why do student development and course climate matter for student learning?

by Dr. Hollis Hettinger 7 min read

Why Do Student Development and Course Climate Matter for Student Learning? 157 gains that students make during college are considerably greater than the intellectual gains over the same span of time (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991).

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What is climatedu?

Welcome to climatedu! Climate education made by students, for students. Register today! A refreshing, relatable voice. Built by driven high school students, this course makes use of what really works in education today. Visually engaging. Creative artwork and a polished platform design that's fun to explore. Filling a gap in the school system.

How do students learn?

How students learn in a given moment, term, course, or degree experience is inextricably tied to the developmental, environmental, and individual contexts in which that learning occurs for each student. In your teaching, an understanding of how students develop, and which factors influence that development, may help with:

What is student development theory?

Student development theory aims to take into account the “cultural nature of learning, including the social, emotional, motivational, cognitive, developmental, biological, and temporal contexts in which learning occurs,” in order to support the “well-rounded development of the whole person” (National Academies of Science, 2018; Walker, 2008).

How can teachers support students’ growth?

Support students’ growth by challenging the beliefs that characterize their current development levels, particularly about the nature of knowledge, the role of authorities, and the procedures that should be used to make judgments.

What is a strong school climate?

What is a school climate survey?

Why are principals important?

Why is it important to have an effective teaching staff?

Why is it important for state policymakers to have a positive school environment?

How does a strong professional environment help teachers?

How does work environment affect teachers?

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About this website

The Influence of Leadership on School Climate: A Case of 1528

Academy of Educational Leadership Journal Volume 22, Issue 2, 2018

Relationship Between Teacher Morale and School Climate

49. The Relationship Between Teacher Morale and School Climate average in many states, this is not typically what lowers teacher morale. The real rewards come from job satisfaction as Black (2001) argues.

School Climate for Academic Success: A Multilevel Analysis of School ...

Journal of Research in Education Volume 25 Number 2 70 multilevel/hierarchical frameworks. Doing so can yield informative policy-based guidance for schools. Skiba and Williams (2014) found a significant association between school-level climate

SCHOOL CLIMATE AND TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON CLIMATE FACTORS: RESEARCH ...

The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET July 2007 ISSN: 1303-6521 volume 6 Issue 3 Copyright The Turkish Online Journal of Educational ...

Why does school climate matter?

A positive school climate—where students feel a sense of safety and belonging and where relational trust prevails— improves academic achievement, test scores, grades, and engagement and helps reduce the negative effects of poverty on academic achievement.

Who wrote the book "Educators' abilities to forge strong relationships with students lie at the heart of strong schools?

By Jennifer DePaoli and Linda Darling-Hammond. Educators’ abilities to forge strong relationships with students lie at the heart of strong schools.

What is the intervention in school climate?

Choosing the right intervention(s) is an important part of school climate improvements. The intervention does not have to be a program, although choosing an evidence-based program is one option. Interventions also can be strategies, activities, policies, or services. There is no single “right” type of intervention. The important thing is whether it matches your school’s needs, as identified by climate data collection; your school’s readiness to implement it; and how it is implemented (i.e., this is not an “activity” but a process of changing how things get done). Students should be included in the process of deciding which intervention to implement because they have insight into what students might respond to and can help review possible options.

Why do students learn best in school?

Students learn best when they are in an environment in which they feel safe, supported, challenged, and accepted. Research shows that when schools and districts1 focus on improving school climate, students are more likely to engage in the curriculum, develop positive relationships, and demonstrate positive behaviors.

Why was the book "The Science of Learning" not a success?

At the time, the book was not much of a success, largely for two reasons: (a) there was a lack of research evidence on how learning works (that is, the science of learning), and ( b) there was a lack of research - based principles concerning how to help people learn (that is , the science of instruction).

Where is the book "Theory and Research Based Principles of Learning" published?

Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741—www.josseybass.com The book is based on the seven “Theory and Research-based Principles of Learning,” which are used with permission of Carnegie Mellon University’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence.

What is the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence?

was created in 1982 with a mission to distill the research on learning for faculty and graduate students and to collaborate with them to design and implement meaningful educational experiences.

Can instructional interventions activate prior knowledge?

Indeed, research suggests that even small instructional interventions can activate students ’ relevant prior knowledge to positive effect. For instance, in one famous study by Gick and Holyoak (1980) , college students were presented with two prob- lems that required them to apply the concept of convergence.

How do students learn in a given moment, term, course, or degree experience?

How students learn in a given moment, term, course, or degree experience is inextricably tied to the developmental, environmental, and individual contexts in which that learning occurs for each student. In your teaching, an understanding of how students develop, and which factors influence that development, may help with:

How do students learn?

How students learn in a given moment, term, course, or degree experience is inextricably tied to the developmental, environmental, and individual contexts in which that learning occurs for each student. In your teaching, an understanding of how students develop, and which factors influence that development, may help with: 1 Understanding student behavior and interactions 2 Setting developmentally appropriate expectations 3 Providing appropriate levels of challenge and support 4 Designing learning experiences relevant to developmental stages and norms 5 Making informed decisions about course content and teaching strategies 6 Creating inclusive learning environments for the developmental, cultural, contextual, and historical diversity of learners 7 Increasing the likelihood for student engagement 8 Supporting students in navigating their developmental journeys

How to help students feel heard and understood?

