Case Study
You are the lead teacher at Dahomey School, which serves grades 4K through 12. The supervisor of instruction in your school district has asked you to present a professional development workshop focused on developing a positive classroom environment. All teachers in your district will attend the workshop. You begin planning the workshop by reviewing the published literature on the topic of safe and nurturing classroom environments for schools and by reviewing information from the MDE Division of School Safety. Based upon this review, you have decided to align workshop content with the two approaches found in the MDE’s safe school concept.
Prompt: Take the role of lead teacher presented in the above scenario as you begin to develop an outline for the workshop aligned with the operational and programmatic approaches to safe classroom and school environments. Complete the outline on the following page by summarizing four operational approaches and four programmatic approaches appropriate for developing and sustaining a safe classroom environment in grades 4K – 12. The following questions may help you develop the outline:
The Operational Approach
• What operational procedures at the school level support a safe classroom?
• What daily classroom routines and procedures should be in place?
• How does the physical arrangement of the classroom and playground support or hinder physical and emotional safety?
• What procedures are in place to address conflict when it occurs?
• How can teachers effectively communicate with and involve parents?
The Programmatic Approach
• How may character education be effectively infused into the curriculum?
• What programs and activities help teachers build a sense of community in classrooms (e.g., cooperation, self-discipline, respect, celebration of accomplishments)?
• What programs and strategies may be effective in helping young children manage aggression and resolve conflict?