Domain Two: Managing the Classroom EnvironmentSample Walkthrough Reflective Assessment Form

ByMichael D. King

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Overview

Classroom environment represents the organizational function of the teacher. Certain tasks that affect

classroom environment are performed in a variety of settings as a result of the teacher’s individual beliefs.

It is what the teacher does to organize daily learning. It includes setting expectations for behavior,

providing support in the development of a positive self-concept, realizing the individual differences of

each student, and grouping students within the classroom based on prescriptive learning needs. The

classroom teacher makes daily decision on constructing the environment. These decisions can be broken

down into four distinct quadrants that are separated by time, aggregation, achievement and behavior as

represented in (Figure 3-1 The Four Quadrants of Classroom Climate). How teachers construct their daily

decisions on any one of these quadrants can have major effects on student learning and classroom

environment.

For example under aggregate decision making the teacher does not take into consideration the social

make up of the classroom and allows students to set independently on their own. The effects of this

aggregate decision making on classroom environment may result in off task interaction among students,

low engagement for under achieving students, and student dominance during guided practice; giving

much attention to some and less attention to others. Likewise if a teacher fails to consider time decisions

during transitions from one classroom event to another through lack of structuring statements student

academic learning time is lost.

A teacher should be cognizant of classroom climate and the effects on student learning. Evaluators should

also support teachers in construction classroom climates that are focused on maximizing student

achievement. In chapter three each of the four quadrants will be explored, defining the process of

classroom environment decisions and how to assess each one separately. Additionally a full discussion of

the definitions for managing the classroom environment will be outlined as well as methods for assessing

teacher performance. The eight areas within the four quadrants listed below are major factors in affecting

how students learn in the classroom and should become a focus of teacher performance assessment.

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Figure 3-1The Four Quadrants of Classroom Climate

It is the teacher who establishes the classroom environment which is the set norms for students as they

work toward learning goals. The teacher, through skilled decisions, coordinates the pacing of learning

tasks, delegates responsibilities, gives directions for movement within the classroom, enforces the

classroom rules, and allocates resources. A teacher’s ability to run an orderly and academically focused

classroom has direct and immediate effects on the quality of both teaching and learning. Classroom

environment is, therefore, an important method of instruction and should not be treated inconsequentially

by evaluators.

Evaluators are responsible for assessing classroom environment. For instance, one important aspect of

classroom environment is the teacher’s ability to establish a positive climate by designing a clearly

written discipline plan for student behavior that includes both consequences and rewards. Often teachers

design a set of rules with consequences for inappropriate behavior but do not include how they will

reward appropriate behavior. An effective discipline plan supports the development of a positive self-

concept within the individual students. Other areas of classroom management assessment include the

manner in which cooperative learning strategies are implemented, the kind of treatment differential

between students who the teacher perceives as high and low learners, conducting classroom routines in a

business- like manner, the management of transition times and how the teacher sets and maintains the

pace for instruction.

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Aggregate Decisions

Room ArrangementGrouping Students

Time Decisions

TransitionsPacing

Achievement Decisions

ExpectationsClimate

Behavior Decisions

Student BehaviorTeacher Behavior

Classroom Environment

Arrangement of Furniture and Use of Physical Resources

The arrangement of furniture in a classroom can have an effect on learning and teachers preference on

delivering instruction. Room arrangements, placement of classroom furniture and student seating

provisions reflects the teachers’ style of teaching. By changing the physical space in a classroom teachers

can facilitate student interaction, activity structure, learning centers, and student transitions. The

classroom furniture has a direct relationship in facilitating learning functions and can be identified in

three basic formations, rows, circles, and clusters.

The traditional formation of classroom seating is rows and columns. When classrooms are organized in

rows the teacher wants the attention focused in one direction, usually toward a podium or teachers desk.

This type of formal classroom arrangement indicates less student to student collaboration and more

teacher directed instruction. It is important to note that classroom seating arrangements to encourage

student collaboration has a tendency to decline in secondary settings.

The circle arrangement of student seating is useful for class discussions and independent seatwork. The

circle formation allows students to view each other from across the class and helps teacher monitoring of

seatwork. The downside of the circle classroom seating arrangement is that some students will face the

teachers back during presentations and demonstrations. Semicircles best fits room arrangements for

classroom discussions with the teacher making direct eye contact with students.

Student seating cluster furniture arrangements are useful for cooperative learning, collaborative

instruction, group discussions, or project based task where students use learning time to interact. The

cluster seating arrangement is prominent in those classrooms where teachers provide time for students to

work cooperatively on activities and grouping of students is part of the learning structure.

