Creating a High-Performance Learning Environment
All teachers want their classrooms to be engines of learning where students feel inspired to focus, think, and participate and know that they are expected to perform. There are many ways to create this kind of high-performance learning environment, from changing the way your room looks to rethinking your class structure.
Setting the Standard
How do we set a high standard for student performance? To set the standards teachers should have strategies and the goals and explain them clearly to the students. Most teachers hand out a set of rules for behavior at the beginning of the year that describe policies for homework, grading, attendance, etc. Teachers should add their expectations for student performance to that handout. What level of analysis do you expect in class discussions? How often do you expect them to lead a small group through an assignment? How often will you ask someone to engage you in a dialogue in front of the class? How many revisions will they be expected to do for major pieces of writing? These specific guidelines alert students to the level of performance you are expecting of them.
Review of the High-Performance Expectations in Three Different Teaching Strategies
Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action
Academic Expectations.
In this video, the students had to create a roller coaster that had a long ride without the marble falling. Learning objectives in this lesson were kinetic energy and Newton's three laws of motion. The students in this lesson worked together in a group to share their ideas to test then, they had a discussion about why some test failed and some succeeded. The educator expected her students to have to do a "chime" each week. Learners talk in their groups and then have one person from their group be the "chimer". This method helps students develop critical thinking skills and allows the educators to evaluate the learners at every academic level.
Behavior Expectations
In this video, students were expected to interact respectfully and collaboratively with each other. The students were expected to share their ideas and challenges with each other and with the teacher. Also, students were guided to think deeply about their problems and finding solutions by promoting from the teacher.
The rules and procedures
The students know what the teacher expect from them in her class environment. All students are involved in activities and they stayed on task during the whole class session. The students interact with each other in well behaved and respectful manners.
3rd Grade Chinese Math Class
Academic Expectations.
In my opinion in the Math class where Chinese teaching strategies were used, academic expectations weren't high. These methods hold memorizing the multiplication rhymes. This teaching style doesn't include problem-solving skills that are very important in math for every student. This might be a good strategy to learn language and train young learners memory.
Behavior Expectations
In this class, the students were expected to show good behavior and be attentive during the class time. However, there were some students who didn't participate sometimes. In my opinion, in this method expectations weren't applied equally to all students. Some students in the back weren't involved in the activities. As we know, very important to motivate and challenge the students and I didn't see these important aspects in this video.
The rules and procedures
The students follow the rules in the Chinese classroom. They were respectful to the teacher and to their peers. The students were well behaved and they used a clapping routine. Some students were raising their hands to answer the teacher's question.
Whole Brain Teaching
Academic Expectations.
In this video, the teacher used Whole Brain Teaching(WBT) technique. WBT is an method used to maximize students’ engagement and focuses on the way the brain is designed to learn. In my opinion, this strategy worked well to engage all students. They were motivated to learn. The teacher's instructions were clear. The students were divided into small groups that make them feel comfortable to interact with each other.
Behavior Expectations
In this video, the teacher had high behavior expectations. The students were following teacher's instructions and they were respectful to the teacher and each other as well. Also, they were talking in a quiet tone without disrupting other groups.
The rules and procedures
The teacher gave instruction to repeat the rules loudly and she was using hand gestures widely. Also, I like the way how she set up her classroom. By dividing the classroom into small groups the teacher comfortably monitor her students.
Setting High Expectations for my Students
My teaching experience will be applying in elementary grade levels. To create high-performance learning environment in my classroom, I will build effective learning environment where my students will:
Engaging in differentiated learning opportunities.
Accessing and using various resources.
Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of rules and consequence
Learning about the backround and differences of others.
Praise students for success and less likely to criticize for filure in classroom task.
Offer feedback on assignments at a higher rate.
Correct and probe for students to answer questions.
Criticism as a means of communicating high standards.
Grading-given the benefit of the doubt.
For the behavioral expectations, I would use the strategies from the first video. It seems to me that students were well behaved and they were well trained for manners in the classroom during the session time.
References:
URLhttps://learnerlog.org/acrossthecurriculum/creating-a-high-performance-learning-environment/
Article Title Learner Log
Website Title Creating a High-Performance Learning Environment
URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXTtR7lfWU
Article Title YouTube
Website Title Whole Brain Teaching Richwood High - The Basics
URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7LseF6Db5g
Article Title YouTube
Website Title 3rd grade Chinese--math class.avi
URLhttps://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/teaching-stem-strategies
Article Title Teaching Channel
Website Title Roller Coaster Physics: STEM in Action