Classroom Engagement Barriers

What solutions would address the current barriers to engagement and/or learning in your classroom?

Disruptive Behavior
Every teacher has complained about this problem before. Disruptions take place regularly in all classrooms, it comes with the territory. For every disruptive behavior there is a lengthy list of possible reasons behind the behaviors and an even longer list of proactive approaches to deal with the problems. I have found that a little compassion goes a long way for these students. Some of the disruptions that I deal with are students who need to stand, move or just take a break frequently. A solution to this problem would be to provide an atmosphere where movement is not only acceptable but encouraged. I would like a classroom that provides areas and or furniture that functions with movement. We know that attention spans are decreasing, especially with the younger students. My current classroom set up causes me to take more brain breaks or stretch breaks through the
I have heard this from parents as well as students. I feel as teachers we have a responsibility of addressing this issue. I believe a large percentage of our responsibility is designing content and delivering lessons that are not only stimulating but promote engagement as well as enthusiasm.It's not always easy to make a lesson stimulating, especially when it is a lesson you did not develop but must deliver to your students. I feel that as a teacher I can work hard to develop well thought out lessons that are stimulating and engage 21st century learning skills. The one thing I can not do is provide my students with the physical learning environment I know they would benefit from. A physical classroom setting that provides comfortable functioning redesigned furniture that promotes an environment where students are enthusiastic about coming to school each day and look forward to