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Indicator 49 – Learning Environment

Interacting With Students

Encouraging Participation

Indicator 49 - Learning Environment UETS 7a.

Effective teachers promote a positive learning environment by creating a classroom that is safe, interactive, and positive. Effective teachers create an atmosphere of respect and support, where students feel safe to participate, and a sense of community is promoted. Students are motivated and engaged in productive work.

IDEAS/SUGGESTIONS:

  1. Call students by name, listen carefully to what they say, accept their statements, praise their success, and involve them in making decisions.
  2. Model kindness and respect. Never ignore, belittle, harass, shame or exclude your students. To ensure there are no misunderstandings or misinterpreted perceptions, avoid the use of sarcasm.
  3. Characterize your class by mutual respect, and insist that students treat each other with respect also.
  4. Spend at least 50 percent of class time in interactive activities:
    • Instruction/explanation
    • Discussion/questioning/review of assignments
    • Problem solving/brainstorming ideas/lab activity
    • Practice/drill
    • Cooperative learning
  1. Routinely include strategies and activities that allow students to express their thoughts and ideas, build relationships, and practice collaboration.
  2. Display student work to give students a sense of ownership.
  3. Keep your students engaged and on-task.
  4. Smile
  5. Make sure to interact with many students and provide opportunities for students to interact with each other.

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