Strategies for Assessing Arrangement of Furniture and Use of Physical Resources

To assess teacher performance in the use of physical resources the principal would observe the classroom

in terms of where desk are located and teacher’s. For example, the evaluator conducts a walkthrough

observation and recognizes that two students are isolated in the back corner of the room while the teacher

is providing a guided lesson. During the guided lesson the teacher interacts with the class on important

information that is needed to complete the assignment while having little interaction with the students in

the back of the room.

In this case the evaluator would want to address the guided activity by making a reflective statement such

as; “I liked the way you demonstrated each step of the math problem while asking students to give their

own ideas. I noticed that there was a lot of participation with students in the front of the room where the

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desk were clustered into groups of four. How are you including the students who were in the back of the

room as part of the guided lesson?” In Exhibit 3-1 is an example of how to reflective statements are

recorded during a walkthrough assessment on teacher aggregate decisions.

How do you arrange the room to ensure that it is safe, and learning is equally accessible to all

students?

How do you use physical resources and furniture arrangement as a resource for learning

activities?

Grouping Students within the Classroom

Teachers form work groups and are responsible for supervising various levels of learning needs. They

make decisions on the size and composition of student groups. These decisions are important because

grouping affects how well students learn and in turn their attitude toward learning. Intra-class grouping is

usually based on some sort of criteria, whether it is ability, specific needs, interest, and/or age.

Another factor that can have a big influence on the teacher’s decision to grouping students is the

individual teacher’s style. Teachers who are more comfortable in an authoritarian role tend to group

students less often and to use more lecture delivery strategies. Teachers who implement a more

democratic approach use a variation grouping strategies because they are comfortable with sharing

control and responsibilities with the students.

A factor that should always be considered when making decisions about work groups is students’

perception of their group. Students are well aware of the ways that classroom groups differ and have no

difficulty perceiving the differential or preferential treatment of certain individuals and groups within the

classroom. Once the groups are formed, the teacher should make continuous reference to the value of all

of the work groups as it pertains to their successful completion of the learning task.

The decisions that teachers make to form working groups should always be made cautiously and

skillfully. Each group should be formed on the basis of the performance goal and on how well each

individual functions as a member of a group. Once the teacher has established the groups, they should be

reevaluated regularly to determine group dynamics and the individual progress of each member. The

authors recommend that the assignment to a particular group not be a lifelong sentence. Group

membership should be changed periodically based on a prescription of learning needs.

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Strategies for Assessing Grouping Strategies within the Classroom

The evaluator needs to explore several factors when assessing the teacher’s grouping strategies. Is the

teacher making grouping decisions based on set criteria for group establishment? Do the grouping criteria

include a prescription of learning needs, the goals for student performance, and an explanation of the

various group roles for students? Once groups are formed, what are the structures for how the group is

expected to work together to accomplish the task? The evaluator could ask some of the following

questions during a walkthrough observation or planning conference to provoke a discussion about the

teacher’s grouping strategies:

Describe or discuss how grouping decisions are based on the learning needs of your students. Are

your group decisions based on achievement levels?

What criteria do you use to formulate groups?

Describe how you utilize grouping strategies to reinforce learning.

How often do you utilize grouping strategies?

How often do you change the groups? Do you use any criteria for how the students are moved

from one group to another?

What rules have been established to set expectations for student performance while in groups?

How are students evaluated for group participation and group assignments?

Exhibit 3-1

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Example of Aggregate Assessment Walk-Through Assessment

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

Teacher _______________________ Time _______________ Subject ______________

Aggregate Decisions Time DecisionsLearning is equally accessible to all studentsFurniture arrangement is a resource for learning activities

N

Grouping students is based on prescription of learning needsGrouping students is based on performance goals and how well each individual functions as a group

Achievement Decisions Behavior Decisions

Reflective Statement:1. I liked the way you demonstrated each step of the math problem while asking students

to give their own ideas. I noticed that there was a lot of participation with students in the front of the room where the desk were clustered into groups of four.

2. I also liked the way you have setup your cooperative groups of four students per group. I did notice that groups two and four needed some structuring statements after the activity began.

Reflective Question:1. Have you established a set of expectations for student performance while they are in

groups?2. How are you including the students who were in the back of the room as part of the

guided lesson?”

(O = Observed) (N = Needs Attention) (U = Performance Assistance Needed) (Blank = Not Observed)

Evaluators Signature: _______________________________ Date__________________

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Monitoring Student Behavior

Disruptive behavior in classrooms is one of the leading causes for the decline in academic performance.

In today’s schools, teachers are often forced to deal with continuous disruptive behavior, which detracts

from the learning climate and results in ineffective learning. Learning cannot take place in classrooms

where students are disrespectful, defy authority, and have little or no regard for classroom rules. Teachers

must manage classroom behavior where learning becomes the central focus of daily activities.

Classrooms where students are engaged in facilitated learning events are less likely to create distractions

and it is the teacher who provides the structured environment.

