Unit 2: Strategies for Managing the Learning Environment
Activity 1: Norms and Expectations
Classroom Norms and Behaviour Expectations
Strategies or Modifications for the Virtual Learning Environment
- Be respectful: Respect is a key part of any positive learning environment. Students should show respect to both their peers and teachers. Furthermore, students should also be taught to show respect to themselves and also to show respect to the classroom by keeping it tidy. As students mimic their teachers, the key to a respectful learning environment is for the teacher to treat students with respect at all times, even when discipling students.
- Be positive: It is important for students to have a positive outlook towards their learning. This links to having a growth-mindset and self-belief. Students should be trained to look at (level-appropriate) challenges with a positive ‘can-do’ attitude. Being positive also helps to build confidence in students. Positivity is infectious. If a student has belief in themselves, they will start to believe in their peers, and vice-versa. It’s important for teachers to build positivity through giving achievable tasks to students and scaffolding more difficult tasks to an appropriate difficulty level. Once students notice they have succeeded in previous tasks, they will have belief in their ability to excel in future tasks.
- Try your best: Students should try their best at all times, whether they think a task to be important or not. ‘I want to do my best’ should be the default mindset of all students in the classroom, rather than ‘This will be graded, so I’ll try this time’. It’s important to teach children that potential is largely invisible to others. People are judged on their output, rather than their potential, so people should try hard at all tasks. Teachers should encourage this through praising effort, rather than result in students' work.
- Be kind: Kindness in the classroom is important. Without kindness, 21st Century skills such as collaboration, creativity, communication and social skills will not develop. Kindness starts from the teacher. Students watch their teacher closet and mimic their actions, rather than their words. The first step to implementing a kind classroom is for the teacher to treat their students with kindness. Secondly, students should be given the opportunity to do the same through class meetings. Also, the teacher should praise students who are treating each other with kindness.
Strategies or Modifications for the Virtual Learning Environment
- Be respectful:
- Teachers should always show up to the virtual meeting room in advance.
- Teachers should ensure students are actively listening to one another when students are talking.
- Teachers and students should turn off their microphones when listening to another speaker.
- Cameras should be turned on, so students can see people are listening when they are speaking.
- Teachers should always show up to the virtual meeting room in advance.
- Be positive:
- Teachers should give praise to students in advance of doing tasks. E.g. Teachers can remind students about how they successfully did task X last week, so task Y this week should be doable too.
- Teachers should give praise to students in advance of doing tasks. E.g. Teachers can remind students about how they successfully did task X last week, so task Y this week should be doable too.
- Try your best:
- Students try more when they get to show off their work to others. In a virtual classroom, this step is often missed as it is time consuming. However it is really important to allow students to show off their work, so they continue to try hard. Students can hold up their work to a camera, submit it to a shared google drive, or email it to the teacher who can present it to students in the next class.
- Cameras turned on at all times so the teacher can see if the students are on task and actively listening.
- Students try more when they get to show off their work to others. In a virtual classroom, this step is often missed as it is time consuming. However it is really important to allow students to show off their work, so they continue to try hard. Students can hold up their work to a camera, submit it to a shared google drive, or email it to the teacher who can present it to students in the next class.
- Be kind:
- Teachers should stay after class in the meeting room to talk to any students who have questions.
- Teachers can facilitate positive interactions between students through smaller breakout rooms. E.g. After a task, students present their work in breakout rooms and say something positive about a classmate’s work.
- Teachers and students can type positive feedback in the comments when a student is speaking. Eg ‘Good job Samantha!’
- Teachers should stay after class in the meeting room to talk to any students who have questions.
Activity 2: Modifying Classroom Management Strategies
01:03
The teacher makes sure to practice the call and response chant rather than just assuming the students understand. This will use a little but of time now, but in the long run it will save a lot of time. I do wonder if call and response is necessary during an online class as students are all separated. Let's see.
02:45
The teacher has a routine in place for starting each lesson. Students learn best when they have a routine and feel confident i knowing what they will be doing each lesson.
04:07
The teacher review the 6 classroom norms. During this time the teacher makes sure to call students by their names and thanks them for their reading. I'm not sure if the students fully understand the norms or not, perhaps eliciting examples or doing some kind of formative assessment here would help.
04:57
The teacher again makes sure to call the student by name and also thank them for their answer. The teacher comments about what the student said, rather than just a generic thank you.
05:35
The teacher sets a norm here of respecting students. When one student doesn't feel confident enough with sharing, the teacher allows the student to pass and does so in a supportive, respectful and positive way. I really like the way the teacher handled that interaction.
06:06
The teacher is conditioning the students to be familiar with the norm of raising their hand to speak. Rather than cold calling a student or letting anyone speak, the teacher gives students time to think, then raise their hand before speaking.
