Author: Tonie Konig

Strategies to Create A Productive, Positive Classroom Learning Environment

Positive learning environments are essential for students’ academic, social and emotional success. It is not enough to create positive learning environments. Positive classroom learning environments are made up of many components. Positive classroom  learning environments should foster safety and trust, encourage taking risks, foster open and authentic conversations, trust and respect, and foster positive interaction.

Your students should feel happy and engaged from the start of every school year. It’s not too late. We will be talking about positive action strategies and tips that educators can use to create a positive classroom learning environment for students. These strategies will help you create learning environments that encourage academic success as well as social and emotional well being for your students.

What makes a classroom a positive environment?

Positive classroom environments are one where students feel safe sharing their thoughts, taking chances, asking questions, and tackling challenges in learning. This type of classroom environment can be created by educators who set clear expectations and provide opportunities for students to develop social skills, build relationships with them, and offer relevant content. Students feel valued when educators create this kind of environment in the classroom. This allows students to become more involved in the learning process and creates a more productive learning environment.

Our Vision

To provide a platform for independent schools to learn and become pillars in their community. We aim to instill strong morals, values and education ….

Step 1 – Make learning relevant

Students will be more engaged in learning if they feel the subject or topic is important to their happiness and success. When teaching history, science and social studies, it is important that lectures are adapted to the students’ interests. It’s a smart idea to discover the learning styles and talents of students if you can. If you have the resources, students will be more engaged and attentive.

Step 2 – Develop a Code of Conduct

If students aren’t in agreement on the positive and negative behaviors, it’s difficult to create a positive learning environment at school or in the classroom. Students must first consider how they feel about being treated in order to establish a code. Then, students should be able to brainstorm acceptable behaviors they consider appropriate, respectful, kind, fair, and appropriate. Teachers and students can then agree on how to treat other people. This will set the tone in the classroom.

Step 3 – Use a Positive Actions Curriculum

While it would be great for students to all have the same understanding of positive behavior, that is not possible. Children come from many cultural, socioeconomic, and familial backgrounds. These influences, along with many others, influence students’ perceptions about what is acceptable and unacceptable. Positive behavior should be taught in a consistent and systematic way at school and in the classroom. The best way to instill positive behavior is with a Positive Action curriculum. Positive action is something students should be taught.

• Positive actions can result in positive feelings and a positive self image.

• A healthier body can be achieved by taking positive actions such as exercise, nutrition, and sleep.

• Positive actions such as problem-solving or decision-making can help our brains become smarter and more efficient.

• Positive actions such as kindness, respect and living by the Golden Rule allow us to be kind and helpful to others.

• Positive actions such as managing your time well and managing your emotions can help you manage your affairs better.

• Positivity is the ability to admit our mistakes and take responsibility for them. This allows us and others to be more open with each other.

• Setting goals and taking positive actions can help you grow.

Positive things make children feel better about themselves.

Our Mission

By instilling excellence, perseverance and hard work, we can leave a lasting legacy.

Engaged Learning Environment – How Important Is It?

Research has shown that interactive learning environments increase students’ attention, focus, motivation. The School of Rose Valley employs a student-centered teaching approach. Active learning encourages engagement and creates a learning environment that is fun. Instead of sitting still and listening, students are encouraged to engage in class. In order to meet individual learners’ needs, class time is used to ask, apply, and evaluate.

What benefits can an engaged learning environment bring?

Engaged learning environment

• Students have more interaction with their teachers and peers

• Students get frequent feedback

• Tasks take more effort, time and money.

• Students can apply their knowledge to different situations

• You can have many experiences with it

What makes an environment for learning engaging?

Engaged learning is based on students’ motivation and active learning. Motivation is dependent on students’ desire to learn and expectations. Students who believe they can succeed and are excited about learning will be motivated. Students who are eager to learn and gain insight will benefit from positive learning experiences and influence.

