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Chapter 10 Creating A Positive School Culture

This chapter discusses the importance of school culture and how it can positively or negatively impact student learning. It defines school culture as the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes and written and unwritten rules that shape how a school functions. School culture is not inherent, but is created by all members of the school community, including administrators, teachers, staff, students and parents. The chapter outlines key aspects of a positive school culture, including collegiality among staff, high expectations, trust, appreciation, caring attitudes, involvement in decision-making and protecting important traditions. Maintaining good communication and sharing norms between teachers and students also contributes to a positive environment that supports learning.

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Nikki Tornea Dematogue
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3K views

Chapter 10 Creating A Positive School Culture

This chapter discusses the importance of school culture and how it can positively or negatively impact student learning. It defines school culture as the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes and written and unwritten rules that shape how a school functions. School culture is not inherent, but is created by all members of the school community, including administrators, teachers, staff, students and parents. The chapter outlines key aspects of a positive school culture, including collegiality among staff, high expectations, trust, appreciation, caring attitudes, involvement in decision-making and protecting important traditions. Maintaining good communication and sharing norms between teachers and students also contributes to a positive environment that supports learning.

Uploaded by

Nikki Tornea Dematogue
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 10

CREATING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE

Reporter: Sarucam, Jeva L. BSED English 2D


Learning outcomes:
At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
 explain the meaning of school culture
 discuss how school culture affects learning
 cite ways by which you can contribute to the building of positive culture.

Introduction
School culture matters. This influences to a great extend how well students
perform. School culture is a creation of all the people in school and in the community
especially that of the school heads. It can facilitate or adversely affect learning. A
school community must therefore strive to create a positive culture.

THE MEANING OF SCHOOL CULTURE


School culture is one of the most complex and important concepts in education
( Shein,1985). It generally refers to the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes
and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspects of how a
school functions. However, the also encompasses more concrete issues such as the
physical and emotional safety of students, the orderliness of classroom and public
spaces or degree to which a school embraces racial, ethnic, linguistics and cultural
diversity. According to to Spacey, School culture consists of the norms and shared
experiences that evolve over school's history. In fact, Scott and Marzano (2014) state
that" school culture is reinforced by norms, expectations and traditions,including
everyting from dress codes to discipline systems to celebrations of a school that gives
a school qualities beyond its structures, resources and practices. They are "built
through the everyday business of school life. It is the way business is handed that
both forms and reflects the cultures" (Sophier, J. 1985)

CULTURE AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT


Culture is a social construct not a generic construct. This means that school
culture is, therefore, something that we do not inheret or pass on through the genes
Rather, it is something that we creat and shape. It is shaped by everything that all
people in school see, hear, feel and interact with.It is a creation of the school head,
teachets,parents, non- teaching staff student's and community. Sean Slade
(2014)elaborates. within a couple of minutes of working into a school or a classroom,
you can tell, define almost taste the culture that permeates that space. Is it an open,
sharing environment? Or is it a rigid, discipline - defined playing field? It is safe and
welcoming, or intimidating and confronting? Does it welcome all voices, or does it
make you want to shrink? Is it waiting for instruction and leadership or is it self-
directed with a common purpose?

School Climate and School Culture


How does school climate differ from culture? These terms are frequently use
interchangeably but school climate is more relational.

School Climate
 It is illustrated by the attitudes and behaviors of the school staff and is focused on
the style of the school’s organizational system.
 It refers to the school’s effects on students
 It is driven by and reflected in daily interactions of staff, administration, faculty,
students and the outside community.

School Culture
 It is a deeper level of reflection of shared values,beliefs and traditions between
staff members.
 It refers to the way teacher and other staff members work together and the set of
values,beliefs and assumption they share.

Reporter: Dematogue, Nikki T. BSED English 2D

The Role of School Culture in Learning


School culture matters. It can be positive or negative or toxic. A positive school
culture fosters improvement, collaborative decision making, professional
development and staff and student learning. A negative culture fosters the opposite.

Elements of Positive School Culture

1. Collegiality
The school atmosphere is friendly. You work in an environment where
responsibility and authority are shared by everyone.
2. Experimentation
The atmosphere encourage experimentation and so will welcome mistakes as part
of learning process.
3. High Expectations
It has been said one’s level of achievement is always lower that one’s level of
aspiration. Set high expectation for high achievement.
4. Trust and Confidence
Students, teachers, school heads and parents relate well and work well when
relationships are solidly built.
5. Tangible Support
Everyone in the school community gets concrete support for the good that they
do. Support comes not just in words but in action.
6. Reaching out to the knowledge base
Teachers care to grow professionally to update themselves on content knowledge
and pedagogy, the first domain in the Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers
7. Appreciation and Recognition
Certainly, words of appreciation and recognition make classroom highly
favorable.
8. Caring, celebration, humor
Kids don’t care what you know until they know that you care. They don’t listen
to a teacher when a teacher doesn’t care.
9. Involvement in decision making
Involving others who are concerned with decisions to be made enhances sense of
ownership. They also feel important.
10. Protection of what is important
What school consider important must form part of their tradition and so must be
protected by all means.
11. Traditions
A school must have an intentional culture-based programs on share beliefs,
values and behaviors.
12. Honest and Open Communication
Everyone is encourage to speak his mind without fear of being ostracized
7) 6) 5) 4) 3) 2) 1)
Have patienceUse kind wordsStay calmHave a good attitudeUnderstand their situationThink about student’s feelingsCall students by their name

TEACHER NORMS
Shared Norms: Teacher and Students

2)     1)
Call classmate by their namesSpeak positively about your abilities to learnKeep tryingFail forwardBelieve you can improveHave a growth mindset

STUDENT NORMS

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