The Classroom Environment

First and foremost, you should be comfortable in your classroom. You should be able to walk where you want to walk, look where you want to look, and organize your supplies how you want to organize them.

  

     ”Most classrooms, unfortunately are designed, constructed, and furnished in ways that make it difficult for students to stay motivated and involved in the learning process.” Thomas Gordon, TET: Teacher Effectiveness Training (1974, p. 156). 

Super Easy Tips

• Walk around the room – Standing still makes it difficult to maintain a classroom.  I promise you, students who are napping, chatting, or are otherwise distracted will snap back to attention if you move into their proximity.

• Students remember the first 5 and last 5 minutes of class best.  Use first 5 for review/recap of the previous day, and last 5 for closure activity/recap of today.

Times it's hard, but...

Be open to feedback and new ideas - You got to this position because you know a damn lot about your field.  You will doubtless impress your students with your knowledge, and you have every reason to be confident in your expertise, so don’t let it ruffle your feathers if a student challenges your ideas.  One common conflict arises when two individuals disagree on the “best” way to do something. In this case, point out the merits of both arguments.  If the student is challenging your choice of technique, recognize the rationale behind his belief, but calmly and quickly explain why you want to continue with your technique at this time.  Remember, you're the teacher.  A student can only engage in some type of power play if you engage him (or her).

Know Your Students' POV (Point of View)

Make sure you and your students are on the same page - You know what the purpose of your course is, but make sure your students know, too.  Even if you think it’s obvious, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  The best thing to do is to ask your students directly why they are taking the class.

Plan for student questions

      It is essential to respond to student questions in order to facilitate learning.  You do not need to answer a question as soon as a student asks, obviously there are times when interruptions are inappropriate, but you should plan for some way to address questions daily.  This might mean reserving 10 or 15 minutes of class for questions, or asking students to write their questions down and submit them after class.  One technique that many educators find effective is to announce how many questions you will answer and from whom.  For example, “I have time for about 3 more questions, so let’s have Huey ask first, then Dewey, then Louie.”  If students have unanswered questions at the end of the day, ask them to write down or e-mail their questions and respond to them in a reasonable amount of time.  Responses need not be personalized.  If a number of students have the same question, it becomes worthwhile to address the issue to the class as a whole.