What can I do to develop a positive classroom environment that facilities learning and foster respect among peers?

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(1)Action Research Project: Dealing with affection for a Positive Classroom Environment. What can I do to develop a positive classroom environment that facilitates learning and foster respect among peers?. Roderick Véliz Universidad Alberto Hurtado December 11th, 2013 1.

(2) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |2. Index:. . Abstract………………………………………………………… 3. Chapter I    . School Context and English Context……………………………4 Rationales………………………………………………………..5 Problem, research question and Hypothesis...…………………..6 General and Specific Objectives…………………………………7. Chapter II . Theoretical Framework…………………………………………..9. Chapter III . Action Plan ………………………………………………………14 o Teacher’s Actions……………………………………….15 o Students’ Actions………………………………………..18. . Research Methods……………………………………………….19. Chapter IV . Data Collection ………………………………………………….22. Chapter V  . Data Analysis……………………………………………………31 Conclusion………………………………………………………33.  . References………………………………………………………32 Appendix………………………………………………………..33.

(3) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |3. Abstract. The present Action Research Project is based on how affection inside the classroom can facilitate a positive environment. Such environment results to be an excellent help when motivation and engagement are needed. The group of study is composed by Chilean students from Liceo Politécnico San Joaquín, which is located in Santiago, Chile. Students in this school are catalogued as vulnerable, meaning that their realities are harder than other Chilean students in Santiago. Teachers at the school state that discipline will help them learn and become better people; however, the price paid by teaching with discipline is that these students lack motivation and compromise with their learning, and also a lack of interest in achieving goals. It is there when Affection needs to be applied. Based on Krashen’s theory of Affective Filter when teaching, students are prepared to learn by creating a positive environment by the teacher.. Keywords: Affection, Affective Filter, Positive classroom environment, Rapport, Authenticity, Anxiety..

(4) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |4. CHAPTER I. School and English Context. The school to be studied is located in San Joaquín, Santiago. Its name is Liceo Politécnico San Joaquín. Due to its nature, it receives students just from 9th to 12th grade. Being part of “Fundación de Solidaridad Romanos XII”, the share-financed school accepts boys and girls of different social status. In the case of this school, the great part of them is students of a low social status with great problems at their houses, drug abuse, delinquency, adolescent pregnancy and many more. The teacher’s staff is composed in great part of young teachers with almost none or little experience in teaching after finishing their studies. The difficulty in teaching this type of students demotivates teachers somehow, creating a negative environment inside the teacher’s room; however, they know they have to work for the best for their students. Related to the English context, students do not show so much interest in learning another language, since they believe it is not going to be helpful for them. They have better priorities, as stated sometimes by some of them. The subjects of study, a 10th and an 11th grade are not used to listening to English language, since their classes were carried out mainly in Spanish, and both classes showed a notorious rejection to this subject. Since the environment in each class became hostile, learning neither teaching could be achieved, and classes had to be taught in Spanish with little interventions of English language..

(5) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |5. Rationales. Based on the experiences lived when teaching the subjects of study, and the observations done to the environment, the urgency to understand the students came up. Questions as why they behave in a specific way, why they show rejection when English was spoken, and even lack of interest forced me to question the way the environment affected the learning outcome of the students. Pieces of advice such as being disciplinary and seriously professional were given by the teachers at school; however, developing activities and classes in such manner damaged seriously the rapport with the students. They showed no interest and even hostility when teaching the language. The environment became stressful and the main reasons given by the guide teacher were related to the lack of interest and how students disliked the subject, but there was something else that maybe she did not realize was there. Teaching by making students practice and produce the whole class is alright. However, when the atmosphere becomes hostile, there is not much to be done if achieving learning is desired. The importance for me to do this research is to change the way students perceive school and classes, to provide them with tools not only in language but also in life. They have to know that teaching and learning is something serious, but it can also be fun and productive when a good atmosphere is given. As stated before in the contextualization of this Action Research Project, many of these students come from deprived families with a lot of problems, either financial or personal. Life had struck hard on them, they do not need discipline. What they need is comprehension and positive models to follow. Happiness can be achieved if they are shown the path to it..