Active learning does not require physical movement. Active learning is about student involvement in the learning process. Students can become active participants in their learning. Students are offered the opportunity to connect previous learning with new discoveries. This helps them to make deeper connections and retain the information. Many modern teaching methods are heavily based on PowerPoint presentations and lectures. This makes students passive recipients of information rather than active learners.

When students are connected, classrooms can be transformed into learning communities. Students can feel connected to their teachers, and engage in collaborative, active learning. Students learn not just through logic, but also by exploring the learning process in a way that appeals and feels to them. This allows students to learn at their own pace and allows them to be more personalized.

Our Philosophy

We believe that sharing knowledge and learning is possible through exploration, investigation and discussion.

Ways To Foster A Positive Classroom Environment

Educational strategies today emphasize that classrooms can be more than just a place to learn. Teachers know that students are more motivated and safe when they have a positive learning environment. The importance of fostering a positive classroom atmosphere and offer suggestions on how to do it is so essential.

Always be there for them

Supporting your students in times of need is a simple but effective way to create a positive learning environment. Sometimes students need support for academic problems or to discuss personal situations at home. Students often find it helpful to have someone they trust listen to their concerns and offer advice when necessary. Many students feel reassured knowing that someone listens and comforts them.

Students have a right to a voice.

Students who feel that their opinions are valued in class discussions are more likely to be encouraged to speak before their peers. Students should be encouraged to voice their opinions, take chances and choose how they learn best. This promotes student empowerment. This encourages self-confidence, which in turn supports positive learning environments.

Students-centered learning encourages learners to participate in class decisions and allows them to learn in the way that is most comfortable for them. They will feel more involved in the decisions that affect their learning if they have more options. They may feel more connected if they feel their input is important and will put in more effort in classwork.

Establish a routine

Many children are able to thrive when they have a consistent daily routine. Students can feel more at ease if they know what to expect when entering your classroom. A classroom routine can include a bell ringer at the beginning of each day, reviewing the day’s objectives and ending each class with an exit ticket.

It may be worth considering doing the same activities every week. You could, for example, go to the library every Tuesday to use technology and then have a reading time in class on Friday. Students will be able to establish a routine so they know what to expect when they arrive in your classroom.

Establish rules and expectations

It is important to establish guidelines, such as classroom rules or expectations, so students are aware of what is acceptable behavior. You might consider asking your students to discuss the rules that they think should be added to your classroom rules. This will give them the opportunity to express their opinions on important aspects of your class.

Establishing expectations can help you manage your classroom better and maintain its daily structure. Students will behave better when they know you will follow through on your expectations and rules.

Provide positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a great way to foster a positive classroom culture. Extrinsic motivators are one way to provide positive reinforcement. Extrinsic motivations are external stimuli that encourage students to be positive, such as candy for passing a test or five minutes of extra time at the end. A good extrinsic motivator is to praise students publicly. It is possible to compliment students’ academic performance or behavior in front of others. You may also contact parents to let them know about the positive actions their child has been showing.

Movement Education improves student brain and physical health

Research has shown that movement can be linked to certain brain functions in children. Cross lateral movement, for example, allows the right and left brains to work together. This helps to awaken different brain lobes.

Along with lateral movements, jumping, skipping, and hopping are all linked to cognitive activity in the brain. Because children who sit for more than 10 minutes are deprived of oxygen and glucose, movement can enhance learning. After a time, the brain becomes sleepy and switches off.

Including movement in education improves students’ morale and allows them to perform at a higher school level.

Students learn more and can stay focused by working at a higher level. It helps more children. Every educator will tell students that this is the most important thing.

Health and Physical Education: The Importance

Physical Education is an obligatory learning area within the school curriculum that provides students with opportunities to lead active and healthy lifestyles. Schools are the best place to learn and develop health-related skills. Students can improve their health and that of others by learning about physical and health education.

What does Movement Education mean?

Movement education is instruction that teaches children how to improve their motor skills by using physical movement. As part of physical therapy, movement education is often used to help students and children gain a better understanding of the body’s motion and improve their ability to move in daily activities. Movement education is designed to improve physical performance and health.

