I believe to be the first impression. It sets the tone for your relationship with your students. Providing a positive environment, building trust and confidence, offering support, developping growth.
Hello,
I like using posted quotes, pictures of Chefs (Point, A. Waters) & other "helps" that remind students of where this industry has been & where it's going. It sparks my memory to mention history.
thx Gil
I feel that the environment is critical to the success of the students and also helps to send a strong non-verbal message about what is important to the teacher and the expected outcomes. I used to work for a Chef that said "everything speaks, everything always" It really made an impact on me and I try to instill that in my students!
the learning environment should be comfprtable and without unnecessary distractions. I complement my classroom with good smells, and interesting posters that complement my subject matter.
Sometimes, you just have to get another room. For example, at one school I have asked for my courses not to be scheduled in the lecture hall adjoining a room where students often perform live concerts. On a couple occasions, I simply had to dismiss the class since the pre-concert system checks were so loud that my students couldn't hear me, nor I, them. So my courses are now always assigned to a different room.
Unfortunately, the room that I now have is often very stuffy. Today my students were all complaining about it. I do try to give another break, since it's a two and one-half hour session, but there's a limit to what I can do given the building architecture. There are most often too many outside distractions to leave the door open.
Hi Mary,
Humor is a powerful teaching tool. It helps to get students settled into the course and feeling comfortable with the instructor. It also helps with moving the course along when a problem comes up or a situation needs to be defused.
Gary
I think humor is important too.
Hi Todd,
You make a very good point about the learning environment and the impact it has on learning. We need to be observant on how our students are perceiving the environment so we can overcome any barriers that might reduce the amount of learning that needs to occur.
Gary
Hi Patricia,
You are correct about how much using humor can benefit students and their comfort with the class. Humor helps students to get settled in to the class and when they are relaxed they feel more comfortable asking questions and taking part in discussions.
Gary
Hi Ricardo.
Great to hear. This is the value of a forum discussion like this. You get ideas and suggestions from all over country that you can make a part of your instructional delivery.
Gary
Hi Enez,
You are correct about the need for a supportive environment. By having such you reduce distractions and get your students focused on the content quicker.
Gary
The learning environment is really key. I am in a situation currently, where I need to move my class for a period of each class time so that I can deliver the psychomotor content with aid of audio and visual tools. The students find this very distracting.
Also, the ability to control ligthing is key to the instructional process. If the light choice is off so they can see the video or on so they don't fall asleep after a long day of work and school, the instructional process is not maximized.
Hi Christopher,
Key point about the instructional setting reflecting the culture of the industry as close as is possible. The students need to see what they are preparing to enter in the most realistic way possible.
Gary
Humor is a critical element in teaching and I think it is greatly understated. Laughter relaxes student and acts as a tremendous stress and anxiety reliever and students under pressure from within (their own expectations) and without (instructor expectations) need both! Anxiety is a huge barrier to learning whether it be from the fear of being judged to performance anxiety and the more this can be minimized, the easier it will be for the student to absorb information.
I am a new instructor and am gathering any ideas Ican for setting up my classroom, you have given me some great ideas that I know I will use.
I am a new instructor and like the idea of the semi-circle for group discussions , I think it encourages all the students to partcipate.I will definitely use this idea when I implement group discussions.
the learning environment is veryimportant because we don't want the student to be distracted and then inturn distract the other student from learning. Which is why i think that this environment should be as comfortable but yet structured as possible for the student
*The effect of the environment on learning is perhaps immeasurable, in numbers, at least. However, anyone who has ever been a student in several different settings can probably tell about the effect a "bad" classroom or teacher with a "bad attitude" had on him or her. Conversely, the same student probably can remember how well learning occurred in a "good" setting.
*In the learning environment the lighting, the acoustics, the temperature, and the arrangement of furniture can make students and teacher so calm they get sleepy or perk them up for an exciting exchange of information.
*Grimy or disorganized rooms tell students the teacher doesn't care or doesn't really know how to teach. Reasonably clean, well-organized rooms tell students the teacher knows and cares.
*Missing or broken equipment can slow learning or stop it. Sufficient, well-maintained equipment can greatly speed and aid the learning process.
*Perhaps even more important than the physical condition of the learning environment, the teacher's attitude and command of both the students and the subject matter create a mental/emotional environment that can help or hinder learning.
*In many schools the classrooms are shared by several instructors and subjects, so control of the physical condition may be limited to whatever the administration and building's managers provide. In this case the teacher's command of portable materials, equipment and the mental atmosphere are even more important.
I think it depends greatly on the class itself, but either way, the lab/room certainly needs to reflect the content of the course in order to portray the proper "feel" that would occur within and industry environment. Of course, there is always the underlying aspect of it being a class, so I think it becomes more of a challenge of mitigating that atmosphere.
I teach game design, so primarily, I try to create an environment condusive to creativity (white boards, design software, network capabilities, etc). However, at the same time, one that has the technical capabilities for professional level work and presentation. In the end, the setting needs to reflect the culture of the industry as best as possible.
different ways for different students
