It plays a vital role in that the student must feel comfortable in his/her environment to focus and do well in their subject especially if the instructor have povuded learning tools.
A student's attention span doesn't last for a long time. If the classroom is too hot, too cold, if there is outside interference, other students talking in class, etc; this will distract a student from focusing on the assignment at hand.
Hi Jennifer,
Interesting mix of students you have. I am an outdoor person myself so I would welcome the sun but I understand those that don't. Good read for your students in that you create the environment that works for you and your students.
Gary
Hi John,
This is a tough one because it sounds like they have been able to drink coffee in class and now they can't. This puts the instructor in a tough spot because he/she becomes the Greek messenger and has to enforce the new rule. I would try to make a joke of it and move quickly away from the rule meaning not let the students dwell on it and increase their frustration at not being able to drink coffee. The good news is that the next class will be a fresh start since they will not have ever been allowed to drink coffee in the class so they don't have a base upon which to build their complaint.
Hope I understood this situation correctly. If I didn't let me know and we can talk further.
Gary
Hi Melissa,
I agree. Getting them settled in and feeling like this is a place they want to be is critical to moving them forward in their learning.
Gary
Hi Tina,
Great. This is an incentive for them to complete their work since they are working in a comfortable and supportive setting.
Gary
Hi Lisa,
Good goal to have. The more you can set the stage for targeted teaching the more effective you are going to be in sharing the content. This is why we need to always try to reduce the distractions as much as we can.
Gary
I believe the learning evviornment should be open to help the students learn from several different methods. Most students attention is kept better with blended methods of learning verses 8 hours of "death by powerpoint". Activities that engage them keep them involved.
The environment sets the tone for your course. However, it can be manipulated based upon the students' demographics. I have had both what I like to call "indoor" and "outdoor" students. My indoor students do not like the blinds to be open and even complain about the sunlight on their faces. For these students, I close the blinds.
I currently have a class of outdoor students who love to be in the sunshine and are motivated by the natural light. I now open all the blinds for them and comment on the weather as a regular part of the meet and greet process.
The role of the learning environment is to facilitate the process of information from instructor to student. I personally have had classes in less than optimal settings;however, I have found that the setting is not the only aspect of the learning environment. In the last module, much of the lesson dealt with the professionalism of the instructor in appearance and performance expectation. These elements are still present in a less than perfect physical setting.It would be wonderful if all classrooms were a perfect environment. Then the instructor could place goals of the lesson on the board so the students could be prepared for the material. Many other wonderful treasures such as computers, smart boards etc.,would be in the perfect classroom. Most of us don't get to choose the classroom where we will be teaching,but we make the learning environment work for us (in whatever situation we find ourselves). Nevertheless, the learning environment still also involves the attitude and high expectations of the instructor.
It is important to relate what is learned in the classroom to what will be experienced in a real job situation.
Instructors should create an environment where students can feel free to ask as many questions that will help clarify subject matter. This open forum should be established at the beginning of the course.
I agree 100% that the environment plays a huge roll in how students learn. Do you have any suggestions oh how to keep students motivated when the environment changes? i.e. no more coffee drinking allowed in class during the hours of 8 AM to NOON.
I agree, realism matters. Besides making it more interesting and thought prevoking, it leaves the students better prepared to enter the work force when they graduate.
I feel the students should feel at home in their classroom. They should feel comfortable, and be able to ask any question, without feeling judged by the instructor or other students
I teach medical terminology and my student have to use connect and do the Lear Smart assignments every week, at the end of a 4 hr class I will let them do their assigments in a class with computers with comfortable padded computer chair and a well lite classroom, this makes the student eagar to learn
In my terminology the students are taught in a classroom with desktop computers on each desk, so when the last hr or 1/2 of the class (4 hr a week class) they can sit in comfortable padded computer chair and work on their Learn Smart
(Connect)and the classroom also was a well lighted room and that made the student eagar to learn.
You want an area that is comfortable for your students.....
The learning environment plays a major role to student learning. As stated in the reading content, we want to eliminate all things that will distract the student from learning. Which is what I try to do everytime there is a class session.
what the instructor knows regarding that course and having accurate information (book, power pointsnabd etc...) to teach it
