Of the following, which most nearly describes how learner responsibility can be developed?

Getting Off to a Good Start

The beginning of the school year is an important time for classroom management because your student will learn attitudes, behavior, and work habits that will affect the rest of the year. It is the first few weeks of school that students learn the behaviors expected of them and how to accomplish school tasks successfully.

Creating a Positive Climate in Your Classroom

Effective teachers create a positive learning environment through actions and deeds. The foundation of a positive climate is positive interaction between the teacher and students and among students. A positive environment encourages students to be excited about their school experience and about learning.

1. Speak courteously and calmly-Say “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me” for courtesies to become expected. A calm voice indicates acceptance and self-control.
2. Share information-Learn names as soon as possible and engage in activities that help students learn more about each other. Speak personally with students and get to know them as individuals.
3. Use positive statements as often as possible. Accentuate the positive-Not only do negative comments cause a student to feel negative; they also tend to create a negative environment that affects everyone.
4. Establish a feeling of community. Teach students to work cooperatively and give them regular opportunities to learn in structured cooperative activities. Conduct class meetings on a regular basis for class-building, problem-solving, and content-related discussions. 

Teaching Rules and Procedures

One of the surest ways to communicate your expectation for student behavior is through a planned system of teaching classroom rules and procedures. The term 'teach' is purposely used because you will not communicate your expectations adequately if you only tell students about rules and procedures. Three important aspects include:

1. Describing and demonstrating the desired behavior-Use words and actions to convey what behavior is acceptable or desirable. Be as specific as possible.
2. Rehearsal-This means practicing the behaviors. Rehearsal serves two purposes:
1. It helps children learn the appropriate behavior, and it provides you with an opportunity to determine whether they understand and can follow a procedure correctly.
2. It also affords the teacher the opportunity to explain why the rule or procedure is important
3. Feedback-Tell students how well they did. Even if improvement is needed, be positive.

Planning for a Good Beginning

Planning for a warm and friendly learning environment for your student is a positive first step in starting the school year. Some typical activities include:

• Greeting the students, introductions, room description, get-acquainted activities, presentation and discussion of rules, procedures, and consequences, content activities, time fillers, administrative activities (distributing textbooks, etc.). 

Communicating with Parents

Prepare a letter to send home explaining any essential information not already covered in school handouts. Typically, teachers at one grade level collaborate on the letter. A cheerful, friendly letter that is neat, legible, grammatically correct, and free of misspellings will create a good impression and communicate a professional image to the parents. The letter may include: Information about yourself, materials or supplies their child will need, class schedule with conference times and how parents may reach you, curriculum units or special field trips, and special events for parents.

Special Problems

Interruptions by office staff, parents, custodians, and others; late arrivals on the first day; one or more children are assigned to your class after the first day; child forgets lunch money or supplies; large amount of paperwork the first week of school; child forgets bus number or misses bus; insufficient number of textbooks or materials; student disability that interferes with understanding or following directions; crying; wetting; child becomes sick.

Preparing for a Substitute

Create a handbook for the substitute who may teach in your absence. Include the following: Class roll, seating chart, copy of classroom rule and consequences, daily schedule, list of medical alerts and medication times, emergency lesson plans, emergency procedures, names of teachers and students who can provide assistance, and map of school.

Checklist Preparation for the Beginning of School

• Are your room and materials ready?
• Have you decided on your class procedures, rules, and associated consequences?
• Are you familiar with the parts of the school that you and your students may use (cafeteria, office, halls, restrooms, gymnasium, computer lab) and any procedures for their use?
• Do you have a complete class roster?
• Do you have file information on your students, including information on reading and math achievement levels from previous teachers, test results, and any other information?
• Do you know whether you have any students with disabilities who should be accommodated in your room arrangement or in instruction?
• Do you have adequate numbers of textbooks, desks, and class materials?
• Do you have the teachers’ editions of you textbooks?
• Do you know the procedures for the arrival and departure of students on the first day? Afterwards?
• Are students’ name tags ready? Do you have blank ones?
• Do you have your first day’s plan of activities ready?
• Does your daily schedule accommodate special classes or “pull-out” programs?
• Do you have time-filler activities?
• Do you have a letter ready to send home to parents?
• Do you know when and how you can obtain assistance form school staff?

How do you develop responsibility among students?

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between classroom management and the development of learning responsibility?

How do learners take responsibility of their own learning?

What is my responsibility in the learning process?