How to create an environment conducive to learning by Jeanne Ellis Ormrod

1. EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
COMPILED BY :
1. Abdul R. Tambunan
IDN: 410331200
2. Maria Priscillya Pasaribu
IDN: 4103312018
BILINGUAL MATHEMATICS 2010
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MEDAN

2. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
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PREFACE
Praise the author prayed the presence of GodAlmighty for His grace, so the writer can
complete the preparation of papers entitled “Creating Learning Environment”. Writing this
paper is a task of Educational Psychology course. In writing this paper, the author feel there
are still many shortcomings, lacked both technical writing and the material, remember the
capability of the author. In writing this paper the author would like to thank to our
Educational Psychology lecturer and all my friends in completing this paper.
Hopefully this paper can provide greater insight to the reader. This has excess and
weakness, advice and criticism is very helpful for author. Thank you.
Medan, May15th
, 2013
Author

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CONTENT
Preface ..................................................................................................................................................i
Content..................................................................................................................................................ii
Discussion.............................................................................................................................................1
Case Study: A Contagious Situation.....................................................................................................1
1. Creating an Environment Conducive to Learning ...................................................................2
1.1.Arranging the Classroom...................................................................................................3
1.1.1. Minimizing Distraction ........................................................................................3
1.1.2. Facilitating Teacher-Student Interaction..............................................................4
1.1.3. Surveying the Entire Class ...................................................................................4
1.2.Creating an Effective Classroom Climate .........................................................................4
1.2.1. Showing Acceptance, Respect, and Caring..........................................................4
1.2.2. Establishing a Bussinesslike, Nonthreatening Atmosphere .................................5
1.2.3. Communicating Messages About School Subject Matter....................................5
1.2.4. Giving Students a Sense of Control .....................................................................6
1.2.5. Creating a Sense of Community...........................................................................6
1.3.Setting Limits ....................................................................................................................7
1.3.1. Establishing Initial Rules and Procedures............................................................7
1.3.2. Presenting Rules and Procedures as Information.................................................8
1.3.3. Reviewing Existing Rules and Procedures...........................................................8
1.3.4. Acknowledging Students’ Feelings......................................................................9
1.4.Planning Activities That Keep Students on Task..............................................................9
1.4.1. Keeping Students Busy and Engaged...................................................................9
1.4.2. Choosing Tasks at an Appropriate Level .............................................................10
1.4.3. Providing Structure ..............................................................................................10
1.4.4. Planning for Transitions.......................................................................................10
1.5.Monitoring What Students Are Doing ..............................................................................11
1.6.Modifying Instructional Strategies....................................................................................11
2. Dealing with Misbehaviors......................................................................................................12
3. Taking Students Diversity into Account..................................................................................13
3.1.Creating a Supportive Climate ..........................................................................................13
3.2.Defining and Responding to Misbehaviors .......................................................................14
3.3.Accomodating Students with Special Needs.....................................................................14
4. Coordinating Efforts with Others.............................................................................................16
4.1.Working with Other Teachers ...........................................................................................16
4.2.Working with the Community at Large.............................................................................16
4.3.Working with Parents........................................................................................................16
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................19
References.............................................................................................................................................20

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DISCUSSION
Think back your elementary and secondary school years. In which teachers’ classrooms were
you more likely to work hard and stay on task? In which teachers’ classrooms were you more likely to
misbehave? What strategies did the more effective teachers use to help you be productive?
Effective teachers not only choose instructional strategies that promote effective learning and
cognitive processing, but they also create an environment that keeps students busily engaged in
classroom activities. In this chapter we will consider how we can plan and create a classroom
environment conducive to students’ learning and achievement. In particular, we will address the
following questions:
How can we create a classroom environment that promotes student learning and minimizes
off-task behavior?
How can we effectively deal with the misbehaviors that do occur?
What strategies are especially helpful when we have students from diverse backgrounds?
How can we coordinate our efforts with other teachers, community agencies, and students’
parents?
CASE STUDY: A Contagious Situation
Ms. Cornell received her teaching certificate in May; soon after, she accepted a position as a fifth-
grade teacher at Twin Pines Elementary School. She spent the summer planning her classroom
curriculum: she identified the objectives she wanted her students to accomplish during the year and
developed numerous activities to help them meet those objectives. She now feels well prepared for
her first year in the classroom.
After the long, hot summer, most of Ms. Cornell’s students seem happy to be back at school.
So on the very first day of school, Ms. Cornell jumps headlong into the curriculum she has planned.
But three problems quickly present themselves, problems in the form of Eli, Jake, and Vanessa.
These three students seem determined to disrupt the class at every possible opportunity. They
move about the room without permission, making a point of annoying others as they walk to the
pencil sharpener or wastebasket. They talk out of turn, sometimes being rude and disrespectful to their
teachers and classmates and at other times belittling classroom activities that Ms. Cornell has so
carefully planned. They rarely complete their in-class assignments, preferring instead to engage in
horseplay and or practical jokes. They seem particularly prone to misbehavior at “down” times in the
class schedule, for example, at the beginning and end of the school day, before and after recess and
lunch, and on occasions when Ms. Cornell is preoccupied with other students.
Ms. Cornell continuous to follow her daily lesson plans, ignoring her problem students and
hoping they will begin to see the error of their ways. Yet, with the three of them egging one another
on, the disruptive behavior continuous. Furthermore, it begins to spread to other students. By the
middle of October, Ms. Cornell’s class is a three-ring circus, with general chaos reigning in the
classroom and instructional objectives rarely being accomplished. The few students who still seem
intent on learning something are having a difficult time doing so.

