Overview
In this blog I am going to discuss the importance of creating a climate of caring and concern to support student learning. One of the biggest parts of being a teacher is learning to recognize and be aware of what is happening in the classroom and outside the classroom with students. This involves understanding the emotions and non verbals from each student and knowing what is normal for them and what is not. Many students come from different backgrounds and it is important for teachers to recognize that while also maintaining a safe and nurturing environment. I will be teaching second grade and this blog will illustrate examples of strategies I can use in the classroom that reflects a climate of caring and concern to support all students.
Creating a climate of caring and concern
To support student learning, teachers must create a climate of caring and concern. What does this mean? It means making a student feel safe in their school environment where the students feel they can communicate and be heard. I have listed some appropriate strategies below that demonstrate what I can do in the classroom. Most of my strategies have been incorporated from my first activity which was Developing Positive Relationships with Students. Since I will be teaching elementary school my examples will be aimed at that grade range.
Appropriate Strategies:
- Making sure the classroom is student centered: arranging the desks together in groups and making sure my desk is not the focal point of the room. Main goal here is support collaboration and ensure comfort.
- Making sure the classroom is welcoming in terms of displays: having space for different activities and wall covered with art and projects from the students. My hope is to make all of the students feel proud of their work and know that I value their work.
- Getting to know the students: Knowing all of the students names and getting to know different things about them.
- Greeting the students at the door when they come in.
- Using positive tone, facial expression and being enthusiastic.
- Consistent communication: Setting clear rules and learning goals.
- Student Roles: allowing students to have roles in the classroom such as gathering materials, handing out papers, setting up activities and bulletin board duties.
- Having classroom norms: this allows the students to know what's going on this classroom.
Creating a climate of caring and concern for students with different cultural backgrounds
In the area I will be teaching there are many students who have different backgrounds. A lot of the students in the area live in poverty, with their grandparents or face the struggles of parents in jail. This is extremely common in this area. There are not very many jobs since it is a small town and it is far from any other town. It is a very depressed community. The prominent ethnicities are Hispanic and Caucasian. Since I will be teaching such a young age (second grade), I feel that I have a perfect opportunity to help guide the students towards learning in a safe environment free of bullying, discrimination and disrespect. The strategies listed below have the activity about bullying in mind since any "difference" in a student attracts bullying. Since the area I teach in has so many backgrounds present, there are many instances that might come up which involve treating others poorly. It will be my job to recognize this and help put a stop to it and help foster positive relationships.
Appropriate Strategies:
- Pronouncing names correctly: As a teacher it is my job to pronounce my students names correctly. I also feel that it is my job to get to know that student, understand their background and get to know their family.
- Exercise sensitivity
- Incorporate everyone's experiences: This could be in the form of student sharing or a weekly bulletin board that features the student and what is important to them. I feel that allowing the student to share this with the class and have it displayed in the classroom helps foster a climate of caring.
- Outlining the norms for the classroom: This will help the students understand how they are to treat one another.
- Classroom setup: Having multicultural images throughout the classroom.
- Addressing bullying and teaching how this is not tolerated: For the grade level I will be teaching with this can be in the from of books, role playing, short videos. Even watching a movie in class where this situation is depicted can be used to teach how bullying and disrespect of any kind is not tolerated.
- Understanding perspectives: For second graders this can be hard. But one of the key questions I have found effective is asking students how it would make them feel if an action happened to them that they displayed to another. I have found that once the think about this they realize it's not nice to do something mean and they don't do it anymore. Seeing this from another perspective helps to realize feelings of others no matter what their background may be.
Final Thoughts
Overall this week's activities were emotional to think about. Considering students emotions and developing positive relationships are vital to the success of that students educational career. I hope to be a positive teacher who is also a role model my students can look up to. I want them to remember me as they continue their education and always remember the value of how they treat others. I was bullied when I went to school and it was terrible. When doing the reading for these activities and reflecting on all of the case studies that hit close to home I have realized that being a teacher can be life changing for a student. I want to have an impact on my students. Even though my students are young, I still hope to build a base for them to grow on in terms of positive relationships and treating others with respect.
