Understanding Positive Environments for Student Learning and Professional Collaboration - Research Paper Example

Understanding Positive Environments for Learning and Professional Collaboration Due paper Abstract In educational sector, creation of a positive learning environment is essential to achieve the desired set of goals for all stakeholders. In order to understand the role of a positive learning environment in the success of schools at district level and to know the concerns of parent, teachers, and students, a review of the literature was conducted along with face-to-face interviews. The literature review for this qualitative study included a review of mission and vision statements of three school districts that not only revealed the approach of the schools’ management towards creation of a positive environment but also helped in understanding the relationship between good instruction, assessment, and collaboration. The interviews with administrators, teachers, and parents helped in understanding the vision and concerns of these stakeholders regarding positive environments. At the end of the project, a walkthrough was also conducted the purpose of which was to get an insight into the importance of positive environment and collaboration for students and teachers respectively. Understanding Positive Environments for Student Learning and Professional Collaboration In educational sector, the most important thing that matters for all stakeholders is a positive learning environment. The reason is that positive environment promotes enhanced learning and collaboration for students and teachers respectively. A positive learning environment is not restricted to any particular stakeholder, rather includes all stakeholders who have a specific role to play in improving instruction, collaboration, and assessment areas. Students need a positive environment to show improved performances not only in classrooms but also in the play grounds. Similarly, teachers need a positive environment where they can provide education to learners in interactive way using latest educational technologies and equipment. Along with students and teachers, the role of parents cannot be ignored by any means because parents are highly concerned about the environment in which they send their children to learn. Parents are one of the main stakeholders of any educational institute because they are directly concerned with the schools performances of their children. Therefore, the role of teachers, students, and parents is equally important in moving towards the cause of creating a positive learning and collaboration environment at schools. Characteristics of a Positive Environment for Learning A positive learning environment has some key characteristics that make it an essential element in the success of an educational institute. For example, a positive learning environment is one that reflects the concerns and demands of all stakeholders of an educational institute. Parents, students, and teachers are all satisfied with the regulations and policies which are developed in mutual agreement of all stakeholders. A positive learning environment focuses on improved learning mechanisms, practical skill training and learning opportunities, provision of community service opportunities to students, and improved collaboration and communication between teachers, administrators, and students. A school’s climate data reflects the learning environment of the school because it is based on experiences. According to Cohen and Geier (2010), “School climate is based on patterns of people’s experiences of school life and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structure” (p. 1). Another distinguishing feature of a positive learning environment is the sense of responsibility that every stakeholder feels in leading the school towards a higher rank in the list of district’s most performance-oriented schools. Another aspect of a positive learning environment is safety. Parents always want to send their children to such schools that are considered the safest ones among all schools. The reason is obvious that parents care for their children’s safety more than anything else. Safety not only relates to physical safety of children but also relates to emotional and psychological safety. Safety in educational environments refers to both physical and psychological safety of children (Cohen & Geier, 2010). In a positive learning environment, the focus of all students is on learning rather than doing any harmful physical attempt of other students. Moreover, teachers also teach students the ways to behave with other students and teachers in a respectable manner. Parents never want to send their children to such schools where the rate of bullying, as evident by the school attendance and behavioral data, is high. Therefore, in a positive learning environment, school administration and teachers work in collaboration to eliminate this issue for the psychological and learning benefit of students. Another characteristic of a positive learning environment is good working relationships between teachers and administration, as well as between students. In a positive learning environment, there is close association between students, teachers, parents, and administration and all of them work in an interdependent manner to flourish peace and stability in the school’s environment. There is always a high level of understanding between school administrators and teachers and all of them work collaboratively to achieve the goal of creating a sustainable learning environment. There is also a good relationship between students and teachers. Students respect their teachers and teachers also do not discriminate among students. It has been observed that in a positive learning environment, there are fewer cases of bullying, absenteeism, psychological issues, and substance abuse