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1. Creating an Environment Conducive to Learning
As a first-year teacher, Ms. Cornell is well prepared in some respects but not at all prepared in others.
She has carefully identified her objectives and the activities through which she intends to accomplish
those objectives. But she has neglected to think about how she might keep students on task or how she
might adjust her lesson plans based on how students are progressing. And she has not considered how
she might nip behavior problems in the bud, before such misbehaviors begin to interfere with
students’ learning. In the absence of such planning, no curriculum, not even one grounded firmly in
principles of learning and development, is likely to promote student achievement.
Students learn more effectively in some classroom environments than in others. Consider
these four classrooms as examples:
Mr. Aragon’s class is calm and orderly. The students are working independently at their seats,
and all of them appear to be concentrating on their assigned tasks. Occasionally, students
approach Mr. Aragon to seek clarification of an assignment or to get feedback about a task
they’ve completed, and he confers quietly with them.
Mr. Boitano’s class is chaotic and noisy. A few students are doing their schoolwork, but most
are engage in very nonacademic activities. One girl is painting her nails behind a large
dictionary propped out on her desk, a boy nearby is picking wads of gum off the underside of
his desk, several students are exchanging the latest school gossip, and a group of boys is
reenacting the Battle of Waterloo with rubber bands and paper clips.
Mr. Cavalini’s classroom is as noisy as Boltano’s. But rather than exchanging gossip or
waging war, students are debating ( often loudly and passionately ) about the pros and cons of
nuclear energy. After twenty minutes of heated discussion, Cavalini stops them, lists their
various arguments on the board, and then explains in simple philosophical terms why there is
no easy or “correct” resolution of the issue.
Mr. Durocher believes that students learn most effectively when rules for their behavior are
clearly spelled out. So he has rules for almost every conceivable occasion, fifty-three rules in
all. Following is a small example:
Be in your seat before the bell rings
Use a ballpoint pen with blue ink for all assignments
Used white lined paper with straight edges; do not use paper with loose-leaf holes or
spiral notebook “fringe”.
Raise your hand if you wish to speak, and then speak only when called upon.
Do not ask question unrelated to the topic being studied.
Never leave your seat without permission.
Durocher punishes each infraction severely enough that students follow the rules to the letter.
So his students are a quiet and obedient ( if somewhat anxious ) bunch, but they never seem to
learn as much as Durocher knows they are capable of learning.
Two of these classrooms are quiet and orderly; the other two are active and noisy. Yet as you can see,
the activity and noise levels are not good indicators of how much students are learning. Students are
learning both in Mr. Aragon’s classroom and Mr. Cavalini’s rambunctious one. At the same time,

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neither the students in Mr. Boltano’s loud, chaotic battlefield nor those in Mr. Durocher’s peaceful
military dictatorship seem to be learning much at all.
Effective classroom management, creating and maintaining a classroom environment
conducive to learning and achievements, has little to do with noise or activity level. A well-managed
classroom is one in which students are consistently engaged in productive learning activities and in
which students’ behavior rarely interfere with the achievement of instructional objectives.
Creating and maintaining and environment in which students participate eagerly and actively
in classroom activities can be a challenging task indeed. After all, we must tend to the unique needs of
many different students, we must sometimes coordinate several activities at the same time, and we
must often make quick decisions about how to respond to unanticipated events. Furthermore, we must
vary our classroom management techniques considerably depending on the particular instructional
strategies ( expository, hands-on or interactive ) that we are using. So it is surprising that beginning
teachers often mention classroom management as their number one concern.
To create and maintain the productive learning environment, effective teachers typically
Physically arrange the classroom in a way that facilities teachers-students interaction and
keeps distracting influences to a minimum
Create a classroom climate in which students have a sense of belonging and an intrinsic
motivation to learn
Set reasonable limits for students behavior
Plan classroom activities that encourage on-task behavior
Continually monitor what all students are doing
Modify instructional strategies when necessary.
In the pages that follow, we will consider specific ways to implement eats of these strategies.
1.1. Arranging The Classroom
As we arrange the furniture in the classroom, decide to put various instructional materials and
pieces of equipment, and think about its student might sit, we should consider the effects that
various arrangements are likely to have on students’ behaviors. Ultimately, we want a situation in
which we can:
Minimize distractions
Interact easily with any student
Survey the entire class art any given time
1.1.1. Minimizing Distractions
Stuart is more likely to poke a classmate with his pencil if he has to brush past the
classmate to get to the pencil sharpener. Marlene is more likely to fiddle with instructional
materials art and inappropriate time if they are within easy reach of her desk. David is more
likely gossip with a friend if that friend is sitting right beside him. As teachers, we should
arrangeour classrooms in ways that minimize the probability that such off-task behaviors will
occur. For example, we can establish traffic patterns that allow students to move around the
classroom without disturbing one another, keep intriguing materials out of sight and reach
until it is time to use them, and situate overly chatty friends on opposites of the room.

