Creating Positive Learning Environment

Background Issues 

Banks believes that creating a positive learning environment for supporting students with emotional and behavioral disorders is only possible when teachers use effective classroom management strategies. Even though many teachers today no longer use punitive interventions to correct students’ behaviors that may disrupt the classroom environment, positive interventions that teachers prefer are not adequate in creating positive learning environments or promoting interactions with students. Banks suggests that behavior management and strong classroom organization are the only true methods for producing and increasing constructive interactions between teachers and students; this interaction leads to a successful and positive learning environment. In her article, Banks identifies and explains different effective classroom management strategies to help teachers build positive learning environments (Banks, 2014). The application of antecedent techniques is one effective classroom management strategy the author recommends, and she suggests that when applied effectively will prompt appropriate behavior in students and at the same time help minimize disruptive classroom behavior. 

Antecedent Strategies for Creating Positive Learning Environment

The physical arrangement of the classroom is one strategy under antecedent techniques the author believes is essential in effective classroom management. This strategy increases accessibility and organization and solves classroom problems such as distributing learning materials and resources to students, making the learning environment more predictable, and maximizes instructional time. Teachers can achieve an effective physical arrangement in classrooms by ensuring that students sit in class so that all of them receive more attention and benefit from the teacher’s instructions. One sitting arrangement the author believes will directly influence classrooms interactions and instructions effectively is the strewn pattern. The suggested arrangement method differs from the typical setup and ensures that students who are likely to sit in the back of the classroom it in front (Banks, 2014). The physical arrangement of classrooms concerns classroom structure that ensures easy movement and maneuvers for students in the classroom and ensures no stimuli in the learning environment distract students in class. The second management strategy is on classroom schedule, and this management technique increases classroom expectations, therefore, ensures students are successful in achieving the expectations. Because of the schedules, students and teachers can anticipate what will happen in a normal school day, and this, according to Banks, motivates students, therefore, creating a positive learning environment. The author gives eight guidelines educators can use to ensure that the schedules motivate students. 

The fourth management strategy the author recommends is on developing classroom rules. Classroom rules increase positive communications and interactions, thereby promoting a positive learning environment. Classroom rules help teachers identify the behaviors to promote and those they should not approve in a classroom setup. The rules developed, when implemented properly, should control the unwanted students’ behaviors. Rules development should result from discussions between students and their teacher because students will fill the responsibility and therefore follow the rules from this collaboration. Less than seven and clear rules are enough to create positive learning environments (Banks, 2014). Finally, the last management strategy the author recommends is developing appropriate teacher-student interactions. A positive learning environment can only exist when students feel comfortable in the academic setting. For the students to be comfortable, teachers must understand various factors that affect classroom interactions, such as cultural differences and peer impacts. After identifying the various problems, teachers can therefore model the behaviors of these students to ensure the promotion of positive behavior change. Student-teacher relationships heavily rely on corrective feedback, as this improves effective communication and suitable relationships between the learner and the teacher.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, Banks’ research fully exploits different strategies for preventing problematic classroom behaviors in students. It provides concepts teachers can use to reorganize teaching environments, thereby create positive learning environments. The article provides different ways for maximizing appropriate behaviors and reorganizing learning environments, therefore prevention of learning problems. 

Reference

Banks, T. (2014). Creating positive learning environments: Antecedent strategies for managing the classroom environment & student behavior.  Creative Education ,  2014 . https://www.scirp.org/html/9-6301979_45397.htm