Help students feel heard and understood by making efforts to fully ascertain and respectfully acknowledge students’ positions, and avoid overtly defensive, inquisitional, or purely logical responses to those positions when they are flawed or developmentally immature. Doing so well help students feel safe in moving outside their comfort zones into higher developmental levels. (Felder, 2004 Part 2).

How does Spur help students?

Spur students’ transition away from reliance on peers and authority figures and toward self-authorship and independent thought by providing validating feedback about students’ potential, situating learning in the learner’s own experience, and defining learning as mutually constructed. (Magolda 2001; Magolda and King, 2004).

How do individual differences affect development?

Individual differences in personality, interests, and styles influence development and play a role in how individuals respond to stimuli, support, and challenge. (Jung 1971; Myers 1980; Holland, 1973; Kolb, 1984).

How to support students' growth?

Support students’ growth by challenging the beliefs that characterize their current development levels, particularly about the nature of knowledge, the role of authorities, and the procedures that should be used to make judgments. The level of challenge should be tempered so as to not paralyze students, and should be paired with appropriate support (Felder, 2004).

How to foster a supportive classroom environment and inclusive culture?

Foster a supportive classroom environment and inclusive culture by attending to the full spectrum of students’ diverse identities. Build rapport by learning student names, giving students a voice in establishing course policies and norms, soliciting recommendations for change, responding to feedback, and seeking ways to connect outside the formal class structure. (Felder, 2004 Part 2).

A refreshing, relatable voice

Built by driven high school students, this course makes use of what really works in education today.

Visually engaging

Creative artwork and a polished platform design that's fun to explore.

Filling a gap in the school system

Many schools severely lack a comprehensive, mandated climate curriculum. We seek to change that!

A built-in classroom

Students join classes with unique codes. Teachers track progress and view responses from their dashboard.

Who is this course most suitable for?

We developed this course with middle and high school students in mind. That being said, it's never too early (or too late!) to learn about our planet and how to better protect it. As parents, feel free to go through these materials with a younger student.

I'm a teacher. How can I create my own virtual classroom with climatedu?

Users can choose to create one of two types of accounts: (1) teacher accounts, and (2) student accounts. When you register as a teacher, you'll also choose a unique class code and share it with the students in your class. Students can use these codes to join classes from their dashboard after logging into their account.

I'm a student. What if I'm not in a formal class?

Instead of having a teacher review the your responses and approve course completion, our team will review the responses of any independent student. We’ll be your teachers, and you can ask us questions anytime at [email protected]!

What is a strong school climate?

Strong school climates are characterized by supportive leadership, teacher collaboration, high expectations for students, and a collective commitment to support student learning.

What is a school climate survey?

School climate surveys are effective diagnostic tools that assess a range of features important for school organizational contexts. With the right level of specificity, climate survey data can help leaders and teachers understand, more tangibly, the nuances of their work environment and construct targeted plans to strengthen it. Depending on the setting, initiatives might include fostering productive collaboration between teachers ( Kraft et al. 2015 ; Papay et al. 2020 ), implementing social-emotional behavioral supports ( Kraft et al. 2015 ), setting high expectations for learners ( Raudenbush 1984 ), and engaging parents more directly in the education process.

Why are principals important?

Principals are key change agents in efforts to improve school climate ( Boyd et al. 2011 ). Effective principals develop a collective commitment among their staff and a collaborative work environment. School leaders accomplish this by setting and consistently upholding school norms, providing opportunities for teacher leadership, and conducting rigorous screening processes for vacant teaching positions that seek to identify both strong teachers and those who are a good fit with the culture of the school. However, principals’ ability to select the best candidates for the job is often constrained by state laws and district policies. State policymakers have an important role to play in creating a legislative landscape that allows school leadership to have greater autonomy over hiring.

Why is it important to have an effective teaching staff?

Developing and retaining an effective teaching staff is among the most important avenues through which administrators can drive school improvement. Teachers disproportionately leave large, urban school districts that serve students of color for suburban, high-income districts that primarily serve white students ( Lankford et al. 2002 ; Hanushek et al. 2002 ). Researchers and policymakers tend to ascribe teachers’ career decisions to the students they teach rather than the conditions in which they work. Evidence suggests, however, that poor working conditions in many large, low-income urban schools are the driving factor in differential turnover rates ( Simon and Moore Johnson 2015 ).

Why is it important for state policymakers to have a positive school environment?

State policymakers have an important role to play in creating a legislative landscape that allows school leadership to have greater autonomy over hiring. Creating positive school environments is the collective work of principals, teachers, and communities.

How does a strong professional environment help teachers?

Strong professional environments foster a virtuous cycle in which teachers develop skills faster, stay at a school longer, and improve student learning year over year.

How does work environment affect teachers?

Researchers and policymakers often talk about teacher ability as if it were fixed and fully portable across school contexts, but teachers’ performance depends on how well-matched their skills are with their students’ needs and the work environment .

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