Benefits of Moving in Schools

Students who take regular, scheduled movement breaks throughout the day and use movement between and within lessons are more well-behaved and engaged and can focus more on what they are learning and retain it better.

Here are some benefits movement breaks can offer:

Learning efficiency

• Because it partially controls navigation and short-term memory, the hippocampus requires time to process information.

• Students can refocus their brains when they return to the content.

• Moving helps you develop social skills that are essential for comprehension and critical thinking.

• Re-energizing learning is possible by realigning the brain/body connection

Stress Relief, Mood Elevation, and Social Perks

• Students who are stressed or uncomfortable will have a difficult time learning new information, especially if they are using critical thinking skills or need to link new information with their own experiences, prior knowledge, or abstract thought.

• Successful learning is based on student-to student and teacher-to-teacher relationships. Research has shown that students who are in safe, supportive environments and are kind to one another are more likely to succeed academically.

• Modern life is more static, especially for children who are involved in P.E. Recess is being cut to make way for academic achievement.

• We often get our best ideas when we’re having a break

• This may help to reduce overwhelm by the content

Class Cohesion

• Increases student participation and attendance in class

• Building relationships and concern for others’ well-being

• Increase self-esteem and sense of belonging

• Enhances communication and listening skills

• Encourages laughter, fun, and learning

• Increases self-discipline, motivation

Ideas can be both fun and functional.

The movements can be short and easy. It takes only thirty seconds to two minutes to accomplish all this. Simple breaks include bending at the waist and touching your toes, marching around the room, jumping jacks five times, jumping up and down, jumping jacks, moving a piece paper in a figure-8 motion between your legs and around the floor, or clapping loudly at set intervals. Students can be asked to move and play with papers that teachers pass out. Students can make their own math quizzes or peer edits by putting their paper in a ball. The teacher can then tell the class to freeze the paper. All students will need to grab a piece of paper and flatten it. These ideas can be fun and functional.

Students love learning in environments that integrate movement. They perform better academically and retain information more efficiently. Creative teachers will see many ways to add excitement to their lessons, and students will love them for that. If you have any winning ideas, let us know.

When you think about the movement education model and the concepts it contains that you want students understand, consider the acronym B.E.R.S. It stands for body, effort and relationships. Each of these four concepts is an important part of the movement ed framework.

The Body: Understanding the body as an instrument

Your students should explore the body within the movement ed framework. You want them to see their body as an instrument and to be able to move in different ways. Their movement is a way for them to ask the question of what is happening and what it is actually doing.

We know that they can explore locomotor and non-locomotor actions. But there are other elements they may be able use to make those actions more creative or express themselves through different body shapes. Can they perform them in a wider-body shape or a narrower-body shape? They should be able to perform those actions in a circular shape or bent shape. Understanding the different body shapes can help them express their creativity.

Effort: What is the best way to take action?

As far as effort is concerned, a concept in the context of a movement or model or framework is considered a concept. Your students should be able answer the question “How is this action being done?” You want them to be able to use different adjectives to describe their movements. This is what you want them able to do in relation to effort. You can also have them explore time as a component of that concept. Speed is one example. They must be able to perform the different actions and movements of their local motor skills, as well as non-local motor skills, at a slower speed. They can do it even though they are speeding up and accelerating. They could also do it while decelerating, which would reduce their speed. They might also be able to explore the different actions and movements that they could make as a function force. They can do these things with either a lighter or stronger force.

Relationships: Who or what are you doing this action with?

You want your students to ask the question, “With whom or what are they doing their action?”. To better understand the concept of relationships, they will use their bodies to answer this question. That’s where propositions or even adverbs can come in to play. They will be able to describe and understand the connections they make to other objects and people through their movements. They can explore how they do things by themselves, in pairs, in groups or with partner pairs. Or they can explore how they do them together, mirroring each other’s movements, leading and following each other. They can contrast when they are doing something opposite, or in unison. They can also explore proposition words, where they might be able to explore moving over, under, around, through, and even on top of things. All that comes into play. They look at propositions and adverbs to see who or what their action is.

