Unit 2: Strategies for Managing the Learning Environment

Overview 

Students learn best in a classroom environment with established routines, behavioral expectations, and high teacher expectations. Teachers who develop consistency and accountability have fewer behavioral challenges. However, teachers must be prepared to address behaviors that do not align with the teachers’ expectations.

Learning objective

• Candidates plan routines and procedures to help them effectively manage physical and online learning environments.

What will you do?

1. In the virtual classroom,

   • a) brainstorm situations where you would need to set routines and procedures in the classroom. For example, you could have an entry routine, a transition routine, and an exit routine. Your discussion should include how to modify the routines to make them appropriate to your students’ grade level.  Discuss alternate, age-appropriate routines for teaching in an online learning environment.

   • b) share a scenario where students do not adhere to routines and procedures. Consider how to respond to these situations effectively. (How will you respond when a student interrupts a lesson to ask for a pencil?)

2. Individually,

   • a) complete Step 3 (Routines and Procedures) of your Learning Environment Plan by choosing the top 3 routines and procedures you would like to implement in your classroom and 3 parallel routines for the online classroom.  Be sure to include modifications that you would make for situations when students don’t adhere to a particular routine or procedure.

Candidate assignment

• Submit a link to LEP with completed Step 3 (Routines and Procedures) 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.

Project Description

Overview 

One strategy to effectively manage the learning environment is observing other teachers. We learn from observing the strengths and weaknesses of others.

Learning objectives

• Candidates evaluate and suggest modifications to improve the learning environment by recommending changes to a teacher’s learning management techniques.

What will you do?

1. Individually,

   • watch one lesson video: choose either a video of a class in a physical learning environment or one video in an online learning environment. Choose the video from the grade band and learning environment (physical or virtual) that you teach or plan to teach.  *Each video you observe and reflect upon throughout the program is part of your field experiences.

   • analyze the teacher’s effectiveness and submit a recorded reflection that includes the following:

     1. Part 1 - How did the video demonstrate the InTASC Standard for this course (module), especially regarding developing a community of learners and a positive classroom climate?

     2. Part 2 - If you were the teacher, how would you reinforce the norms, procedures, and expectations for students in the classroom you observed?

Candidate assignment

• 2-3 minutes recorded audio or video reflection on the Effectiveness of Managing the Learning Environment

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