ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT.
ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT.
A series of research studies by University of Florida professors Gary Siebein and Carl Crandell revealed that noisy classrooms seriously impair students’ learning.
Observations in forty-seven Florida elementary, middle, and high schools revealed that most had background noise levels between forty and fifty-five decibels.
Most people have difficulty hearing once background noise reaches fifty decibels.
The research revealed that students seated more than twelve feet away from the teacher in noisy classrooms hear less than 5 percent of what their teachers say when addressing the whole class.
Research also shows that between 10 percent and 30 percent of students possess some kind of moderate to mild hearing impairment.
Noisy classrooms further impede the learning of students with attention deficit disorder.
Your classroom’s physical arrangement can minimize off-task behavior and invite learning.
Experiment with changing your room setup, including the arrangement of students’ desks, making it a regular part of your preparation.
Here is what to do
Be creative in arranging your room.
- You need not be bound by the traditional configurations, with everything arranged in a rectangle.
- Filing cabinets or bookshelves do not have to be placed against the walls.
- Placed at right angles to the wall, they create study areas or redirect traffic.
Plan the traffic patterns you wish to create.
- Keep high-traffic areas, such as the pencil sharpener, clear of obstructions.
- If a student’s desk is immediately in front of the pencil sharpener, a disturbance is inevitable when other students use the sharpener.
- Avoid patterns that create congestion by funnelling many students through a small path.
Keep the room tidy.
- Before allowing a class to leave the room, have students pick up litter around their desks.
- A cluttered and dirty environment invites further abuse.
- Similarly, have any graffiti removed immediately.
- Research has shown that graffiti’s presence serves as a stimulus for more graffiti.
- Removal may involve some additional effort at first, but it saves time and damage later.
- Avoid creating an impression that abuse of the room is acceptable.
When working with small groups, place their chairs so that the students face away from the rest of the class.
This prevents them from being distracted by the rest of the class, and it allows you to monitor all students.
If an aide is working with small groups, you may use a portable chalkboard to screen the small-group activity from the rest of the class.
Use posters, decorations, banners, signs, artifacts, and displays to create an inviting atmosphere.
Changing them periodically to reflect the topic your class is studying is especially effective.
Before school begins, inspect your classroom to identify any broken, dirty, or unsightly clutter.
Broken windows, hinges, desks, shades, or locks should be repaired or replaced.
It may take time, but see your principal about how to get these things done.
Don’t give up easily if you encounter delays.
Doing some smaller tasks yourself may be easier.
Basic tips for improving classroom communication and sound.
- Close the classroom door to eliminate ambient hallway noise.
- Keep windows closed if
- Cover hard surfaces with sound-absorbing materials (acoustic tiling, carpeting, cork, or cloth).
- Ideally, floors should be carpeted and windows curtained.
- If floors are not carpeted, cover chair feet with slit tennis
- Use felt or cork pads on desk lids to minimize noise from opening and
- Turn off computers and printers when not in use.
- From the beginning of the year, set noise rules: indoor voices only, no slamming books or doors.
- Get every student’s attention before
- At the beginning of the year, establish a nonverbal cue to signal that students are to stop talking and
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