1. Chapter 6: Creating and Maintaining a Positive and Productive Learning Environment

2. Focus Questions
How do teachers create a positive learning environment?
What routines contribute to maintaining a productive classroom environment?
How do teachers establish expectations, incentives, and consequences?
How can I develop a classroom management plan?

3. How Do Teachers Create a Positive Learning Environment?
Physical space
Building community
Teacher withitness, overlapping, and ripple effect (Kounin’s philosophy)
Using time wisely

4. Classroom Physical Space
Welcoming, warm, student-friendly
Seating arrangement
Proximity
Wall space and interest centers

5. Classroom Community Demonstrate care Develop trust
Teach unconditionally
Embrace social media

6. What Routines Contribute to Maintaining a Productive Classroom Environment?
Getting student attention
Responding to interruptions
Transitioning from activity to activity

7. Routines in the Early Childhood Classroom
Paying attention
Gathering supplies
Moving about the room
Working in groups
Playing with, and putting away, games and toys
Reacting to interruptions
Going to the restroom
Lining up and moving through the building
Sharpening pencils
Keeping desks in order
Filing and retrieving folders

8. Routines in the Elementary Classroom
Gathering/using materials
Turning in homework assignments
Borrowing library books
Dismissal procedures for walkers, bus riders, and car riders

9. Routines in the Middle School Classroom
Computer use
Gathering and returning materials
Restroom and water breaks

10. Routines in the High School Classroom
Entering and leaving class
Paying attention
Working in groups
Checking out and returning materials
Responding to class interruptions, such as announcements, hand-delivered messages, and visitors

11. Three Important Elements of Classroom Management
Expectations – a positive term for rules
Incentives – a term that is less value-laden than rewards
Consequences – implies more natural ramifications than the word punishment

12. Extrinsic and Intrinsic Incentives
Dependent on people other than the student
Less effective than intrinsic because desirable behavior will likely cease when extrinsic incentives are removed
Praise may be an effective extrinsic motivator
Much of society runs smoothly because of extrinsic incentives

13. Extrinsic and Intrinsic Incentives
Satisfaction that comes from doing what is considered the right thing
More desirable than extrinsic incentives
Student self-monitoring is the best intrinsic incentive

14. Consequences Used when intervention is necessary
Should match the inappropriate behavior
Should focus on the behavior, not on the person
Unobtrusive intervention involves verbal or non-verbal teacher strategies that allow instruction to continue
Serious consequences beyond what a classroom teacher should assign may be necessary
Constructive correcting turns something negative into a positive growth experience

15. Steps to Use When Correcting Students
1. Review what happened.
2. Identify and accept student’s feelings.
3. Review alternative actions.
4. Explain the building policy as it applies to the situation.
5. Let the student know that all students are treated the same.
6. Invoke an immediate and meaningful consequence.
7. Let the student know you are disappointed that you have to invoke a consequence to his or her action.
8. Communicate an expectation that the student will do better in the future.

16. What to Consider When Developing a Classroom Management Plan
students with special needs
the societal context in which students live
developmental appropriateness

17. General Guidelines for Developing a Classroom Management Plan
Always stay within school and district policies and guidelines.
Use positive, rather than negative, statements when establishing expectations.
Consistently apply expectations and consequences.
Explore conflict resolution and peer mediation.
Communicate and document.
Ask for help.

18. Concluding Thoughts
Well-managed classrooms are marked by civility. Some students come to school without a clear idea of what civility looks like because they don’t live in the midst of it. Teachers must model civility, orchestrate an environment that fosters it, and then expect nothing less of students.