(6) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |6. Therefore, to avoid rejection and hostility, what has to be done inside the classroom is closely related to human relationships, psychology and affection, and how a little smile and guidance can help students to understand a different way to learn about the world.. Problem, Research Question and Hypothesis. The problem is that students present rejection to the subject. They state that it is impossible for them to understand; that there are a lot of activities performed during the class and that the contents are hard for them. The atmosphere inside the classroom becomes hostile and teaching is hard with an atmosphere like that. Students see the teacher as a figure of power that they need to vanquish to win the respect of their peers. That is their law. The contribution of teachers to this point of view is that they make themselves see as a figure of power and as a disciplinary entity inside the classroom, transforming it into a battlefield where a war for power explodes between teacher and students. It is constantly won by students, who decide to do nothing and block themselves to learning. Having noticed that the problem in this school was that the relationship students – teachers was damaged, the research question for this Action Research Project is focused on the improvement of this relationship, and how this has collateral effects to interest students in learning, making them feel compromised with it, and that teaching is not to discipline but the act to guide humans to form trustworthy people. The question is the following: What can I do to develop a positive classroom environment that facilitates learning and foster respect among peers?.

(7) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |7. Therefore, the main focus of this Action Research is creating a positive classroom environment, referring to a non-threatening atmosphere, where students’ anxiety level is low and tension when interacting is null, facilitating learning and improving social skills on students, fostering respect among peers and seeing figures of authority not as threats but as a good source of guidance and advice. For this purpose, I will have to work as the one in charge to create a positive environment, being a friendly guide for students, showing them the importance of empathy, not through hours and hours of useless speaking but through real examples showing students that a little kindness each day is enough to make the whole class comfortable. Those examples will be shaking hands, talking to students showing interest in their lives, taking time to answer their questions and encouraging them to ask and clarify doubts. Perfection will have no space in my classes, since I will show my students everyone can make mistakes, either on the subject or in life, because it is important to know when we are mistaken and what we can do to fix it. As a teacher I will have to assume whenever I made a mistake, and if they criticize it, I have to be willing to open a discussion and solve it, and it will be the same for them. Therefore, at the end of the semester students would have developed social skills at the same time they have learned English, since the subject is a language, a language requires social interactions and social interactions require individuals willing to communicate, each one as unique as the other.. General and Specific Objectives. The objective of this Action Research is to create a positive environment inside the classroom that helps to teach the language with a low tension, changing the disposition.

(8) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |8. students present towards the teacher when they are inside the classroom. The main objective in here is not teaching a language, but how it can be taught positively. The specific objectives of this Action Research will help to develop the desired atmosphere inside the classroom to teach. These objectives can be listed as follows:. - Increase motivation and commitment through horizontal relationships with students. - Foster respect among peers and teamwork. - Teach the importance of school and the teacher’s role. - Let students know that a teacher is not a figure of power but of change. - Decrease levels of anxiety and rejection towards the English Language.. As it can be observed, the specific objectives are focused on social relationships and the different roles each member of an educational community fulfills. All of them facilitate the creation of a positive environment inside the classroom, which is composed by the common feeling of belonging to a place, the feeling of responsibility towards the future, the opening to a new world and the importance of social relationships as the key to success..

(9) Deali ng wi th Af fe ction… |9. CHAPTER II. Theoretical Framework. To begin with, it is necessary to state that within the classroom, the protagonist and model to follow is the teacher. Therefore, it is him (or her) who has to show the students the path to walk. This entity is the one in charge to balance what school is for and the way students see this school. School was created with the main purpose of educating children and forming trustworthy humans. Nowadays, it seems that students and even teachers have forgotten this. School has become a center of instruction with little space to social relationships within the classrooms. As I said before, it is the teacher who is in charge of changing this. He has to have this balance between academicism and humanism. He has to understand the world authentically as he or she is. Authenticity is one of the most important characteristics a teacher has to have; students can notice when a teacher disguises himself as a tyrant, as a good person or as a genius. Being authentic is the key to develop a positive classroom environment. A teacher also needs to look closer at who he wants to teach, a teacher has to know the student. Rapport is not just being generally friendly with students; it is something even more complex. It is how social interactions are managed by the teacher to favor a positive environment, to ban hostility and anxiety from the classrooms (Scrivener, J. 2011) When the teacher is authentic, respectful, friendly and willing to help, he or she will not have to make great effort to make students follow him, accept him as a model and respect him..

