Great Teaching - 1: Creating the Climate for Learning

“Education is mandatory, but learning is not.” Mary Kennedy (2015)

In this first component, we will explore the importance of establishing a positive and purposeful climate for learning. We will consider the concept of motivation and how to support all learners to access great teaching.

Research Summary

Creating the right climate and conditions for learning is an essential component in each and every classroom (Robinson 2010). The now famous behaviour equation from Kurt Lewin (1936) highlighted clearly the importance of environment and motivation on human behaviour and so motivation matters and especially in school. The research shows that when pupils are motivated, they pay more attention, put in more effort, persist for longer, and are able to work more independently. The right climate gets pupils learning and is often generated through the use of habits, reasoning, social nudges and rewards (Fletcher-Wood, 2021).

Key Takeaways

•Classroom climate is vital.

•Pupil motivation matters.

•Routines and habits lay the foundations for a successful learning climate.

•Strong starts are important.

Reflective Questions

1.How successful is your learning climate?

2. How do you establish a strong start?

3.What routines have you established?

4.How do you develop pupil motivation?

CLF Workshop Video

Below you will find the video recording for this component from the termly trust-wide Great Teaching PD session.

Independent Study

Below are a series of key documents and links that will help you deepen your understanding of this component.

Key Resources

TitleDescriptionLink
Sir Ken Robinson VideoA video highlighting the key role we have as teachers to cultivate learningLINK
Kurt Lewin’s Behaviour EquationAn introduction to Kurt Lewin's work on the importance of environment on behaviourLINK
Harry Fletcher-Wood articleA series of blog posts outlining strategies for getting students learningLINK
Ollie Lovell PodcastA podcast introducing Harry Fletcher-Wood's habits of successLINK
Starting Right ArticleFour proven strategies for effective lesson startsLINK

Further Reading

Below we will collate a set of documents and links that also have relevance to this component.

Click to open

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