The learning environment

BACKGROUND

Few would now doubt that people learn best when they are relaxed, comfortable, unstressed, interested and involved in what is going on, and motivated to continue. Regrettably, there is no hard-and-fast, definitive list of what makes an environment conducive to learning. We cannot, for_. example, say that 'the more a teacher smiles, the more relaxed the students are' as this is absurdly simplistic. Nonetheless, there may be a lot to be gained from developing an awareness of the affective factors that influence learning.

TASK OBJECTIVE

This observation is designed to refine your awareness of the learning environment. During the lesson you will be watching and listening for anything that you think contributes to making the learning environment one in which students learn better. Conversely, you will also become aware of factors that hinder or impede learning and detract from the effectiveness of the learning environment.

Broadly, then, you are looking for factors that range from the size of the room, the seating arrangements, the acoustics, aspects of the teacher's behaviour or the classroom dynamics. You will also, for a short period during the lesson, focus on one student and note the external factors during that period that seem to shape their learning involvement.

One difficulty in this task is that the very presence of 'an outsider' among the learning community will affect it in subtle, perhaps impercep­tible ways. This is difficult to avoid but might be minimised by your awareness and your maintaining a very low profile.
 

PROCEDURE

BEFORE THE LESSON

1.   Arrange to observe a lesson. Try to avoid lessons with a heavy emphasis on reading and writing as there may not be very much to observe in Step 4 below.

2.   Make yourself familiar with the charts overleaf.

I spent this observation in elementary school in Ronov nad Doubravou. I thought that the atmosphere of small town would be nicely compatible with the aim of this task and that it would be easier to observe a class with fewer pupils.

DURING THE LESSON

1.  Seat yourself in a place where you have a clear view of the classroom, and yet where your presence will be as unobtrusive as possible.
Fortunately, there was a vacant desk in the last row waiting for me. 
 

2.            For most of the lesson, concentrate on making yourself as aware as possible of the affective environment, the ambience in the classroom, and the various and diverse factors that are influential here. Consider factors that are external to the student, such as the acoustics or temperature of the room, the comfort or otherwise of the seating, the visual attraction of the room, the quality, tone or volume of the teacher's voice.

3.  Record these (see Chart 3.1a) in any order, as you become aware of them. (A follow-up task after the lesson will be to analyse the data and group items into categories. For the moment a 'raw' list is adequate.)

List these under Factor/item. The column Memory jog allows you space for a brief note (for example, phase of lesson, context) to record information to help you remember the detail.

4.                   The second task requires you to graph one student's concentration in the lesson. It is important to be aware that both internal and external factors are relevant here, but that because internal factors are unobservable, we will be gauging concentration through external evidence alone. In addition, you may like to use face drawings (see Chart 3.1b) to indicate mood (Woodward 1991).

Take about twelve minutes out of the above activity to concentrate on one student in the class. Choose someone you have a good view of but try not to make them aware of your attentions. Use Chart 3.1b to help you. The horizontal axis records the degree of concentration. At each point marked on the vertical axis, note what was happening to or around the student, for example: T's question, S doodling on paper, S gazing around room, S copying notes from board.

Affective factors in the learning environment

Factor/item	Memory jog
-      Large room, well ventilated      -   Positive T response to SS - encouraging	- -      Elicitation phase 7 mins into lesson

AFTER THE LESSON

1.    Consider the information you have included in the column Factor/item. Look at chart Categories and try to group factors into categories, for example: physical factors (room, size, ventilation); teaching behaviour (style of positive reinforcement, e.g. smile, nod).

Categories

A	B	C	D
Physical factors	Teacher behaviour	External factors
Room size Ventilation Desk arrangement	Nods Calls by name Looking through the window Sitting the whole lesson	Noise from the corridor

2. Comment on anything you observed that:

—      surprised you;
I think nothing really surprised me, because I am aslo a student, so I now how it feels, when you have to sit in a room with no fresh air and force yourself to pay attention. 

—      puzzled you;

—      concerned you;
Pupils sitting next to the open windows, because it was quite cold outside, so it couldn't be very pleasant.

—      inspired you.
Unfortunately,the observation inspired me more in a way what not to do. The teacher was quite passive and the lesson seemed to be never ending.

3.  Reflecting on the overall ambience in the classroom, what general patterns or tendencies emerged? Are these related to any language patterns noticeable in the classroom? Would you venture any gen­eralisations based on what you have uncovered here? Consider, too, the extent to which we are entitled to generalise about something internal and invisible (that is, learning) from external signs or symptoms.

4.  Consider now Chart 3.1b, where you graphed one student's concen­tration, and possibly mood(s), over a portion of the lesson. Comment on the external factors that seemed to affect or shape the student's concentration.

5.  Teacher trainers are often at pains to emphasise that there is no such thing as one good or ideal teaching style, that there are as many styles, as there are teachers.

a  Do you agree?

b  Are there stylistic features that one associates with good language teaching?

c  How ´teachable´ and ´learnable´ is the concept of style?

REFLECTION

If you were asked to describe the sort of learning environment characteristic of the classrooms where you teach, what would you say? Can you identify any conscious strategies you use to generate this environment?