lesson plan.  

• Ensure the method or methods you devise are easily implemented and will allow you to gather data to understand your students' interests, motivations, strengths, needs, learning preferences, family background, and literacy practices. Understanding this data will help you better plan for instruction and assessment.  

• Share your data collection method(s) with your Methods instructor, making them an editor on your work when possible.

• Include a link to the data-gathering instrument(s) in Step 1 of your LEP along with a brief written response describing how the data you gather will be interpreted and used to build strong student-teacher relationships and make instructional decisions and to ensure all students are included and engaged in learning. 

• Note: You will implement the survey(s) you design before teaching your baseline Clinical video, using the data you gather to inform instructional decisions in that and future lessons. Ensure you consider issues that may arise with implementation and plan accordingly.

Overview

Classroom norms form the foundation for establishing and maintaining a positive learning environment and are the umbrella for rules. "Be respectful" is an example of a classroom norm that can be applied across grade levels.

Learning objective

• Candidates establish three to five clear, concise, and positive classroom norms with modifications for the virtual learning environment.

InTASC Standard 3: Learning Environments

The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.

What will you do?

1. In the Virtual Classroom, 

• discuss the difference between classroom norms and rules. Examine how each class rule can fit under one or more classroom norms.

• create a list of classroom norms in the virtual class as a cohort. 

         2. Individually,

• complete Step 2 (Classroom Norms) of the Learning Environment Plan. The classroom norms should be:

  1. positively stated,

  2. lead to a safe learning environment, and

  3. modified for the virtual learning environment 

Candidate assignment

• Submit a link to LEP with completed Step 2 (Classroom Norms) of the Learning Environment Plan

Reminder: to maintain academic integrity, you must cite any information, ideas, text, or images used in this activity by identifying the source.

Note: All assignment descriptions are written for Proficient. You should carefully examine the criteria for an Outstanding score if you want to aim for Outstanding.

Content specific methods requirements

Method Subject: English as a Second Language

As per your certification area, when completing this step of your LEP, address the following: 

• Consider the impact your own personal biases and assumptions of schooling have on your interpretation of the educational strengths of your ELLs. 

• Use the Moreland University library and other search methods to find resources (articles, academic research, videos, etc.) that can help you understand cultural norms and expectations surrounding schooling and school based behavioral and engagement expectations in the home cultures of your ELLs.  

• In a brief reflection (2-3 paragraphs or 3-5 minutes), reflect on your own cultural understandings, personal biases, and assumptions of U.S. culture, and discuss how those factors impact your interpretation of your students' educational strengths and needs.  

• Draw conclusions between the reflection on your assumptions and biases and expectations for your ELLs' behavior and engagement, and align the norms and expectations you include in Step 2 of your LEP accordingly. 

• Use comments on your LEP to indicate why certain norms or expectations are included, according to the work you did in this reflection.  

• Submit your LEP and a link to your written or recorded reflection in the submission box for this activity.