Learning is an emotional activity. Cognitive scientists say that positive emotions and relationships enhance learning and memory. Thus, the classroom, more than just a physical space, can be a setting where understanding is enhanced by addressing the social and emotional dimensions of learning.

Mathematics and Science Classrooms: Building a Community of Learners is the latest publication in the It's Just Good Teaching series developed by NWREL's Mathematics and Science Education Center. The booklet draws on current research to offer teachers strategies for creating classroom environments that support this important link between learning and interpersonal relationships.

Teachers don't need to choose between high student achievement and creating a congenial classroom, notes author Jennifer Stepanek. Studies show that the learning environment significantly affects student achievement and social and emotional outcomes at all grade levels. Student motivation is highly related to both academic achievement and the learning environment.

"The concept of community is vital to learning because it facilitates social interaction, active participation, and mutual support," writes the author.

Science standards suggest that a positive classroom community involves respecting diverse ideas, skills, and experiences; taking responsibility for learning—your own and your classmates'; and collaborating. In this environment, the teacher helps students learn with and from each other. The structure of the class varies, with opportunities for students to work independently, in an assortment of teams and small groups, and as a whole class. The teacher demonstrates respect for students' ideas and ways of thinking, encouraging them to raise questions, make conjectures, and validate their solutions.

The It's Just Good Teaching series of publications and videos offers teachers research-based instructional strategies with real-life examples from Northwest classrooms. Single copies of Building a Community of Learners are available free of charge to educators in the Center's region (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington) by contacting the Center by e-mail at math_and_science@nwrel.org; by telephone (503) 275-0457; or from the Web site at www.nwrel.org/msec/.

Multiple copies or copies to individuals outside the Northwest region may be purchased through NWREL's Document Reproduction Service. Please turn to the Document Order Form.

Past issues of It's Just Good Teaching publications are in limited supply, but are available online at www.nwrel.org/msec/pub.html. Individuals in the Northwest can borrow the publications and videos through the Center's lending resource collection, accessible from the Web site or by e-mail, coylea@nwrel.org, or phone, (503) 275-0457.