07:12
The teacher sets the norm of paying attention and respecting other in the class. One student just gave a great answer, but not all students were actively listening, so the teacher reminded students to turn on their cameras and sit in the centre of the screen. This is establishing the norm that students should listen to each other and show respect to each other.
10:19
This seems like another set routine, though I'm not entirely sure of the point of this. Maybe to get students excited and blood flowing around their body and stop boredom? I'm not sure this routine is that good as it seemed quite a few students didn't really want to take part. I don't think the teacher should try to make students turn on their cameras for this activity as many introverted students could get embarrassed about being seen dancing or exercising.
13:26
The teacher builds the norm of kindness and positivity by constantly praising their students' dancing skills. The teacher makes their students feel confident about themselves and also calls them by their names.
14:06
The teacher thanks the students for taking part in the lesson. However, I would have liked for their to be more to this. The students should also have a chance to thank the teacher and say goodbye to the teacher. I think having more student time here to participate would help build respectful and rapport between the teacher and the students.
The teacher makes sure to practice the call and response chant rather than just assuming the students understand. This will use a little but of time now, but in the long run it will save a lot of time. I do wonder if call and response is necessary during an online class as students are all separated. Let's see.
02:45
The teacher has a routine in place for starting each lesson. Students learn best when they have a routine and feel confident i knowing what they will be doing each lesson.
04:07
The teacher review the 6 classroom norms. During this time the teacher makes sure to call students by their names and thanks them for their reading. I'm not sure if the students fully understand the norms or not, perhaps eliciting examples or doing some kind of formative assessment here would help.
04:57
The teacher again makes sure to call the student by name and also thank them for their answer. The teacher comments about what the student said, rather than just a generic thank you.
05:35
The teacher sets a norm here of respecting students. When one student doesn't feel confident enough with sharing, the teacher allows the student to pass and does so in a supportive, respectful and positive way. I really like the way the teacher handled that interaction.
06:06
The teacher is conditioning the students to be familiar with the norm of raising their hand to speak. Rather than cold calling a student or letting anyone speak, the teacher gives students time to think, then raise their hand before speaking.
07:12
The teacher sets the norm of paying attention and respecting other in the class. One student just gave a great answer, but not all students were actively listening, so the teacher reminded students to turn on their cameras and sit in the centre of the screen. This is establishing the norm that students should listen to each other and show respect to each other.
10:19
This seems like another set routine, though I'm not entirely sure of the point of this. Maybe to get students excited and blood flowing around their body and stop boredom? I'm not sure this routine is that good as it seemed quite a few students didn't really want to take part. I don't think the teacher should try to make students turn on their cameras for this activity as many introverted students could get embarrassed about being seen dancing or exercising.
13:26
The teacher builds the norm of kindness and positivity by constantly praising their students' dancing skills. The teacher makes their students feel confident about themselves and also calls them by their names.
14:06
The teacher thanks the students for taking part in the lesson. However, I would have liked for their to be more to this. The students should also have a chance to thank the teacher and say goodbye to the teacher. I think having more student time here to participate would help build respectful and rapport between the teacher and the students.
00:06
The teacher has a task on the board for students who are already in the class to do pre-class. This kind of routine is really important as it focuses the students, calms them down and also prepares them for class.
00:29
The teacher sets the norm of greeting the students and asking how they are. I don't think this worked too well and the teacher would should have greeted each student one on one, or had the students greet each other. It's a very small class, so this should be possible. Also I feel the comment about 'Are you going to be beat me up" was wildly inappropriate. Students at that age often can't tell jokes from reality. Such a comment doesn't help foster the norm of respect at all.
00:43
The teacher has a call and response, however it doesn't seem incredibly effective. I think more time could be spent practicing this.
00:59
The teacher makes the learning objectives clear to the students at the start of the lesson. This is a really good routine to have. However the paper he points to is at his eye-line, rather than the students. It is also in small font and would be hard to see for them.
02:23
The teacher calls the students as a class. I think this is a wasted opportunity for the teacher to establish the norm of raising hands to answer a question.
04:42
I would like to see the teacher establish the norm of kindness and thank students for their answers here. Also when a student gets the answer wrong, I think the teacher should be more understanding and ask them kindly again to answer.
05:46
I like that here when the student wasn't paying attention the teacher just called on him to answer a simple question. This doesn't stop the class or embarrass the student.
07:40
The teacher establishes norms of collaboration here. They use CCQs to ensure understanding and make sure that students are listening and paying attention. The only difference I would have done is to explain this to the students before they stood up and started the activity.
09:56
I worry that this activity encourages competition rather than collaboration. This is establishing the norm that students should compete against each other rather than working together.