Space: Where are they taking action?

Your students can then look at the concept space in the context of the movement framework. This will enable them to ask the question, “Where is my action taking place?” They can then explore, what can they do in their personal space to make those movements and actions? Or can they do it in general space? Are they able to do these different actions or movements going forward or backward in directions, sideways or going to the left or right? They can also explore the different paths. They can do these different movements whether they are following a straight path, a curving pathway, or zigzag route. You can even do it at different levels. They can do these different movements whether they are at the top or bottom of a medium-level. As your students get more proficient in understanding these concepts, you can build on them and combine them so that your students can perform the movements in many ways that allow for creativity and individuality.

Okay, let’s move and learn!

How to Create a Positive Learning Environment in Your Home

As educators navigate the new world of digital and hybrid learning, they are working with parents to ensure seamless learning between school and home. Although parents are not teachers, they can be the experts on their children and create a positive learning environment that is conducive to learning. Here is a brief message with some tips and resources teachers can share with their families as part of ongoing communication.

Family Tips and Resources: Creating a Positive Learning Environment

• Create productive learning spaces at home. You can be creative depending on the learning preferences of your child and your home environment. You can create a learning space with a table, a counter or a large box filled with pillows. You should ensure that your child has all the necessary materials for the learning activity, such as paper, pencils, and digital devices. As much as possible, try to minimize distractions. More ideas to create a learning environment at home.

• A consistent daily schedule will help keep your child’s attention. . While we understand that the transition to digital/hybrid learning can be difficult for working parents, it is essential that you follow the school’s schedule and maintain a routine for your child’s education. This is a short summary. Here are some simple tips to help your child stay focused.

  • Get help with goal-setting and time management: Make time for family huddles at least once a week. Discuss who will be able to help your child complete homework and join virtual classes. To practice self-control, involve your child in setting goals. They can draw or write down their goals. Recognize your child’s accomplishments and encourage them to keep working hard. Make a list of people who can help your child learn and make arrangements for your child’s assistance. Your child may need to take some time to build confidence and track their progress towards success.

  • Make it more interesting with brain break or physical activity. This allows you to alternate schoolwork with short walks, exercise, and hands-on learning (reading and art), screen time (virtual museums tours, online activities), as well as social connections (such playing Roblox and Minecraft). You should ensure that communication functions such as chat with strangers, are disabled.

  • Be prepared: While is juggling work and learning digitally, be proactive and creative in supporting your child’s learning. Take advantage of every moment of the day. Find time to read with your child and discuss what they are learning. Children younger than 5 years old will need assistance in managing their learning activities. While older children might be able do their schoolwork independently, they will still benefit from discussing what they are learning. Encourage your child’s classmates to communicate via email, phone or video to socialize and collaborate on projects.

• Develop motivation. You should be focusing on your child’s efforts and progress . Use language such as “You worked hard on that” or “Writing is difficult, but I can see how you are improving with practice!” This will encourage your child to continue with more challenging tasks. These additional tips will help keep your child motivated, especially when they are learning online.

• Share your strategies to improve self-control, organization and executive function . One example: “I have trouble focusing on my job today. I am going to take a rest. Would you like to go for a walk with me? Take a walk with me.

• Engage your child in new and unique ways . “Active Learning” refers to using new information immediately to “learn through doing”. “Passive Learning” is when you listen or watch to learn new information. These are some tips to help you learn online and offline with your child.

  • Learning information in multiple ways is a benefit to students. Students learn more from flashcards (print and digital) that include text and images, charts, graphs, etc., than cards that only show words.

  • It is important to keep students’ interest alive and not only by reading through textbooks every day. Every student can learn more if the activity is relevant to the subject. This includes clapping in math class, sketching in science class, and acting out during story time.

• Learn what age is appropriate for your child. This resource offers great tips for setting screen-time limits, and helping your child to develop positive tech habits.

Our Vision

To create an environment where independent schools can learn and be a pillar in the community. Education is a way to instill strong morals and values.

What Does the Home Environment Have to Do with Learning?

