Domain #2 - Classroom Environment

Classroom Environment is about establishing a healthy classroom setting for your students. You want to make your students feel loved and welcomed. Their presence must be valued and appreciated, or else they will not want to be at school or learning. We as teachers also need to set ground rules for our classroom and establish healthy teacher-student relationships in order to promote learning. This domain mainly focuses on an awareness of students' emotions, the classroom rules, and the organization of the learning space (the physical classroom). We must be inviting.

Components:

• Creating an Environment of Respect and Rapport
• Establishing a Culture for Learning
• Managing Classroom Procedures
• Managing Student Behavior
• Organizing Physical Space

5 ways I can demonstrate this domain in my classroom:

• I can build rapport with my students by learning and doing a secret handshake with each individual student every day to remind them they are valued and loved in my classroom.
• I can build up my students by encouraging them and challenging them each day. I can set high expectations for their behavior and learning.
• I can establish classroom procedures and review them with my students to ensure they understand the way our classroom will work for the year.
• I can have solid control of my class and make sure the rules are known. I can have students assess their behavior daily and have rewards for the class when everyone behaves.
• I can organize the space in the classroom according to what we are learning. For instance, I can switch out posters depending on what topic we are on. I can also monitor how many posters I put up. I do not want to put up too many to distract from students' learning.