A productive learning experience for all class members exists when all students are respected. Build strong relationships with students, understand their learning experiences in other classes prior to joining your class group, and better understand the background of each student’s parents by opening lines of communication through email, phone and face-to-face meetings at different times during the school year. Aim to build strong, honest and open relationships with the parents of students so that learning and behaviour related developments can be managed professionally and with full use of the resources around you. Encourage parents to organize a small monthly birthday party celebration for the children whose special day falls within that time. 

Recognize the value and learning experiences of each student as individuals learning in a group setting and formulate class activities that benefit all members in order to focus on helping each student to fulfill their potential. Utilize the concept of social justice to assist disadvantaged students in their learning and this means that, at times, your attention and teaching efforts or activities will be unequally weighted to assist these students in achieving learning outcomes. Productive learning involves students gaining knowledge through authentic activities based on real-life contexts. Encourage students to accept the role of being learners who are gaining expert knowledge and constructing knowledge either by themselves or in groups through collaborative learning. Try to assist students in their productive learning so that their gained knowledge is explicit, not only tacit learning. Use the K-W-L strategy (Marzono& Pickering, 2006) to help students construct meaning by asking them a few questions – (at the beginning of the activity) What do you know? What do you want to know?; (at the end of the activity) What have you learned?. As an extension to the KWL strategy, ask students at particular times throughout any activity what they have learned and what stage of the activity are they doing. As a rough time guide, ask them every 5, 10 or 15 minutes. Act as a facilitator of learning and role model of appropriate behaviour in the classroom.

By: Mrs.Almira N. Banzon | Teacher III | Wawa Elementary School | Abucay, Bataan