The Positive Classroom
Which of the following comments from the teacher communicates high expectations for student performance?
"This seems overwhelming now, but we will work on the skills needed to help you create a successful project." **reassures students and encourages them that they will be ready to meet the high expectations of creating an in-depth project**
Which of the following teacher statements creates a positive atmosphere in which students feel supported and encouraged to meet the expectations set for them?
- "This is not the quality of work that you are capable of." **to create a positive climate of high expectation, a teacher should not accept less than they know a student is capable of** - "I am proud of you for trying your hardest." **effort should be rewarded even more than results**
What are ways teachers can create a climate of high expectations?
- Showing trust by giving students responsibility for their learning. - Showing students exemplary pieces of work from previous years. - Giving students scaffolds and resources to meet specific learning goals.
Ms. McManus has purposefully set a climate of high expectations in her classroom. What would NOT likely to be seen in her class?
A sign that says "good students are A students." **the grade earned is not the only marker of a climate of high expectations, it does not rely only on earning A's**
A fourth-grade science teacher plans an experiment where students can freely manipulate the material, compare progress, and share their conclusions with their classmates. What is best demonstrated in the teacher's instructional strategy?
Active engagement in the instructional activities greatly increases students' learning ability. (NOT the students ability to learn is greatest when they direct their own learning)
Which of the following is an example of plagiarism?
An artist reproduces another artist's work and resells prints on a popular website.
Mrs. Clark finds that some of her students are not engaged in class discussion. What would be the most effective way to set up the space to encourage student engagement in class discussions?
Arrange desks in a circle so all students face each other. **most likely strategy to increase student participation in class discussion because all students can see and be involved in the conversation** (NOT arranging students' desks into rows where each row faces the front of the classroom because that is appropriate for lectures or presentations)
What is the best way to greet students when she first meets them?
Ask students how they would like to be greeted with a visual menu by the door. **gives them control and allows them to share how they traditionally greet someone**
A teacher would like to increase student participation during a review activity. What strategy would best accomplish this?
Calling on students at random after providing ample wait time, and allowing peers to expand upon answers. **have time to formulate answers and peers can still volunteer if they have ideas to expand upon a response** (NOT informing students that they will answer questions in alphabetical order according to last names and allowing as much wait time as needed because if students knew the order in which they were answering, those at the beginning of the alphabet may disengage after they have answered their question)
What strategy best supports a teacher's goal to promote positivity in the classroom?
Contacting each parent with a message about their child's strengths. **children will feel proud after parents tell them about the message that was received from their teacher** (NOT encouraging students to self-assess themselves with progress journals because that doesn't promote positivity, it helps students to improve at self-assessment and take control of their learning)
By increasing the number of parent volunteers present in the school's classrooms to help the teachers, the school is most likely to achieve which of the following?
Create a greater awareness in the school community to help achieve important student goals. **promote parent participation in school activities and create a greater awareness in the community at large** (NOT enhance the interest of students and increase their willingness to collaborate)
The teacher realizes it can be a slow process for the new student to be accepted and feel welcomed in a new classroom. What strategy would best promote the class's acceptance of the new student?
Create teams of students and assign each team to help the new student learn a classroom activity and daily routine.
Students tend to socialize and interact with classmates from their own cultural or linguistic background. This behavioral pattern has the greatest impact on which of the following?
Creating an inclusive learning environment.
The teacher will have two students with physical impairments. What is the most important point for the teacher to consider?
Does the classroom layout allow students to easily navigate the room?
A positive learning environment requires the teachers to have high academic expectations, students that are developmentally responsive, and which of the following to perform successfully?
Equitable resources. **equal access to all school resources**
A teacher noticed that several students in the class who normally excel are not completing homework. In order to encourage them to complete the unit with the same engagement as the beginning, he offers classes with 100% homework completion a reward. Why would the teacher make this decision?
He knows that incentives can help students who have lost motivation to complete tasks they find less interesting, and he strives to create a positive classroom assignment.
Every Friday, a teacher leaves a note of encouragement on each of his students' desks, and he encourages the students to do the same for their classmates. What is the primary purpose of this?