(10) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 10. After describing and analyzing the context of the school and the situation of the students, stating the question to be researched and the objectives, it is necessary to base all the research into specific approaches that might help to solve the problem identified and elaborate strategies to deal with the environment and foster the sense of belonging to school in the students. One of the most important concepts in this research is classroom environment. It can be defined as the teacher’s and student’s shared perception of the classroom, the way the interactions are carried out and the rapport existing within those interactions (Pickett, L. & Fraser, B., 2010) Several factors have an impact in this classroom environment, some of them are: - The difference of teacher’s and students’ perception of the classroom - The relationship students-teacher (Rapport) - The relationship among students. - The socioeconomic Background. - The students’ cultural background and how much the teacher knows about it.. As observed in the first analysis of the context, many of the factors mentioned previously are not fulfilled or are not achieved as well as some others affect negatively in the behavior of students within the classroom. To transform all of this into positive factors that help developing a good environment, some strategies such as relationship-building strategies, social skills instruction, antecedents-based interventions, consequences based interventions, self-management techniques, group-oriented management systems, and behavior reduction techniques (Salen, S. 2004) can be used. For the effect of this action research, the first strategies can fit perfectly on what it is expected to achieve. Relationship-building strategies are one of the best factors when.

(11) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 11. creating positive environments. Students really appreciate closer, polite and concerned teachers, after all a real relationship of social concern cannot be vertical but horizontal. Perhaps teachers and students cannot be treated as peers; however, a little politeness and humanism will make the students feel there is someone who really cares, and besides they have someone who they can trust. Some strategies used to foster a positive classroom environment are getting to know the students, individualization, using language carefully and keep trying to reach the students (Sears, N. 2011). To get to know the students will not take more than five minutes asking randomly how their weekend was and how they feel that morning. Saying hello one by one while they enter to the classroom will make students feel they are considered within the classroom. They will know that the teacher is concerned they are there. Waiting for them at the door and shaking hands, or saying an affective “hello” will improve greatly the disposition and the way students see the teacher. Getting to know also how students work, how they learn and give them advice on what things they can do to reach a goal will make them believe they can do anything with the support of the teacher. However, being close to students is not being their friend. A teacher is the adult and the model inside the classroom. He or she must watch the language used there to avoid making the students feel uncomfortable. It is a must for teachers to avoid using sarcasm if they want to foster a positive environment. In schools sometimes social relationships between teachers and students are treated as luxuries. Just the best students can have a good conversation with the teacher. It is the teacher’s duty to avoid that, since learning cannot be achieved completely or in a good way if there are no social interactions. Letting the students know that you as teacher also have an opinion and that you are willing to listen to what they have to say will improve greatly the way each part of the.

(12) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 12. classroom is constructing learning. The teacher teaches and the students learn is an old fashioned way of teaching, to foster relationships students must feel part of the class. (Sears, N. 2011). As a consequence of a good classroom environment, language learning can be facilitated and acquired easily. According to Krashen’s theory of the Affective Filter, a positive classroom environment fosters the reduction of the filter by decreasing the levels of anxiety a student has. The affective filter is composed by three factors. They are Motivation, Self-Confidence and Anxiety (Krashen, S. 1982). All of them can have a good or bad effect on the way the student perceives the language. A student with low motivation, high levels of anxiety or an extremely low self-confidence will have a high filter, leading to a little or null acquisition of the language. A student who feels comfortable inside the classroom will be more willing to participate and with positive reinforcements can develop self-confidence and lower the levels of anxiety when exposed to answering questions in a language he is learning. In terms of teaching and how the teacher should act within the classroom, two definitions or styles can be found. They are the authoritarian and the authoritative style. The difference between what being authoritative I and being authoritarian is the following: On the one hand, the authoritarian style tends to be characterized by numerous behavioral regulations, it is often seen as punitive and restrictive, and students have neither a say in their management, nor are they seen to need explanations; the teacher's character is sometimes perceived as being cold, even punishing. On the other hand, the authoritative style is characterized by behavioral principles, high expectations of appropriate behavior, clear statements about why certain behaviors are acceptable and others not acceptable, and warm student-teacher relationships. (Weening, C. 1998).

(13) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 13. Therefore, the concept of affection in this Action Research will work together with the creation of a positive classroom environment. Students’ reluctance to work in the subject will be treated with relationship-building strategies, since the real problem is that they do not feel part of the classroom, and even that teachers do not care about what they have to say, since most of the teachers are worried about how students perceive them as authorities within the classroom..

(14) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 14. CHAPTER III. Action Plan The purpose of this research is to create an appropriate atmosphere inside the classroom that facilitates learning and teaching, and as a collateral effect, develop social skills in students. For this purpose, the present chapter will describe actions to be taken inside the classroom to reach such goal as well as the way data will be collected. As stated previously on this paper, as a teacher I will play the main role in achieving the expected results while students will be more passive entities inside the classroom, taking action in short periods of time and showing what they have seen through me as a model. The actions planned for this AR are the following, ordered by who will carry them out:. Teacher: - Elaborate observations based on students’ behavior. - Show implicitly socially accepted manners. - Make feel each student he or she is unique. - Develop each student’s skills. - Talk to students. - Be the authority without being authoritarian.. Students: - Answering surveys and questions related to the classroom environment..

