Conclusions

Note: To better understand this blog, start reading from the beginning, and many of the comments by the researchers are important to note.

Mr. Tree's class shows the great effect that social groups can have on a classroom environment. As the example of this third hour class shows, you can't always have the same teaching style with two different groups of students, and being responsive to one's class is imperative in maximizing each student's enjoyment of, and learning in, the course. Additionally, there is something of a trade-off between pleasing the more dedicated students with a rigorous curriculum and high expectations and those who would prefer not to be in class by being more relaxed about classroom norms. Going too far to either extreme can be extremely alienating to some people, and teachers must carefully assess how and why the apply discipline to maximize the overall enjoyment and learning of students. Simple things, however, such as implementing a seat chart, as Mr. Tree has done, can go a long way in rectifying the problems that student's focus on socializing can have on a classroom.