Classroom dynamics refers to the social/emotional/behavioural environment of the classroom. It involves the relationships that exist:

• between and among learners,
• between the practitioner and the individual learner
• between the practitioner and the learners as a group

Classroom dynamics can be influenced by many elements and processes. For example, the program’s policies and procedures will influence how you respond to student behaviours such as absenteeism, tardiness, tuning out and disruptions. The content and structure of the program will also affect classroom dynamics. If your program is highly individualized, you will need to work hard to ensure that learners are uniformly engaged and receive help in a fair and timely manner. If your classes are large with different LBS levels you will need to get to know your learners quickly and well enough to meet their needs. Most importantly, you will need to find creative ways to build community in your classroom so that learners feel they belong there.

TASK: Talk to other practitioners. Find out if they have developed effective ways:
  • to deal with student absenteeism/tardiness
  • to get to know their learners quickly and better
  • to build community in the classroom
Return to Shawn’s story (See Shawn Joly, Northern). Discover where he draws his support from when things get stressful.

notes:

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