Classroom+Environment

= = = The Classroom Environment = = =

In the best situation there is an immediate sense of a safe, caring, and inviting environment. Children are clearly engaged in well-constructed, collaborative activities, and express themselves in respecful ways. There is the feeling that the classroom is a good place to come into, that a sense of community and cooperation has been built, and that there is just the right balance of predictable routine and novelty. (Jensen, 1998)

Teachers establish positive learning environments so that stundents with poorer social and emotional skills receive extra effort to show they are valued, likeable, and worht supporting. Teachers do this through coaching, modeling, and friendly, firm guidance. (Watson (2003) They try a variety of strategies. When consequences must be applied, they must be reasonable, fair, and administered by the teacher, rather than sending out of thew classroom.

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Facilitating Learning: Organizing Space, Materials, Time, and Routines
The physical attractiveness of a classroom, the way the teachers and children, and how time and routines are structured all have a positive or negative effect on the quality of the instructional program and overall learning climate. Classrooms should be arranged to facilitate quiet and efficient movement and to help children to access and return materials easily and independently. A room that is organized uncluttered allows children to focus on their work. Good storage, color-coded and labeled materials on open shelves, child-sized tables and chairs, clean furnishijngs and equipment are all compatible with good learning opportunities.



Managing Children Effectively: Creating an Atmosphere of Trust and Support
Children's basic needs are no different from the basic needs of adults: belonging, power, freedom, and fun. According to William Glasser (1998), the most important of these is the need for identity or a sense of belonging. Good teachers provide this by quickly learning children's names, greeting them individually at the beginning of the lesson, and having additional conversations with them during the day. They provide personal space for each child, make connections to the children's real world, and let them know they've been missed when they're absent.

These teachers enhance children's sense of power by giving them learning **choices**, involving them in **decision making**, such as helping to construct the classroom rules, letting them know when changes are coming up, assigning genuine **responsibility** for maintaining the classroom, and recognizing their **achievements**.

Children in shcu classrooms have the freedom to make mistakes as long as they are trying their best. They can make self-selected learning choices as long as they are acting responsibly. The teacher talks about how everyone is good at something, highlights successes for every child, takes delight in