Safe+Classroom

Safe Classroom

 To promote a safe learning environment a teacher should: 1) Arrange the classroom in a way that maximizes interaction; ideally, students should be seated in a circle or horseshoe shape that maximizes the amount of eye contact students can have with each other. 2) Encourage but not compel participation in whole class discussions. The teacher may state that s/he will not call on students individually to participate, and students have the right to not participate. The teacher can bring people into discussion indirectly- using prompts, eye contact, and statements such as "Let's hear from the back (or second) row" or "Let's hear from some people who haven't been talking." Perhaps most importantly, do not expect minority students to educate their peers, to speak for their race or group. 3) Be clear about the distinctions between course grades, teacher expectations of students, and class norms. 4) Introduce the concept of triggers. 5) Model learning about diversity. 6) Actively intervene in the class when necessary. (http://www.uww.edu/learn/diversity/safeclassroom.php)

=How to create a safe classroom= Following are some of the steps school employees can take to create a safe classroom, as suggested by the National Education Association, the California Department of Education and No Bully [www.nobully.com]: http://www.cta.org/media/publications/educator/archives/2007/1007_feat_09.htm
 * Define bullying and make it clear to all staff and students that it is unacceptable.
 * Increase awareness of bullying through assemblies and school surveys.
 * Serve as a role model for students and intervene to stop bullying behavior. Explain to students that “everyone in this school has the right to feel safe.” Intervene early and consistently.
 * Create a classroom culture that is inclusive. Divide students into groups and have students mix with students they might not know and include students who would otherwise be left out.
 * Ask for help. If a situation escalates, talk it over with a fellow teacher, an administrator or a school counselor.
 * Become a “telling” school. Urge any child who is bullied or sees another child bullied to report the incident to school staff.
 * Use anti-bullying curriculum. The National Education Association has a cadre of trainers who can train staff and assist the district in developing a Whole School Bullying Prevention/Intervention Program at no cost to the district.
 * Provide counseling for persistent bullies and victims of bullying.

In the same way, we need to recognize that ** our students perceive threat in many different ways **. Students from minority groups, stu dents with disabilities or learning problems, and students who are different in any way from the majority cultural group of a classroom may all perceive threat in the learning environment. Other students may find teachers threatening. After all, we have to power to give grades. Another factor that can cause a feeling of threat is the physical environment itself. Over crowding in a classroom, poor lighting or air quality, and noise are some examples. Martha Kaufeldt (1999) lists the following conditions as possible stressors for our students: Jensen (2000a) suggests some additional stressors: []
 * fear of potential physical harm from teacher or other students
 * emotional threats, embarrassment, put-downs
 * demonstrated disrespect for self, culture, or social group
 * inadequate time to complete a task
 * lack of time for reflection and expansion
 * predetermined correct outcomes established by an external agent
 * unfamiliar work with little support for learning
 * lack of orderliness and coherence
 * physical and social isolation
 * unknown purpose, schedule, or agenda
 * lack of information about task, behavior expectations, or goals
 * punishments for failure, such as loss of privileges
 * competition and extrinsic rewards
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">perceived irrelevance and lack of personal meaning (p. 8)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">being confronted with a problem we don't want to solve
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">not perceiving a solution to a problem
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">feeling the risk levels involved are unacceptable
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">having little or not control over circumstances
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">experience of repeated situations of intense prolonged stress

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 * School environments** (links to Bully and hate motivations, classroom management, unsafe school choice option, zero tolerance)