Standard 3: Learning Environments
The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
http://www.htsb.org/standards/teacher/
Indicator 3G: The teacher promotes responsible learner use of interactive technologies to extend the possibilities for learning locally and globally.
This photo is of a student in my Special Education classroom using interactive technology to extend possibilities for learning. Computers are a great interactive tool for students to learn not only life skills, but also allows them to collaborate with one another and to take ownership of their work. Computers allow students to do research, create their own work, and extend learning over many different content areas and skills. They encourage student learning and help to encourage active engagement, positive interactions, and both individual and collaborative learning that help create a positive learning environment. For this lesson, I incorporated the computer by having this student research more about his history topic for his history paper. This helped him to gather more information and to learn more about the community he lives in. This also helped him to serve the topics that he wanted to learn more about and what appealed most to him. This helps him to be a responsible user as he learns to navigate the Internet safely and to look for scholarly resources for his research.
Indicator 3K: The teacher knows how to collaborate with learners to establish and monitor elements of a safe and productive learning environment including norms, expectations, routines, and organizational structures.
This picture is of student-made rules used in my Special Education classroom to create a safe environment for learners. Students made these rules while collaborating with others and with myself. This was a part of a lesson that I taught in our Wonder unit. Students felt these rules were important for a safe learning environment where they would feel comfortable and important. After working together to create these rules, students then had to sign the poster for accountability in following the rules. These rules help the teacher and the students be on the same page on their expectations of one another and helps to create organization and structure to the classroom.
Indicator 3M: The teacher knows how to use technologies and how to guide learners to apply them in appropriate, safe, and effective ways.
This photo shows a program that I incorporated and put to use in my general classroom. I taught my students and my Cooperating Teacher how to navigate in it. This is an example of one of the many programs students know how to use on the computer. Each of these programs teach students to use technologies in an appropriate, safe, and effective way. This program, in specific, is Google Classroom. On this program, students log-in to their accounts, and can see their assignments assigned by the teacher. Students are responsible for completing their work, and submitting it by the deadline. This allows students to use technology in a safe and appropriate way and enables them to be effective with their time and produce quality work.
Indicator 3O: The teacher values the role of learners in promoting each other's learning and recognizes the importance of peer relationships in establishing a climate of learning.
These photos were taken on St. Patrick's Day. For this holiday, I planned "minute-to-win-it" games. During these games, students were able to strengthen their relationships with their peers as they worked together in groups and cheered and supported one another. These peer relationships and the celebration of holidays help to create a positive learning environment that help support student learning.