Ithaca College teaching professionals create safe and motivational learning environments that encourage all students to become actively involved.
Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.
― Plato
I believe all students deserve to feel safe and valued in the classroom.
To reinforce positive behaviors, I employ the behavioral psychology of B. F. Skinner, using “reinforcers” to shape the desired behavior of students. Earlier behaviorists had been concerned with stimulus-response connections, but Skinner looked at the learning process in reverse, investigating how learning was affected by stimuli presented after an act was performed. Instead of banning all undesired behaviors and punishing students who act up, I prefer to praise and reinforce students who are displaying the desired behaviors (being on task, following safety guidelines, etc.). This allows the students to have positive views of the class, subject, and teacher, as they are focused on positive reinforcement rather than punishment.
Many teachers have benefited the most from Skinner’s fundamental work in reinforcement as a means of controlling and motivating student behavior. Its various applications to classroom practice are commonly called “behavior modification”, a technique that many teachers consider to be one of their most valuable tools for improving both learning and behavior of their students.
I am also interested in and focused on providing a needs-fulfilling classroom. Abraham Maslow’s way of reaching self-understanding was by first satisfying lower needs. Self-understanding will result in giving a student the ability to make better choices for themselves, thus preventing undesired behaviors through helping students to chose desired behaviors of their own volition. Of the basic principles of Humanist Education, I firmly believe that
- Schools should produce students who want and know how to learn.
- Feelings, as well as knowledge, are important in the learning process.
- Students learn best in a nonthreatening environment.
From this third point, I move towards my next tenant of a positive learning environment. As a science teacher, I believe safety is of vital importance to the laboratory and the classroom. Employing safety allows students to learn in that nonthreatening environment as well as allows the teacher to fulfill the basic needs of the students. A teacher should express safety guidelines in a way that is student friendly, easy to understand, and emphasizes the teachers regard and care for the students as individuals.
Artifacts
Above, you will see a link to a copy of my safety contract, which must be signed by all students. These help set standards of behavior for my class as well as encourage students to take responsibility for their own actions. As parents/caregivers must also sign these, it helps involve these stakeholders in the classroom and gives them an idea of the expectations set for their student.
Group Roles
Here are some of the group roles I use for collaborative work. I structure this so students will change groups and group roles often, such that they can practice engaging in different ways. This allows students to be challenged and supported by each other to improve learning. When needed, I will intentionally select groups or roles to encourage participation and ensure heterogenous grouping.
Classroom Setup
With this design, students sit at V-shaped lab benches that double as classroom tables, facing the front whiteboard and smartboard. The V-shape allows for collaborative group work without changing the seating. The teacher desk is in the side of the classroom with a rounded desk in front for students and the teacher to sit at when having conversations, to encourage personal and genuine relationships. There are bookcases and storage cabinets around the back and sides of the room and the trash can/pencil sharpener is in a corner by the door. Students come in the classroom near the teacher’s desk and the door to the lab storage space is in the other side of the room, so access is easily controlled by the instructor.