The learning environment plays an important role in the effective or active learning of all students.
- If the environment has a climate control issue then you will have a variance of complains from students. This will then disrupt the learning environment even more and prevent active learning.
- If the environment is hostile due to other students or perhaps you the instructor, students will not feel comfortable in any of these conditions as they will be looking for a confrontation or to be placed on the spot and be embarrassed depending on the situation.
- If the learning environment is too lax and the instructor does not keep control, someone else will take over the control (human nature). Again this will not be conducive to the learning environment as someone else has control of your classroom. This can build animosity between students and a disruption of the learning process as the student does not have privy to the course outline and cannot conduct the class as it should be conducted.
Wow! I love your strategy for helping students relax and focus a bit better. I use a similar strategy. I instruct my students to place all their worries and concerns outside the door in a bag and they can pick them back up on the way out of the class room. I will try your writing technique to change things up a bit. Thanks for a new twist on an old song ïŠ
The learning environment factors in greatly with the learning process. Having distractions from the main objective of learning will negatively impact the student and the ability to conduct the direction of the class. Frustration may set in on the both the pat of the student and instructor if the surroundings are not conducive to learning.
Prepares the student for a career.
Certainly, students enrolled at on-ground institutions may maximize transfer of learning when the instructor provides a well-organized classroom environment. At our institution, our faculty and administration is cognizant on how our facility must be maintained on a daily basis with meaningful course materials and instructional resources available for the students. In the same way, the administration may utilize technology to enhance the learning environment by updating student and faculty portals to ensure meaningful and relevant content, as well as, ensuring ease for student navigation through various links.
It plays perhaps the most important role. regardless to the preparedness and ability of the instructor, if the student is not comfortable about his or her surroundings, it will be difficult for the experience to be positive; therefore, institutions must assure that the learning environment is condusive to the student's ability to learn minus any controllable distractions.
Learning environment is very important in the instructional process. A students environmrnt is conducive to theri desire to want to learn and retain important information. for example a student working in a cozy classroom is an environment conducive to sleep and relaxation.
Margeaux,
I agree with you about the effect this approach can have on the learning by students. A class with good discussion and focused questions is a joy to teach because the students are "getting it" and are ready to absorb the knowledge they need to take from the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is well recognized that the "classroom/school" environment can profoundly influence the learning process.
One of the questions that I frequently ask myself is "What are the "learning" environments that my students are trying to study in at home?" If the student's home environment is one that is not conducive to learning, that environment can (and usually does)have a detrimental effect upon the student's ability "do their part" in the learning process.
Jill's suggestion about having the students write their concerns down and put them aside for 40 minutes is excellent. I plan to start using it in my classroom. Thanks Jill.
Reassuring students as a group can work well, letting them know that everybody there is learning together, going through the same steps, and that it is normal to feel overwhelmed at times, but that this feeling will dissipate more and more as the class advances towards its goals. Also, one-on-one consultations during breaks or after class can help reassure or redirect a student.
The learning environment is vital to successful learning. The room temp plays an important rol because you cannot focus if you are too cold or hot. Lighting is important as well if you have glare it can give students a headache and again hard to focus on the lecture. You want the environment at a natural level on all phases, noise, light, temp, etc
I agree, my class is usually during the summer and being in a city that averages a temperature of 100+ during the summer can be difficult to teach when the environment is too hot. It can be very difficult to keep the students attention during this time.
Gary,
I feel that a learning environment in which a student is encouraged to give feedback, so long as it is specific and relevant, is crucial. This relates both to contributions students may make regarding instructional styles they find most beneficial and to course topics themselves, where students have the opportunity to 'engage' with the instructor and one another. An environment where students feel comfortable interjecting with questions or even their own personal experiences (again, so long as it is regulated) is important for practice in expressing their own ideas or views, and may help other students in the classroom who are perhaps less willing to request lesson clarification.
The enviroment of the classroom setting plays a very important role. If there are students in the classroom srtting with negative energy it will make your entire day of lecturing a diaster. Negative energy is very contagious. As an instructor you must always have full control of your class and have great ice breakers as a source of maintaining that control.
The environment is critical, there are times we are in a computer lab, and we do not need computers, this causes a lot of distraction as students tend to want to surf the net, rather than pay attention.
The learning environment should provide a safe a comfortable environment for the students to learn. If the environment is uncomfortable, then the student will have a difficulty concentrating in class. However, if the learning environment is nurturing, then the student will be able to focus better on the course on the different learning activities.
Rebecca,
You got that right. I had some of those types of professors in my educational experiences. Thought each class session would never end.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree with Beth. Taking a moment to write something down gives me the security that I will remember a task. That gives me freedom to then turn my attention to the matter at hand without concern for other issues. Great idea!
It is very important for students to find the learning environment comfortable and stimulating with limited distractions to enable them to focus more intently on the subject matter being delivered, which will enable them to gain knowledge from the instruction.
It is also important that students view the instructor as a regular person, informed on the topics to be learned and someone they can count on to support, encourage and be enthusiastic about teaching the course.
About half. You can have the most perfect surroundings, but if instructor does not get up from his chair and speaks in monotone voice Heaven would not be good enough.