problems as compared to environments where less attention is given to these issues. The quality f teacher-student relationship has a direct impact on the level of students’ motivation towards learning, as well as on their individual performances (Allodi, 2010). Another distinguishing feature of a positive learning environment is improved teaching and learning. Teachers in a positive learning environment do their best to enhance students’ learning potential. They make use of the most effective teaching methods so that they become able to deliver knowledge to the students successfully and competently. The level of interaction between teachers and students in a positive learning environment is very high. Another feature of a positive learning environment is improved parent satisfaction and teacher-retention rates. Parents in a positive learning environment are satisfied with the way the school administration and teachers manage, facilitate, and enhance learning. Parental involvement is the key to increased parent satisfaction. Those schools that involve parents in the decision-making processes achieve a higher parent satisfaction score. Teachers also like to continue working for the schools where their efforts are rewarded both at the school and district level. Support for Positive Environments for Learning The factors that support the positive learning environment include relationships, safety, teaching and learning, as well as the overall environment of the institute. Considering this, the support for positive learning environments can be extracted from then mission and vision statements of schools. The mission statement of district schools reveal information related to the reason behind foundation of a school, the aims and objectives of schools, the serving and to be served community, as well as the way schools achieve the goals. On the other hand, the vision statements reveal information about the position a school’s administration aims to achieve in future. According to Holcomb (2004), the mission and vision of the district schools need to be aligned in accordance with the views of the stakeholders and should be referred for creating a positive learning environment. In the following section, the mission and vision statements of three districts will be evaluated to understand their support for creating positive learning environments. District 1 – Aberdeen School District Aberdeen School District is an accredited district located in Washington. The district has 11 schools that serve 3376 students at present. The mission statement of the district reads, “The Mission of the Aberdeen School District is to provide a safe educational system that promotes excellence in teaching and learning essential curricula that meet State Standards including strong programs in the arts and in activities” (Aberdeen School District, 2014, para. 2). Their vision statement reads “The Vision of the Aberdeen School District is to provide the opportunities, encouragement, and facilities to ensure that each student reaches his or her maximum potential” (Aberdeen School District, 2014, para. 1). The values for the district are as follows: Seeing education as partnership between parents, staff, teachers, and students Sustainability of the interactive learning environment Parental involvement in decision making Treating colleagues and peers with due respect Working collaboratively to achieve mutual goals The mission statement of the district encourages development of a safe and secure learning environment where both teachers and students should interact with each other frequently to learn and refine learned skills and knowledge. The focus is on provision of a safe learning environment where students’ attention should be totally on studies ad they should not worry about any bullying or violence. The vision statement also reflects the basic idea behind the mission of the school district. According to the vision of the school district, the administration wants to provide a safe way for the students where they can enhance their learning skills to their maximum potential. All stakeholders of the school system share the responsibility of developing a positive learning environment and they are all essential parts of a collaborative community that aims to improve students’ performance (Love, 2009). District 2 – Keeneyville School District Keeneyville School District is an accredited district located in Washington. The district has 3 schools that serve 1620 students at present. The mission statement of the district reads, “To provide a quality education to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to prepare each student for academic success” (Keeneyville School District, 2014, para. 1). Their vision statement reads “Each student in District 20 will have an individualized learning continuum that follows him or her throughout their District 20 learning experience” (Keeneyville School District, 2014, para. 2). The values for the district are as follows: Community supports the learning need of students Parental involvement is essential for continuation of quality education and learning environment Use of technology is essential for teachers to enhance students’ learning potential Use of technology is essential for students to practice their skills and application of learned knowledge The mission statement of the district encourages provision of the highest quality knowledge to students so that they do not remain behind in any competition with the students of other districts. The mission statement focuses on improving students’ level of academic achievement by providing them with latest and refined knowledge. The vision statement focuses the importance of an individualized learning continuum. According to the vision of the school district, the administration wants to provide such learning environment to students in which they can