Teacher Learning Community

Spring 2018 TLC: Students as Partners in Creating a Positive Classroom Environment - Activity 5 Resources

Course leader:
SEED Team

Teacher Quality Standards

  • QS II: Teachers establish a safe, inclusive and respectful learning environment for a diverse population of students.
    • Element A: Teachers foster a predictable learning environment characterized by acceptable student behavior and efficient use of time in which each student has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults and peers.

Becoming a Community of Learners

In this activity, we will consider ideas about how we might further foster the skills students need in order to build a supportive community. This includes teaching students how to embrace communication and discourse with one another, engage in academic risk, take ownership of their own learning, and learn from mistakes.

Resources

Respecting the Dignity of Words

This article by Rosalind Wiseman discusses how we might consider the definition of respect in relation to dignity to guide our interactions with students.

 

Respectful Talk

In this video, 4th/5th-grade teacher Sherwanda Chism demonstrates how she encourages students to respectfully disagree with one another and learn together in the classroom.

 

Ready to Learn: Creating a Positive Classroom Culture

This video shows how third-grade teacher Jen Saul creates a positive culture and climate in her classroom.

 

Creating a Community of Learners

In this video, 4th-grade teacher Patricia Linares discusses how she creates a classroom culture that encourages students to learn from one another and take risks in the classroom

 

What Students Want from Teachers

In this article from the Educational Leadership issue on giving students ownership of learning, students describe times when they felt in charge of their learning in school.

 

How Academic Risk-Taking Dies in the Classroom

In these two blog posts, teacher Chase Mielke explores the reasons that our students learn to avoid academic risk-taking and what we might do about it.

Inquiry-Based Teaching: Building a Culture of Respect

In this video, teacher discuss the three guiding principles they use to develop a culture of respect in inquiry-based learning.