it is huge. the environment is critical. the wrong environment can ruin the entire experience.
my learning environment is very approachable for students. I am no nonsense and very clear about the expectations of the students. They truly love it.
I find if the room is too hot or too cold it can be very distracting to both me as the instructor and for the students to stay focused. Same difference with the light in the room - too bright or too dark create additional problems for effective instruction and learning.
On a very basic level teaching Humanities and Business courses it's essential for the class to have things like wheels on the chairs and desks that can be moved and configured for small group work.
One of the greatest joys is creating an environment where students can feel comfortable expressing their ideas to me and the rest of the class. To that end I have a detailed area in the "Week 1" area of my syllabus where we talk about "homework" and do one or two "dry runs", with a question from the text. Normally I will assign one or two questions from each successive chapter, case or reading and ask students to prepare responses for the upcoming class. (The responses can be written in their notebooks and/or typed -- however I make it clear they won't be handed in for grading.) It's great to see the results when you give students a "focus" ahead of time and a window to prepare.
Hi Arthur,
What are some methods that you use to develop these needed skills?
Gary
Hi Bill,
You are providing your students with realistic experiences that will enable them to be successful upon graduation. These experiences are based on industrial standards for the electrical trade. This is the key for student preparation even if the environment is not exactly the same as they will find out in the work world.
Gary
My charter is to prepare students be be employable in the electrical construction trade. A typical construction site would be very difficult to duplicate and probably would result in a disorganized, unsafe and uncomfortable environment. I agree that the environment is key to the learning process. I try to achieve this through the tasks the students are required to permorm as well as hands on training with the tools, equipment and materials they will later come in contact with as an electrical apprentice.
It is important to have a comfortable environment for your students. If there is any tension in the classroom it makes it difficult for students to focus on the content of the course.
the roles to be played in the field that I teach are the great customer service a great respect amongst customer and clients.
Hi Michelle,
Good job of finding what will work for you and your students in the lab situation. You are customizing to their needs without compromising your standards for the course.
Gary
Students I teach have classes in the kitchen, hands-on, doing what they came to school for and what their passion is focused on = cooking.
Their next scheduled class can be in a traditional classroom with tables and chairs, textbooks, projects and quizzes, often causing initial resistance, anxiety even occasional hostility.
So the learning environment can change from class to class. Often as the teacher of the classroom I needed to be more resourceful, engaging and persuasive that what they will learn in these classes would pertain and help them in their culinary future.
It can be difficult to make all of the students feel comfortable in a lab environment when they are working on their projects individually. I find that some students want to listen to music, some want to chat, and some need complete silence for concentration. Each student concentrates and works in their own unique way. The ipod has really helped out here - I used to forbid music as it was too distracting, but now the music listeners don't bother the others. I just have them turn off the ipods for class instruction.
Hi Christine,
I think you are right. This is the "real" world with "real" people to satisfy. There is little room for error and the students know it.
Gary
Hi James,
Exactly right. The students need to know what they are gong to face as the enter their careers by having the learning environment match the work place the transition will be easier for them.
Gary
I believe the learning environment for the course I teach plays an important part in our students outcome.
I'm in a culinary school instructing students in front of the house restaurant operations. This classroom is a fully operational Cafe. I don't believe the students outcome would be as high if the course was taught in a lab or classroom environment.
the learning environment should be as close to a copy to what the students will see in the field after they have completed the course.