10:48
The teacher revisits the rules here. I think they could establish the norm of kindness, collaboration and autonomy by having a student captain for each team who is responsible for helping to keep the other students following the rules and listening to their peers.
10:55
Having students congratulate the winning team is establishing the norm of kindness and respect. I think that this is a nice touch.
11:04
Having the students get their drinks and setting a timer is establishing the norm of being prepared for class and being an autonomous learner. I think the timer idea was a good solution to transition times being too slow.
13:03
Here the teacher is letting all students 'read' together. Even though many may just be repeating rather than reading, this establishes the norm of students trying something new and building their confidence. I think this is a really good way to do this.
15:45
Having students working with a partner fosters the norm of collaboration and also learner autonomy. I think at the end of the activity the learners could have shared something good about their partner to also foster the norm of kindness.
16:12
I think here the teacher's body placement could be improved as their back is to half the class, which doesn't really show respect. I think it is good that the teacher spends more time with students who need it (equity over equality) but also should make all students feel included. Also there seemed to be no ending or thank you at the end of the lesson.
The teacher has a task on the board for students who are already in the class to do pre-class. This kind of routine is really important as it focuses the students, calms them down and also prepares them for class.
00:29
The teacher sets the norm of greeting the students and asking how they are. I don't think this worked too well and the teacher would should have greeted each student one on one, or had the students greet each other. It's a very small class, so this should be possible. Also I feel the comment about 'Are you going to be beat me up" was wildly inappropriate. Students at that age often can't tell jokes from reality. Such a comment doesn't help foster the norm of respect at all.
00:43
The teacher has a call and response, however it doesn't seem incredibly effective. I think more time could be spent practicing this.
00:59
The teacher makes the learning objectives clear to the students at the start of the lesson. This is a really good routine to have. However the paper he points to is at his eye-line, rather than the students. It is also in small font and would be hard to see for them.
02:23
The teacher calls the students as a class. I think this is a wasted opportunity for the teacher to establish the norm of raising hands to answer a question.
04:42
I would like to see the teacher establish the norm of kindness and thank students for their answers here. Also when a student gets the answer wrong, I think the teacher should be more understanding and ask them kindly again to answer.
05:46
I like that here when the student wasn't paying attention the teacher just called on him to answer a simple question. This doesn't stop the class or embarrass the student.
07:40
The teacher establishes norms of collaboration here. They use CCQs to ensure understanding and make sure that students are listening and paying attention. The only difference I would have done is to explain this to the students before they stood up and started the activity.
09:56
I worry that this activity encourages competition rather than collaboration. This is establishing the norm that students should compete against each other rather than working together.
10:48
The teacher revisits the rules here. I think they could establish the norm of kindness, collaboration and autonomy by having a student captain for each team who is responsible for helping to keep the other students following the rules and listening to their peers.
10:55
Having students congratulate the winning team is establishing the norm of kindness and respect. I think that this is a nice touch.
11:04
Having the students get their drinks and setting a timer is establishing the norm of being prepared for class and being an autonomous learner. I think the timer idea was a good solution to transition times being too slow.
13:03
Here the teacher is letting all students 'read' together. Even though many may just be repeating rather than reading, this establishes the norm of students trying something new and building their confidence. I think this is a really good way to do this.
15:45
Having students working with a partner fosters the norm of collaboration and also learner autonomy. I think at the end of the activity the learners could have shared something good about their partner to also foster the norm of kindness.
16:12
I think here the teacher's body placement could be improved as their back is to half the class, which doesn't really show respect. I think it is good that the teacher spends more time with students who need it (equity over equality) but also should make all students feel included. Also there seemed to be no ending or thank you at the end of the lesson.
Activity 3: Routines and Procedures
Entry Routine
Absence/Lateness Routine
Waiting Time Routine
Bathroom Routine
Exit Routine
Routines for the Online Classroom:
Entry Routine
Absence/Lateness Routine
Waiting Time Routine
Bathroom Routine
Exit Routine
- I will greet each student personally when they enter the classroom if time. I will make sure to greet the class as a whole at the start of the lesson.
- Students should enter the room prepared with the right equipment.
- Students should enter the room quietly and calmly and go straight to their seat.
- Students should only speak English (unless needed) after entering the classroom.
- Students should engage in a productive task once seated (read a book, study new vocab, practice spelling, chat with a partner in English etc.)
- If the student doesn’t follow the procedures, ask them to leave the room and enter it correctly.
- If the student still doesn’t follow procedures, talk to them privately one on one and try to find the reason why.
Absence/Lateness Routine
- Students should inform their teacher of absence/lateness in advance where possible.
- Students who were absent for a lesson or more should come to my office, or see my before/after the next class to find out what they missed that lesson.
- Students who are late should knock on the door, quickly explain their reason for being late, and ask to come in.
