Creating High Performance Learning Environments

In this week's post, I'm going to take a look at three factors that can influence how teachers create a high-performance learning environment: Norms and Procedures in the classroom, Behavior Expectations, and Academic Expectations.

Example #1: "Roller Coaster" Physics project in a 5th grade classroom:


Norms & Procedures: 

In order for this type of Performance to be achieved, the norms and procedures of the classroom have to be well-established. In this case, the teacher takes great care to create specific groups roles for students, and construct the means by which the group have to control their actions (for examples, budgeting for supplies used to construct their designs). She also intently structures the time students have to develop work individually before placing them in a discussion setting where they must reach a consensus before moving forward. I think these actions reflect the norms and procedures of individual work, group work, and collaboration already established in this classroom.

Academic Expectations:

At every turn, the teacher is eliciting student response and defense of their designs and modifications using academic terminology, and the key concepts she has taught in order for the project to take shape. She places inquiries to the students designed to get them to think critically about their actions as a group, and challenges them to explain their thinking behind modifications. Additionally, she checks for a thought-process behind groups' use of materials, and how and why they are selecting specific materials, always guiding the responses back to something based in the academic material.

Behavior Expectations:

It is clear that the students here are used to operating under the expectation that they will function and work together as a group. Additionally, their behavior in the round-table discussion where they share individual insights and guiding purposes behind their designs shows that they operate under an expectation that they will not only complete the task set before them, but bring their very best to the task.


Example #2: 3rd Grade Chinese Math Class



Norms & Procedures
The very evident classroom norm displayed here is that student will speak and engage with their teacher in Chinese, despite very probably not being native speakers of the language. Another norm that we see in this video is that of participation--students are comfortable volunteering and processing academic subject matter in another language, and doing so is encouraged by the instructor. A procedure that is present is reflected by the students' transition responses from rote memorization of the multiplication rhyme to the instructor-led example of doing a new mathematical process, which is reminiscent of the Whole Brain Teaching method "Eyes and Hands."

Academic Expectations:
In this video, the teacher not only expects students to use the Chinese language, but also expects the new (or perhaps revised) concept to be easily understood.

Behavior Expectations:
Here again the teacher uses a physical call and answer transition method to call attention to a shift in activity from the practice of the math rhyme to the practice of the math concept. She has the full attention and participation of her language learners.

Example #3: Whole-Brain Teaching


Norms & Procedures:
In order to get whole brain teaching lessons to flow as nicely as they do in this example, a teacher very clearly has to establish the Norms and Procedures in the classroom. The WBT elements of "Mirror Words" and "Hands and Eyes" have been thoroughly practiced so that the students understand the expectations and cues these strategies are meant to deliver.

Academic Expectations:
Among the Academic Expectations in the Whole Brain Teaching method are the students' ability to paraphrase and re-teach a brief lesson, either whole or in part, to their peers. As demonstrated in the video, the students are placed with the responsibility to digest and re-phrase the material for their learning partners. The video would be a stronger example if it spent more time examining how exactly the students here are demonstrating that, though we do see them engaging in the work.

Behavioral Expectations:
Once again, classroom norms and procedures are silently reinforcing some underlying behavioral expectations of the students: Being at attention when lessons begin and during focused instructional periods, and displaying elements of collaboration to fully participate in the cooperative learning elements of the lesson.

Summary:
Each of these techniques demonstrates very powerful and meaningful ways to engage students and keep them excited about learning. It is very clear to see that each instructor has demonstrated control over her environment, as well as set forth very high expectations for all her students to meet.

Being an English subject teacher, I think I would choose very carefully from all three of these methods which pieces and parts would best fit the style of my classroom, and the age and tolerance of my learners. What interested me is that the teacher demonstrating the Whole Brain Teaching Method seemed to be working with middle/junior high-aged students, whereas I felt such an intense method would maybe put some of my junior-high level students off.

However, it's never a very good approach to just assume something won't work. I live and work in an Asian country--not China, but reminiscent of some of the same styles and modes of learning as the Math video--where students fundamentally do expect a higher level of involvement and authority from their teachers. Something like Mirror Words and Hands and Eyes, or rhyming and chanting and memorization, might very well be a successful mode of instruction in my classroom to help promote a positive environment of high performance.