Classroom Climate
Tangible Classroom Climate
Click here to see an example layout of my classroom.
concept of our choir family.
- Calendar/Events: calendar of choir events, postings of other local music events that are
non-school related such as Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
- Theory/Choral Techniques: new terms, phrases, or concepts that we have discussed class
will decorate this board.
- The students’ chairs are in four rows on tiered steps, so students in the back row can still see me when they are sitting. There are 16 chairs in each row to allow for larger ensembles.
- There are aisles on the sides and down the center of the room so I may move around the room and listen to individual voices.
- The voice sections are divided vertically which allows me to better hear each section.
- Upright piano placed in front allows me to play while facing my students and keeping the piano nearby for use when directing a cappella.
- The front table will hold Bell Work and any other papers I want students to pick up. Its location near white board simplifies the routine at the start of class. The table will also hold necessary items like tissues, hand sanitizer, a pencil sharpener, and Theory Practice Sheets.
- The folder cabinets are located on opposite sides of the classroom to ease the flow of traffic at the beginning and end of class. Each student will have a slot in the cabinet where they can put their folder, spiral notebook, and pencil. The folder cabinets will be split by voice type, sopranos and tenors in one cabinet with altos and basses in the other cabinet, which again prevents 40 students needing access to one fold cabinet at one time. The folder slots will be assigned in alphabetical order within each choir.
- The flow of traffic is directed by the placement of the table, whiteboard, and two folder cabinets. This should prevent any “traffic jams” at the start and end of class.
- The cabinet of electronics will remain locked when it is not being used. Its location allows it to be out of the way, yet easily accessible when needed.
- There are three bulletin boards in the classroom.
concept of our choir family.
- Calendar/Events: calendar of choir events, postings of other local music events that are
non-school related such as Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.
- Theory/Choral Techniques: new terms, phrases, or concepts that we have discussed class
will decorate this board.
- The lock box is just inside my door so students may easily access it to turn in forms and money. Yet, it is in a safe place as I can lock my office door when I leave class.
- My desk, computer, and the music library cabinets are kept in my office as I will be the only person to access them.
- Having a lockable, separate area for these teacher-only resources reinforces that students may feel welcome in the rest of classroom.
Intangible Classroom Climate
- As discussed in the Rules & Norms section, it is vital that each student feels safe in my classroom. Since choir is a performance based class, students need a comfortable environment in which they can have the freedom to be creative, without being judged by other students. To achieve this, I will use the Support System, which will be introduced to each class at the beginning of the year. Click here for a further explanation on this method by Tom Carter.
- I will strive to cultivate a classroom climate that is inviting to all students, making them feel like a choir family. As the leader of this community, my goal is to use “constructive assertiveness,” a concept that Marzano (2003) credits to Emmer, Evertson, and Worsham to mean, “the adjective constructive implies that the teacher does not tear down or attack the student” (p. 49).
- Activities to Encourage Community:
o Click here for an explanation of the activity.
o As a choir teacher, I have between 150 and 200 students in my program. If I know
each student’s name, it lets him or her know their importance and value in our choir family.
o When students know each other’s names, a sense of community develops along with the opportunity for them to build friendships.
o This specific name game encourages each student’s creativity in picking a descriptive
word and an action.
T. Carter, personal communication, 2010.
- Who Am I Cards:
o Click here for an explanation of this activity.
o This activity allows the class to continue developing as a community and getting to know each other throughout the year.
G. Cleveland, personal communication, 2007.