Katie Smith's Electronic Portfolio

I believe a classroom requires a teacher that is structured, positive, and aware of the diverse needs of his or her students. Our brains make physical connections when we learn new material – these connections are called neural networks. Therefore, creating an optimal learning environment is vital for ensuring the creation of these networks. Learning occurs when a child feels comfortable and safe in their environment, and the three aspects listed above are crucial to their security. Because school’s purpose is to prepare students for their future career, the classroom atmosphere is vital; ideally what the students learn will assist them in their job later in life. The teacher must make this classroom atmosphere as structured, positive, and mindful as possible, so their students will truly learn what is taught.

 

Children thrive under a structured schedule, because they know what to expect and what is expected of them. Particularly students that have some form of autism: a consistent schedule is vital to their security and comfort. Spontaneity has its place in the classroom, like allowing students to do a project on a subject that interests them, but I believe a specific schedule is essential to the success of a good teacher’s classroom. For example, if lunch is at 11:30, students should know that at 11:20 it is time to clean up what they are working on, and start to get ready to go to lunch. This should not be something that the teacher has to explain to them every day – it should only require a quick reminder, then the students should know what to do.

           

A video featuring a special education teacher by the name of Christopher Ulmer went viral last year. It showed Ulmer complimenting every one of his students before class. Before long, he noticed that the students were complimenting each other, without his prompting

(Click here to watch the video!). This was inspiring to me, and proves that how you interact with your students affects how they interact with each other. I believe creating a secure and safe place for my students is important, because they spend a large amount of their time at school. This feeling of security is partially out of my hands, but setting a high standard of positivity can only help. An example of a way this will be implemented in my classroom is morning greetings. I will stand at the door and give each student a unique greeting as they come into my classroom. If a student had a baseball game the night before, I will ask them how it went. Even if the student didn’t have anything special going on the previous day, I will be sure to ask them how their morning went and how happy I am to see them.

           

Lastly, I believe taking into consideration your students' diverse needs is absolutely essential for a positive and productive learning environment. Examples may include race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and disabilities. A student may not complete homework one night, but that may be because he was not able to have dinner. A child may not stand for the pledge of allegiance, but that may be because of their religion. The school to prison pipeline is a major problem that starts in education, so being aware of possible stereotyping and unequal treatment is vital. There is no way that a teacher is going to be completely aware of every diverse need, but it is important to communicate with parents and make an effort.

           

Creating a classroom that fosters learning is imperative to students’ education. Learning occurs physically in the brain by the creation of neural networks. In order to guarantee the formation of these networks, the educator must make their classroom upbeat, structured and considerate of every student’s diverse needs.​