Standard 4 - Learning Environment – The competent teacher structures a safe and healthy learning environment that facilitates cultural and linguistic responsiveness, emotional well-being, self-efficacy, positive social interaction, mutual respect, active engagement, academic risk-taking, self-motivation, and personal goal-setting.

Class Website

Artifact Description: Linked to my student portfolio is my classroom website I constructed to give an outline of my future classroom. My classroom website contains valuable information and resources students and parents can obtain to understand my foundations and beliefs to conduct an effective and efficient learning environment. My background information, Classroom Rules/Expectations, Rewards/Consequences, Procedures, Instructional Style and Strategies, Diversity Page, School Wellness and Monthly Calendar are the 8 categories found in my classroom website. This page was created in Spring 2020 semester at Trinity Christian College to use as a resource for conducting my actual classroom.

IPTS Connection: My classroom website makes a significant connection to becoming a competent teacher listed in standard 4. As a competent teacher, “creates a safe and healthy environment that maximizes student learning” (4I). It is important to care for the students and offer enough support to maximize their potential in learning. For example, in my website I included school wellness to students that don’t have the financial opportunity to meet their needs. I included the resource of obtaining free clothes at the closet with no charge to any student and information on housing support as well. In addition, to be a competent teacher he or she “uses strategies to create a smoothly functioning learning community in which students assume responsibility for themselves and one another, participate in decision-making, work collaboratively and independently, use appropriate technology, and engage in purposeful learning activities (4K). Yet, my formative assessments make learning engaging and fun as I allow students to make their own decisions during my lesson through the virtual classroom strategy using their iPad to annotate and take their own notes independently. I will also involve the diverse community in my classroom activities by informing them the twice a year community scholarship dance I organize to raise money to give to students who don’t qualify for financial aid.

Learning Description: Constructing this website helped me understand the meaning of a competent teacher and prepares me to structure my future classroom. The development of this website helped me research helpful information of theorist that match my ideal classroom and strategies I plan to implement as well, like my expectations and procedures to a healthy learning environment. Yet, I found concrete research that could benefit myself, colleagues, students and parents in my website. Great use of this website to serve as a steppingstone of becoming an educator that will impact the lives of students.