Classroom Learning Environment Observation

One critical component that I observed in the fifth grade classroom I sat in on that helped to create a positive classroom culture was the relationships the teacher had with her students. She would joke with them and make comments that showed she really knew her students and cared deeply for them. Because of the way she interacted with them, the students knew that she cared and this made them want to do well in her classroom. She praised them often and let them know she was proud of them for trying their best.

Another critical component I observed was the routines and procedures the students were involved in. They knew what to do and how to do it. If they got off task, the teacher simply looked at them and they were able to redirect themselves. This had a lot do to with the relationships that had been built, as the students respected their teacher and wanted her to be proud of them.

It was obvious that the teacher had taken time to get to know her students because of the way they interacted and joked with one another. The students knew when to joke and when to get back to work. Mutual respect was apparent within the classroom. The teacher said she had given the students interest inventories at the beginning of the year in order to get to know them.

This age group needs someone who shows they care in order to create a positive classroom culture. It is hard for young students to engage in school activities effectively when they are not made to feel like they are important. Building a positive classroom environment is all about taking the time to build those positive relationships with the students in order for them to feel comfortable and loved when they are with the teacher, as well as when they’re in the grade levels to come.

One challenge that was apparent was the different levels and needs of the students in the classroom. The majority of the students had IEPs and needed extra help from the teacher. She stated that it was oftentimes hard for her to keep up with all the demands of the differing students in her class. She said sometimes this affected the culture because the students would get frustrated with the work. She also said that the other students did a great job of encouraging one another to try their best.

The teacher said she takes the time to get to know her students prior to the first day of school by driving through neighborhoods her students live in, in order to gain an understanding of where they come from. She then makes sure to look them up in previous yearbooks to make sure she is able to greet the appropriately when they come for open house or the first day of school.                 

While this teacher already has a positive learning environment, the following articles provide a great depth of knowledge regarding ways to increase and/or improve the learning environments within a classroom:

 

McDonald, T. (2010). Positive Learning Framework: Creating Learning Environments in Which

All Children Thrive. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 19(2), 16-20.

 

Pickett, L., & Fraser, B. (2010). Creating and Assessing Positive Classroom Learning

Environments. Childhood Education, 86(5), 321-326.

Van Stone, B. b. (2013) Creating a Positive Classroom Environment. Teach, 11-23.

Dissertation Assignment

The title of the dissertation for this assignment is titled: Teacher Child Interaction Training Creates a Positive Classroom Environment.

 

Early Childhood Research Problem

The early childhood problem researched in this dissertation was the issue of positive learning environment. If the quality of the relationships between child and teacher are improved upon early, a child may improve his socio-emotional competence and decrease behavior problems. The teachers who participated in the Teacher Child Interaction Training (TCIT) were taught to use principals of learning and behavior management in the classroom to enhance positive interactions and attachment, and to prevent and reduce problem behaviors in young children.

            The research was conducted in a public elementary school in rural Virginia during January to May of 2011. Two preschool classrooms were selected to participate: one class being a general preschool classroom, and the other a HeadStart classroom. The five teachers and instructional assistants who also participated were all Caucasian females. Each class had 18-20 students, ranging in age from three to five. Seventy-five percent of the school was on free or reduced lunch and the classes had about the same ratio of boys to girls.

            A letter was sent home with students describing the purpose and procedures of the study. The letter offered an opportunity for parents to decline the participation of their child in the study. To protect identities, both teachers and students were assigned random numbers for identification and the data sheets only named the random descriptor. The children who presented a particular challenge in the classroom were targeted by the teachers; meaning these students were more frequently observed throughout the duration of the study. Teacher and child behaviors were recorded by a team of eight undergraduate and graduate psychology students. This took place over a semester and the observers did not interact with the teachers or students, they only recorded their observations while interfering as little as possible.

            Each day, the observer would enter the data collected (3-4 raters, 22-26 observations per day). The databases each had separate sections for child and teacher and had behaviors listed across the top. The percentage of intervals in which a behavior was observed was tallied for each day and displayed graphically. During and after this time, teachers were placed in interventions where they learned how to interact differently and more effectively with students. The interventions they were involved with depended on the observations of the people whom were rating.

            Overall, the results show that TCIT is an effective intervention to promote positive behavior support in the classroom. Follow-up is vital to ensure the success of any training program (Sigurdsson, 2013), and TCIT continues to provide consultations and feedback following their workshops (Devers, 2015).

 Resources

           The following resources were helpful in the preparation of this dissertation:

 Collett, B.R. (2002). Addressing disruptive behaviors in the preschool classroom: An

           adaptation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for Head Start teachers.
           (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
          ( UMI No. 3040720)

Denham, S., & Burton, R. (1996). A social-emotional intervention for at-risk four-year
           olds. Journal of School Psychology, 34,225-246.

 Filcheck, H.A., McNeil, C.B., Greco, L.A., & Bernard, R.S. (2004). Using a whole-class

           token economy and coaching of teacher skills in a preschool classroom to manage
           disruptive behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 351–361.

           These resources were relevant to the study because each of them gave pertinent information regarding ways in which to alleviate behavior problems within the classroom and ways to implement effective interventions necessary.

 

Further Study

 This dissertation will be beneficial in my work toward my learning about fostering positive learning environments because of its findings in ways for teachers to promote positive learning environments within their classrooms. The interventions utilized during this research study will be helpful in learning ways in which to foster positive learning environments within my own classroom.

 

 

Reference

 

Devers, K. (2015). Teacher child interaction training (TCIT) creates a positive classroom

          environment: Improving attachment and management of child behavior problems. Dissertation           Abstracts International, 76.