(15) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 15. Teacher’s Actions. 1. - Elaborate observations based on students’ behavior.. In this point, I will be in charge of writing short entries when I observe behaviors that prove to be a help in identifying any change in the atmosphere inside the classroom, starting from the beginning of the semester to the end. In this way I will be able to compare results and state evolution, positive or negative, in the students’ behavior. These observations will be applied to both classes I teach, 10th and 11th grade respectively.. 2. - Show implicitly socially accepted manners.. From what has been described in the problem and reflections, students at Liceo Politécnico San Joaquín do not show much interest in what is socially acceptable or not, since in their environment rules the survival of the fittest. The one that is stronger is the one who rules them all and who owns the respect. He is the one who has the right to bully the rest, while the ones who show themselves as weak individuals are easily vanquished by their classmates. They continuously use swear words to refer to their classmates inside the classroom, politeness is almost a myth and they take this as a game. It will be my job to show them that being polite is a must when treating with other people. This will be shown by simple actions such as shaking hands individually when students come into the classroom, correcting when students treat others with swear words, stop the class if necessary, doing everything being careful of not being disrespectful with them. This mean I will not be authoritative using shouts inside the classroom..

(16) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 16. Instead, I will avoid long speeches and use more body language or address the student’s name when necessary, so when I have his attention I will tell him that what he did was incorrect.. 3. – Make feel each student he or she is unique.. Each individual has his/her own problems, his/her own way to see the world, his/her own perceptions of the environment, each student is unique. There is one thing students really hate inside the classroom and it is being generalized. When a student feel he/she is recognized as a different individual from the rest, he or she feels committed with the person who is in charge, with the environment, in this case with the teacher and the class. To achieve this, based on Scrivener’s advice (2011) when teaching, the teacher must avoid silence time while waiting for the time to start the class. For example ask personal questions about their lives, since it is there where the teacher can get to know our students. During the classes I will need to be open-eyed to identify each student’s skills, the way they learn, the way they feel in the classroom and what they think about the classes. Different opinions may appear; however, it will be my job to put them together into one teaching style, so they will feel their voices are listened and considered, and that is something students really value and it will greatly increase relationships inside the classroom and facilitate a positive classroom environment.. 4. - Develop each student’s skills.. Being closely related to the last point and based on the observations done, I will develop different strategies to include and interest each student in the class focusing on their skills. Group.

(17) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 17. work proves to be an effective method when developing different abilities, since there could be many tasks that can be carried out by some students while the rest works on something different to create a final version of the task required. Therefore each student will work and feel part of something, feel part of the class.. 5. – Talk to students.. Based on the individualization of students inside the classroom, it is not enough to recognize they have problems or how they feel inside the classroom. Students need to find in the teacher a model and also a good source of advice, as well as someone who they can trust. Talking to students in the morning or at the beginning of the class would do the task. Random questions such as how their weekend was, or even the trip to school will help students open themselves to the teacher, as well as let them know that what is spoken within the classroom is not just a polite conversation but something that really interest the teacher. If there is time at the end of the class, I will take the time to talk to a random student each class, since that will show them that as a teacher I know I am working with human beings and people who needs to be listened once in a while. I will have to be willing to answer the same questions as well, since there is no real opening or trust if I interrogate students about their day to day routines but I refuse to answer the same questions. Students like to know their teachers. Many of us fear that they will use what they know to make fun of us; however, hiding or making false information weakens the authentic image of a teacher. It is clear sometimes students want to go further in asking questions, but it is there where I will have to make a polite stop and avoid the question, so students know what we can talk about and what we cannot..

(18) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 18. 6. – Be the authority without being authoritarian.. As defined in the Theoretical Framework part, and authoritative teacher has a high involvement with students letting them know he controls the situation, but that he is willing to share power with them as long as they know how to manage it. He is respectful and earns student’s respect by how the relationship is developed and not through fear and shouting as an authoritarian teacher will do. By carrying out the different points mentioned before, I expect to earn such respect and become an authoritative teacher for the students, since every action made and planned carefully will make the students feel they have a good model who they can respect by option and not by force. This will be achieved as a consequence of all the actions previously mentioned, since authority, in this case, is earned and not imposed as well as respect.. Student’s Actions:. Students will take a passive role in this research; however, every comment made by them as how they behave in the classroom will be recorded in teacher’s observations. At the end of the semester, students will answer a survey where they will compare how they felt at the beginning of the semester and how they feel at the end. Also, the survey will focus on the way they perceive the teacher in the classroom and the ability to express themselves without shame when giving feedback. Due to the students’ low level of English, I decided to carry out this survey in Spanish giving students the option to answer in English if they feel prepared to do it. The short questionnaire is composed by open answer questions, a self-reflection question and yes/no answers questions. They relate to how students feel in the classroom, making comparisons, what.