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1.1.2. Facilitating Teacher-Students Interactions
Ideally, we should arrange desks, tables, and chairs so that we can easily interact and
converse with our students. Students seated near us are more likely to pay attention, interact
with us, and become actively involved in classrooms activities; hence, we may want to place
chronically misbehaving or uninvolved students close at hands.
1.1.3. Surveying The Entire Class
As we proceed through various lessons and activities, we should ideally be able to see
all of our students. By occasionally surveying the classroom for possible signs of confusion,
frustration, or boredom, we can more easily detect minor student difficulties and misbehaviors
before they develop into serious problems.
1.2. Creating An Effective Classroom Climate
In addition to the classrooms physical environment, we must also consider the psychological
environment, or classroom climate, that we create. Ideally, we want a classroom in students make
their own learning a high priority and feel free to take the risks and take the mistakes so critical
for long-term academic success. To create such a classroom climate, we should:
Communicate acceptance of, respect for, and caring about our students as human
beings
Establish a businesslike, yet nonthreatening, atmosphere
Give students some control over classroom activities
Create a sense of community among the students
1.2.1. Showing Acceptance, Respect, and Caring
Human beings may have a fundamental need to feel socially connected with others.
This need for relatedness expresses itself somewhat that differently in different students.
Many students have a high need for affiliation: they actively seek out friendly relationships
with others. Many also have a high need for approval: they want to gain the acceptance and
high regard of those around them.
We can help out students meet such needs through our own actions, including the
many little things we do daily. For example, we can give students a smile and warm greeting
at the beginning of each class day. We can compliment them when they get a new haircut,
excel in an extracurricular activity, or receiverecognition in the local newspaper. We can ask
them for information or advice about a topic of particular interest to them. We can offer our
support when they struggle at challenging classroom tasks and let them know we’re pleased
when they eventually succeed at such tasks. We can be good listeners when they come to
school angry or upset. And we can show them how we, too, are fallible humanbeings by
sharing some of our own concerns, problems, and frustrations.
Research is clear on this point: effective teachers are warm, caring individual who,
through a variety of statements and actions, communicate a respect for students, an

8. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
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acceptance of them as they are, and a genuine concern about their well-being. When students
believe that their teachers are genuinely caring and supportive, they have higher self-efficacy,
find classroom subject matter more interesting and enjoyable, are more likely to ask for help
when they need it, are less likely to cheat on classroom assignments, and achieve at higher
levels.
1.2.2. Establishing a Businesslike, Nonthreatening Atmosphere
As we have just seen, an important element of effective classroom management is
developing positive relationships with our students. At the same time, we must recognize that
we and our students alike are in school to get certain things accomplished. Accordingly, we
should maintain a relatively businesslike atmosphere in the classroom most of the time. This
is not to say that our activities must be boring and tedious; on the contrary, they can often be
exciting and engaging. But excitement and entertainment should nit be thought of as goals and
of themselves. Rather, they are means to a more important goal achieving instructional
objectives.
Yet it is important that this businesslike atmosphere is not uncomfortable or
threatening. Students who are excessively anxious about their class performance are unlikely
to give us their best. We can hold our students accountable for achieving instructional
objectives yet not place them feel like failures. And we can admonish them for misbehavior
yet not hold grudges against them from one day to the next.
1.2.3. Communicating Messages About School Subject Matter
As teacher, we give students message about the value of school subject matter not
only in what we say but also in what we do. If we as students to spend hours each day
engaged in what seems like meaningless busy work, and if we assess learning primarily
through tests that encourage rote memorization, we are indirectly telling students that
classroom tasks are merely things that need to be “done.” Furthermore, if we continually
focus their attention on performance goal, what their test grades are, how their works
compares to that their classmates, and so on, we increase their anxiety about school subject
matter and indirectly increase the frequency of disruptive behavior. If, instead, we continually
demonstrate how classroom topics relate to the outside world, if we assess learning in ways
that require meaningful learning and elaboration, and if we focus on how well each student is
improving over time, we show students that the subject matter isn’t just something to be
learned for its own sake and create a climate more conducive to learning and productivity.
1.2.4. Giving Students a Sense of Control
To make sure our students accomplish instructional goals, we must control the
direction of classroom events to some extent. Nevertheless, we can give our students a sense
that they, too, control some aspects of classroom life. For example, we can use strategies such
as these:
Give students advance notice of upcoming activities and assignments (enabling them to
plan ahead).
Create regular routines for accomplishing assignments (enabling students to complete
the assignments successfully with minimal guidance from us).
Allow students to set some of their own deadlines for completing assignments
(enabling them to establish a reasonable timeframe for themselves).
Provide opportunities for students to make choices about how to complete assignments
or spend some of their class time (enabling them to set some of their own priorities).

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1.2.5. Creating a Sense of Community
In general, however, a competitive classroom environment is often counterproductive
when we consider principles of motivation. For one thing, competitive situations focus
students’ attention on performance goals rather than mastery goals; hence, students are more
likelyto worry about how competent they appear to their teachers and classmates than about
how well they understand classroom materials. Second, competition creates a situation in
which most students become losers learn in undermined. Finally, when students consistently
see others performing more successfully than themselves, they are more likely to attribute
their own failures to a lack of ability: They conclude that they simply don’t have what it takes
to succeed at classroom tasks.
We considered the concept of a community of learners, a classroom in which teacher
and students consistently work together to help one another learn. Ultimately, we want to
create a sense of community in the classroom, a sense that we and our students have shared
goals, are mutually respectful and supportive of one another’s efforts, and believe that
everyone makes an important contribution to classroom learning. Theorists have identified
several strategies that can help create a sense of classroom community:
1. Make frequent use of interactive and collaborative teaching strategies (class
discussions, cooperative learning activities, etc.)
2. Solicit students’ ideas and opinions, and incorporate them into classroom discussions
and activities.
3. Create mechanisms through which students can help make the classroom run smoothly
and efficiently (e.g., assigning various “helper” roles to students on rotating basis).
4. Emphasize such prosocial values as sharing and cooperation.
5. Provide opportunities for students to help one another (e.g., by asking, “who has a
problem that someone else might be able to help you solve?”).
6. Institute a “no exclusion” policy in group activities (e.g., by insisting that any student
who wants to be involved in a play activity can be involved)
7. Encourage students to be on the lookout for classmates on the periphery of ongoing
activities (perhaps students with disabilities) and encourage them to join in.
8. Work on social skills with those students whose interpersonal behaviors may alienate
others.
9. Provide public recognition of students’ contributions to the overall success of the
classroom.
10. Convey the general message that all students deserve the respect of their classmates and
are important members of the classroom community.
When students share a sense of community, they are more likely to exhibit prosocial
behavior, stay on task, express enthusiasm about classroom activities, and achieve at high
levels. Furthermore, a sense of classroom community is associated with lower rates of
emotional distress, disruptive classroom behavior, truancy, violence, drug use, and dropping
out.

