Classroom Climate and Organization

Christina Nicole Giannikas

What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a

classroom?

What definition would you give to the ‘Language

Classroom’?

The Language Classroom…

The Language Classroom is a room in a

school or college where teachers and students come together for a given amount of time and language learning (we hope) happens.

Think back…

Can you recall walking into a

classroom for the first time and feeling comfortable and relaxed or uneasy and completely out of place?

Classroom Climate

A perceived quality of the setting which emerges in a somewhat fluid state from the complex transaction of many immediate environmental factors:

• Physical• Material• Organizational • Operational• Social Variables

Influence of School’s Culture

• Institutionalized Values

• Belief Systems

• Norms

• Ideologies

• Rituals

• Traditions

The PhysicalEnvironment

• Great contributing factor

• Many teachers ignore such complications

A Compatible Physical Environment

The room arrangement is extremely important if the teacher intends to introduce:

• Movement activities

• Group work

• Discussions

Baker (1968) labeled this as Synomorphy

Group Work:

What is your understanding of Group Work?

Why use Group Work?

How would it benefit students?

Teacher-centred vs. Student-centred

What is the difference between a teacher-centered and a student-centered?

It’s all about the layout....

Student-Student Interaction Influences:

• Educational Aspirations and Achievements

• Development of Social Competency

Johnson (1983)

Cooperative LearningTasks Enhance

• Students’ academic achievement

• Self-esteem

• Relationships among students of different ethnic groups

• Positive attitude towards school

Slavin (1980); Sharon (1980); Webb (1982)

Flow of Interaction

Spatial organization in which teachers and students operate daily:

• Teachers have no say in the architectural form of the classroom

• There are usually more options as far as the arrangement of the desks and chairs are concerned

TraditionalTeacher-Fronted Structure

• Columns and rows of desks

• Students facing the teacher

Can you think of any disadvantages?

Dörnyei and Murphey’sResearch

• It creates inequality among students: differences in classroom locations are associated with different status, and this projected to the students occupying these positions.

• The teacher-fronted arrangement is extremely controlling and authoritative, emphasising only teacher-student visual contact and thus helping the teacher completely occupy the centre of communication network, this enforced teacher-dependency is an obstacle to group processes

Dörnyei & Murphey (2003)

The U-shape

• Direct contact

• Increase communication

The Circular Arrangement

• No predetermined leadership position as it physically includes the teacher in the group

• Everyone has equal influence and fosters interpersonal attraction and involvement.

• Is this a setting you are familiar with?

• What could the disadvantages of this setting be?

The ‘Friendly’ Arrangement

Ehrman and Dörnyei (1998) have rated this arrangement:• More friendly • Shorter pauses in conversation ‘It is easy to believe that the circle is the ultimate solution

to ‘spatial equality’. However, several studies have shown that people seated opposite each other interact with each other more than people who are seated side-by side. This means that students in directly facing seats to the teacher will participate more than members sitting on either side. That is, positions in a circle are not always equal in their communicative ‘status’ and, therefore, it may be worth moving students and yourself around from time to time even if they sit in a circle’

Dörnyei (2003: 82)

Ad hoc clusters

• Students take responsibility for their learning

• Work autonomously

• Ideal setting for small groups, games and role-plays

• What role does the teacher play in this setting?

No Desks At All

• Some students feel closeness with their peers and teachers

• Others see desks as their ‘territories’ and feel uncomfortable without them.

• What learning tasks would you introduce using this setting?

• Are there any restrictions?

Manage the Task:

The following task is a Phonetic Crossword Puzzle.

With your partner, decide in which setting you would introduce this task and why. Give reasons for your choice.

For Notes:

Contact me on:

cng0007@londonmet.ac.uk