achieve the grade level and improve their learning experience. District 3 – Pasco School District Pasco School District is located in Washington. The district has 19 schools that serve 15,708 students at present. The mission statement of the district reads, “The mission of the District School Board of Pasco County is to provide a world class education for all students” (District School Board, 2014, para. 3). Their vision statement reads “The vision of the District School Board of Pasco County is that all our students achieve success in college, career and life” (District School Board, 2014, para. 4). The values for the district are as follows: Provision of world class education to all students Ensuring proper collaboration and interaction between school administration, parents, students, and community Elimination of discrimination based on any factor Ensuring trust and respect between all stakeholders The mission statement of the district encourages equality for all students and all stakeholders. This means that world class education is provided to all students regardless of any gender, racial, or cultural discrimination. The school district also focuses on ensuring continuous collaboration between parents and the staff in order to come up with unified policies and plans regarding learning environment. The vision statement focuses on provision of such education to the students that they become able to challenges related to their academic and professional lives. The district also focuses on fostering a supportive learning environment through involvement of all stakeholders. Relationship between Student Learning, Assessment, Collaboration, and a Positive Learning Environment There is a strong relationship between instruction, assessment, collaboration, and positive learning environment. Assessment comes from the data that every school holds for making required improvements in the curriculum and learning environment. every school assembles and maintains a record of performance related data that is analyzed at regular intervals to know whether the school’s current educational system is able to derive required level of results or not. If not, required changes are made not only to the instructional methods but also to the learning environments. Data is the feedback that derives through assessments. School districts must create a culture of data where data is used on a regular basis to effectively improve instruction. School districts make use of data teams to analyze data, take required actions, and monitor the results derived from newly formed methods. The data teams hold the responsibility of extracting the required information from raw data and analyzing it from the angle of school management. According to Learning Point Associates (2004), data teams should be used by schools at the district level. This team consists of the representatives of all stakeholders which is based on the concept of shared leadership. Depka (2006) comes up with somewhat similar school improvement system that involves the steps of data analysis, change planning, implementation of the required changes, and assessing the results based on system. This cycle also shows a clear association between learning, assessment, instruction, and collaboration. The learning potential and actual learning are based on instructional techniques used by the teachers. Similarly, the quality of learning and instructional techniques is judged through regular assessments. The data obtained from the assessments help in justifying or changing the instructional approaches. The process of data analysis needs proper collaboration of all stakeholders in order to be effective and agreed by all concerned parties. This shows that each of these four factors; assessment, instruction, collaboration, and learning are closely associated with each other. Analysis of Interview Results Open-ended questionnaires were used to get the responses of 2 school administrators, 3 elementary school teachers, and 3 parents of elementary school students. The purpose was to understand their views about creation of a positive learning environment and the responsibilities of each of the three stakeholders interviewed (see interview questions in Appendix A). The first point to mention in the analysis is that all stakeholders agreed to the viewpoint that it is their shared responsibility to take steps towards building a positive learning environment. Russell, the first administrator interviewed, mentioned that positive relationship between teachers and students is the key to foster positive learning environment. He said that students’ reactions are based on the teaching style of teacher. If teachers teach with full devotion and keep friendly relations with students, students become keen to learn and they start enjoy learning. Another administrator, Roberts, said that it is the responsibility of the administration to keep an eye on the teachers’ teaching approaches and their way f interaction with students. He said that students learn what they experience. Both of the administrators stressed on the need of proper administrative supervision and development of healthy teacher-student relationships as the key towards creation of a positive learning environment. The teachers interviewed in this project were of the viewpoint that creation of a positive learning environment depends on the relationship between administrators and teachers, as well as on the attitude of administrators towards staff. Andrew, the first teacher interviewed, revealed that fostering of a positive learning environment is closely linked with the job satisfaction of teachers. He said that when the teachers are satisfied with their jobs, they show more consistency and devotion towards their job tasks. Robert, another teacher interviewed, was of the viewpoint that positive environment is created when there are teachers who