How can teachers create a positive learning environment with classroom space?
Several years ago, American surgeon, author, and public health researcher Atul Gawande experimented with using a two-minute checklist in operating rooms in eight different hospitals. One unexpected result was that a round of team-member introductions before surgery lowered the average number of surgical complications by 35%. Learning names and building a positive environment at the outset of this short-term medical community experience made huge impacts on their ability to function effectively together. Show
How might we apply this and other community-building principles to establish positive learning environments that facilitate student learning? Learning is an emotional process—we feel excitement when learning a new skill, embarrassment about mistakes, and fear of being misunderstood. Fostering positive emotions in your classroom will motivate students to learn, while negative emotions such as stress and alienation will inhibit their learning. Research tells us students learn better when they are part of a supportive community of learners. When you create a positive learning environment where students feel accepted, seen, and valued, they are more likely to persist in your course, in their majors, and at the university. Image BackgroundIn How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching, Susan Ambrose et al. address the many and complex factors that influence learning environments, including intellectual, social, emotional, and physical (2010). They offer a few key takeaways for educators:
Sense of Belonging in CollegeIn a welcoming and inclusive classroom, students are more likely to feel a sense of belonging. Sense of belonging is a basic human need. That is, everyone needs to belong. In the college context, sense of belonging refers to whether or not students feel respected, accepted, valued, included, cared for, and that they matter—in your classroom, at the university, or in their chosen career path (Strayhorn, 2012). Although everyone needs to belong, students’ feelings of comfort in your class are largely dependent on their identities and experiences (Strayhorn, 2012; Walton & Cohen, 2007). Being the only student, or one of a few, of a particular identity group can lead students to feel detached, apathetic, or reluctant to participate. They may feel marginalized by the course content or by other students’ comments. Indeed, research shows that minoritized students tend to report a lower sense of belonging than their peers (Johnson et al., 2007; Strayhorn, 2008a). Academic performance or preparation can also raise or lower students’ perceived sense of belonging (Hoops, Green, Baker, & Hensley, 2016; Strayhorn, 2008b; Zumbrunn, McKim, Buhs, & Hawley, 2014). Particularly for minoritized students, academic struggle can be internalized as a sign that they do not belong (Walton & Cohen, 2007). Research by DeSurra and Church in 1994 provides a spectrum for understanding learning environments that ranges from explicitly marginalizing, where the course climate is openly hostile and cold, to explicitly centralizing, where multiple perspectives are validated and integrated into the course. While this particular research was based on sexual orientation, the earliest research on learning environments—the “chilly climate studies”—focused on gender and had similar findings (Hall, 1982; Hall & Sandler, 1984; and Sandler & Hall, 1986). These early studies demonstrated that marginalization of students does not require an openly hostile environment. Rather, the accumulation of microaggressions alone can adversely impact learning. Later studies showed similar effects based on the race and ethnicity of students (Hurtado et al., 1999; Watson et al., 2002). UX Tip Diversity and Inclusion Students, like all of us, are complex human beings—they have a gender, race, class, nationality, sexual orientation, and other axes of identity. These overlapping identities mean that an individual may face multiple barriers at once to feeling welcome in your class. Rather than thinking your course should support “a” student of color or “a” student with a disability, craft a learning environment that is welcoming to as many students—and their complexities—as possible. Students struggling with sense of belonging are less engaged. They may sit in the back of class, be inattentive during lecture, or avoid participation in discussion or group activities. They may even skip class or show up late more often than others. However, sense of belonging is not static but dynamic, and it can fluctuate with transitions from class to class, year to year, or situation to situation. For example, a student who feels they belong in your course today may suddenly doubt they belong if they score poorly on an exam tomorrow. Therefore, it is important to continually observe students’ behavior and support their belonging throughout the term. Sense of belonging affects students’ academic engagement and motivation, as well as their emotional wellbeing. The bottom line is this: Students who feel they belong are more likely to succeed. For more insight into college students’ sense of belonging, watch this engaging TEDx talk by Ohio State professor Dr. Terrell Strayhorn. In PracticeYou want all students to feel they belong in your course. What concrete strategies can you use to shape a positive learning environment? Set a positive tone from the startSimple efforts to establish a welcoming atmosphere in the early days and weeks of class can help students feel more comfortable, included, and confident.
UX Tip Online Instructor Presence Strong instructor presence in online courses has been shown to increase participation, facilitate knowledge acquisition, and foster a healthy learning community. When teaching online, you can make meaningful connections to students through video introductions, online office hours, and regular and planned communication. Read more about online instructor presence. Foster open discourse and communicationMeaningful class discourse requires more than a friendly demeanor. Be prepared to address complex issues, difficult questions, and conflict in collaborative ways.
Create an inclusive environmentEmbrace multiple perspectives, ways of learning, and modes of expression so that all students feel included and supported.
Organize your course to support studentsThe structure and content of your course, in addition to how you deliver it, are key to creating a supportive course climate.
UX Tip Carmen Common Sense Consult Carmen Common Sense, a student-authored list of ten solutions to a student-friendly course, to learn how to build a supportive learning environment in Carmen. ExamplesBorrow these icebreaker ideas to establish community in your classes. Techniques to help you and your students learn and remember names in a variety of manners and contexts. An instructor shares specific strategies for addressing classroom conflict in the moment. SummaryStudents are more likely to succeed in positive learning environments where they feel a sense of belonging. There is no singular or perfect learning environment. Every class you teach is a unique community made up of individuals with diverse identities, backgrounds, and experiences. A number of strategies can help you foster a classroom climate that is welcoming, inclusive, and responsive to their needs.
Fostering Inclusive Learning Online Inclusive Teaching Endorsement References
Related Teaching TopicsCreating an Inclusive Environment in CarmenZoomFoster student participation in synchronous class meetings with these strategies for creating inclusive CarmenZoom spaces. Supporting Student Learning in Your CourseLearn how to intentionally support your students, and why this is especially important in online courses. How can a teacher create a positive classroom environment?Some ways you can do this are:. Notice and reinforce casual positive interactions between students on a daily basis.. Deliberately plan relationship-building activities and games that encourage positive interactions. ... . Pay attention to the social dynamics of your classroom. ... . Have class meetings.. What is a positive learning environment in the classroom?Characteristics of a nurturing, healthy learning environment for students include: (1) psychological safety, (2) a positive self- image, (3) feelings of belonging, (4) purposeful behavior, and (5) a sense of personal competence.
What are effective ways of creating positive environment for learning?10 Ways Teachers Can Create a Positive Learning Environment. Address Student Needs. ... . Create a Sense of Order. ... . Greet Students at the Door Every Day. ... . Let Students Get to Know You. ... . Get to Know Your Students. ... . Avoid Rewarding to Control. ... . Avoid Judging. ... . Employ Class-Building Games and Activities.. |