(19) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 19. they feel they believe they have to improve, what the teacher has to improve and their opinions of the environment of the class. The questions in Spanish are the following:. 1. ¿Cuál es tu opinión en general sobre el ramo de inglés, el profesor y las clases? 2. ¿Cómo te sientes en comparación al principio de semestre en relación al idioma y las clases? 3. ¿Te sentiste cómodo durante las clases? 4. ¿Cómo sentí al profesor durante las clases? 5. ¿Cuál es tu opinión sobre el ambiente dentro de la sala durante las clases? 6. Según tu opinión ¿Hay algo que el profesor podría cambiar o mejorar?¿Qué? 7. ¿Hay algo que tú podrías cambiar o mejorar? ¿Qué? Chart 1: Survey questions answered by the students at the end of the semester.. Students will be encouraged to answer these questions orally before writing them to see how comfortable they feel when talking directly to the teacher and the classes. After that, they will answer the survey and hand in their answer for future analysis regarding positive aspects, changes and general observations.. Research Methods. As stated on my Action Plan, this research will be carried out mainly related to how I prepare the environment for the class and how I make students feel comfortable with it. For this.

(20) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 20. purpose I annexed a lesson plan where I used some strategies linking the topic and theoretical framework with my work inside the classroom. It can be seen that from the very beginning of the class I start shaking hands and making the classroom a friendlier place to be in. After that to introduce the class I ask students about their futures, what they dreams are. I show real interest in what they say, paying more attention to what they want to say more than how they say it in relation to grammar structure and English use. After all what it is important in this point of the class is that, how they believe their future will be. Then I gather students together in groups and provide some question to open group discussion. In this part I monitor and correct mistakes about the use of the future form will while I encourage them and make questions randomly to each group while I stay with them some minutes. After the group discussion I encourage students to report what they have talked so far and give them another task. This time they will make questions to me, they will have to prepare them as a group and ask them using the future tense. I will be willing to answer them all as long as they do not exceed the limits regarding personal life. Therefore, they will know that I am open to answer their questions and that I feel comfortable with them, showing them that I trust in my students and that I like them. Finally, when the class is almost over, I summarize all their answers and give feedback and pieces of advice on how they can achieve their goals, and encourage them to keep on dreaming and looking forward to the future. When the class is over, I will take some notes and observations regarding the class, the environment and whether the activity was a success or not..

(21) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 21. Regarding data collection, the survey questions presented in Action Plan will be discussed in the first class with students. The discussion will begin as a normal conversation with students, so they can give opinions and feel free to say what they want as long as they stick to the question. I expect that at that time they have a positive opinion about me so they can talk freely if they have critics related to my teaching strategies, my personality or teaching style. When we finish the discussion, students will be asked to complete the same survey but this time writing it. In this way I make sure to have proof of their opinions for a later use in Data Collection and Data Analysis part..

(22) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 22. CHAPTER IV. Data Collection. In the following section the results of the surveys and observations are displayed to be analyzed.. Week by week observations 1st week: Students seem to be quite different from what I expected; however, I find a bit annoying the way they express themselves and refer to their own classmates. Even though the teacher tells them not to use swear words in the classroom, they keep doing this, ignoring what the teacher said. Concerning the social status and where the school is located (Near La Legua Emergencia) I can say this behavior is related to how they have to behave on the streets and when treating with their friends and people from their neighborhoods. 2nd week: During my second week of observation I realized there are some students who do not feel comfortable with the subject. They ignore the teacher and what they have to do, and when they are addressed to work they say yes but keep on doing nothing; however, there are also some students who show enthusiast about the subject or at least interest in the teacher’s methodologies, but the atmosphere as a general is tense, since some students struggle with authority and power,.