Children thrive when their environment allows them to learn at home

Research has shown that the quality and quantity of a child’s early environment are a prerequisite for brain development. A stimulating learning environment can positively impact all learning areas later. Source: de Witt

Children require space, time and materials, as well as an environment that fosters their sense of security. This is an essential emotional need. Children need an environment that encourages learning and allows them to develop their brains.

What is the home learning environment? It has many aspects.

• Their physical environment

• They are the physical objects around them

• They surround themselves with people

• Their interactions with the rest of the world and people

How To Create a Positive Learning Environment At Home

It is easy to create a learning environment that fosters creativity. You only need to put in a little effort in order to make your home a learning environment for your children.

It is obvious that children require the basics first, such as food, shelter, and medical care, before they can learn.

Our Mission

We can leave a legacy that is more than knowledge from independent schools by instilling excellence and perseverance.

How to Encourage A More Positive Home Learning Environment

Why are home learning environments important?

A lot of research has been done about the importance of home learning in the first years. This makes it a strong argument for its crucial role in child development.

These are just a few of the things we know.

• Increased learning opportunities in the home have been proven to have a positive impact on school literacy and numeracy achievement

• Positive home learning environments are more important than parental occupation, education, or income.

• Home learning environments have an impact on school readiness. A good one will increase independence and creativity once you get to school.

• Parents are prepared. According to the most recent government survey, parents want to do more at home to help their child learn.

What is a good learning environment for home?

All this is great, but what does it mean to have positive home learning environments?

It is important to understand the importance of play and how to encourage and support children’s learning.

It is important to choose a starting point that can be reached from:

• Children are heard

• They are highly valued for their contributions

• They are valued and taken seriously

• Encouragement of their language and thought

How about examples specific?

• Singing nursery rhymes and songs

• Reading aloud with your child

• Visit the library

• Playing with numbers and letters

• Drawing and painting

• Take your children out and about

• Play with your friends at home

Our Philosophy

We believe that learning happens when we explore, investigate, and discuss. Knowledge is shared.

A thriving learning environment requires many elements. It doesn’t matter if it is your first year of education or your thirty-fifth. The first weeks, months, and days of the school year are crucial to creating the learning environment that you desire for your students.

Relationship building starting at day one

Start building relationships with middle school and high school students the day you start school. Then, grow them throughout the year.

Relationships that are good

Start early. Develop positive relationships with parents and students starting on the first day. Students can get to know each other by creating fun icebreakers and exchanging letters. To establish these relationships, you can send a letter to your parents or call each house.

Take your time. Although it may be tempting to rush to get into the content as soon as school starts, taking the time to develop relationships will pay dividends later. Your students will benefit from your personal relationships and the community you create.

Ask for help. Your greatest resource is your fellow faculty members and staff. Reach out to your teachers and the thousands of Twitter teachers. You will find someone who can answer your question and wants to be connected with you.

Clear Communication

Use their language. To get to their level, use humor, technology, or other strategies. This extra effort will make it easier to relate to students. This strategy can also be used to present “mundane” information such as classroom rules and regulations.

Start from scratch. While you may be familiar with the rules, your students will likely not. It is important to not assume that your students are able to complete simple tasks like taking notes or collaborating. It can be tedious, but it will pay off, just like building relationships.

Trust

Let students decide. From classroom layouts to project ideas, students can have a say. You can make easier for students and make it more fun.

Trust technology. Although new tech can seem daunting, there are a few ways you can make your class digital. Some educators recommend creating a digital newsletter to parents, updating on Instagram and Twitter with photos, setting up a blog or using edtech resources such as Remind or Google Forms. This is a great way for students to be engaged even when classes aren’t in session.

Be confident in your abilities! You don’t need to be perfect the first day, or even the first week.

Our Vision

To create an environment where independent schools can learn and be a pillar in the community. While providing education …, we aim to instill strong morals and values.

Remember that you and your students can only be human. It doesn’t matter how much you plan, map, or research, once your kids are in the room, anything is possible. It doesn’t mean you have to have it all together from day one.

