CREATING CLASSROOM CULTURE 1

Amanda Newcomb

Creating Classroom Culture

EDUG 520

Vanguard University

April 25, 2017

CREATING CLASSROOM CULTURE 2

How can I create and maintain effective environments for learning?

Students need more than a classroom and books to learn. Like everyone, they need to feel

safe, valued, and respected. It is, therefore, imperative for teachers to create and maintain

effective environments for learning. The decisions teachers make must be intentional to influence

the students to feel welcome and valued. In order to create effective learning environments,

teachers must first learn about their students, decide what they want their classroom culture to

be, and emphasize mutual respect.

It is important for teachers to learn about their students when creating their classroom

environment. Not only does this help when designing instruction, it helps to make the students

part of the classroom and learning environment and take ownership of their learning. Teachers

can make their students feel welcome and wanted in their classroom by making simple gestures

that really go a long way in gaining the students trust and respect. Greeting the students by name

and with a smile sets the tone for a whole class. If a student feels welcome when they walk into

the classroom, the pressure of learning is relieved. Another way to make the students feel valued

is by displaying their work in the classroom, communicating the message that the teacher cares

about the students and their success. (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing [CTC],

2016. TPE 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 4.1).

The classroom culture is important when creating effective learning environments. This

encompasses the class setup, class rules and procedures, and policies. The class setup

communicates a variety of messages to the students: perhaps the most obvious being the kind of

work they will be doing. If desks are set up in individual rows facing the front, the students will

expect to do a lot of independent work. If the desks are set up in groups, the students will expect

to work more collaboratively. The classroom culture is heavily influenced by the rules that a
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teacher has in place, as well as any consequences. If a teacher has a lot of very specific rules, the

students might feel that it is too easy to get in trouble, or they might take these as a challenge to

try to get around the rules. If a teacher has less specific rules, or they involve the students in

coming up with the rules, the students are more likely to understand their purpose and respect the

rules and procedures. Similarly, if the students understand the policies in place for the class,

including consequences, they will be more accepting of them. The rules, policies, and procedures

of a class are designed to keep the students safe and to keep the class running smoothly. If a

teacher communicates this to the students, it will contribute to a learning environment in which

they feel respected and communicated with, rather than simply seeing arbitrary rules that do not

impact them. (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing [CTC], 2016. TPE 1.1, 1.3, 1.5,

1.6, 1.8, 2.1-2.6, 4.1).

One of the most important factors to creating and maintaining an effective learning

environment is mutual respect. Students must respect their teachers, but in order for that happen,

teachers must show that they respect their students. For me, this ties back in with the classroom

culture and the rules, procedures, and policies that govern the classroom. Teachers can show that

they respect their students through the rules they employ and the expectations they have for their

students. Students must also respect each other because at this age, their peers can have an untold

effect on each others self-esteem. It is important for the teacher to intervene in instances of

bullying and make it clear that put downs of any kind are unacceptable. Lev Vygotsky once said

that, learning awakens a variety of internal development processes that are able to operate

only when the child is interacting with people in his environment and in cooperation with his

peers, (Vygotsky, 1938, p. 90). Learning is, at its core, a shared experience. Students cannot get

the most out of their education if they are fearful of those around them. By interacting and
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cooperating with their peers, students can get the most out of their educational experience.

(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing [CTC], 2016. TPE 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 2.1-

2.6, 4.1).

It is important to "provide multiple means of engagement to tap learners' interests, offer

appropriate challenges, and increase motivation. Students differ markedly in the ways in which

they can be engaged or motivated to learn" (Burden & Byrd, 2016, p. 51). Each student is

different, and it is important to acknowledge and celebrate those differences so that each student

can feel safe and valued and get the most out of their learning. It is the responsibility of the

teacher to create and maintain effective learning environments so that they can help their

students thrive.
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References
Burden, P.R., & Byrd, D.M. (2016). Methods for Effective Teaching: Meeting the Needs of All

Students (7th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

California Commission on Teaching Credentialing (CTC). (2016). California Teaching

Performance Expectations.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological

Processes Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.