A successful supportive classroom starts with a strong, supportive leader. Starting with the first day of school, a plan should be in place so the students can be introduced to it in a structured, positive manner. It is important for the students to feel like they have a voice in the standards governing their class. If they come up with the standards (with some creative guidance from me), they will feel a sense of ownership with the class, a togetherness, and a feeling of importance. I prefer the term "standard" over "rule", because students are inundated with rules, and rules have a connotation of being controlling, threatening, and generally not embraced by the students. With standards, we introduce a behavior that is expected, and the consequences are laid out by the students and agreed on by everyone.
A successful, supportive classroom demands an organized teacher. If the teacher is not prepared and not on time, how can the students be expected to be prepared and on time? The teacher must be an example for the students to follow. Neatness, promptness, appearance, language, and overall behavior should be a model for the students to follow. The "do as I say and not as I do" won't get you very far.
A strong, supportive classroom is an exciting, inviting, adventure filled theater where wonderful learning will take place. The appearance of the classroom must be filled with color. There must be exciting posters on the walls and informative bulletin boards that jump out to the students. The classroom, like the teacher, must be organized where the child's work is seen as important. Students' work should be displayed throughout the room and the hallways. All homework should be checked and returned. A system should be in place where homework is turned in in an organized manner to enable assignments to be tracked.
A successful, supportive classroom is one of sharing and caring. A morning meeting is a wonderful way to start the day. Compliments can be given, celebrations can be recognized, concerns can be discussed and resolved. Students can share ideas, and it is a great time to talk about appropriate behavior and expectations or reinforce the class standards.
And last but not least, a successful,
supportive classroom should be fun, challenging, adventurous, and exciting
for everyone involved. Students should come to class with an open mind,
ready to learn.