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1.3. Setting Limits
Setting reasonable limits on classroom behavior not only promotes a more productive learning
environment but also contributes to students’ socialization by encouraging them to develop
behaviors essential for successful participation in the adult world.
Experienced educators have offered several suggestions for setting reasonable limits on
students’ classroom behavior. More specially, they suggests that we
establish a few rules and procedures at the beginning of the year
present rules and procedures in an informational rather than controlling manner
periodically review the usefulness of existing rules and procedures
acknowledge students’ feelings about classroom requirements
1.3.1. Establishing Initial Rules and Procedures
The first few days and weeks of the school year are critical ones for establishing classrooms
procedures and setting expectations for student behavior. Effective classroom managers
establish and communicate certain rules and procedures right from the start. They identify
acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. They develop consistent procedures and routines for
such things as completing seatwork, asking for help, and turning in assignments. And they
have procedures in place for nonroutine events such as school assemblies, field trips, and fire
drills.
Ideally, our students should understand that rules and procedures are not merely the
result of our personal whims but are designed to help the classroom run smoothly and
efficiently. One way of promoting such understanding is to include students in decision
making about the rules and procedures by which the class will operate. For example, we
might solicit students’ suggestions for making sure that unnecessary distractions are kept to a
minimum and that everyone has a chance to speak during class discussions. By incorporating
students’ ideas and concerns regarding the limits we set, we help students understand the
reason for those limits.
Once rules and procedures have been formulated, we should communicate them clearly
and explicitly, describe the consequences of noncompliance, and enforce them consistently.
Taking time to clarify and enforce rules and procedures seems to be especially important in
the early elementary grades, when students may not be as familiar with “how things are done”
at school.
Keep in mind that rules and procedures are easier to remember and therefore easier to
follow if they are relatively simple and few in number. Effective classroom managers tend to
stress only the most important rules and procedures at the beginning of the school year; they
introduce other rules and procedures later on as needed. Also keep in mind that, although
some order and predictability are essential for student productivity, too much order may make
our classroom a rather boring.

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1.3.2. Presenting Rules and Procedures
Presenting classrooms rules and procedures as information
Our students are more likely to be intrinsically motivated to follow classroom rules and
procedures if we present them as items of information rather than as forms of control.
We might say this (information): ... rather than this (control):
“You’ll get your independent assignments
done more quickly if you get right to
work.”
“Please be quiet and do your own work.”
“As we practice for our fire drill, it is
important that we line up quickly and be
quiet so that we can hear the instructions
we are given and will know what to do.”
“When the fire alarm sounds, line up
quickly and quietly and then wait for
further instructions.”
“This assignment is designed to help you
develop the writing skills you will need
after you graduate. It is unfair to other
authors to copy their work word for word,
so we will practice putting ideas into our
own words and giving credit to authors
whose ideas we borrow. Passing off
another’s writing and ideas as your own
can lead to suspension in college or a
lawsuit in the business world.”
“Cheating and plagiarism are not
acceptable in this classroom.”
“it’s important that i can clearly read your
writing. If your words are illegible and
your cross-outs are confusing, i may not
be able to give you as high a grade as you
deserve on an assignment.”
“Use good penmanship on all assignments
and erase any errors carefully and
completely. Points will be deducted for
sloppy writing.”
The above table lists several examples of rules and procedures presented in an
informational manner; each of these statements includes the reason for imposing certain
guidelines
1.3.3. Reviewing Existing Rules and Procedures
As the school year progresses, we may occasionally want to revise the rules and procedures
we established earlier. For instance, we may find that rules about when students can and
cannot move around the room are overly restrictive or that procedures for turning in
homework don’t adequately accommodate students who must sometimes leave class early to
attend athletic events.
Regularly scheduled class meetings provide one mechanism through which we and our
students can periodically review classroom rules and procedures.
By providing such opportunities for students to revise classroom policies frequently, we find
one more way of giving them a sense of ownership in such policies. Furthermore, perhaps
because of the authoritative atmosphere and the conversations about moral dilemmas that
student decision making may entail, more advanced levels of moral reasoning may result.
1.3.4. Acknowledging Students’ Feelings
There will undoubtedly be times when we must ask our students to do something they
would prefer not to do. Rather than pretend that such feelings don’t exist, we are better
advised to acknowledge them. For example, we might tell students that we know how difficult

