Grace Templeton
Classroom Climate Essay
One of the most important aspects of every classroom is its propensity for positivity and
productivity. A positive environment leads to a productive environment where students can feel
safe to take risks in their learning. Teachers play an important role in crafting this atmosphere in
their own classrooms.
One way teachers can promote a positive and productive learning environment is by
making learning relevant for each and every student. The USC Thornton School of Music (2019)
states, “You can’t force music on an unwilling student.” This is true of all subject areas. No
student who hates the material being taught will be motivated to learn the material to the point of
mastery. To spark their interest, it is important to teach on a broad range of topics. Basing your
teaching on a topic that a student is already interested in will lead to greater success
academically. This can be done simply by using forms of communication like technology that
are already second-nature to students. For music classes in particular, students may be excited to
learn how to use Digital Audio Workstations, such as Garage Band, Soundstation, and Soundtrap
(USC, 2019). For other subjects, using social media is a great idea to connect with students in an
attention-grabbing setting, and internet memes are also a fun way to keep students actively
engaged with the material in a way that is interesting to them (Loveless, n.d.).
Another way to promote relevancy in the classroom is by appealing to each student’s
individual interests. It’s a great idea to actually listen to the music your students are listening to,
or to offer a diverse curriculum that fits every student, with classes focused on topics such as
guitar, keyboarding, and songwriting (USC, 2019). In other classrooms, it may be a good idea to
allow students to design their own projects based on their personal interests to encourage a
productive and positive learning environment.
In addition to student motivation, a sense of community is an enormous part of what
creates a safe, productive, and positive atmosphere within a classroom. Student-teacher
relationships are important because they create a soft place to land for students when they take
risks in their education. Becton Loveless (n.d.) of The Education Corner says that crafting
relationships with students helps the students to recognize the “human” part of their teachers.
This acknowledgement of the teacher’s humanity establishes a safe space for risk-taking in
learning. In a similar sense, when teachers are able to acknowledge their students’ humanity, it
creates space for students to know their own worth (USC, 2019). When students and teachers (as
well as students and their peers) are able to know each other well, it creates a community of
learners where risk-taking is encouraged, failure is not the end, and learning blossoms naturally.
USC Thornton (2019) states that a truly inclusive and community-centered classroom is
“respectful of present diversity, adapts to the needs of all learners, and provides opportunities for
collaboration between students.”
USC Thornton School of Music. (2019, April 23). Four Effective Music Teaching Strategies for
Today's Diverse Classrooms. Retrieved October 10, 2020, from
https://music.usc.edu/four-effective-music-teaching-strategies-for-todays-diverse-classro
oms/
Loveless, B. (n.d.). Strategies for Building a Productive and Positive Learning Environment.
Retrieved October 10, 2020, from
https://www.educationcorner.com/building-a-positive-learning-environment.html
