Learning Climate
Participant Outcomes:
• Participants will have a clear understanding of the
TIIES rubric descriptors for learning climate.
• Participants will have some classroom activity ideas
that can be used to enhance learning climate.
• Participants will understand the “TIIES” between
Kids At Hope and Boys Town with learning climate.
Time to take a trip down memory
lane…
• Think back to when you were an elementary student. Think
about the best teacher you ever had? Share at your tables
what made that teacher special to you.
• Now think about the one teacher you dreaded the most and
why. Have a table discussion about what made him/her so
terrible.
• Record the characteristics that were common from your
tables and be prepared to share out.
The teacher creates and maintains
a learning environment that is safe,
orderly, and supports the
development of students abilities
to meet Arizona’s Academic
Content standards.
The learning climate is effective,
safe, functional and productive
when students…
Students: Demonstrate respect towards their teacher(s)
and peers.
• Evidence
• Demonstration of Boys Town skill steps, consistently follows
established rules, procedures and expectations, positive student
conversations, students praise one another (Kids at Hope culture)
• Activities
• Kids at Hope: Destination Points, Passports
• Class celebrations, role plays, class meetings, community circles,
connections to literature, team building activities,
• Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester , Wilfrid Gordon
McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, Chrysanthemum Kevin
Henke, Hooray for You by Marianne Richmond, Any Patricia
Polacco books!
Students: Students are self disciplined and
responsible for completion of classroom learning
activities.
• Evidence
• Appropriate use of Social Skills, code switching, engaged in learning
activities, self managing (academic learning and personal well being),
organization
• Activities
• Role plays, development of class rules and procedures, use of
management/organizational tools (checklists, menus, agendas), self
monitoring/reflection (behavioral/academic)
The teacher sustains a learning
climate that is functional,
productive and …
Teachers exhibit respect, warmth and friendliness,
positive verbal and nonverbal interactions with
students.
• Evidence
• Use of specific/general praise (4:1), promotes positive student
conversations, positive nonverbal interactions (smiles, nods, high 5’s,
thumbs up, etc.), appropriate tone of voice, appropriate proximity,
pointing out the treasures within students, utilizing ACES, student
conferences/check-ins, provides encouragement
• Activities
• Post and recite the Treasure Hunter’s Pledge, eat lunch with your
students, join your students at recess occasionally, display student
work, use student interest surveys to get to know your students,
community circle discussions, positive phone calls home
Teachers displays and consistently references classroom and
school wide procedures, routines, or expectations for student
and academic behavior and attends to disruptions.
• Evidence
• Rules and procedures are posted, teacher states both academic and
behavioral objectives with every learning activity (preventative
prompts), positive and negative consequences posted, students can
articulate learning objectives, implements and refers to Boys Town
life skills (skill posters are up), proactive teaching, corrective
teaching, preventative prompts, modeling social skills
• Activities
• Boys Town Skill teaching, students and teacher collaboratively
determine class rules, skits for what is/isn’t, implements reward
system (treasure box, positive choice tickets, etc), blended teaching
Teachers organizes classroom, time, and materials to
maintain an effective learning environment.
• Evidence
• Daily schedule posted, materials organized and
easily accessible for students, room is clean,
adhering to campus schedules
• Activities
• Lesson planning: materials, pacing, early
finishers, and transitions. Create student jobs to
manage classroom materials
Think about that one special teacher that made a
difference in your education?
“Children succeed when they are surrounded by adults who believe they can
succeed.” Rick Miller
Did he/she believe you could succeed?
“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.”
Dr. James Comer
Was he/she an ACE?
“Children don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Did you feel that he/she genuinely cared about you?
“A successful relationship occurs when emotional deposits are made to the student
and emotional withdrawals are avoided.” – Stephen Covey
Did he/she build you up and make you feel valued?
“To teach a child you must first reach a child.” – Rick Miller
How did that teacher reach YOU???
Building Class Climate
• Make it a priority to build relationships with your
students especially the first month of school.
• Find way to give out your ACES
• Utilize your resources:
Kids at Hope Treasure chests
Well Managed Classroom
Teach Like a Champion
Tribes Book
Kagan Strategies
Boystown skill building ideas (A.P’s have on campus)
Grade level team
Coaches/Mentors
Homework
• During the next mentor observation a learning
climate reflection sheet will be left with you
to complete. The reflection will be due at the
time of the debriefing conversation.
Ticket out the door!
• Write down one or two ideas on an index card
you can walk away with and implement in
your classroom tomorrow!