¶ … Inclusive Environment in the Classroom
As the country continues to diversify, our schools are challenged with more than teaching. It is their role to create an environment that fosters learning, respect, problem solving, and instill confidence.
Like the effects of bullying, an individual's race and religion can attribute to how they are treated in society. Bullying has escalated in the United States, due in part to cyber bulling. Statistics show that about 77% of students today claim that they have experienced some type of bullying. This increase has created an alert in the classroom that affects teaching and a student's ability to learn.
In that the world is a melting-pot and immigration has expanded in the United States, incorporating teaching methods that include a fair and equal education is important. Research claims that, traditional teaching methods are seldom successful for students outside of the majority culture. It is noted that students, including women and students of color prosper in environments that incorporate a collaborative method of learning.
According to William Booth, staff writer for the Washington Post, "the United States is experiencing its second great wave of immigration, a movement of people that has profound implications for a society that by tradition pays homage to its immigrant roots at the same time it confronts complex and deeply ingrained ethnic and racial divisions."
Studies show that a student's behavior is influenced by parents, peers, music, and television and often bring those behaviors to the classroom. Current teaching practices are different from past years when adults would pass their learned values on to children.
The U.S. Department...
Though the effectiveness of the program has not yet been proven, most states report an improvement in student performance. 59 public schools Chesterfield, Virginia invested monies in reforming its school system. It is there mission to develop an environment that is save and respectful. New York City sampled three public schools that aimed at teaching respect and caring. "These examples demonstrate that financial efforts to put conducive infrastructures in place and teacher attitudes and commitment go hand in hand to create respectful environments."
Children are future citizens that will one day run the country. Creating an environment that promotes positive interaction and respect for others speaks on the mission the country. Children learn by example, and home is the first place where respect should be practiced, encouraged by teachers and administrators and enforced in the community.
To create an environment that practices respect, teachers must reflect on their personal values and how they can attribute those values to the best interest of their students. To be able to teach individuality and acceptance of those different than themselves.
In inclusive environments, teachers are challenged with acknowledging and being sensitive to student differences with respect to class, gender, religion, backgrounds and ethnicity. To value diversity means implementing programs that are sensitive to responses.
Creating an inclusive atmosphere in the classroom is a behavior that can be learned. Creating a dialogue among students in that classroom about what diversity is and the role of each person plays that can bring comfort to the classroom. Mara Sapon, Associate…