care about their students and enjoy teaching. Claudia, a female teacher interviewed, revealed that mutual efforts are required at the end of all stakeholders for ensuring a positive learning environment where students can enhance their learning skills. The parents interviewed in this project were of the viewpoint that teachers’ capability and skills matter the most for a positive learning environment along with the administrative approach of the administrators. Stephen, the first parent interviewed, was of the viewpoint that competent and skilled faculty is essential to improve students’ performances. Rudolph, a South African parent, revealed that parental involvement and collaboration are the two main essentials of a positive learning environment. Ambrose, another parent interviewed, was of the viewpoint that collective and shared approach towards management of the learning environment and community involvement are the better ways to foster a positive learning environment at schools. All three parents were positive on the question about collaborative culture. They said that collaboration is necessary for parents and teachers to solve problems and to gain new perspectives. School Walk-Through School walkthroughs are used as a useful resource to show the power of teaching (Pitler & Goodwin, 2005). For this project, the walkthrough’s first category focused on the richness of the learning environment. The main elements of this category included learning centers, seating arrangements, rules and regulations, and administrative staff. It was found that the work of students along with the rubrics and guide was shown in the classroom. Seating arrangements had no specific format. Anyone could sit anywhere as it was summer school. Rules about class attendance and other formalities were clearly displayed on the notice board. The second category was of students who had to deal with the classroom activities. It was found that every student was playing an active role in the classroom and all of them were highly motivated. It was an interactive and technology-based learning environment, so, students were feeling good and motivated towards learning. Students were observed to be intrinsically motivated to show good performances. Use of paperwork was limited only to arts subject. Every other subject was being taught and learned through computers and other educational technologies. The last category of the walk-through was teachers who appeared committed to their job tasks. They were collaborating well with each other and with the students. Teachers were very responsive and were committed to use the best teaching approach to enhance students’ learning. There were almost 10 students for each teacher. The teachers called each of the 10 students by names which showed the level of relationship between them. There was also computer software to check the assignments and quizzes of students, so, no instance of any form of bias was observed. References Aberdeen School District. (2014). Aberdeen School District #58. Retrieved from http://www.aberdeen58.org/wordpress/?page_id=19 Allodi, M. W. (2010). The meaning of social climate of learning environments: Some reasons why we do not care enough about it. Learning Environments Research, 13, 89–104. Cohen, J., &Geier, V. K. (2010). School climate research summary: January 2010. School Climate Brief, 1(1), 1–6. Retrieved from http://www.schoolclimate.org/climate/documents/SCBrief_v1n1_Jan2010.pdf Depka, E. (2006). The data guidebook for teachers and leaders: Tools for continuous improvement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. District School Board. (2014). District Digital Classroom Plan 2014-2015. Retrieved from https://www.fldoe.org/bii/Instruct_Tech/dcp/pasco.pdf Holcomb, E. L. (2004). Getting excited about data: Combining people, passion, and proof to maximize student achievement (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Keeneyville School District. (2014). Keeneyvillee. Retrieved from http://www.esd20.org/about-district-20/mission-and-vision-statements/ Love, N. (Ed.). (2009). Using data to improve learning for all: A collaborative inquiry approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Pitler, H., & Goodwin, B. (2008). Classroom walkthroughs: Learning to see the trees and the forest. Changing Schools, 58, 9-11. Retrieved from http://www.mcrel.org/~/media/Files/McREL/Homepage/Changing%20Schools/CS_vol58_summer08.ashx Positive learning environments in schools: A Pan-Canadian consensus statement. (2000). Retrieved from http://www.safehealthyschools.org/positivelearning.htm Appendix A Questionnaires For administrators: 1. What fosters to a positive learning environment for students? 2. What is the role of teachers in creating a positive learning environment? 3. What is the role of students in creating positive learning environment? 4. What is the role of administrators in creating positive learning environment? 5. What is the role of parents in creating positive learning environment? For teachers: 1. What fosters to a positive learning environment for students? 2. What is the role of teachers in creating a positive learning environment? 3. What is the role of students in creating positive learning environment? 4. What is the role of administrators in creating positive learning environment? 5. What is the role of parents in creating positive learning environment? For parents: 1. What fosters to a positive learning environment for students? 2. What is the role of teachers in creating a positive learning environment? 3. What is the role of students in creating positive learning environment? 4. What is the role of administrators in creating positive learning environment? 5. What is the role of parents in creating positive learning environment? 6. What is the role of collaborative culture in creating a positive learning environment? Read More