"With the needs of students in mind, how can we create an effective learning environment?"

One of the hardest challenges for teachers is making a classroom setting that invites learning. Doing so is a multi-faceted idea that requires a couple different things. One of the most important characteristics of a good classroom is for the teacher to have a supportive environment for the students. This means that the teacher has high standards for the students. As the author of Smart in the Middle Grades says, "when someone believes you can be better that you are, it's important," because it leads to more success (16). By telling kids that they can and will do better, you are not giving them an excuse to fail. You are telling them that you know that they are smart and can do this work, which for some kids, could be the first time they hear that. Another aspect of having a supportive learning environment is to "maintain a community of learners with a growth mindset" (The Differentiated Flipped Classroom, 10). A growth mindset is believing that intelligence comes from how hard you try, not that you were born with it. By teaching kids this idea, it can help them see failure as a bump on the road to success, and not as a clue that they are stupid. It can show them that they just need to work harder and maybe get some extra help. Another thing that should be implemented to create an effective learning environment is to cater to student's characteristics. Young kids are often very fidgety and cannot sit still for long, which is why, "movement is necessary" (Smart in the Middle Grades, 2). Part of being a teacher is also seeing that your students come from various backgrounds so they bring their own unique talents to the room. Believing that each student has potential and can make it if given the right tools for success is key (Smart in the Middle Grades, 15). With each student coming from a different background and knowledge-base, adjusting to cater to each student is important. Maybe Tommy really exceeds at building things with his hands, while Jenny learns best from visual stimuli. Making your lessons a variety of these things, will have the biggest impact on the most amount of kids.
Teaching is not an easy job. The first step in creating successful kids starts with a teacher willing to do what it takes to reach their goal.