- If the student is late without a good reason, they should be honest, apologize, but be allowed to enter the same as above. The late student and the teacher will discuss the lateness at the end of the lesson so as not to waste class time.
- If the student doesn’t follow the procedures, ask them to leave the room and enter it correctly.
- If the student is constantly late, meet with them privately after class to find the reason why. There may be a good reason, but the student hasn’t told you for whatever reason. Be polite and don’t assume the student is just being late on purpose.
- If the above is followed and the student is still late, have them write an apology letter and ask them to pledge to arrive at class on time.
Waiting Time Routine
- Students should be on task at all times; including ‘waiting time’ between activities (when a student has finished an activity more quickly than others). There is no excuse to be off task.
- Students have several tasks they can work on during ‘waiting time’. Students have the autonomy to choose which task to work on.
- Tasks include helping classmates, reviewing previous work, reading a book, practicing spelling/vocabulary or any other productive idea the student has (and has checked with the teacher).
- If the student is off-task, politely remind them what they should be doing (This can be by asking them a question, rather than telling them) and make sure they know what their choices are.
- If the student still doesn’t follow procedures, talk to them privately after class to find the reason why.
Bathroom Routine
- Students should try to go to the bathroom before or after class. Students should only ask to go to the bathroom during class if it is really needed.
- If really needed, students should raise their hand and politely ask for permission.
- Permission will be granted, however students might be asked to wait a couple of minutes depending on the task students are working on.
- Students should knock on the door and ask permission to enter the classroom upon their return.
- If the student leaves the room without asking, talk to them privately after class to find the reason. Maybe it was an emergency, so politely check. If not, remind students of the rules, have them apologize and pledge not to do it again.
- If the student re-enters the room without knocking, have them leave the room and enter again in the correct way.
Exit Routine
- Review the contents of the lesson and hand out/explain homework if necessary.
- Thank students for their hard work, or address any classwide issues if any.
- Give a quick preview for the next class to excite students, spark their curiosity and get them thinking about the next class.
- Say goodbye to the students and have them say goodbye in return.
- Meet with any students after class privately if needed.
- If the students aren’t listening at the end of the class, remind them that you can keep them in after the bell has gone, so they need to listen.
- You may find that more or less time for review may be needed depending on the students. Modify future lessons based on that.
- Talk with any student who doesn’t say goodbye at the end of the lesson. Find out if anything is wrong and deal with the situation accordingly.
Routines for the Online Classroom:
Entry Routine
- Admit each student into the classroom individually. Greet them by name and have them greet the teacher in reply.
- Greet class as a whole. Ask them how they are and call on a few students to reply or share any news.
- Ensure all students’ cameras are turned on, they are sat in a visible area of the screen and that their microphones turned off.
- If a student doesn’t greet me, I will ask them to stay behind at the end of the lesson and check if everything is OK.
- If students have any technical difficulties, I’ll talk to them at the end of the lesson and check if everything is OK.
Absence/Lateness Routine
- Firstly, remind students that tardiness is just as inexcusable in online learning as offline learning. Set clear expectations.
- The teacher can invite late/absent students into a breakout room after class to help them catch up.
- Track timestamps when students sign in and out. Check after class if there were any students who were late or left early, or didn’t arrive. Talk to these students individually.
- If a student is constantly late, I will meet with them after class and check if everything is OK.
- If a student is still late, they will get a warning and their parents will be informed.
- A plan will be made for students who come to class late. We will work together with their parents to help them establish a system to remind them in advance of class.
Waiting Time Routine
- Fast finishers can be put in breakout rooms with students who may need assistance.
- Students can visit educational websites of their choice (from a list or check with the teacher) to browse between activities.
- Students who are distracting others once they have finished activities will be spoken to after class.
- Remind students of the various productive activities they can work on.
- If this behavior persists, students will receive a warning, then I will have to speak to their parents if the warning isn’t enough.
Bathroom Routine
- Students may not go to the bathroom while holding their device (this is uncomfortable, but needs to be said, especially for young learners).
- Students need ro raise their hand on screen to ask to go to the bathroom.
- Students do not need to ask permission to re-join the virtual classroom, like they would the physical one.
- I will immediately contact the student’s parents after the lesson if they take the device with them to the bathroom.
- Students who go to the bathroom without raising their hand will be spoken to after the lesson.
- If this persists, students will get a warning and then I will speak to their parents if the matter persists.
Exit Routine
- Make sure students do not leave the virtual classroom before they are allowed to.
- Tell particular students in advance if you would like them to stay behind for some reason.
- If nothing else is needed, end the meeting.
- If a student leaves early, I will remind all students in the next lesson to stay until the end of the lesson. If this continues, I will deal with the student individually.
- If a student still leaves early, they will receive a warning, and I will speak to their parents if it persists.