Positive rapport with your students will not only make your job easier, but are essential for creating a supportive atmosphere for learning. We will outline a few ways you can establish and maintain a supportive learning environment for your classroom.
Establishing expectations
Establishing clear expectations between you and your students can lead to meaningful class discussion and is an important step in creating a supportive learning environment. Reviewing this list of expectations with students at the beginning of the semester demonstrates to students that their opinions are being considered. Some expectations you can have of your students are: turning assignments in on time, coming to class on-time, utilizing …show more content…
One way is to provide positive written and verbal feedback. Rather than simply marking assignments wrong, provide comments that identify the thoughts or content students are grasping correctly. Additionally, providing positive responses to students in class -even if they answer a question wrong- will demonstrate that is is okay to make a mistake. Conversely, avoid talking badly or negatively about other students or the teacher. This is not only unprofessional, but will result in mistrust and discontent between you and your students.
Students ' needs and cultural diversity
Another way to support students ' is by learning about their diverse backgrounds, experiences, prior knowledge, and learning needs. You may want to consider starting the class with a needs and skills assessment. This will allow you to learn about student preferred learning style, areas for improvement and general basic understanding of prerequisite course content. You will also be teaching to an increasingly diverse student-body and should consider cultural differences when teaching. Being sensitive to your students ' needs and differences is necessary to create a supportive learning environment. …show more content…
When a group conflict arises, knowing when and how to intervene can be a challenge. However, it is best to step back and let the group resolve any conflict among themselves. If the conflict is not resolved by group members, you may need to become more involved to monitor the group progress and speak to each member of the group individually. If the conflict involves in-appropriate or harmful student behavior, then more intervention is required. Speaking with the teacher regarding these issues will help you learn the best way to handle conflict. It is important to explain to all students that you are available to talk with them about these concerns and that any serious behaviors have to be dealt with in adherence with the class