Tips to Create a Safe Learning Environment

1. Every year, community is built. Include strategies and activities such as Save The Last Word for me in your lessons that will allow students to share their thoughts, create relationships and collaborate. This will allow your students to feel safe and secure in their classroom.

2. Students own the space when they see student work, such as essays, poems and projects. They will feel more comfortable if they can see their writing and thinking than they do if they are looking at posters from the store. If informational posters are required, you can ask your students for help.

3. Know your non-negotiables. Students must be able to recognize and comply with school rules and procedures. My biggest non-negotiable? Name calling. The immediate consequence was a call to the dean, and the removal of the class that day. Defeat name calling immediately or the kids will not feel safe enough to be themselves and learn.

4. Accept What You Don’t Understand. Students love it when we are open to sharing our humanity. “I don’t really know.” Is there anyone who knows or would they be willing to help us? It is powerful stuff.

5. This is a way to communicate with your students: I enjoy reading. I don’t tell you what I think and then grade you on your reading. I actually read alongside you. You can see my expressions when I am struggling to understand something and what I feel at the end of a funny or sad part. I’m also a reader.

6. Keep calm at all times. It takes time to regain that sense of safety and trust once a teacher has lost it with students or a class. Take a few deep breaths and step outside the door. It is worth it.

7. You will be a role model for others.

8. Mingling allows you to monitor students’ work but also lets you see if there are any tensions between students or groups. Circulating gives you the opportunity to hear students sharing ideas or questions that you can share with the class.

9. You can address grudges early. Create space and time for students to discuss their feelings while you mediate.

10. Write with your students. This sends the message: I enjoy writing. I don’t tell you what to do and then grade your writing. I actually write alongside you. As I write a letter or poem, you can see me struggling. You also see me considering new words and cross-out old ones. I take risks as I revise. I’m also a writer.

Our Mission

We can leave a legacy that is more than knowledge from independent schools by instilling excellence and perseverance.

How to create a friendly classroom environment

In just 10 steps, you can create an environment conducive to learning.

1. Show enthusiasm to your students every day. Have as many positive things as you can say.

2. Students should be given the opportunity to share events and other information with you. It doesn’t matter if there is a set time each day that 3-5 students can share with you, it will create an environment of warmth, friendliness, and acceptance. This shows your students that you care. It also gives you the opportunity to learn more about each student.

3. Share something you find important with your students. You will be seen by your students as a caring and real person. This kind of sharing should not be done daily, but only from time to time.

4. Talk about differences in the classroom. Children can benefit from understanding diversity early on. Discuss cultural differences, body images, body types, talents and strengths. Your learners should have the opportunity to share their weaknesses and strengths. Even though a child may not be able run fast, they may be able draw well. These conversations should always be positive. Children will benefit forever from the ability to understand diversity. It fosters trust and acceptance within the classroom.

5. Be clear about your stance against bullying. Bullying is not tolerated in a nurturing and welcoming environment. Make sure that bullying is reported early to stop it from happening. It is not bullying to report on a bully, but tattling. You should have a set routines as well as rules to prevent bullying.

6. Create activities that encourage students to work together, and build rapport. Establish routines and rules for teamwork and small group work.

7. Remember to focus on your strengths when you call upon a student. Don’t judge a child because they aren’t able to do it, but take the time to help the child. Asking a child to show or respond to something should be done in the child’s comfort zone. Always capitalize on their strengths. It is important to show compassion and understanding to your students in order for them to have confidence and self-esteem.

8. Encourage two-way respect. Two-way respect is something I cannot stress enough. Respect is a golden rule. You will always get it back if you show it.

9. Spend time educating the class about disabilities and disorders. Role playing helps develop empathy and support among peers and classmates.

10. Encourage self-confidence and self-esteem in every student in your classroom. Show appreciation and praise when it is due. Students will feel better about themselves and toward others if they feel positive.

Our Philosophy

We believe in sharing knowledge and learning through exploration, investigation, and discussion.