(23) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 23. trying to vanquish the teacher and showing the rest who is the one who rules in the classroom. For example I observed students who ignore the teacher when they are addressed and asked to turn off their cell phones or simply pay attention to the class. I believe it is because students do not like the way the teacher is. She is severe and inflexible, according to what I have observed so far. 3rd week: This was the first week I taught in this school and I found it a bit difficult since I noticed how uninterested the students were. They complained that I made them work a lot and that it was difficult for them to understand what I said. Their reason was because I was talking in English. Besides, I still find annoying listen to some students talking to their peers using swear words, because that is not the way people should talk to their peers, even after I told them not to do it, but they ignore me just as they use to do it with Erika. 4th week: From this point on I decided to work on my Action Research Project based on the low attendance rate my students have, and how I can cover the contents students miss when they do not go to school. I find it as a problem with 10th graders since I have always no more than 12 students every class. Also, there are some things that I would like to point out such as how uncomfortable I feel with my students when see that I am teaching contents in English, and how they lose interest in the subject, because they block themselves since they cannot understand. Besides, my guide teacher, who does not interfere greatly in the classroom, keeps on interrupting me to tell off some students. She gave me some feedback on my teaching strategies so I will put it into practice next week..

(24) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 24. 5th week: During this week I took some exams and the results were not favorable. I talked about this with Erika and she told me those results are common among students; however, I feel there is something else that has side-effects on these results and that can be improved. Might be my teaching strategies? Maybe is it how students feel inside the classroom? I will ask them and try to be more a human being than a perfect teacher. 6th week: After holidays during the Monday class I was lucky to have a little conversation with my students, and I realized that they were feeling uncomfortable with the classes because they felt too much pressure when they were working with two teachers observing them. Erika did not go to school that day and I personally believe it is she who makes them feel that way, since classes went smoothly and students were more open and willing to talk with me. I realized I was getting things worse by acting as an authoritarian teacher. 7th week: I decided to change my AR project to focus it on developing a positive classroom environment, since I feel the real problem is not motivating the students to do something but making them notice they are always treating with people and social relationships is not a game. I started being more friendly and closer to them. From now on I shake hands with each of them when they arrive and ask them questions related to how their trip to school was or anything interesting that happened on the weekend. I am planning to do this every class until the end of the semester to see how it works..

(25) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 25. 8th week: During this week students were taking mid-term tests. So I did not do so much in terms of lessons, but I had to give those exams. It was difficult to manage their behavior because since I started being more friendly with them they began to ignore my advice or instructions related to academic issues. They keep on using swear words to refer to their classmates. This is becoming even more frustrating than what it was before. 9th week: Erika gave me some advice on how to treat students when they misbehave (taking students out of the classroom for example); however, I think her advice is quite authoritarian, and that will make hard to develop a good classroom environment. What really cheered me up was that the students liked my classes this week and they worked, since I took some time to elaborate grouping strategies and helping individually while they were working. I think I scored some points. 10th week: Since I started having a good relationship with my students they began to use less swear words in the classroom, and I won some authority to stop them when they did so. Shaking hands when they arrive proves to be a good strategy since they start talking to me immediately when they arrive at school, and when we start classes I do not see bored or uncomfortable faces; however, I feel they are ashamed of talking or practicing English and it is difficult for me to teach the subject..

(26) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 26. 11th week: Erika stopped observing my classes, I do not know why. Last week she did the same and I noticed students open themselves a bit more. I feel a bit ashamed of saying this but I believe she was interfering in the positive environment when interrupting students to tell them off, causing students to keep silent and afraid of making mistakes or speaking too much. 12th week: It seems I gained some reputation with the students and now I do not have to wait for them at the door to greet them. They just come into the classroom and shake hands with me before going to their seats. They even ask me questions on what we are going to do this class and also feel comfortable enough to make some jokes. They know what type of jokes is acceptable for me and which one is not, since some classes ago I let them know that. Now I noticed they definitely accepted me as an authoritative model. 13th week: I still find difficult to control some situations where students think they are treating with a friend instead of a teacher. I have one special case in this situation. A student started to make jokes related to me having affairs with another internship teacher, I ignored his jokes at first but then I made him stop as well as the rest of the class. It seems they know how I am, so they stopped him and made him respect me, and that did not even affect my relationship with my students, since I did not imposed respect, they gave me the power to do it..

(27) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 27. 14th week: I am almost finishing my internship and I feel better than when I started. I asked Erika why she stopped observing my classes and she told me because she felt it was unnecessary, since she noticed I did not need her help in keeping control under the situation and my classes. For next week I am going to prepare a feedback session and a final conversation with my students so I can carry out the survey I have prepared for this AR. 15th week: Being the last week with my students I elaborated a survey and planned a feedback session. We discussed the question first and then they wrote their answer. I told them to answer either in English or Spanish and I got 2 surveys answered totally in English, meaning that students felt comfortable enough to use what I taught them. I think that is enough for me, and according to their answers, they felt way much better to how they felt with me at the beginning of the semester, and I feel I use more English with them as I could when I started.. Survey Results The following graphics belong to the answers provided by the students on the questions on Chart 1 on page 18. This survey was answered by 24 students out of 44 (Considering that those 24 students were the ones who frequently attended to my lessons). Questions number 6 and 7 (Según tu opinión ¿Hay algo que el profesor podría cambiar o mejorar?¿Qué? and ¿Hay algo que tú podrías cambiar o mejorar? ¿Qué?) are not going to be included in the results since they are focused on improvements related to the teacher and students; however, they are going to be analyzed in the Data Analysis part..

