Creating Positive Learning Environments: How Empowering Students is Key to Classroom Management

Robin Harwick, Ph.D.
EduCreate
Published in
4 min readMay 1, 2023

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Creating a positive and supportive learning environment, whether in person or online, is essential for student success. However, traditional methods of classroom management are often time-consuming and ineffective. Furthermore, they can damage student-teacher relationships, lessen student engagement, and stifle creativity. Sometimes, for lack of knowledge of alternatives, teachers resort to punishment for unwanted behaviors, which is counterproductive to creating an environment that encourages learning and growth.

The good news is that there is a better approach. By empowering students, teachers can create a more democratic, respectful, and collaborative classroom. This transformative approach to classroom management involves building strong relationships with students, co-creating classroom rules and responsibilities, fostering inclusivity through building autonomy, and teaching conflict resolution skills.

Building Strong Relationships with Students

Teachers profoundly impact their students, and building solid relationships with them can be the key to unlocking students’ potential and helping them achieve academic success. By taking the time to get to know their students’ interests, strengths, and…

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Robin Harwick, Ph.D.
EduCreate

Author, Educator, Researcher, Survivor, and Youth & Family Advocate. robinharwick.com