Positive School Climate: How Teachers Support Prevention in the Classroom

In last month’s Prevention Talk, Dr. Kris Bosworth, University of Arizona, reviewed the importance of school climate as one of the three pillars of evidence-based prevention in schools. In her presentation, she described how schools can create environments that are physically, emotionally and socially safe for students.

While school safety plans address the macro environment, attention also needs to be given to the micro environment – the classroom. It is critical this learning environment, where students spend several hours a day, supports students’ learning, as well as their social and emotional needs and development. Ultimately, the learning environment/classroom climate, will dictate how well or poorly students will learn and hone their skills. In this month’s Prevention Talk, we will focus on ways to develop a classroom climate that feels safe, respectful, welcoming, and supportive of student learning.

We know a positive classroom climate doesn’t just happen – it is created. We also know teachers have the responsibility for intentionally and deliberately shaping their classroom climate into a positive learning environment. For this session, we have invited Joyce Phelps to share her learning gained as teacher, school counselor, prevention curriculum developer, and APSI senior trainer. She will provide practical information for using “interactive activities”, which are called for in delivering evidence-based classroom prevention curricula, and other student engagement strategies.