(28) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 28. Question 1: ¿Cuál es tu opinión en general sobre el ramo de inglés, el profesor y las clases?. English Class 5 11. 1. I like the subject and the teacher (11) I don't like the subject, but I like the teacher (7) I like the subject, but I don't like the teacher (1). 7. Neutral (5). Question 2: ¿Cómo te sientes con las clases en comparación al principio del semestre?. Comparison betwen begginng and end of the semester 3. 1. I feel better (20) Neutral (3) 20. I feel worse (1).

(29) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 29. Question 3: ¿Te sentiste cómodo durante las clases?. Did you feel comfortable during the classes? 0 2 Yes (22) No (0) Yes, but I have some objections (2). 22. Question 4: ¿Cómo sentí al profesor durante las clases?. The teacher. 2 6 Positive Comments (16) 16. Neutral or no answer (6) Negative Comments (2).

(30) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 30. Question 5: ¿Cuál es tu opinión sobre el ambiente dentro de la sala de clases?. Classroom environment. 4. Positive Classroom Environment (16). 3. Possitive but can improve (4) 4. 16 I do not like it (3) Neutral (4).

(31) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 31. Chapter V. Data Analysis. Data obtained from the weekly observations reveals that classroom management was positively affected by the use of the strategies proposed by Scrivener (2011) and Krashen (1982). It can be observed how through the semester being less authentic as a teacher became even more frustrating for me as well as for the students. During the second half of the semester, when I started using all the strategies related to this AR project, I could notice changes in students’ behavior. They started using less swear words because they started seeing the teacher as a valid authority who deserved to be respected; however, an important point to clarify is how the presence of two different teachers, Erika, my guide teacher, and I (in terms of personality) affected this environment. A great reflection came from the last mentioned situation since I realized students were more willing to talk when Erika was not inside the classroom. It is necessary to clarify that by this I am not disapproving my guide’s teacher work; instead I am comparing students’ behavior before two different classroom environments. From week number 10, student started to feel more comfortable since there were not so many interruptions while I was teaching, and the only interruptions were made by me, stopping the class to talk about any situation that could affect the atmosphere in the class. Showing politeness and interest in the students worked perfectly since they started to worry about me as well. During week number 13 I described a situation where a student treated.

(32) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 32. me like one of his friends, thing I disapproved and many of his classmates did as well. This shows that students apart from seeing me as a valid model of authority valued me as a human being who is not perfect at all and that needs some help from time to time to do things. That situation, as stated in the observation, did not affect my relationship with the student or his with his classmates. Comparing these observations with the answers retrieved from the surveys reveals that most of the students felt comfortable inside the classroom, and they even expressed in some of their answers qualifying the teacher as a person who they can trust and a good model to follow. When comparing classes from the beginning of the semester to the end of it, great part of the surveyed students said they felt way much better. In their answers they justified it by saying they understood the contents better and felt more comfortable when practicing the contents; however, there is one student who claimed to feel worse since he expected different contents this semester, thing that disappointed him and made him reluctant towards the subject. In relation with the classroom environment, most of the students claimed it was an appropriate environment for learning, and that in great part the teacher helped to develop this. The students who disliked the environment addressed the way the teacher approached to some students being friendly and sometimes not as strict as they expected, since they believed sometimes it was really necessary because they felt the class was a bit messy. In questions number 6 and 7 (they were not analyzed in pie charts) the surveyed students were asked to answer what they believe the teacher and themselves have to improve in relation to behavior and classroom management in the case of the teacher. There were students who answered there was nothing to change neither the teacher nor themselves, while there were others who stated that speaking too much without paying attention was their weakness as well as.

