Class Environment (Coursework Sample)

Creating an environment to support student's academic, social, and emotional growth.
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Creating an environment to support student's academic, social, and emotional growth
A supportive classroom culture is critical as it allows all members to feel valued, respected, and comfortable expressing themselves. The teacher should help create a positive environment through inclusive language, encouraging communication, and nurturing a sense of community through shared experiences and activities. The verbal and non-verbal cues, such as tone and body language, should communicate the teacher's compassion and willingness to listen to the students. The approach will allow the students to feel safe to ask questions, participate in discussions and take risks in their learning. When the overall culture is positive, it promotes a growth mindset where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning. Therefore, the analysis will establish how I can create an environment to support student's social and emotional growth.
One of the key strategies I use to build relationships with my students is how I talk to them. I am aware of the words I choose and how I say them. Besides, I ensure that my words are congruent with my actions, which helps establish trust and credibility. By matching my words with actions, the students believe what the teacher is teaching and are inspired to engage in the classroom and ask questions. There are multiple interactions between a teacher and their student within a day, including introducing new content, asking follow-up questions, and giving directions. As such, I am thoughtful when interacting with the students and ensure my word choice is clear, predictable, and culturally responsive. Moreover, when speaking to the students, I have modeled an emotional consistency that helps enhance confidence and a predictable environment. For instance, I usually find the appropriate tone, such as compassion, sincerity, and calm, which has played a crucial role in developing a relationship with the students. As Biklen and Burke 2006, find, the best teacher “just seem to accept all the variables as nothing that will alter the room, and they demonstrate their love of knowledge they are teaching.” They are passionate and keen not to be affected by external forces. As such, my awareness of the impact of word choice in creating a suitable environment for the students has allowed me to understand my triggers and needs during moments of stress and frustration. I will consider planning how to regulate my emotions by deep breathing or walking outside when I feel agitated. The strategies have helped me to maintain a consistent tone with the students and support their academic, social, and emotional growth.
The other strategy I have implemented is auditing my interactions with the students. Taking an honest look at the daily interactions with the students has allowed me to identify challenges in our interactions. Although a teacher can be committed to building positive interactions with the students, there are instances when the interactions deviate in a more negative direction. As such, it is likely for a teacher to focus on positive interactions as they want to feel energized and appreciated. Larrivee 2000, recommends that teachers should “ make time for thoughtful consideration of their actions and critical into the impact of their own behaviors.” Solitary reflection allows me to track my interaction with the students and find how to account for the unevenness in interactions. This has helped me to create structures such as class meetings and planned informal interactions that help support relationship building, especially with students who experience negative interactions. The approach has played a significant role in the student's social-emotional skill development, which helps build a conducive learning environment.
The critical strategy I have implemented to create and establish classroom norms and routines involve students. I sit with the students during the discussions and share my thinking and listen to their ideas to develop routines and norms agreed upon by the students. The meetings allow me to express care and demonstrate to the students that I wish them well and am not against their success. Roehlkepartain 2017, established that the involvement of students makes the teacher “accessible and not judgmental." It demonstrates to the