CONCEPT OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Psycho – SocialPhysical

Learning community

The classroom which encourages positive social interaction

between the teacher and students, and between

the students themselves.

The Psychosocial Environment Is:

Psychosocial Environment

~POSITIVE~• Warmth• Caring• Supportive• Friendly• Pleasant• Sweet• Encouragement

~NEGATIVE~• Cold & uncaring• Harsh• Punitive• Aloof• Sarcastic• Threatening

Factors That Contribute to the Psychosocial Environment

• Human relation skills• Teacher & student responsibilities in

human relations • Maintaining the psychosocial

environment

General Human Relations SkillsFriendliness

Calling others by name

Smiling Speaking in a

considerate way

Positive Attitude

Looking on the bright side of

thingsProblem solver

Ability to ListenShow genuine interest in the other person

Ability to Compliment Genuinely

Provide explicit compliments

Teacher Responsibilities in the Psychosocial Environment

• Creating the desired Environment

• Sustaining the Environment

• Enthusiasm• Importance of each

student• Sense of Belonging• Fairness

• Responsibility• Consistency• Friendliness• Success• Understanding• Help• Humor

What are the student’s responsibilities?

Student Responsibilities• LEARN• Contribute• Responsible Choices• Dependability

• Consideration• Support• Relate Positively

– Good Manners– Polite– Courteous

Advantage of Positive Psychosocial Environment

•A deep sense of respect and love for the teachers and other students in the class.

•Active student participation.

•Student initiated interaction between the teacher and students.

•Students ask questions and clear their doubts with hesitation.

•Finds teacher very approachable and friendly.

•Students obey code of conduct and shows very minimal behavioural problems.

•Expresses ideas and opinions more freely.

•Teaching and learning tasks are carried out more cooperatively and collaboratively.

•Students and teacher have a shared goal to accomplish in learning.

Maintaining the Psychosocial Environment

• Verbal Reinforcement• Classroom Meetings• Class Building and Team Building Activities• Private Discussions• Use students’ names when calling students.• Let students know that you are there to support and help them.• Dignify wrong answers.

Physical Environment

•Arranging the Physical Space.

•Desk Placement.

•Environmental Preferences.

•Temperature.

•Lighting

•Noise level

14

Layout 1 – traditional classroom

15

Layout 2 – horseshoe

16

Layout 3 – cabaret style

17

Layout 4 – circle

Building Community in the Classroom

• A classroom is a gathering place were students feel secure , nurtured and supported by the environment, each other, and the teacher.

• By demonstrating the teacher’s loving acceptance of all children’s backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences, she can create an environment that says,

“All are welcome here.”

Building community through…

• Children need to see themselves reflected in the classroom.

* Invite children to bring photos of their family. Finding themselves in the room will go a long way towards making them feel comfortable.

* Not only will they enjoy seeing their photos around the room, but they will delight in learning about their new friends and their families.

Building community through…

• In order to feel part of their classroom community, children need to feel the same sense of trust in school as they do at home.

*Reassuring children by making eye contact, listening top what they need to say, and acknowledging their thoughts and feelings can build their sense of trust in the teacher.

*Children may need top engage in parallel play before they are ready to share and communicate with others.

Building community through…

• The family is a key ingredient to children feeling at home in the classroom.

*Make a point of connecting in a variety of ways:>Phone calls>Letters or Notes>Email address (if possible)

* Parents will appreciate the teacher’s effort in communicating with them and may reward the teacher with active participation in the program.

Building Classroom Community

• REMEMBER!~> The warmest element of your classroom is

the teacher and her SMILE. ~> It is not the number of toys and materials

that really counts. It is the teacher’s loving, compassionate attitude towards the children in the classroom family that creates a joyful community.

Ecological Bronfenbrenner Theory System