A teacher’s belief statements about how classrooms are to be managed should

reflect certain structures of class attendance, necessity of materials, and student

responsibilities. Classroom management structures reflect the teachers’ attitude of

openness, honesty, sincerity and caring. Successfully managed classrooms are built

upon a positive teacher student relationship. The teacher’s discipline plan should define in

clear terms what constitutes disruptive student behavior, and the plan should be reviewed with the

students to ensure that they know what is expected of them. Time should be spent in discussing the types

of behavior that will alleviate disruptions in the classroom. Certain elements of teacher behavior in

instructional delivery will help in modifying potential disruptive behavior:

Know what is going on in the classroom at all times.

Promote a smooth transition from one activity to another. Be organized.

Keep students highly engaged in activities, and set clear expectations prior to the activity.

Make the content of the material interesting.

Be available to answer questions, and monitor seat work frequently.

Spend a significant amount of time in guided practice, especially in new concept development.

Promote positive expectations for desired student behavior.

Be caring, and let students know that their teachers want them to succeed.

Strategies for Assessing Monitoring of Student Behavior

The number of classroom rules should be reviewed. Teachers with more than five to eight classroom rules

should be encouraged to reduce to a number that facilitates clear behavior expectations in the desired

areas. These rules should encourage students to attend school regularly, to be on time, to bring the

necessary materials, to finish assignments on time, and to be responsible for their own learning. The

classroom rules should reflect the teacher's attitude of openness, honesty, sincerity, and caring. A

successful learning climate is built upon a positive teacher-student relationship.

The written plan should explain the roles and responsibilities of the students in the classroom,

how the classroom will be conducted, and why these responsibilities of appropriate behavior are

important.

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The plan should be fair and appropriate for maintaining a positive classroom atmosphere.

Expectations should be clearly stated, and the plan should include the consequences for

inappropriate behavior.

The plan should explain how good classroom behavior will be rewarded.

Management of Transitional Time

Time must be managed once it has been allocated or it will be lost. Teachers who are aware of the

importance of instructional time give clear, simple directions when shifting from one activity to another.

They organize classroom activities to produce a smooth flow of events with minimum confusion or waist

of time. Routines are established to ensure the efficient operations of distributing and collecting material

and students know what is expected at the end or beginning of a classroom event. Transition times are set

by structural statements that remind students how they are to move from one activity to another. The

teacher directed statements are usually followed by questions to ensure students are listening and can

verbally repeat what behaviors are expected while moving from one activity to another. Teachers should

assign routine clerical and housekeeping chores to students (and aides) on a scheduled basis, dispersing

the workload to conserving time during transitions. Teachers should be cognizant of time allocations

during a lesson, plan for transitions, and allocate time to eliminate confusion and stress. Emergency

procedures are also well defined, clearly articulated and students react in an orderly fashion, fulfilling

assigned roles during evacuations or disaster drills.

Strategies for Assessing Transition Time

Small-group work is well organized, and most students are productively engaged in learning

while unsupervised by the teacher.

Transitions occur smoothly, with little loss of instructional time.

Routines for handling materials and supplies occur smoothly, with little loss of instructional time.

Effective systems for performing noninstructional duties are in place, resulting in minimal loss of

instructional time.

Volunteers and paraprofessionals are productively and independently engaged during the entire

class.

Grouping Students within the Classroom

Teachers form work groups and are responsible for supervising various levels of learning needs. They

make decisions on the size and composition of student groups. These decisions are important because

grouping affects how well students learn and in turn their attitude toward learning. Intraclass grouping is

usually based on some sort of criteria, whether it is ability, specific needs, interest, and/or age.

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Another factor that can have a big influence on the teacher’s decision to group is the individual teacher’s

style. Teachers who are more comfortable in an authoritarian role tend to group students less often and to

use more lecture delivery strategies. Teachers who implement a more democratic approach use more

grouping strategies because they are comfortable with sharing control and responsibilities with the

students.

A factor that should always be considered when making decisions about work groups is students’

perception of their group. Students are well aware of the ways that classroom groups differ and have no

difficulty perceiving the differential or preferential treatment of certain individuals and groups within the

classroom. Once the groups are formed, the teacher should make continuous reference to the value of all

of the work groups as it pertains to their successful completion of the learning task.

The decisions that teachers make to form working groups should always be made cautiously and

skillfully. Each group should be formed on the basis of the performance goal and on how well each

individual functions as a member of a group. Once the teacher has established the groups, they should be

reevaluated regularly to determine group dynamics and the individual progress of each member. The

authors recommend that the assignment to a particular group not be a lifelong sentence. Group

membership should be changed periodically based on a prescription of learning needs.

