PGCE PROCESS WORK MODULE 1 UNIT 3 TASK 4 CREATING CLASSROOM ETHOS
Wall Displays and Seating
There has been a lot of study into the area of the learning environment. Many agree that:
“The type of classroom environment that a teacher creates and encourages can either increase or
decrease a student's ability to learn and feel comfortable as a member of the class. The classroom environment should do as much to foster cooperation and acceptance as the teaching methods that the teacher uses.” (Bulcholz and Sheffler, 2009, p.1)
Reggio Emilia, which is a method of education developed in Italy, goes one stage further and considers the actually physical learning environment as “another teacher” in that it can induce positive or negative behaviour which affects the learning experience. (Hannah, 2013)
If we assume the above to be true, then it follows that wall displays, and seating arrangements, which are elements that can be contained within a classroom environment, could impact upon the students’ learning in either a positive or negative way.
My own classroom environment as a child throughout my school experience was in a very sterile environment with rows of brown, wooden seats that were positioned behind ancient looking wooden desks, which still contained ink wells! The buildings altered as I moved to different Infant, Primary and Senior schools, but the same type of classroom layout was common to all three schools. There were no bright colours on the walls and little in the way of classroom displays. The exterior of the buildings themselves were austere in appearance and did nothing to project an image of a welcoming environment. Did this in anyway have a negative impact upon my scholastic achievement? No. Could a different, seating arrangement and a more attractive classroom have made the learning experience more pleasurable? Possibly, but I feel there are many factors which impact upon the quality of classroom learning and a good teacher can still create a good learning experience for the students despite the classroom layout.
I am a firm believer in the old adage “It’s not what you do it’s the way that you do it”. As a trainee dance teacher, one of the greatest lectures I ever attended was in a grotty, old, church hall with very little natural daylight and an uneven, splintered, wooden floor. It was hardly an ideal environment for dance and nowadays would be condemned under health and safety standards, but the teacher had the ability to transcend the dismal surroundings and project her personality and knowledge in a way that inspired so many people that day, myself included.
Having said that, the expectations of many of todays’ pupils in the Western world are very different from those of pupils when I was at school. Many young people have access to the internet in the home environment and can get information themselves at the touch of a button. To some degree I think this has changed the pupil perception of the role of the teacher. For this “Knowledge Age” generation( Trilling and Hood, 2001 ). The teacher is not seen as an omniscient power- the main giver of knowledge, as was more the case when I was at school.
For this generation, who are more used to being bombarded with different images and being entertained, the physical environment may well play a more important part in the success of their learning experience. Learning styles have also altered a great deal and the chalk and talk method that I experienced has given way to many more experimental teaching approaches. Seating children uniformly behind rows of desks is no longer appropriate to the more Child-Centred approach, for example, which encourages differentiated learning, including working in small groups.
Seating arrangements that are altered to suit the requirements of the lesson can, I believe, better facilitate the learning tasks- for example, sitting in a circular or semi-circular formation in small groups can be more conducive if the task is for multiple group discussion, than sitting in rows. Whether it has a more positive or negative learning impact will depend on the individuals engaging in the task and on how they respond to that task, to one another and to the teacher. I think it is fair to say that where someone is seated can be a contributory factor in how well that person is able to respond to the learning task- the simple fact is, you may sometimes need to move to be able to see what it is you need to be learning, if for example the sun is in your eyes and you can’t see what is written on the board you need to move.
I feel that the argument for and against wall displays is one that is open to debate, because individuals are affected differently by the environment they are in. Research has shown that pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) respond better to a calmer, less cluttered environment with ambient lighting (National Autistic Society, online), yet many recommend decorating the walls with bright colours to provide a stimulus for learning.CAPITA (online) states:
“….if you have a bright, fun display board with key learning objectives highlighted then it is both fun and informative.”
I found an article which made the point that a Government quango had found that classroom displays could actually be a distraction to some pupils. The link to the article is below:
During my own research into Dance Teaching Methods for people with ASD I interviewed some people expert in the field of autism (Rodgers, B, 2016). They also advocated a calmer environment helped people who were prone to overstimulate- one of the key features of ASD. This would suggest that a minimalist approach to classroom design would be effective and benefit these students, who make up 1 in 68 of the population(CDC, 2015)
On the other hand, some people with ASD, as autism expert, Dr Temple Grandin states: “think in pictures” (2006), so there is an argument for saying that some visual aid on the walls might be of use.
I believe the learning experience is unique to the individual and, because we are all different, we will each have a unique response to it and to the environment in which it takes place. In terms of wall displays, what might be appropriate for a Primary classroom, might be inappropriate in a Senior classroom and vice versa. There are many factors to take into consideration when thinking about how the learning experience is delivered, both in terms of the physical environment and the way in which the teacher works with the pupils within it.
In terms of the physical environment, can a balance be struck that is congenial to alI agree? Maybe the solution lies in making the classroom a blank canvas on which, during a lesson, you can pin something visual to focus the pupils’ attention. with the following words that formed part of the conclusion to a report on classroom environment which was carried out by the Design Council:
“in a changing world no design solution will last forever, so the process of user involvement must be continually refreshed and iterated to support ongoing change. “ (Hall et
al. online, P 3)
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FIVE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN CREATING A POSITIVE CLASSROOM ETHOS
Respect- for each other, the teacher, other cultural beliefs and the school. Without respect, I feel that you can’t create a feeling of co-operation that is necessary in the classroom.
Disciplined work ethic- establishing classroom rules, with the help of the students is, I believe paramount in the creation of a well- functioning classroom. If pupils don’t know the expectations, the boundaries and potential consequences of their actions then chaos can ensue
Community- making pupils feel that they are valued members of the class and of the school helps improve self-esteem and encourages them to join in with group discussion and work as part of a team.
Communication- encouraging pupils to ask and answer questions helps them form their own opinion.
Individuality- recognition of the fact, on the part of pupils, staff, parents and governing school bodies, that each person is unique and will respond differently to the classroom environment, and the learning experience as whole, and acceptance of the fact that this is permissible is important in understanding the needs of all and trying to find solutions to assist in the challenges that this may present.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Buchholz, J.L. and Sheffler, J.L (2009) Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome,ELECTRONIC JOURNAL FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION VOLUME 2 , NO.4 (online). Available at:http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=ejie (accessed 24th October 2016)
CDC, (2014), CDC estimates 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0327-autism-spectrum-disorder.html (accessed January 2015)
Hall, E., Higgins, S., McCauhey, C., Wall, K. and Woolner, P. The Impact of School Environments; A literature review, Design Council. (online). Available at: http://ncl.ac.uk/cflat/about/documents/designcouncilreport.pdf (accessed October 24th 2016)
Hannah, R. (2013) The Effect of Classroom Environment on Student Learning, (online). Available at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3380&context=honors_theses (accessed 24th October 2016)
Lightfoot, L. (2006) Tear down your distracting classroom displays, skills agency tells teachers, The Telegraph, (online), Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1534477/Tear-down-your-distracting-classroom-displays-skills-agency-tells-teachers.html (accessed 24th October 2016)
National Autistic Society (2016 ), Environment and surroundings, (online). Available at: http://www.autism.org.uk/environment (accessed 14th September 2016)
Temple Grandin, M (2015), Temple Talks…about Autism and Sensory Issues, Sensoryworld
Trilling, B. and Hood, P. (2001) Learning, Technology, and Education Reform in the Knowledge Age or We're Wired, Webbed, and Windowed, Now What? In: Paechter, C., Edwards, R., Harrison, R. and Twining, P. (eds.) Learning, Space and Identity. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd.
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