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it can be to sit quietly during an unexpectedly lengthy school assembly or to spend an entire
evening on a particular homework assignment. At the same time, we can explain that the
behaviors we request of them, though not always intrinsically enjoyable, do, in fact,
contribute to the long-term goals they have set for themselves. By acknowledging students’
feelings about tasks they would rather not do yet also pointing out the benefits of performing
those tasks, we increase the likelihood that the students will accept the limitations imposed on
their behavior.
1.4. Planning Activities That Keep Students on Task
Effective teachers plan their lessons ahead of time. Furthermore, they plan activities that not only
facilitate students’ learning and cognitive processing but also motivate students to want to learn.
For instance, they think about how to make subject matter interesting and incorporate variety into
lessons, perhaps by employing colorful audiovisual aids, using novel activities (e.g., small-group
discussions, class debates), or moving to a different location (e.g., the media center or school
yard).
As we plan our upcoming classroom activities, then, we should simultaneously plan specific
ways of keeping our students on task. In addition to using the motivational strategies, we should:
Be sure students will always be busy and engaged
Choose tasks at an appropriate academic level
Provide a reasonable amount of structure for activities and assignments
Make special plans for transition times in the school day
1.4.1. Keeping Students Busy and Engaged
Effective classroom managers make sure that there is a little “empty” time in which
nothing is going on. As teachers, we can use numerous strategies to keep our students busy
and engaged; as examples, we can:
Have something specific for students to do each day, even on the first day of class
Have materials organized and equipment set up before class
Have activities that ensure all students’ involvement and participation
Maintain a brisk pace throughout each lesson (although not so fast that students can’t
keep up)
Ensure that student comments are relevant and helpful but not excessively long-winded
(perhaps by taking any chronic time-monopolizers aside for a private discussion about
letting others have a chance to express their thoughts)
Spend only short periods of time dealing with individual students during class unless
other students are capable of working independently and productively in the meantime
Have a system in place that ensures that students who finish an assigned task quickly
have something else to do (perhaps writing in a class journal or reading books)
1.4.2. Choosing Tasks at an Appropriate Level
Our students are more likely to get involved in their classwork, rather than in off-task
behavior, when they have academic tasks and assignments appropriate for their current ability
levels. They are apt to misbehave when they are asked to do things that are probably too
difficult for them, in other words, when they are incapable of completing assigned tasks

13. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
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successfully. Thus, classroom misbehaviors are more often observed in students who have a
history of struggling in their coursework.
This is not to suggest that we should plan activities so easy that our students are not
challenged and learning nothing new in doing them. One workable strategy is to begin the
school year with relatively easy tasks that students can readily complete. Such early tasks
enable students to practice normal classroom routines and procedures; they also give students
a sense that they can enjoy and be successful in classroom activities. Once a supportive
classroom climate has been established and students are comfortable with classroom
procedures, we can graduallyintroduce more difficult and challenging assignments. We might
take a similar approach when introducing new instructional strategies; for instance, when we
first ask students to engage in cooperative activities, we might have them work with relatively
familiar content so that they can focus on mastering effective group interaction skills (asking
for help, giving explanations, etc.) without being distracted by difficult subject matter.
1.4.3. Providing Structure
The concept of scaffolding is helpful in this context: We can provide a great deal of
structure for tasks early in the school year, gradually removing that structure as students
become better able to structure tasks for themselves. For example, when introducing students
to cooperative learning, we might structure initial group meetings by breaking down each
group task into several subtasks, giving clear directions as to how each subtask should be
carried out, and assigning every group member a particular role to serve in the group. As the
school year progresses and students become more adept at learning cooperatively with their
classmates, we gradually can become less directive about how group tasks are accomplished.
1.4.4. Planning for Transitions
How might we plan for the various transitions that occur throughout the school day?
Here are some examples:
A physical education teacher has students begin each class session with five minutes of
stretching exercises.
An elementary school teacher has students follow the same procedure each day as
lunch time approaches. Students must (1) place completed assignments in a basket on
the teacher’s desk, (2) put away classroom supplies (e.g., pencils, paint, scissors) they
have been using, (3) get their lunch boxes from the coatroom, and (4) line up quietly by
the classroom door.
A middle school mathematics teacher has students copy the new homework assignment
as soon as they come to class.
A junior high school history teacher has formed long-term cooperative learning groups
(base groups) of three or four students each. The groups are given a few minutes at the
end of each class to compare notes on material presented that day and get a head start
on the evening’s reading assignment.
A high school English composition teacher writes a topic or question (e.g., “My biggest
pet peeve,” “Whatever happened to hula hoops?”) on the chalkboard at the beginning of
each class period. Students know that when they come to class, they should
immediately take out pencil and paper and begin to write on the topic or question of the
day.
All of these strategies, through very different in nature, share the common goal of keeping
students focused on their schoolwork.

