Students’ perceptions of classroom environments influence their achievement. A match between a student’s preferred classroom environment and the actual class environment may be as important to achievement as the actual nature of the classroom environment. Meeting the individual needs of students in a structured climate, with organization of student roles in the classroom, clear role expectations, and shared group-sanctioned norms have been shown to be effective factors contributing to student achievement.
An educational climate that is orderly, but not rigid with a consistent set of rules and values while still allowing for pleasure in learning is an effective environment. Establishing learning teams and changing them often and allowing students to participate in decision-making can lead to higher student morale, and thus, impact their achievement.
Thematic of interdisciplinary approaches, cross-age tutoring, opportunities for self-regulating, and grouping by topic, interest, and student choice are also conducive to achievement. Perhaps most important to students’ perception that they can achieve is an environment that provides challenging, complex work while encouraging academic risks and viewing mistakes as a part of learning.
In an effective learning environment and in a supportive relationship with a concerned teacher, students who are underachieving may choose to learn to help themselves reverse the pattern and start achieving.
Classroom Environment Checklist: Use this short activity to do a quick check of your classroom environment. The higher the total score, the more changes you may wish to consider.
2=most of the time
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