StrategiesOne of the best strategies that a high school teacher might employ to encourage students to connect and relate to U.S. history is to create a quiet, stable, fun, disciplined learning environment in the classroom. The environment surrounding the student can be one of the most influential aspects to whether a student is successful or not. For example, looking back at the twelve year old male, who has problems with written test, if he was trying to take a test and the students next to him were allowed talk and play games, or if he kept getting interrupted with questions or loud noises in the background, he would have a harder time concentrating on his test. This very loud and distractive environment could hinder his ability to focus and do well on the test simply because he would not be able to concentrate and he would rather play games and have fun with his friends. Even planning something as simple as the seating arrangement, where a group of friends are put together, can become a distraction to the class or classroom policies, which does not promote a safe and stable environment can also have a significant effect on the student’s ability to learn.
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Environment |
Creating a beneficial learning environment can be done in a multitude of different ways, one of which is the “creation of a ‘shared space’ where students are enabled to pursue goals and activities and identify with these activities in ways that are consonant with disciplinary practices” (Anderson, & Day, 2005, pg. 340). The idea of a shared space can be extremely helpful in creating a beneficial learning environment for students because it gets students to think of the space around themselves as other people’s space as well. By making the students think of the space as shared, it forces the students to become self-conscious of their actions and how they can affect the other students around them. It also promotes the idea of the class having and sharing one common goal and activity, which will help to make the students feel more comfortable and stable with their classmates, and ultimately the classroom environment.
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Discipline |
Another way to help create a beneficial environment is through the use of good disciplinary practices or rules that the teacher and students establish early on in the school year to promote learning (Anderson, & Day, 2005). This is important because a class that does not have good discipline is more likely to have distractions in the form of phones and/or bad behavior of students that could hinder the overall class’s overall ability to connect, relate, and learn about history. These simple yet effective methods of creating a shared space and having good disciplinary practices are some of the best ways that can allow for a beneficial learning environment where students can retain information about and connect to U.S. history.
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