Promoting Student Learning discusses key components of establishing a positive learning environment including effective classroom management, teacher collaboration, student relationships, and family relationships. Effective classroom management involves establishing proper rapport with students, rules and expectations, and consistency. Teacher collaboration is based on shared goals and accountability and is improved with common planning time and communication. Student relationships foster positive interdependence and learning through group work and projects. Strong family relationships that engage families as partners can transform schools and increase student achievement.

1. Promoting Student Learning
William Hoover
Jennifer Bearden
Meshalette Atkins
Tabatha Avery

2. Promoting Student Learning
Classroom management:
•
Creating a positive learning environment is a key component to establishing the
foundation for student learning. In order for this to happen the teacher must
practice effective classroom management. This begins with establishing a
proper positive rapport with the students. Develop a sense of who they are by
being aware of their likes and dislikes and providing them with the respect they
need in order to gain and maintain their attention. Secondly, establish
rules, expectations and consequences and implement them with consistency so
that the students are aware of behavioral expectations.
Best Practices:
•
Know your students. Be aware of home environment and outside influences
that may affect their behavior.
•
Encourage the success of the child.
Resources:
•
www. teachingchannel.org. Classroom Management Tips.
•
The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher. Wong and Wong.

3. Promoting Student Learning
Teacher Collaboration:
• Collaboration is members of a group working together in order to achieve a common goal. When
applied to the field of education, it basically means the members of a learning setting working
together, as equals, to assist students in succeeding on the classroom. The collaborative
educational environment builds a community of caring individuals who are working toward
increasing the student’s positive outcomes. In teacher collaboration, the teacher works hand in
hand with each other, whether it be general educational teachers or special educational
teachers, to develop lessons and instructions with the necessary accommodations to meet the
individual needs of all students. Effective teacher collaboration is based on shared mutual
goals, shared responsibility for participation and decision making, and shared accountability of
the outcomes.
Best Practices:
• Common Planning Time – Establishing a common planning time for teacher is essential in order
for the planning of the lesson and for making necessary accommodations.
• Communication – Communication between members is necessary. Discuss different perspectives
each individual teacher may have concerning classroom management, grading, and other issues
that may affect the effectiveness of the learning environment.
Resources:
• Land, S. Effective Teaching Practices for Students in Inclusive Classrooms. Training and Technical
Assistance Center. 2013. William and Mary, School of Education.
• Transforming Teaching: Connecting Professional Responsibility with Student Learning: A report to
the NEA, 2013. Commission on Effective Techniques and Teaching.

4. Promoting Student Learning
Student Relationships:
• When students work together, they learn from each other, they learn to cooperate with each other, and they share
the responsibilities for assignments.
•
• Student relationships foster positive interdependence, face-to-face interaction, group processing and individual
and group accountability. Positive interdependence emphasizes the importance and uniqueness of each group
member’s efforts while important cognitive activities and interpersonal dynamics are quietly at work. As students
communicate with one another, they inevitably assume leadership roles, acquire conflict-managing skills, discuss
and clarify concepts, and unravel the complexities of human relationships within a given context; this process
enhances their learning outcomes and thus promotes student learning.
Resourses:
• Wiggio – Wiggio is a web site where students can collaborate on projects, case studies, labs, study groups and
class initiatives Groups are entirely private and secure. Students can share files without sending bulky
attachments, schedule due dates, meetings, events, and deadlines, and keep track of who is doing which tasks.
www http://wiggio.com/academic.html.
Best Practices:
• Collaborative learning stations - One of the best ways to set up collaborative projects and activities is to have
student teams work at learning stations. Each learning station has supplies and materials that work well together
and give students the tools to complete an activity or project. With learning stations, students get an opportunity
to use the computer while making use of other school and classroom resources.
• Developing collaborative models, students connecting through educational social networking and mobile
learning, open educational resources that engage students and encourage student success.

5. Promoting Student Learning
Family Relationships:
• Intentional and ongoing relationship between school and family enhance student learning and
address any obstacles that may impede it.
• The more the relationship between families and the school is a real partnership, the more
student achievement increases. When schools engage families in ways that are linked to improve
student learning, students make greater gains. When families are engaged in positive ways, rather
than labeled as problems, schools can be transformed from places where only certain students
prosper to one where all children do well. (Mapp, 2007)
Resource:
• Parent Mentors Program -Parent Mentors assist families and educators in locating information
and resources, provide workshops for parents and educators, provide confidential support for
parental concerns and questions, and provide a parent's perspective to educators and an
educator’s perspective to parents in a collaborative effort to promote student growth.
http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/special-education/parent-mentors
2 best practices:
• Family centered grade-level standards nights and/or informational question and answer night
relating to graduation and other standardized tests.
• Parent/Teacher created and directed network information or classes, articles in the newsletter
and/or fact sheets on strategies to help your child academically.

6. Resources
• Dunbar, C. Best Practices in Classroom management, 2004. College
of Education, Michigan State University.
• Daniel R., Oliver, R. Effective Classroom Management: Teacher
Preparation and Professional Development, 2007. National
Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, Vanderbilt University.
• Powell, W. Chapter 5: Collaboration. U.S. Department of Senate:
Diplomacy in action.
• Cooperative Teaching. The University of Kansas.
• Christudason, A. (2003). Successful learning, peer learning.
37, http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/success/sl37.htm accessed
December 1, 2013
• Mapp, K. L. (2003). Having their say: Parents describe why and how
they are engaged in their children’s learning. The School-Community
Journal, 13(1), 35-64.
• Mapp, K. L. (2007, June 13) The why, what and how of effective
school, family and community partnerships.