Environment
How do you prepare your environment so that it meets the needs of your learners and applies to lessons that you are facilitating?
I prepare my classroom each day with all the learning materials needed for that day's lesson. I also make sure all the equipment is set up for the students to perform their labs.
Dustin,
I'm curious as to how it is prepared. Is it a lab or did you have some input on that preparation?
Dr. Ryan Meers
The environment is already prepared for my course.
I prepare ahead of classtime. I have all the classroom materials printed and prepared. I also make sure the classroom and lab are set up for the days activities.
I come in early to set the stage of the lesson giving on that day. I bring up the lesson plan and review the important and the extra material that I give out. I place on paper a reminder to give a senario at a certain point of the lesson plan.
Preparing the classroom environment is a challenge for me. I am an adjunt and do not have a room that is all of my own. How do some of you who travel from classroom to classroom make it work for you?
I prepare for a good environment by letting my students sit in seats that they prefer and then encouraging group interaction by having the tables in front of each row turn around and face each other for group discussion after each lecture.
I like to set up my tables in a "U" shape. A smaller u in the center and a bigger u outside of this. I feel that it helps the students stay interactive and focused.
I try to use music that represents the historical period that is being studied. Not a successful tool most of the time. It might be the equipment being used.
I have components for every part of the instruction so I can have the students handling the parts as I discribe what they do, how they are used and wher5e they are located. That will tend to encourage questions that may not have been there before.
first i prepare myself, so iam focused. i make sure i have all the training and materials i need so the laerning does not get interupted. i set the room up so all can see and discussion is not inhibited. i put up the days schedule and assignments up on the board. i then greet the students as they come in and let them know to get prepared to learn!
I have the tables set up in the U shape as well, this keeps the center of the room available to circulate around for interaction with the students. Training aids are set on a table in the center, they get passed around at the appropriate time as they relate to the material.
Start the day with a rundown of the activities on the board,review the material for the day, and get down to business when the bell rings.
After going over the test and section to be covered I lay out materials to be handed out that day.
And also any other support Material to be used.
Make sure everything is neat and organized. arrange seats in a mannner that facilitates moving around the entire classroom. Get all of the equiptment , supplies , and tools needed before the start of the class. Ensure that the classroom is clean.
Making sure you have visual aids so the student can see what you are talking about. Taking the students to the lab area letting them see what you're talking about on an actual vehicle.
My room has visual aids placed around the room that are printed on different colored paper by topic. The front table has a basket where assignments are to be dropped off. The day’s handouts are arranged on the front table also. A basket of colored highlighters and scissors along with staples and a 3-hole punch for pages are also available for students use. The day’s activities are listed on the board and any assignment’s that require the student to review and make corrections are laid out on the table where they sit at waiting for them upon their arrival.
My class is set up in a “U†shape and has computers along the outside of the wall. The classroom walls are painted in a two tone pattern and we have posters that relate to the material we are teaching in class. We also have a projector in the center of the classroom. The only thing I have to worry about is to make sure that I have my training aids that I will need and that the room is clean. We take great pride in setting the right learning environment.
Try to play music during lab peroids.
Have the room set with tables that are in the to best suit me as I walk around all the time. I have found when using this approach that the students are more enguaged with the lectures and have more questions. When they have a question about the subject being talked about they will often turn towards you no matter where you are in the room. I have found that stay involved more and learn more about the subject matter with this approach. The handing out the object that I am talking about gets in their hands and eyes so they make that connection in their mind. I have found that method works best with most students when they get hands on while lecuturing about that item. Training aids are so very important in a class that you can pass around the item that they can see and touch.
