Creating a conducive learning environment

Despite the fact that socio-economic conditions, gender and culture influence students’ learning for good or bad, teachers can play a vital role in creating a positive classroom environment and enhancing the performance of students.

Physical and socio-cultural environments affect students’ learning for better or worse. It is in the hands of an effective teacher to turn environmental disadvantages into advantages. However adverse the physical, social and cultural environment may be, teachers can make a substantial difference in creating a conducive learning environment in the classroom for all children.

Every school and classroom environment consists of two aspects - physical and socio-cultural. Often not equipped with adequate physical environment, schools in the country, except may be those corporate schools targeting the super-rich, find themselves in the lurch when teachers also fail in creating a conducive atmosphere for learning in classrooms. To enhance the learning of students, improve the quality of education and produce vibrant minds of high-level proficiency, what we need today are dedicated and motivated teachers who can change the course of traditional classroom setup and promote conducive environments of learning.

While teachers cannot exercise any control over certain aspects of the physical environment of a classroom, there are ample characteristics that impact the learning climate, which they can control and create.

Accessibility to resources:

Given that there are only limited resource materials needed for instruction in a classroom, teachers must ensure that chalks, charts, models, equipment for demonstration etc are made available to students in every session. How these resource materials are accessible and used in instruction will determine whether a classroom environment is facilitative or not. All along, ensuring the accessibility of resource materials teachers must also ensure that teaching-learning activities conducted in the classroom is visible and audible to all. The spatial arrangement of the classroom must be taken care of in order to achieve the goals of accessibility, audibility and visibility.

Dissuading biases:

Researches show that teachers can create a positive difference in the lives of those students who are socio-culturally disadvantaged. Students who like their classrooms and perform well in their studies are those who experience their teachers to be caring and supportive. Several times, teachers prejudge their students on the basis of their socio-cultural background and fail to communicate the message that cultural difference is not cultural deficit. It would be a good idea for teachers to make an analysis about their socio-cultural biases and make a conscious effort to guard against them.

Inclusive setting:

Disability is never a deficiency, it becomes so when society fails to create a favourable environment for them to learn and progress. Teachers must never put up an attitude of deficiency before the students, particularly to the disabled. They must rather create an inclusive environment in the classroom in which all students feel at home, gather in self-confidence and be able to develop on their innate talents. Teachers must nurture the students’ talents to bloom rather than diminish their enthusiasm in the initial stages.

Instructional techniques:

Teachers should use adequate instructional techniques in line with the socio-cultural characteristics of learners, which in turn will influence their learning. Instructional strategies that favour the learning needs of children should be acquired and implemented as part of the curriculum to boost their academic performance.

Different instructional methods like cooperative learning, peer tutoring, mastery learning etc. can be included as per the learning requirements of students. Depending on the need and temperament of each student, teachers must be flexible with their instructional tactics so as to set all the students equally on the path of learning.

Knowledge of sociolinguistics:

Creating a conducive ambience for learning in classrooms necessarily demands a proper know-how of the sociolinguistics of students by the teacher. Lack of such an understanding may give way for misunderstanding and lack of communication. Unless a teacher understands properly the sociolinguistics of his/her students, s/he will not be able to assess why a student responds or reacts in a particular way. A proper exchange of words can take place between a teacher and student only when the teacher understands his/her student from within the sociolinguistic background of that particular student.

Supportive ambience:

Numerous research studies sustain the fact that an affectionate, caring and empathetic approach from teachers impels the students to be serious about their lessons, cooperate wholeheartedly with their mentors in accomplishing the targets and work hard in achieving expectations. A personal, one-to-one, direct relationship with one’s students and rendering them the confidence that their teacher is someone whom they can count on, will go a long way in establishing a positive classroom environment. All along, teachers need to take an extra effort in making the students feel comfortable to ask questions and never entertain labelling students, either by themselves or others.
n Sharing expectations: It is also important that teachers, having known their students and established a positive one-to-one relationship, share their expectations with them on a regular basis and stick to those. Sharing one’s expectations as to his/her ward’s expected academic performance, routine conduct and overall discipline will play a vital role in setting a positive ambience in the classrooms.

Acceptance and tolerance:

Creating a positive atmosphere of learning in schools and classrooms will also depend a lot on the ability of teachers to establish a culture of mutual respect and understanding among the students. It is important that the students are trained in the academy of acceptance and tolerance for one another. They are to be taught not to laugh at or make fun of those making mistakes. Class schedules and activities are to be planned in such a way as to promote mutual respect and appreciation among the students. Mutual appreciation and tolerance go a long way in defining a healthy and constructive classroom environment.

Social relationships:

Another feature of a conducive classroom environment is proactive and encouraging social relationship. Students should be able to work with others in group to complete tasks, engage with others in project works and get along with everyone else in an easy manner enhancing and nourishing the learning experience of every other student.
n Freedom of expression: It is predominantly meaningful for those who are overly controlled or bullied. Students’ classroom atmosphere should provide them the freedom to confront various vicious situations they experience and set healthier boundaries. Freedom of expression can provide empowerment by urging one to stand up to one’s needs.

A positive and conducive atmosphere can be created by a teacher in the classroom only when he/she respects his/her students, knows one’s students and arrange learning experiences for them to meet great expectations and accomplish realistic goals. Making things clear for the students from the very beginning and on a regular basis is important to earn their cooperation and set them on the path of knowledge. Winning the hearts of one’s students will play a vital role for teachers to create a conducive and positive environment for learning in the classrooms.