Teaching Skills For Dummies by Sue Cowley

Author:Sue Cowley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2010-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Creating a Positive Classroom Atmosphere

In This Chapter

Exploring why creating a positive feeling in your classroom is important

Finding out how to establish and maintain a good atmosphere

Discovering how to make the most effective use of rewards

Examining which sanctions work, and how you can apply them to get the best results

Your classroom is your kingdom. And you and your students must work together to make it a great place in which to learn. Sometimes your students do this naturally, as a matter of course. Other times you have to work hard to establish and maintain a good, positive feeling in your classroom. No matter how ‘easy’ or ‘difficult’ the class, you need to use motivators (rewards) and punishments (sanctions) to keep your students on track with work and behaviour. And once you’ve managed to create that good feeling in your room, you can get on with teaching – and that’s what you’re there to do.

Even in the most challenging school, you can still make your own classroom an oasis of peace, calm and learning. When you shut your door, you shut out any worries, problems and negative issues that pervade the rest of the school. Creating this oasis can take a great deal of time and effort, especially if your students feel that the school isn’t a caring or fun place to be. But you can, and in this chapter are lots of ways to do it.

Understanding Why Positivity Is Important

You agree, I’m sure, that people need to feel positive about being in their workplace. When you feel good, happy and relaxed at school, you maintain your enthusiasm and keep your energy levels up. Exactly the same applies to your students – make sure they enjoy being in your lessons and you encounter far fewer problems. But a positive approach has benefits beyond your own emotional wellbeing.

Positivity is also important because of the following:

It’s good for building teacher/student relationships. You and your students spend a lot of time together. If either you or your students feel bad or even resentful about being there, this feeling is going to cause you problems. If you feel good about spending time together, you can focus on learning.

It helps your students to learn. When your students feel happy and relaxed, they’re in the best possible frame of mind to discover new things. Conversely, if they feel bored or negative, they aren’t going to learn as effectively.

It creates a ‘fresh start’ feeling. Sometimes you have to overcome your students’ preconceptions about a particular subject, or about education in general. Make your classroom feel like a fresh and inviting place to be. Make the subject you’re teaching seem like the best thing since sliced bread. It may not happen overnight, but keep at the task, stay relentlessly positive and you’ll get there eventually.

It helps you stay optimistic. Being positive means you look for the upsides in every situation. You may have times as a teacher when you feel like you just can’t cope.

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