Lesson 4: Class Culture

The "Caring Classroom"

Weinstein, Tomlinson-Clarke, and Curran (2004) write about a teacher's commitment to a caring classroom as one of the conditions for a culturally responsive classroom. They warn, however, against a "fuzzy" interpretation of the term caring:

“ [T]he adversarial relationship between teachers and students may also be due to teachers' tendency to define caring in warm, fuzzy terms. Our teacher education students express a strong desire to be caring. They envision classrooms characterized by harmony and good will and are disappointed and disillusioned when the students in their internship placements test the limits and begin to misbehave. That is when they return to campus and announce that "they want to be nice, but they have to be mean" (34). ”

Focusing on classroom management in the service of social justice, Weinstein et al. advocate the fashioning of a "caring community of learners" where students feel respected, trusted, and supported by one another and by the instructor. In this vein, we should ask ourselves the following question: If the joint mission of instructors and students remains the successful acquisition of a language, wouldn't it be best accomplished in a classroom characterized by harmony and good will? After all, language is about communication, and our role as instructors is to create an environment in which the desire to communicate abounds—this desire should become the heart of our class culture.

Put yourself in a position of a student who wishes to communicate yet is fully aware of her limited vocabulary and language mechanisms. What would make you feel secure enough to do it in spite of your limitations?

Here are some ideas about principles an instructor may follow as she fashions the culture of a language class:

  • Push students to the limit, but respect their boundaries. This requires good familiarity with each and every student as an individual.
  • Create a norm of sharing and group work, while defining for the students areas in which they are expected to work strictly on their own.
  • Move around, and let students move as much as possible, releasing and sharing their creative energies to enrich one another and thinking on their feet in a dynamic environment.
  • Encourage laughter and positive humoring, but be careful not to let things get out of hand. Respect shyness.
  • Allow students to speak about that which is close to their hearts. You may lose some of the authentic flare associated with the target culture, but will gain much in terms of student dedication.
  • Make students aware of learning styles. A basic discussion on styles can take place in a target language fairly early with verbs such as "see," "hear," or "touch." A class inventory of learning styles could frame the way students interact with one another.
  • In the course of class activities, allow students to mentor peers with language learning disabilities or those who experience difficulties. Make these difficulties part of the learning process of the class as a whole, as opposed to a hindrance. Sharing in the success of a student who experiences difficulties is a powerful experience for students.
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