Focus on Education

 

Classroom atmosphere is crucial… and it’s not just about pretty curtains and a matching lamp. The atmosphere that a teacher creates with in her four walls can make a successful, productive learning year possible.

 

The Oklahoma City School District recently approved the GreatExpetations (FE) method with unanimous school board support. GE is based on harmony, respect, positive attitudes and the pursuit of academic excellence. According to the GE web site, it’s a method that focuses “on the learning climate and the HOW of teaching.”

 

Background of GE

“Great Expectations is the story of one man’s determination,” said Linda Dzialo, Executive Director of GE. Charlie Hollar of Ponca City founded the Great Expectations Foundation in 1991 with a mission to “transform lives through education.” With 71 model schools (where 90 percent of the teachers participate), the GE methodology continues to spread in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri and beyond. Dzialo believes, “in the next three to five years we will have a major presence in United States education.”

 

The GE Classroom

“GE has two important components which are the foundation of how to be a great classroom or an exemplary school,” said Dzialo. “When a teacher goes through GE training the teacher receives tools for developing a climate of mutual respect. In addition we [GE] give teachers strategies so their students can achieve academic success and reach their full potential,” said Dzialo.

 

In a GE classroom, you will not find rules posted with negative “Don’ts” of what not to do – rather, you will find positive “Do’s” of what is expected. GE demonstrates positive reminders of what all teachers want their classroom to be: a productive, successful place for learning.

 

Things you will see in a GE classroom include:

 

 

Things you will hear in a GE classroom include:

 

 

What Teachers Think

Tami King, GE instructor and fifth grade teacher, supports a Great Expectations approach. “There are so many benefits to implementing the classroom practices of Great Expectations! Students are actively engaged, and they become critical thinkers. They learn how to communicate effectively, to work cooperatively and to be self-directed in their learning. Students are empowered, and it is truly a joy to watch them blossom and become more self-confident.”

 

To instill a platform of mutual respect among classmates and teachers, students engage in team-building activities that foster a positive, productive, non-threatening classroom climate. King explains, “Team-building isn’t just beneficial to a class – it’s a necessity in creating a climate of mutual respect. That climate doesn’t just exist between the teacher and the students; it exits between the individual students as well. The kids have to feel as though they are in a a safe environment in order to be willing to take risks necessary for growth. Providing team-building opportunities in the classroom allows for the students to bond together… they embrace the eight Expectations for Living. The entire atmosphere of the classroom changes – the children work together to succeed, and they build each other up.”