(33) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 33. laziness. The top answers related to the teacher were I had to mark the limits clearly for the students and that making them feel comfortable inside the classroom proved to be a good way to teach the subject. In general, students felt really comfortable with me as a teacher, and they were willing to learn and practice the language, even though it was difficult for them.. Conclusion. To sum up, I classify this AR project as a success, answering my question completely. I discovered that through social relationships teaching becomes easier than being strict and disciplinary with students. They value when a teacher is authentic with them. What is more, one of the main focuses on my question was to develop respect among peers and it was satisfactorily fulfilled. Students learned how to be respectful with their peers and ended treating them respectfully without saying swear words inside the classroom, something that was usual when I started teaching them. The creation of a positive classroom environment was fulfilled thanks to the stretch relationship I developed with my students. This relationship not only helped to that purposed, besides, it helped them to make their learning easier, lowering down anxiety levels when answering questions, reading loud in English or performing different tasks during the class. Creating a positive classroom environment can be achieved in different ways, but I strongly believe that basing it on social relationship strategies, creating affective links with students makes them feel committed with what they do inside the classroom, since it is not something about going to school just for the sake of it; it is going to school to become someone in life, learning and respecting your peers and teachers as they respect you as a valid and.

(34) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 34. trustworthy person, assuming and fixing your mistakes. A positive classroom environment is how the different parts share the power, not how well or bad one of the parts makes use of it. In relation to how I linked this topic to my English classes, I strongly believe that grouping strategies and planning meaningful lessons where students are included in their day to day lives and experiences helped them to lower their anxiety levels, so they opened themselves to answer and even make mistakes, knowing that no one inside the classroom was judging them in terms of perfection, since there was no perfect human being inside the classroom. They knew me as a teacher who helped instead of judged. Also, as a way to criticize my job I noticed that managing and controlling the limits I give to my students is a topic which requires further research so I can make compatible a positive classroom environment with a vertical relationship where students know they are not treating with a friend but with a guide who can help and give advice to them..

(35) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 35. References. - Fraser, B., & Pickett, L. (2010). Creating and assessing positive classroom learning environments. Childhood Education, 3. Retrieved from http://www.highbeam.com - Sears, N. (2011). Building Relationships with Students, National Education Association. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org - Wilson-Fleming, L. & Wilson-Younger, D. (2012). Positive Classroom Environments = Positive Results. Alcorn State University. - Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Chapter II: Second Language Acquisition Theory. Pergamon Press, Inc. - Laine, E. (1988). The Affective Filter in Foreign Language Learning and Teaching. Jyvaskyla University. Finland. - Lei, Q. (2007). EFL teachers’ factors and students’ affect. US-China Education Review, Mar. 2007, Volume 4, No.3 (Serial No.28) - Salen, S. (2004). Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices for All Students. Chapter VII: Creating a Classroom Environment That Promotes Positive Behavior. Retrieved from http://wps.prenhall.com - Scrivener, J. (2011). Learning Teaching: The Essential Guide to English Language Teaching. 3rd Edition. Macmillan. Oxford, UK. - Wenning, C. (1998). Classroom Management Styles. ISU Physics Teacher Education Program. Retrieved from http://www.phy.ilstu.edu.

(36) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 36. Appendix.

(37) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 37. LESSON PLAN N°. 11. School Class. 2°MC. Teacher. Roderick Véliz. Date. Monday, October 11th, 2013. Time. 90 minutes. LEARNING OUTCOME (General Objective). Students will be able to talk about their future and expectations after school.. EXPECTATIONS (Before teaching). I expect students feel engaged with the class.. TEACHING MATERIALS. Data projector, markers, whiteboard.. PROCESS ASSESSMENT. Formative..

(38) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 38 ACTIVITIES. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES. Greeting and roll call. Greet students with a positive attitude and call the roll (9:30). SKILLS OR LANGUAGE. STEP BY STEP. Shake hands with students when they come into the classroom. Talk some minutes about their weekends and trip to school in the morning.. Pre activities: Prepare the environment for the topic and the class.. Talk with students about their future plans after finishing school. What they expect from life and families, etc.. Practice speaking and the use of future forms.. Students are encouraged to gather in groups and discuss the following questions:. While activities:. - What will you do after finishing 12th grade?. - If you want to study, what will be? If you want to work, where will you do so?. TIMING. PLAN B.

(39) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 39. - Are you going to live with your family or you will move to live alone?. - What do you think is the best, living alone or with your family?. - What are your expectations for the future? Post activities: Report what they have discussed and prepare questions in future.. Students share with (20) the class their discussions and share with the teacher and the class their conclusions regarding similarities among them or differences.. - The students will prepare questions for the teacher about his future regarding studies, career or personal life.. - The teacher answers sts’ questions..

(40) D e a l i n g w i t h A f f e c t i o n … | 40 Closure: Close the class in a meaningful way.. Homework:. - The teacher closes the class by summarizing students’ expectations, encouraging them and giving the pieces of advice to achieve their future goals.. No homework..

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