Danielle RuffInTASC Standard 3: Learning Environments

Teachers are responsible for not only ensuring that students learn and meet the

educational standards, but are also responsible for providing a positive, open learning

environment for all students. Essentially, students will not be able to learn or be motivated to if

they do not have an encouraging, welcome environment. The environment itself is not about how

many nice posters are posted up in the classroom but rather in an environment where students

feel comfortable, safe, respected, and engaged in learning activities. The teacher must set the

tone of the classroom and clearly discuss class expectations, routines, and responsibilities with

the students. As stated in the critical dispositions of the InTASC standard, “The teacher is

committed to working with learners, colleagues, families, and communities to establish positive

and supportive learning environments.” The teacher has a responsibility to not only create a

positive environment for students but also with parents and community members. Teachers can

accomplish this through frequent communication and collaboration between parents and

members of the community. It is important to have communication with students as well as

parents in regards to class expectations and routines. Students may not always communicate well

with their parents about their responsibilities such as completing homework, participation in

class, and class procedures for make-up work when they’re absent. As an educator, it is essential

that there is a plan created that is shared with both parents and students about classroom

expectations.

What is this artifact?

The following artifact is a classroom management plan, which is a guide for expectations, rules,

and routines for the classroom. This plan should be shared with both students and parents to open

to door for communication and to have a mutual understanding of exceptions in the classroom,

especially to avoid any possible future confusion about classroom expectations. The classroom

management plan is not written in stone, but is to continually be updated in changed based off of

professional experience and the needs of the students.

How does this artifact demonstrate mastery of the InTASC or COE standard?

This artifact demonstrates mastery of the InTASC standard of Learning Environments because it

shows my ability to successfully plan how I want to manage my classroom to ensure that I create

a positive learning environment for my students. It also shows my ability to plan out my

classroom expectations that I can share with my students, parents, and colleagues.

This will ensure that we all have a shared understanding of classroom expectations,

responsibilities of students, and interactions between teachers and parents.

In what way does this artifact contribute to/relate to a positive effect on student learning?

This artifact relates to a positive effect on student learning by creating a mutual understanding of

classroom expectations in order to allow the classroom to run smoothly. When the teacher,

students, and parents all have a mutual understanding of expectations, this will help prevent or

diminish any misunderstandings in regards to the management of the classroom.

How does this artifact demonstrate the Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle (judging prior

learning, planning instruction, teaching, assessing, analyzing, and reflecting)?

This artifact can demonstrate both the planning instruction as well as the reflecting parts of the

Planning-Teaching-Learning cycle. Before teaching, there needs to be set expectations of the

student’s jobs and roles in the classroom and those expectations need to be reflected in the how

instruction in planned. This artifact can also demonstrate reflection. Classroom expectations may

change as students change and develop. It will be important to reflect on lessons and then reflect

on if the classroom management if it needs to re-evaluated.