Making classroom an attractive centre for learning
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Md. Masum Billah
IT may not be unknown to most teachers that a safe, clean, comfortable and attractive classroom can stimulate learning and help build classroom community. But many teachers seem not to be bothered about it. Absenting from the class and dropout from the schools are very common phenomena in rural schools and even in some urban schools. In rural schools it happens due to some social and financial factors where teachers may not have any direct control or influence. In urban areas it happens because of not having any attraction or excitement in the classroom. But a teacher can make the most of his/her classroom environment by carefully considering his/her needs and the needs of his/her students. The physical environment of the classroom is a key element in effective classroom management. Though a subject teacher does not have full control over the overall school administration, an individual teacher can contribute a lot to bring some novelties and attractions in his/her class. Some ideas may improve physical arrangement of a class. In order to be the star attraction in the classroom a teacher should create a 'centre stage'. Certainly a classroom comes to life with word walls, bulletin boards, and posters but for many students visual stimulants like these are distracting. A teacher should take time to think about where he/she will be when delivering most of his/her instruction. It is best to create a bland area there so a teacher becomes the brightest star in his/her classroom universe. Such individual efforts to make a classroom attractive can collectively exercise an impression on overall administration of the school and bring a real positive change.
Colourful pictures, posters, drawings and writings of the students can be hung on the walls of the classroom. It will encourage them to own the classroom and feel an urge to come to the class to their individual works. These creative works will remain in the classroom till a certain time. And then they will be replaced by newer kind of creative materials as the old ones will not hold their attraction for long. Newer posters and drawings mean newer excitement and environment. One class can take minimum two shows a year and, if possible, three or four. Unfortunately, in most cases there is nothing except one blackboard in our classes. A teacher can, however, bring tasteful changes in his class.
School compound usually remains bare or unused. The whole school campus can be turned into a heavenly place by making beautiful flower gardens, vegetable gardens and fruit gardens. The newly established schools in the cities and towns do not have such kind of facilities as schools are housed on one or two floors. But in rural areas schools are still located in the open space offering a serene and suitable environment for teaching and learning. But these beautiful places are not properly maintained.
A teacher can help students stay focused by carefully arranging classroom furniture. The physical elements in a teacher's classroom can have a great impact on learning. He can't change the location of window, doors or boards but keeping window and doors to students' back or at least along the sides can be effective ways to reduce distractions. Teacher's desk should be away from teacher's centre stage in a somewhat less visible location. When the teacher confers with a student or group of students at his desk while other students are doing work or group work on their desks, a less visible teaher's desk will minimise distractions. So, a teacher should carefully consider his furniture arrangement and the function of various areas in his classroom.
The seating arrangement in the classroom should be made purposefully. A teacher should not or cannot simply 'stand and deliver'. Research in best teaching practices shows that many of today's kids don't respond to the teachers who don't move in the class. And moving among the students while teaching is one of the most effective ways to manage a class. In the traditional classroom seating arrangement of row of desks, those students who are in the front row or two are much more involved with the lesson due to the proximity to the teacher. The middle rows are somewhat involved but to a lesser extent. Those, who are in the back rows, are too far away to have the same feeling of involvement as those in the front rows.
A teacher may change this dynamic by rearranging the seating arrangement in the classroom and find some aisles to walk through. As he teaches walking among the desks, he will give all students the same feeling whether one is seated in the front row or in the back row.
A learning centre is a space set aside in the classroom that allows easy access to a variety of learning materials in an interesting and productive manner. Learning centres can have any number of designs. A teacher should feel free to work with his students in creating a centre. Such shared responsibility gives the students a sense of ownership in the centre. Education specialists say that there three different types of learning centres: enrichment centres, skill centres and interest and exploratory centres.
Enrichment centres are designed to offer students a variety of learning alternatives as an adjunct to a common unit of instruction. These centres are typically used after the presentation of important materials or concepts and are designed to provide students with opportunities to enrich and enhance their appreciation and understanding of the topics through individual experiences in the centre.
Skill centres are similar to enrichment centres in that they are used after the initial teaching of a concept or skill. Their differences lie in the fact that students are assigned particular areas in the centre as opposed to having free choice of the topics they want to pursue.
Interest and exploratory centres differ from enrichment and skill development centres in that they are designed to capitalise on the interests of the students.
Teachers apply different strategies in the classroom to make learning of lessons interesting. Sometimes a few simple changes can make surprising improvements in the way students remain focused and help reduce interruptions caused by minor distractions. Teachers should remember that effective teaching begins with a well-planned physical set-up of the classroom.
The writer is Senior Manager, BRAC Education Programme, PACE.
