Words: 1664
Two elements of the classroom environment are the physical and the psychosocial environment. The physical environment refers to the overall surrounding this would include the ambiance, the classroom and general wall space, traffic patterns and bulletin board. According to Malone; BAA (2004) The physical environment refers to the over all surroundings of the classroom and includes everything that is inside those four walls. The other element, the psychosocial environment, refers to the relations, emotions values and attitudes of both the students and the teachers.
Malone; BAA (2004) points UT that the word psychosocial comes from two words: “psychology meaning the study of mental traits and social pertaining to being able to live companionable with others. Therefore a positive classroom environment speaks to an environment in which a student feels, comfortable and creative, eager to return each day. A warm place of belonging and acceptance of the students opinions and ideas. It also is a place where both student and teacher develops a sense of trust and respect for each other while developing strong values and attitudes that are accept blew to themselves and the society in general.
A positive learning and social environment is important for all students. They benefit greatly from meaningful interactions with both their peers and other members of the school community. A positive classroom environment that fosters these interactions increases the opportunities for a student to develop language, learning and social skills. If the environment does not appeal to the students then they may be turn off and easily bored, not paying attention to the lesson being taught. Their attention may be focused on what the classroom is lacking.
Maybe the chalkboard is not positioned in clear view for al to see or the desks that students copy or bumping into each other as they move around the classroom. The bulletin board if not attractive may not be as effective as it should be resulting in important information being missed. According to Malone; BAA (2004) Infant if you ask your students where their favorite place is, I would bet that not one student would say, “Our Classroom! ” If the needs of the students’ well being are not met, the students may become frustrated, disruptive and rebellious.
If each day students came into a react accordingly but when a student comes into a warm, euphoric and elegant atmospheric classroom then the student will be more receptive to the lesson being taught and will feel empowered to assiduously reach for the stars. According to Malone; BAA (2004) A friendly, warm and supportive atmosphere has more to do with effective learning, productive work and a high self-concept than a nice physical environment With these elements in place the students will need a curriculum to motivate them, keeping their focus on the lessons being taught.
Educators need to put in place an appropriate curriculum design, one that reflects the era in which the students recently exists. If the students themselves are not focus on achieving then all is lost. At an orientation ceremony a Minister of Government urged the students not to SUCCUmb to the economic and social pressures but rather to grasp the opportunity of a tertiary education, which. Will enable them to make a more meaningful contribution to society. The curriculum also needs to be properly implemented.
Teachers need to take time out to carefully plan an prepare for their lessons as students will know when the lesson has not been prepared and will get disruptive as a result. “Research shows that the hill-centered approach where the teacher is a facilitator rather than directing and controlling the children, results in much better outcomes for the children,” noted senior lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics, Campanology and Child Health at the University of the West Indies, Professor Maureen Seams-Vaughan. In the past, there was the ‘chalk and talk’ in which you get the child to recite and regurgitate information and that doesn’t help the child. When they are discovering for themselves they stimulate those aspects of the brain for reasoning and thinking. ” Daily Observer Tuesday September 22, 009 The Ministry of education needs to implement on going train ins session to inform teachers of the changes to the curriculum and how to attract the students attention, especially with the new gadgets and games that are now distracting them from these lessons.
The Jamaica Teachers Association (JOTA) in a presentation published in the Jamaica Gleaner Friday September 16, 2005 stated, “The upgrading of teacher training is particularly important in early childhood education which now largely relies on so-called ‘pre-trained’ teachers – a euphemism for persons who really have Napoleonic skills. Between birth and age six is the most critical period in the emotional and intellectual development of a child, and unless teachers with the necessary training are available to guide and encourage progress at this stagnate entire educational cycle IS compromised.
The need for well-trained teachers in the early childhood sector is especially urgent to compensate for the breakdown of Jamaican family life. Mr.. Reid has also suggested the establishment of a National Parent-Teacher Association to help bridge the gap between home and school, and this is another step in the right direction. They also need to encourage parent who are in need of training to be trained or create programs parental fulfillment and skills programmed provide the skill of positive parenting .
You can’t just start talking to them cold about going on a parenting course,” she says. The Times January 25, 2006,the contributor wrote “Who am I to tell them, because all they’ll hear is someone telling them that they’re a crap parent It’s not about that, it’s about growing as a parent, sharing the difficulties and the things that worked for other parents, and you can only start to talk about that when you’ve got some rot of relationship with them, when they know you’ re not there to belittle them, you’re there to enable and empower them, as a parent, as a person, as a family. The Ministry of Education also need to support the teachers by making the relevant resources available and accessible to them. They should also maintain and create facilities to retrain teachers of the changes in the curriculum and provide or seek funding to implement the new technological materials necessary to be effective in presenting their lessons Little, but important, things like classroom storage cupboards will be put in. Information Technology will be expanded, and there is an exciting proposal for radio mathematics.
Literacy will receive further attention and the institutional capacity to manage the system will be improved. Parents and students themselves are the key to all the elements that were previously presented without the students making themselves available and willing to be apart of the process then all is defeated. Parents’ support is also a major part Of a student’s SUcceSS. Parents’ need to monitor their children ensuring that assignments are being done. They are also to analyses their hill to ensure that the emotional and social needs are met.
Parents need to spend as much time as possible with their child dealing with any challenges the child may be facing, they should spend time motivating and passing on the value and cultures that were passed down to them from their parents and society in general. Parental support would set the precedent for the student to embrace a positive classroom environment and the other entire contributory element ensuring success. In the Jamaica Gleaner published Monday July 27, 2009, the contributor wrote: Encourage them to listen to USIA that teaches them how to deal with adversities.
For young children, it is important to read and discuss stories which teach them how to overcome adversities and maintain a positive attitude. Be a role model. The best people to teach children how to have a positive attitude are their parents. When our children have a positive attitude they are happier, more energetic, better able to motivate themselves, better able to achieve their goals faster, better able to have and maintain a good relationship with family and friends. They have a better self-image. When they love and appreciate who they are and what they have, they feel better about themselves.
A positive classroom environment as was said earlier; while being a very important factor in a student’s success is not all as students, teachers, parents and the community all have an input in the overall well being of a chide. In The Times UK published April 17, 2003 the future is about qualified teachers leading groups of adults giving personalized help to children and young people. One of the unions says it’s an attack on teacher professionalism. I see it as the opposite. The idea that o should expect teachers to shut the door, take 30 children and do everything themselves is ridiculous.
Having adult support to do the things that don’t rely on qualified teacher status is an enhancement of their professionalism. Then the teacher can focus on being a leader of teaching and learning in the classroom. Any one thing maybe an obstacle, lack of motivation may cause suppression of their potential, lack of proper infrastructure may result in a student disruptive behavior or always being uneasy, lack of proper teacher preparation may cause students frustration which may discourage them from attending class.
Whether or not a student achieves in school can be influenced by many different factors. Some factors include the students health, the degree of family involvement in school, the school environment itself, as well as the expectations that teachers have of each individual student. Most research considers the effects that teacher expectancies have on student achievement overall, but other research includes a focus on the effects of students gender and ethnicity as well as teachers race, gender and Ethan city.