Strategies for Assessing Grouping Strategies within the Classroom

The evaluator needs to explore several factors when assessing the teacher’s grouping strategies. Is the

teacher making grouping decisions based on set criteria for group establishment? Do the grouping criteria

include a prescription of learning needs, the goals for student performance, and an explanation of the

various group roles for students? Once groups are formed, what are the structures for how the group is

expected to work together to accomplish the task?

The evaluator could ask some of the following questions at the planning conference to provoke a

discussion about the teacher’s grouping strategies:

Describe or discuss how grouping decisions are based on the learning needs of your students. Are

your group decisions based on achievement levels?

What criteria do you use to formulate groups?

Describe how you utilize grouping strategies to reinforce learning.

How often do you utilize grouping strategies?

How often do you change the groups? Do you use any criteria for how the students are moved

from one group to another?

What rules have been established to set expectations for student performance while in groups?

How are students evaluated for group participation and group assignments?

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Expectations for Learning and Achievement

The teachers’ communications of expectations does have an impact on classroom climate and how

teachers expresses themselves to individuals or groups of students determines academic success. And the

kind of differential treatment of expectations given to high and low students by a teacher has influence

over academic performance in predictable ways. The atmosphere of a classroom reflects the teachers’

expectations, the quality of work preformed, the reinforcement of the importance for learning, and self

confidence to master complex task. In high performance classrooms expectations are built through the

everyday actions of the teachers. Through the teachers supportive expressions to students a message for a

culture of learning is explicitly stated in terms of achievement acceptance. It is the way classroom daily

activities are conducted. Teachers with high expectations on their minds bring an ever-present awareness

to these norms in daily interactions, decisions, and planning that shape the way students perform.

Strategies for Assessing Expectations for Learning and Achievement

Teacher conveys genuine enthusiasm for the content, and students demonstrate consistent

commitment to its value.

Instructional outcomes, activities and assignments, and classroom interactions convey high

expectations for most students.

Students accept the teacher’s insistence on work of high quality and demonstrate pride in that work.

Pacing Decisions

The pacing of instruction concerns the amount of time that is allotted between and within the various

content areas. The decisions that the teacher makes about how much time is spent learning particular

content areas greatly affects student achievement. Pacing is synonymous with content coverage and can

be measured by such tangibles as the number of pages covered, the number of math problems taught, or

the number of vocabulary words assigned.

Strategies for Assessing Teacher Pacing Strategies

In the planning conference, the evaluator may want to review with the teacher various strategies for

moving the students through the curriculum. Pacing strategies include such factors as how the teacher

keeps students on task, what methods the teacher uses to adjust time frames to meet the needs of the

students, and how the teacher provides additional time for those students who are demonstrating difficulty

in learning. Additional areas that the evaluator should assess are the strategies the teacher uses to shift

from one activity to another and how often the teacher has to reteach particular lessons or concepts. The

following questions could be used to gain information regarding the teacher’s use of pacing strategies:

What strategies are used to ensure that all students receive the level of instruction that they need?

What is the average number of times during the school year that you have to reteach a lesson? Is

there any one particular concept that is particularly difficult for most students?

What areas of your curriculum require more time to teach?10

Are you able to adequately cover the required curriculum during the school year?

What kinds of enrichment activities do you provide for accelerated students who have already

attained the required skill level?

Creating A Positive Climate

Effective teachers work to create a positive climate in their classrooms because the classroom

environment affects student achievement. Four factors seem particularly important in establishing a

positive climate:

1. the communication of academic expectations for achievement

2. the development of a safe and orderly academic environment for work

3. the management of discipline concerns in a quick, fair, and sensible way

4. the development of a pleasant, non-threatening atmosphere

Therefore, effective teachers communicate high academic expectations; create classrooms that are safe,

orderly, and academically focused; demonstrate sensible management of behavior problems; and create a

pleasant place for students to learn.

Strategies for Assessing Teacher Climate Strategies

During the planning conference, the evaluator should assess the climate strategies that the teacher uses to

create a positive classroom environment. The teacher should be asked to bring to the planning conference

a copy of the discipline plan that outlines expectations for student behavior. The discipline plan should

include consequences for inappropriate behavior and rewards for appropriate behavior. Climate strategies

include how the teacher sets standards for academic performance and achievement in the classroom; what

methods the teacher uses to praise and correct student performance; how the teacher provides an orderly,

safe learning environment; and the methods the teacher uses to hold students accountable for their

learning.

The following questions will promote a discussion regarding classroom climate strategies:

What are the performance standards for your students?

How do you hold students accountable for their learning?

How do you reward students for appropriate behavior and achievement?

What conditions have you set to ensure that students do not disrupt the learning process?

How does your classroom discipline plan support the development of a positive self-concept in

individual students?

What consequences are incurred for inappropriate behavior? How do these consequences encourage

appropriate behavior in the classroom?

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