It cultivates a positive classroom environment. (NOT It acknowledges students' different cultural backgrounds)
Mrs. Lavigne works with her 4th-grade students to create classroom rules, outlining their expected behavior for the year. What is the purpose of involving students in this process?
It encourages self-monitoring of the rules.
When assigning small group activities, the elective teacher regularly arranges mixed groups which include students with and without disabilities. What describes the most important benefit of grouping students in this manner?
Promoting positive relationships between all students by allowing them to collaborate and connect.
Ms. Simpson is doing a lesson on peer editing and wants to set the room up in a manner to best facilitate the activity. Which of the following should be her focus?
Put desks in small groups so students can pass papers and have discussion on their work.
A middle school has three feeder elementary schools. ensure that all students feel connected on their first day of school, the science teacher plans small group activities in her classroom. What is the best method to seat students?
Seat students in groups of three that include a student from each school.
Which of the following would be the most effective way to organize a classroom to help a first-grade student with a hearing impairment participate in daily classroom activities?
Seat the student close to instruction so that he can look at the teacher when she is speaking.
What is an effective way to promote a students sense of belonging in a cooperative classroom community?
Set aside time for a weekly classroom meeting that addresses issues and focuses on solutions. **this allows students to feel heard on issues and to participate in a solution-focused environment** (NOT having a rotating schedule that allows each student to be the classroom leader for a day.. because while each student has the opportunity to lead, it is only because of a schedule. This does not promote sense of belonging or cooperation)
A first-grade teacher and wants to convey high expectations to a student who has significant academic needs. What approach would be the best way to achieve this?
Sit down with the student and work to help set challenging learning goals. Then, follow up and provide assistance to the child to help in achieving the goals.
What is a factor in students from diverse cultural backgrounds' education that is not influenced by a teacher's own cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes?
Standards and curriculum. **mandated by the state and school district**
An elementary teacher uses peer editing during writing assignments. Students provide specific written feedback to each other that must include three positive comments and one comment that the student can improve or expand upon. What is the primary benefit of this practice?
Students feel ownership and pride in their work. **students will work their best when they are receiving praise from their peers** (NOT Social connectedness among students improves)
One of the observations the principal makes is that Mr. Kramer demonstrates higher expectations to higher achieving students and has lower expectations for lower achieving students. This observation has the greatest effect on the students in that:
Students respond to expectations, and low expectations will reinforce to low achieving students that they are less able to achieve.
A high school teacher is looking to make changes in the classroom to promote a more inclusive environment that will increase social and emotional learning (SEL). Which of the following changes is likely to have the most positive impact?
Talking to students about personal interest and sharing similar experiences. **students will be more engaged if they know that their teacher cares about their aspirations** (NOT incorporating personal connections in class discussions and requiring participation from all students because mandatory sharing is likely to make some student uncomfortable)
What is not necessary when creating a positive classroom environment?
Teachers should be nice to students and always show a positive demeanor. **being nice is a good policy, but it is not required all the time in order to create a positive learning environment. Teachers can be firm and respectful and instill a positive environment** (Allowing students to share their varied abilities WILL promote a positive class environment)
Which of the following factors is likely to have the most positive effect on student learning in a middle school classroom?
The methods in which the teacher demonstrates investment in students' learning and growth. **most likely to show growth if students recognize that their teachers genuinely care about them and support their learning** (NOT The teacher's organization of the classroom, including comfortable seating and flexible grouping arrangements)
A new freshmen teacher plans to place her class in instructional groups by their achievement scores of last year. She announces that each group will have different assignments based on their level of past performance. Which of the following would best predict her students' attitudes and behavior using this practice?
The students would feel that the teacher does not have very high learning expectations of all of the groups and would feel marginalized. **a teacher should never announce ability levels and create barriers between students with different achievement levels or backgrounds**
Mrs. Baldor promotes learning when introducing her eighth-grade English class to a short story about fear by asking her students to brainstorm their thoughts on the word "fear." She then lists all their responses on the board. Her reasoning for using this open-ended strategy can best be explained by:
The use of a motivational technique promoting engagement due to common knowledge and experiences, plus the acceptance of all responses.
The purpose of handing out a course syllabus at the beginning of the semester is:
To inform all students of the course curriculum, expectations, and assignment due dates.