He can be reached at e-mail:
mmbillah@dhaka.net,
mmbillah2000@yahoo.com
IT may not be unknown to most teachers that a safe, clean, comfortable and attractive classroom can stimulate learning and help build classroom community. But many teachers seem not to be bothered about it. Absenting from the class and dropout from the schools are very common phenomena in rural schools and even in some urban schools. In rural schools it happens due to some social and financial factors where teachers may not have any direct control or influence. In urban areas it happens because of not having any attraction or excitement in the classroom. But a teacher can make the most of his/her classroom environment by carefully considering his/her needs and the needs of his/her students. The physical environment of the classroom is a key element in effective classroom management. Though a subject teacher does not have full control over the overall school administration, an individual teacher can contribute a lot to bring some novelties and attractions in his/her class. Some ideas may improve physical arrangement of a class. In order to be the star attraction in the classroom a teacher should create a 'centre stage'. Certainly a classroom comes to life with word walls, bulletin boards, and posters but for many students visual stimulants like these are distracting. A teacher should take time to think about where he/she will be when delivering most of his/her instruction. It is best to create a bland area there so a teacher becomes the brightest star in his/her classroom universe. Such individual efforts to make a classroom attractive can collectively exercise an impression on overall administration of the school and bring a real positive change.
Colourful pictures, posters, drawings and writings of the students can be hung on the walls of the classroom. It will encourage them to own the classroom and feel an urge to come to the class to their individual works. These creative works will remain in the classroom till a certain time. And then they will be replaced by newer kind of creative materials as the old ones will not hold their attraction for long. Newer posters and drawings mean newer excitement and environment. One class can take minimum two shows a year and, if possible, three or four. Unfortunately, in most cases there is nothing except one blackboard in our classes. A teacher can, however, bring tasteful changes in his class.
School compound usually remains bare or unused. The whole school campus can be turned into a heavenly place by making beautiful flower gardens, vegetable gardens and fruit gardens. The newly established schools in the cities and towns do not have such kind of facilities as schools are housed on one or two floors. But in rural areas schools are still located in the open space offering a serene and suitable environment for teaching and learning. But these beautiful places are not properly maintained.
A teacher can help students stay focused by carefully arranging classroom furniture. The physical elements in a teacher's classroom can have a great impact on learning. He can't change the location of window, doors or boards but keeping window and doors to students' back or at least along the sides can be effective ways to reduce distractions. Teacher's desk should be away from teacher's centre stage in a somewhat less visible location. When the teacher confers with a student or group of students at his desk while other students are doing work or group work on their desks, a less visible teaher's desk will minimise distractions. So, a teacher should carefully consider his furniture arrangement and the function of various areas in his classroom.
The seating arrangement in the classroom should be made purposefully. A teacher should not or cannot simply 'stand and deliver'. Research in best teaching practices shows that many of today's kids don't respond to the teachers who don't move in the class. And moving among the students while teaching is one of the most effective ways to manage a class. In the traditional classroom seating arrangement of row of desks, those students who are in the front row or two are much more involved with the lesson due to the proximity to the teacher. The middle rows are somewhat involved but to a lesser extent. Those, who are in the back rows, are too far away to have the same feeling of involvement as those in the front rows.
A teacher may change this dynamic by rearranging the seating arrangement in the classroom and find some aisles to walk through. As he teaches walking among the desks, he will give all students the same feeling whether one is seated in the front row or in the back row.
A learning centre is a space set aside in the classroom that allows easy access to a variety of learning materials in an interesting and productive manner. Learning centres can have any number of designs. A teacher should feel free to work with his students in creating a centre. Such shared responsibility gives the students a sense of ownership in the centre. Education specialists say that there three different types of learning centres: enrichment centres, skill centres and interest and exploratory centres.
Enrichment centres are designed to offer students a variety of learning alternatives as an adjunct to a common unit of instruction. These centres are typically used after the presentation of important materials or concepts and are designed to provide students with opportunities to enrich and enhance their appreciation and understanding of the topics through individual experiences in the centre.
Skill centres are similar to enrichment centres in that they are used after the initial teaching of a concept or skill. Their differences lie in the fact that students are assigned particular areas in the centre as opposed to having free choice of the topics they want to pursue.
Interest and exploratory centres differ from enrichment and skill development centres in that they are designed to capitalise on the interests of the students.
Teachers apply different strategies in the classroom to make learning of lessons interesting. Sometimes a few simple changes can make surprising improvements in the way students remain focused and help reduce interruptions caused by minor distractions. Teachers should remember that effective teaching begins with a well-planned physical set-up of the classroom.
The writer is Senior Manager, BRAC Education Programme, PACE.
He can be reached at e-mail:
mmbillah@dhaka.net,
mmbillah2000@yahoo.com