Classroom Environment
There is a lot of stress on schools and teachers to include curriculum that is appropriate and applicable to the challenges of modern life. When social issues arise through the content of school, students' daily lives and their exposure to the media; teachers must step up to the challenge. When a social issue is the focus of study, teachers need to consider how to ensure that treatment of the issue so that it is comprehensive and reasonable, and also how to avoid moral relativism without oppressing student's own opinions. Every teacher knows that a safe, clean, comfortable and attractive classroom can stimulate learning and help build a classroom community.
To promote social development in the classroom teachers should incorporate life skills into their lessons. Teachers should encourage students to clam themselves and help them to find ways to do so. This is also known as conflict resolution skills. When children learn conflict resolution skills they are able to effetely work through problems without violence.
Teachers should help students to set goals, both academic and personal. This goes along with Maslow's social development theory. Maslow said that self-actualization can be done by setting goals or "to find self-fulfillment and realize one's potential" (Huitt, 2004). By doing this teacher are providing positive examples of what goal setting can do.
Teachers need to encourage interaction between others students . This can be done by having students work in groups or pairs. Teachers also need to help students to feel safe and give them choices. Teacher should try to provide opportunities in the classroom so that all students feel that they are needed. Teacher can also promote these skills by exhibiting persistence and creativity in seeking solutions to problems. Teachers should also use positive reinforcement; this can be done be