Creating and Assessing Positive Classroom Learning Environments (Report‪)‬

When you walk in the door of certain classrooms, you can feel "it." The classroom has a positive atmosphere and you can sense that this is a good place to be. What defines this positive classroom environment? Can "it" be described and assessed? When teachers feel that they have created classroom environments that positively engage students and optimize their learning, teachers' self-efficacy soars and their classroom has "it." Teachers can take certain steps to create those "friendly" environments in which they and their students can thrive. This article presents a brief introduction to the field of learning environments and describes a learning environment questionnaire--called What Is Happening in This Class? (WIHIC)--that teachers around the world have used to conveniently assess their students' perceptions. A simple method that can be used to improve the classroom environment is outlined. Finally, we provide some examples of what teachers, internationally, have learned from using the WIHIC.