How does individual and group behavior affect the school and classroom environment.

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Answer:

Education has long been recognized as the central element in the development of human personality. But in the 20th Century, it has acquired a new range of functions. It is no longer merely one of the sectors of national life-like agriculture or industry, but a multi-dimensional one that energizes and provides to all the sectors. Education enables individuals to make the transition to new social orders by providing self-understanding and better knowledge of the choices available and a critical appreciation of the nature of change itself. Thus, education at all the stages becomes a kind of future shock absorber.

Elementary education constitutes a very important part of the entire structure of education. It is at this stage that the child starts going to a formal institution. The education which the pupil receives at a formal institution provides the foundation of the physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, and social development, and sound elementary education gives an integral element to effective and efficient secondary and higher education.

A primary education is understood as a basic stage of education which is either a self - contained phase or which forms a part of a longer cycle of formal education. In elementary education, the period of formal schooling extends from first standard to the completion at sixth, seventh, or eighth grades. Children during the elementary school period learn to develop respect for others. They learn how to work and play with others. They may acquire freedom from prejudice and develop tolerance. Students' learning is the major focus of the educational system. The main factor which could affect students' learning is teaching. Teachers can encourage students to participate in the learning activities.

According to Gage (1971), teaching or instruction means arranging the conditions of learning that are external to the learner. It refers to all the facilities provided by the teacher which could facilitate students' learning and increase their involvement in different classroom activities. These facilities are, such as, providing clear instruction, obtaining students' attention, arranging materials required, responding to students' needs, explaining clearly, providing feedback, dealing effectively with students' problems. Adalsteinsdotter (2004) stated that successful teacher-pupil interaction in the classroom is essential to the educational and social development of pupils and that teachers' understanding of their own behavior is, therefore, of paramount importance. O'leary and O'leary (1977) stated that "the way teachers attend to their pupils determines in large measures, what the children will do. A teacher's smile, words of encouragement, praise, evaluations, and silence are powerful allies in affecting how the students behave and change socially and academically..

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