Positive Classroom Climate

---Yanhua Wang

Classroom Climate is the classroom environment, the social climate, the emotional and the physical aspects of the classroom. It’s the idea that teachers influence student growth and behavior. The student’s behavior affects peer interaction--the responsibility of influencing these behaviors is placed with the Instructor. The way the instructor organizes the classroom should lead to a positive environment rather than a destructive and/or an environment that is not conducive to learning.

------Dr. Karen L. Bierman, the Director of the Penn State Child Study Center and Professor of Psychology, believed that a teacher needs to be "invisible hand" in the classroom.

As we all know that the USA is the number one immigrant country in the world. There are students coming from South America, Asia, Europe and Africa in one class. They speak different languages, celebrate different festivals, have different food, influenced by different cultures. As the teacher in school, I think it’s really important to balance the relationship of students while still doing a good job in teaching the subject. Some teachers may be confused because they believe that teachers’ responsibilities are helping the students in the targeted subject, and there is nothing to do with students’ background. Well, let me tell you why it’s important for creating a climate of caring and concern in the classroom

First, respect is mutual. If you respect students’ cultures, they turn out to appreciate your respect and further respect you. Once you earn their respect, you earn their trust. Respect and trust each other is a very important first step to lead your class into easy management mode.

Second, avoid conflict. Conflict not only means fighting but sometimes it also means the smooth going of the class. Think about it that how does an Indian student feel if other students are talking about how tasted beef is. Or the teacher keeps talking about the family union, parenthood in front of single parent family.

Third, set up a harmony learning environment. I believe students’ learning efficiency would be higher is they are studying in a harmony learning environment. They will grasp the knowledge point very quickly;  they will finish homework on time; they will work together for the project.

In my class, I always pay special attention to understanding students’ background. Here are several steps I take to ensure I have a positive classroom climate.

I introduce myself to the students at the very first beginning of the semester. I want my students to know who I am and what kind of person I am. I also tell them in detail about what they are going to learn in the semester. I ask their opinions or expectation about the subject so they know that I care about their thoughts. I ask them to introduce themselves, their ages, hobbies, families, cultures, ethics, idols. I tell them that we have to know each other well so we can get along with each other.

I schedule a quiz for the students. I have to know how were they doing about the subject in the past year. I analyze the quiz and adjust my lesson plan toward different students. I want to make sure that they will make progress in my class.

I celebrate with my students their festivals, their cultures. I not only teach them Chinese cultures but also do research about my students’ cultural background. My students will introduce their culture to other students whenever there is a chance. For example, on St Patrick's Day, Irish student makes a presentation in the class to share how their family and relative celebrate this festival; the history and tradition of St Patrick’s day. I make sure that my students are proud of their cultures.

I consider communication as a very important part of positive classroom climate. I prepare rubrics for projects, tests to avoid any misunderstanding of the subject. If there is any abnormal behavior of the students, I will always talk with them face-to-face. I prefer to solve problems as soon as possible. I will find out the background story first before taking any action.

There are a lot to do to build up a positive classroom climate. Not only the teacher has to work hard to make sure everything going on well, but also the students have to contribute their effort.

Reference:

1.Bierman, Karen L. (September–October 2011). "The promise and potential of studying the "invisible hand" of teacher influence on peer relations and student outcomes: A commentary". Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. SI Teachers and Classroom Social Dynamics 32 (5): 297. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2011.04.004. Retrieved 23 October 2013.

2."Classroom Climate". Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. The Trustees of Indiana University. Retrieved 23 October 2013.