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1.5. Monitoring What Students Are Doing
Effective teachers communicate something called withitness: they know (and their students
know that they know) what students are doing at all times in the classroom. In a sense, “with-it”
teachers act as if they have eyes in the back of their heads. They make it clear that they are aware
of what everyone is doing. They regularly scan the classroom and make frequent eye contact
with individual students. They know what misbehaviors are occurring when those misbehaviors
occur, and they know who the perpetrators are. Consider the following scenario as an example:
An hour and a half of each morning in Mr. Renaker’s elementary school classroom is
devoted to reading. Students know that, for part of this time, they will meet with Mr.
Renaker in their small reading groups. They spend the remainder of the time working
on independent assignments tailored to their individual reading skills. As Mr. Renaker
works with each reading group in one corner of the classroom, he situates himself
with his back to the wall so that he can simultaneously keep one eye on students
working independently at their seats. He sends a quick and subtle signal, perhaps a
stern expression, a finger to the lips, or a call of a student’s name, to any student who
begins to be disruptive.
When we demonstrate such whititness, especially at the beginning of the school year, our
students are more likely to stay on task and display appropriate classroom behavior.
1.6. Modifying Instructional Strategies
As we have repeatedly seen, principles of effective classroom management go hand in hand with
principles of learning and motivation. When our students are learning and achieving successfully
and when they clearly want to pursue the curriculum that the classrooms offers, they are likely to
be busily engaged in productive classroom activities for the most of the school day. In contrast,
when they have difficulty understanding classroom subject matter or when they have little
interest in learning it, they are likely to exhibit the nonproductive or even counterproductive
classrooms behaviors that result from frustration or boredom.
Research tells us that when students misbehave, beginning teacher often think about what
the students are doing wrong. In contrast, experienced, “expert” teachers are more apt to think
about what they themselves can do differently to keep students on task, and they modify their
plans accordingly. So when behavior problems crop up , we should start thinking as the experts
do, by considering question such as the following:
How can I alter instructional strategies to capture students’ interest and excitement?
Are instructional materials so difficult that students are becoming frustrated? Or are they so
easy that students are bored?
What are students really concerned about? For example, are they more concerned about
interacting with their classmates than in gaining new knowledge and skills?
How can I address students’ motives and goals (e.g., their desire to affiliate with classmates)
while simultaneously helping them achieve classrooms objectives?
Answering such questions helps us focus our efforts on our ultimate goal: to help students learn.
Occasionally, current events on the international, national, or local scene (e.g., a terrorist attack, a
president’s impeachment trial, or a tragic car accident involving fellow students) may take
priority. When students’ minds are justifiably preoccupied with something other than the topic of
instruction, they will have difficulty paying attention to that preplanned topic and arelikely to
learn little about it. In such extenuating circumstances, we may want to abandon our lesson plans
altogether.

15. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
12
Despite our best efforts, students may sometimes behave in ways that disrupt classroom
activities and interfere with student learning. Effective teachers not only plan and structure a
classroom that minimizes potential behavior problems but they also deal with the misbehaviors
that do occur.
2. Dealing with Misbehaviors
For purposes of our discussion, we will define a misbehavior as any action that can potentially
disrupt classroom learning and planned classroom activities. Some classroom misbehaviors are
relatively minor ones that have little long-term impact on students’ achievement. Such behaviors as
talking out of turn, writing notes to classmates during a lecture, and submitting homework
assignments after they due date generally fall in this category. Other misbehaviors are far more
serious, in that they definitely interfere with the learning and achievement of one or more students.
For example, when students scream at their teachers, hit their classmates, or habitually refuse to
participate in classroom activities, then classroom learning may be adversely affected. Furthermore,
such behaviors may, in some cases, threaten the physical safety or psychological well-being of others
in the classroom.
As teachers, we need to plan ahead about how to respond to the variety of misbehaviors wee may
see in the classroom. As we do so, we must keep in mind that different strategies may be appropriate
under different circumstances. In the following pages we will consider six general strategies and the
situations in which each is likely to be appropriate:
Six Strategies for Dealing with Student Misbehavior
STRATEGY SITUATIONS IN WHICH IT’S
APPROPRIATE
POSSIBLE EXAMPLES
Ignoring the behavior The misbehavior is unlikely to be
repeated.
The misbehavior is unlikely to
spread to other students.
Unusual circumstances elicit the
misbehavior temporarily.
The misbehavior does not seriously
interfere with learning.
One student surreptitiously
passes a note to another student
just before the end of class
A student accidentally drops
her books, startling other
students and temporarily
distracting them from their
work.
An entire class is hyperactive
on the last afternoon before
spring break
Cueing the students The misbehavior is a minor
infraction yet interferes with
students’ learning.
The behavior is likely to change
with a subtle reminder.
A students forgets forget to
close his notebook at the
beginning of a test
A cooperative learning group is
talking unnecessarily loudly
Several students are
exchanging jokes during an
independent seatwork
assignment.
Discussing the
problem privately
with the student
Cueing has been ineffective in
changing the behavior.
The reasons for the misbehavior, if
made clear, might suggest possible
A students is frequently late to
class
A student refuses to do certain
kinds of assignments.

16. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
13
strategies for reducing it. A student shows a sudden drop
in motivation for no apparent
reason.
Promoting self-
regulation
The student has a strong desire to
improve his or her behavior.
A student doesn’t realize how
frequently she interupts her
classmates.
A student seeks help in
learning to control his anger.
A student wants to develop
more regular study habits.
Using behaviorist
techniques
The misbehavior has continued
over a period of time and
significantly interferes with student
learning.
The student seems unwilling or
unable to use self-regulation
techniques.
A student has unusual
difficulty sitting still for
reasonable periods of time.
A student’s obscene remarks
continue even though her
teacher has spoken with her
about the behavior on several
occasions.
A member of the football team
displays unsportsmanlike
conduct that is potentially
dangerous to other players.
Conferring with
parents
The source of the problem may lie
outside school walls.
Parents are likely to work
collaboratively with school
personnel to bring about a behavior
change.
A student does well in class but
rarely turns in required
homework assignments.
A student is caught stealing,
vandalizing school property, or
engaging in other unethical or
illegal behavior.
A student falls asleep in class
almost every day.
3. Taking Student Diversity into Account
As we plan for a productive classroom environment, we must always take the diverse characteristics
and needs of our students into account.
3.1. Creating a Supportive Climate
Such a warm and supportive classroom atmosphere may be especially important for students
from ethnic minority group. When working with students from lower-socioeconomic, inner-
city backgrounds, we should also take special pains to create a classroom that feels safe and
orderly. A classroom that is dependable and predictable can provide a sense of self-
determination that students may not be able to find anywhere else; hence, it can be a place to
which they look forward to coming each day.
3.2. Defining and Responding to Misbehaviors
As we determine which behaviors to define as misbehaviors in our classrooms, we must
remember that some behaviors considered unacceptable in one culture may be quite
acceptable in another culture. We must be patient and understanding as we help students
acquire behaviors that are more conductive to academic productivity.
3.3. Accommodating students with Special Needs

17. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
14
As we create a classroom environment that promotes student learning, we must take into
account any special educational needs of our students. In general, an orderly classroom-one in
which procedures for performing certain tasks are specified, expectations for student behavior
are clear, and misbehavior are treated consistently – makes it easier for students with special
needs to adapt comfortably to a general education setting.
When students have a history of behavior problems, we may need to provide a great deal of
guidance and support to help them develop productive classroom behavior. Furthermore,
many students with special needs may need explicit feedback about their classroom
performance. Similarly, when student display inappropriate behavior, we should tell them
exactly what they have done wrong.
Planning for Students with Special Educational Needs
Category Characteristics You Might
Observe
Suggested Classroom Strategies
Students with specific cognitive
or academic difficulties.
- Difficulty staying on task
- Misbehaviors such as
hyperactivity,
impulsiveness,
disruptiveness,
inattentiveness (in some
students)
- Poor time management skill
and/or a disorganized
approach to accomplishing
tasks (in some students)
- Closely monitor students
during independent
assignments
- Make sure students
understand their
assignments; if appropriate,
give them extra time to
complete the assignments.
- Make expectations for
behavior clear, and enforce
classroom rules consistently
- Cue students regarding
appropriate behavior
- Reinforce desired behaviors
immediately
- For hyperactive students,
plan short activities that
help them settle down after
periods of physical activity
(e.g., after recess, lunch, or
physical education)
- For impulsive students,
teach self-instructions
- Teach students strategies
for organizing their time
and work
Students with social or
behavioral problems
- Frequent overt
misbehaviors, such as acting
out, aggression,
noncompliance,
destructiveness, or stealing
(in some students)
- Difficulty inhibiting
impulses
- Misbehaviors triggered by
changes in the environment
or daily routine or by
sensory overstimulation (for
- Specify in precise terms
what behaviors are
acceptable and
unacceptable in the
classroom; establish and
enforce rules for behaviors
- Maintain a predictable
schedule; warn students
ahead of time about
changes in the routine
- Use self-regulation
techniques and behaviorist

18. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
15
students with autism)
- Difficulty interacting
effectively with classmates.
- Difficulty staying on task
- Tendency to engage in
power struggles with the
teacher (for some students)
approaches to promote
productive classroom
behaviors
- Teach social skills
- Closely monitor students
during independent
assignments
- Give students a sense of
self-determination about
some aspects of classroom
life; minimize the use of
coercive techniques
- Make an extra effort to
show students that you care
about them as human
beings.
Students with general delays in
cognitive and social functioning
- Occasionally disruptive
classroom behavior
- Dependence on others for
guidance about how to
behave
- More appropriate classroom
behavior when expectations
are clear
- Establish clear, concrete
rules for classroom
behavior
- Cue students regarding
appropriate behavior.
- Use self - regulation
techniques and behaviorist
approaches to promote
desired behaviors
- Give explicit feedback
about what students are and
are not doing appropriately
Students with physical or
sensory challenges
- Social isolation from
classmates (for some
students)
- Difficulty accomplishing
tasks as quickly as other
students
- Difficulty interpreting
spoken messages (if
students have hearing loss)
- Establish a strong sense of
community within the
classroom
- When appropriate, give
extra time to complete
assignments
- Keep unnecessary
classroom noise to a
minimum if one or more
students have hearing loss
Students with advanced
cognitive development
- Off-task behavior in some
students, often due to
boredom during easy
assignments and activities.
- Assign tasks appropriate to
students’ cognitive abilities.
4. Coordinating Effort with Others
As we work to promote student’s learning and development, we will be far more effective when we
coordinate our efforts with the other people in students’ lives.

19. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
16
4.1. Working with Other Teachers
Although teachers spend much of the school day working in individual classrooms, they are
far more effective when they:
Communicate and collaborate regularly with one another
Have common objectives regarding what students should learn and achieve
Work together to identify the obstacles to students’ learning and develop strategies
for overcoming those obstacles
Are committed, as a group, to promoting equality and multicultural sensitivity
throughout the school community
Ideally, we should not only create a sense of community within our individual
classrooms but an overall sense of school community. When teachers and other school
personnel communicate an overall sense of school community, students have more
positive attitudes toward schools, are more motivated to achieve at high levels, and
exhibit more prosocial behavior, and students from diverse backgrounds are more likely
to interact with one another.
In fact, when teachers work together, they may have higher collective self-efficacy – a
believe that, working as a group, they can definitely have an impact on students’ learning
and achievement – and this collective self-confidence is indeed related to students’
performance.
4.2. Working with the Community at Large
Students almost always have regular contact with other institutions besides school – possibly
with youth groups, community organizations, social services, hospitals, mental health clinics,
or local judicial systems. And some of them are probably growing up in cultural environments
unfamiliar to many teachers.
As teacher, we will be most effective if we understand the environments within which our
students live and if we think of ourselves as part a larger team that promotes their long term
development. We must also keep in contact with other people and institutions that play major
roles in students’ lives, coordinating our efforts whenever possible.
4.3. Working with Parents
Above all, we must work cooperatively with students’ parents or other primary caretakers.
We can best think of our relationship with parents as a partnership in which we collaborate to
promote students’ long-term development and learning. It is important to recognize that
families come in variety of forms and those students’ primary caretakers are not always their
parents. The way for working with parents, for teacher are:
Communicating with Parents
At the very minimum, we must stay regular contact with parents about the progress
students making. W must inform them of their children’s accomplishment and alert
them to any behaviors that are consistently interfering with learning and achievement.
Regular communication also provides a means through which parents can give us
information. Such information might suggest ideas about how we can best assist or
motivates the children; at the least it will help us understand why our students
sometimes behave as they do. Finally, we can coordinate our classroom strategies
with those that parents use at home; our efforts to help students succeed will almost

20. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
17
certainly yield greater return in expectations for academic performance and social
behavior are similar both in and out of school.
The following describe several ways in which we can communicate regularly with
parents:
o Parent-teacher Conference
In most school districts, formal parent-teacher conferences are scheduled one
or more times a year. Oftentimes we will want to include students in these
conferences, and in some instances we might even ask students to lead them.
When students play an active role in parent conference, we encourage
students to reflect on their own academic progress, and we give them practice
in communication and leadership skills. Furthermore, teachers, students, and
parents alike are apt to leave such meetings with a shared understanding of
the progress that has been made and the steps to be taken next. Several
suggestions for conducting effective conferences are described as following:
 Schedule each conference at a time that accommodates parents’ work
schedules and other obligations
 Prepare for the conference ahead of time
 Create a warm, nonjudgmental atmosphere
 Express your thoughts clearly, concisely, and honestly
 Avoid educational jargon with which parents may be unfamiliar
 End the conference on a positive note
 After the conference, follow through with anything you have said
you will do.
o Written Communication
Written communication can take a variety of forms. It can be a regularly
scheduled, teacher-constructed checklist or grades sheet that documents a
students’ academic progress. It can be a quick, informal note acknowledging
a significant accomplishment. Or it can be a general newsletter describing
newsworthy classroom activities. All of these have something in common:
They let parents knows what is happening at school while also conveying our
intention to stay in touch on an ongoing basis.
o Telephone Conversations
Telephone calls are useful when issues require immediate attention. We
might call a parent to express our concern when a student’s behavior
deteriorates unexpectedly and without apparent provocation. But we might
also call to express our excitement about an important step forward that a
student has made. Parents, too, should feel free to call us. Keep in mind that
many parents are at work during the school day,; hence, it is often helpful to
accept and encourage calls at home during the early evening hours.
o Parent Discussion Groups
In some instances, we may want to assemble a group of parents to discuss
issues of mutual concern. Alternatively, we might want to use a discussion
group as a mechanism through which we can all share ideas about how best
to promote students’ academic, personal, and social development.

21. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
18
None of the communication strategies just described will, in and of themselves,
guarantee successful working relationships with parents. Ideally, we want not only to
communicate with parents but to get them actively involved in school activities as
well.
o Getting Parents Involved in School Activities
Effective teachers get parents and other important family members actively
involved in school life and in their children’s learning. Students whose
parents are involved in school activities have better attendance record, higher
achievement, and more positive attitudes toward schools.
Most parents become involved in school activities only when they have a
specific invitation to do so and when they know that the school personnel
genuinely want them to be involved.
o Encouraging “Reluctant” Parents
Despite our best efforts, a few parents will remain uninvolved in their
children’s education. Educators have offered numerous suggestions for
getting reluctant parents more involved in their children’s schooling:
 Make an extra effort to establish parents’ trust and confidence
 Encourage parents to be assertive when they have questions or
concerns
 Invite other important family members to participate in school
activities
 Give parents suggestions about learning activities they can easily do
with their children at home
 Find out what various parents to volunteer for jobs that don’t require
them to leave home
 Conduct parent-teacher conferences or parent discussions at times
and locations more convenient for families
o Discussing Problem Behaviors with Parents
We will be more effective when working with parents if we set a positive,
upbeat tone in any communication. For one thing, we will always want to
couch any negative aspects of a student’s classroom, performance within the
context of the many things that the student does well.
Following are some suggestions for enhancing your chances for a successful
outcome when you must speak with a parent about problem behavior
 Don’t place blame,; instead, acknowledge that raising children is
rarely easy
 Express your desire for whatever support they can give you
 Ask for information and be a good listener
 Agree on a strategy

22. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
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CONCLUSION
The strategies for keeping our students engaged and learning are arranging the classroom to
facilitate interaction, creating a climate in which students feel safe and respected, setting reasonable
limits for behavior, planning activities that keep students on task, continually monitoring what
students are doing, and modifying instructional strategies when necessary.
Students will sometimes exhibit behaviors that interfere with either their own or their
classmates’ learning. Regardless of the roots of these missbehaviors (whether they result from
students’ temperaments, family circumstances, peer influences, prior schooling, cognitive or
emotional disabilities, or events in our own classrooms), we can nevertheless do many things to bring
about positive changes in students’ conduct. In other words, we can make a difference in students’
behavorial development as well as in their cognitive and social development.
As teacher, we will be most effective in helping children and adolescents if we realize that we
are just one part of a term of teachers, parents, and other community members who are helping
children and adolescents acquire behaviors that will serve them well in the adult world. It is
especially important that we keep in regular contact with students’ parents, sharing information in
both directions about the progress that students are making and coordinating efforts at school with
those on the home front.

23. CREATING LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
20
REFERENCES
Joyce, Bruce and Marsha Weil. 1992. Models of Teaching, Fourth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
L, Crow and A. Crow. 1980. Educational Psychology. New York: American Book Company
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. 2003. Educational Psychology Developing Learners 4th
Edition. New Jersey:
Merrill Prentice Hall
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. 2008. Psikologi Pendidikan: Membantu Siswa Tumbuh Berkembang. Jakarta:
Erlangga