To maintain a student-centered learning environment that is safe, organized, equitable, flexible, inclusive, and collaborative, the effective educator consistently:

1. Organizes allocates, and manages the resources of time, space, and attention;
2. Manages individual and class behaviors through a well-planned management system;
3. Conveys high expectations to all students;
4. Respects students’ cultural linguistic and family background;
5. Models clear, acceptable oral and written communication skills;
6. Maintains a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness, and support;
7. Integrates current information and communication technologies;
8. Adapts the learning environment to accommodate the differing needs and diversity of students; and,
9. Utilizes current and emerging assistive technologies that enable students to participate in high-quality communication interactions and achieve their educational goals.

Being an effective teacher requires much more organization than most realize. Throughout my internship, Ms. Rys would constantly say “Teaching is only 20% of your job.” This is absolutely true. A good portion of my time was spent maintaining student learning, making sure that everything was safe and organized for the students, and trying to find ways to be flexible, inclusive, and collaborating with other teachers. All of these factors set the students and the teachers up for success. The effective teacher will definitely manage individual and whole classroom behaviors with a well-managed system. For example, in my lesson plan for musical chairs, I had a pre-planned set of rules to manage the student behaviors with clear rules and consequences for not following those rules. On a daily basis, the students have an overall management system that has clear consequences for any undesired behavior. This is a really important factor in a classroom, as it is a microcosm of society where there are rules and consequences for actions. 

To help manage the learning environment and maintain a student-focused culture in a classroom, effective teacher conveys high expectations to all of their students. When there are high expectations, the students usually meet those expectations. The key is consistency within the high expectations. If a teacher is not consistent, it was will be confusing for the students and it will lead to discord.

An effective teacher will consistently respect their students’ cultural, linguistic, and family backgrounds. Those factors influence how a student will act in a given situation and understanding them will lead to a student-centered environment that will promote more success in learning.

The effective teacher will model clear, acceptable or and written communication skills as well. If that is a standard that we as teachers expect of our students, then we must have that standard for ourselves. That does not mean that “slang” words cannot be used if it promotes student understanding. I have usually found that it makes the classroom environment more fun because the students think it’s humorous when the teacher does something unexpected like that. However, the students should have a model for correct communication from their teacher so that they can reproduce effective communication skills on assignments.

Maintaining a climate of openness, inquiry, fairness, and support is a key concept that effective teachers need to have a successful classroom environment. If a teacher does not maintain a climate where students feel comfortable, the students will not want to be in the classroom let alone share their opinions. Maintaining a climate where students feel comfortable will allow them to have a better classroom experience.

The effective teacher will also integrate current information and technology in the classroom. As I have mentioned in other areas, teachers have to compete with all of the technology available to students today for their attention. When we integrate current information and technology, we are no longer competing for attention but working with them.

The effective teacher will also integrate current information and technology in the classroom. As I have mentioned in other areas, teachers have to compete with all of the technology available to students today for their attention. When we integrate current information and technology, we are no longer competing for attention but working with them.

This component is very similar to integrating current information and communication technologies. When the effective teacher utilizes the current and emerging assistive technologies, it allows the students to use the new technology if it may not be available to them. It also allows the students to achieve their educational goals because the technology will make their research, activities, and projects much easier and faster.