Culture and Structure

The culture in a classroom is very important. A student has to feel like the classroom is inviting. They have to know that the teacher is there to help them and teach them something they want to learn. The structure of a classroom to me is how you set it up. If it is to loose without purpose students will not learn. Students need to know what to expect from you and what you expect from them. You have to be consistent.

I notice someone commented on their blog about teachers not letting students on computers because they are afraid the students know more than them. I don’ t think they are afraid of that teachers just don’t have high expectations when it comes to computers. They think that if they have trouble with it then the students will probably have problems too.

In the class I teach, I have 5 students at a time. We do a lesson using manipulatives, that they use to explore with. Then the students get to use the computer to reinforce whatever is being taught. After that we work on a practice sheet together. I know that I don’t get to use computers in the way that this class is talking about, but they do show improvement in math, because of the computer programand the hands on approach.