This was a big year forDeirdre M.

Lavery, principal of Glasgow

Middle School, who was named
the 2009 Fairfax County Principal
of the Year. She also won the 2009
Distinguished Education
Leadership Award from The
Washington Post. Lavery began her
career as a special
education teacher
at Frost Middle
School in 1987,
was promoted to
department chair in
1990, and in 1996
became a specialist
for Contract
Services at Belle Willard
Administrative Center. In 1998
Lavery became the assistant
principal at Groveton Elementary
School and in 2000 was named
principal of the Twain Center,
which is for students with
emotional disabilities. Born and
raised in Monmouth County, NJ,
Lavery earned her BA in Special
Education from Marymount
University, her Masters of
Education from George Mason
University (where she now is an
adjunct professor), and her degree
as an education specialist from
George Washington University.
She is a frequent conference
presenter for the International
Baccalaureate Organization and the
Council for Exceptional Children.
An avid golfer and sports
enthusiast, Lavery and her husband
Michael have one child, Owen
Michael.

Create a Student-Centered Learning Environment

To create a student-centered learning environment a teacher will: set up the classroom for many types of
learners; know how the many roles of teacher apply to the learning experiences teachers create; and build
relationships that promote a safe and positive environment in which students are responsible, self-motivated,
and self-evaluating.
  Relationships: Build collaborative and respectful relationships with
students, colleagues, and parents. Consistently encourage, support, and
appropriately challenge students to ensure student success. Facilitate
development of relationships among students to promote mutual
respect and support in your classroom.
 Procedures and Routines: Structure the classroom to create an
orderly learning environment, communicate expectations that support
positive student behavior to facilitate high levels of student
engagement, and build a shared community of learners.
 Arrangement of Classroom: Organize the classroom for a variety of
learning opportunities that encourage both whole group and small
group teacher-directed activities, and independent and cooperative
learning experiences.
 Displays: Support academic learning by using instructional resources
(such as word walls, models, and anchor charts) that are clearly
accessible. Make student work a focal point in the classroom. Post
classroom and community expectations.
 Tools: Make appropriate materials that support learning and make
them accessible for all students.

Case Study: Student-Centered Learning in Action

At Glasgow Middle School, Principal Deirdre M. Lavery says that one of the most important parts of
creating a student-centered learning environment is to build strong relationships.

“This has been a focus at Glasgow, and I believe that of the five elements outlined in this best practice, it's
the key one because if a teacher can't connect with, get along with, and inspire kids — the other four
elements don't matter.”

She believes that the ability of the teacher to develop a purposeful relationship with each and every student
is the cornerstone of student success.

“By purposeful, I mean teachers aren't just being nice to kids, a buddy to them, or are focused on having
their classroom be a ‘fun place’ to be. Of course, you want all of that to happen — but teachers need to take
the relationship much deeper.”

Lavery says that teachers need to know about students in terms of what type of learner they are, their special
interests, their home situation and how all of those things factor into a child’s ability to learn.

“Teachers must hone in on what it takes for each and every student to become passionate about the unit.
When each child comes through every morning, a great teacher will know that they just participated in a
soccer final or that the family went away for the weekend to take care of a sick aunt. It has to be authentic.”

The reason, she says, is simple: Once teachers establish that level of a connection with students, it's easier to
develop unit plans and lesson plans that take into account what students know and what motivates them.

“Without this strong relationship, students can go from being active learners to passive learners. What we
know about the process of learning is that students need to be engaged. At Glasgow, we are determined to
focus on cultivating the relationship, because the time we take to do that pays off in spades.”