Learning in Interaction

Effective Educational Environments by Learning in Interaction on NotaEffective Educational EnvironmentsFrom Jean Stockard, Maralee MayberryWhy Study Learning Environment?----School can vary in quality; and students in high-quality schools generally have higher achievement.Groupings of Students: Socioeconomic context/Ability context/Sex composition+ Greater learning takes place in heterogeneous settings;+ Minority students perform better when they are in desegregated schools;+ Students show higher achievement in settings with more high-ability and high-status students;Exceptions:- Students self-evaluations and aspirations may be somewhat lower when they are surrounded by high-ability and high-achieving peers;- Girls and some boys have higher achievement when they are in single-sex secondary schools;- Tracking and ability grouping may benefit higher-status students.School and Classroom Climates: Effective schools and classrooms appear to be characterized by high academic expectations, effective leadership, and orderly atmosphere, and warmth, concern, and respect for others. School and classroom environments are intertwined.school climates: involve ecology, milieu, social system, and culture.i. The same individual may behave quite differently in groups with different organizational climates. ii. School climate can be measured (Haplin and Croft, 1962) and group members tend to agree about the characteristics of their group.School Environments: involve the shared norms, values, ideologies, and taken-for-granted assumptions within a group.school and classroom size: Smaller classrooms----greater behavioral control, more individualized instruction, and more enriched curriculum. Smaller schools----egreater sense of personal efficacy better self-concept, heightened sense of self-control, and better behavior.+ Greater opportunities for student involvement+ More individualized attention, more teacher resources+ More likely to develop consensus among membersCommunities environment: The students’ achievement would be enhanced if they attended school in a community with a large number of high-achieving peers, whose members are able to interact with each other and with school officials, where community members and parents can be involved with the school, and most important, if in these interactions mutual respect and common values that support achievement could be developed.The nature of a group in which people interact, whether it is a society, community, or an organization such as a school, influences people’s behaviors and attitudes.Jean Stockard, Maralee Mayberry, (1992), Effective Educational Environments, Corwin PressIn effective classrooms, teachers express high expectations for themselves and their students, positively reinforce their students’ abilities and intelligence, spend quality learning time interacting with their students, and promote positive relationships among class members. Effective classrooms also have orderly environments that emphasize learning and academic activities, a commitment to learning, and the use of effective teaching strategies.(Enable JavaScript in your browser, please.)