Adapting a learning environment to facilitate learning

Blog 5- Adapting a learning environment to facilitate learning

 In my first year, I decided to challenge myself. I was entering a new learning environment, besides for the desire to establish relationships with new peers, I also wanted my learning experience to be slightly different from the last. So I decided to sit in a different seat every lesson, pursuing a different view point. With this I found that by sitting in the same seat in every lesson you are more likely to settle in with the crowed you surround. You also tend to feel more comfortable and relaxed, so it becomes easier to be distracted as apposed to finding a new seat every lesson.

This brings me to the article by Abby Wills, Applying Mindfulness to Mundane Classroom. This made me question why I felt less distracted by finding a new seat every class. Was it because I was actively conditioning myself to learn, or was it because I was making a change to the mundane routines of attending class? I think that there is a level of comfort that plays a role in allowing students to become more susceptible to distraction. As a teacher, I think its important to be mindful of what will improve classroom dynamics to facilitate a better learning experience. Abby Wills has her own experiment which allowed for her to have a more suitable learning environment. A teacher should therefor consider changing or  adapting the learning environment of his/her classroom to improve and suit their teaching style. However, there is an exception to this. There is a definite line between improving the learning environment of a student and creating a distracting environment.

Effective Pedagogy- Teaching the whole child, by Foley suggests three steps to achieve effective pedagogy:
1- Pastoral care and student well-being
2- Effective teaching practices and the school environment
3- Class room resources.

He discusses the classical conditioning behaviorist theory to assist creating a school environment, which; individualizes the classroom to create an emotionally safe environment  and implements rules that promote courtesy respect.

Creating a suitable learning environment will assist both teacher and learner to experience better learning dynamics.

Facing Trials within Pedagogy

Blog entry- Facing Trials within Pedagogy

One thing for sure is that we certainly have a degree of uncertainty when it comes to pedagogy. There are so many ideologies yet to be explored in order to determine whether to adopt or drop in a school context. Do we need teachers or do we need facilitators? In the ever growing network of resources, have we reached a point where learners are better off learning by themselves and teaching each other apposed to the current conventional system.

Then I thought in terms of medicine, clinical trials are meant to facilitate the discovery of compatible drugs or therapies required for treatment. This provides insight into long term effects of the treatment and allows for us to adapt treatment more effectively. In contrast, it seems to me that discoveries in pedagogy aren't often adapted into education systems, is this because we're afraid of the long term effects, or how it effects tertiary studies?

This brings me to review the documentary The Independent Project (2011). The documentary investigates the ideology explored by a group of learners at Monument Mountain Regional High School who started their own school system. The learners determined what they study, how they study and then teach each other the content in their research or projects they conduct. Its a novel idea, but will it work for everyone, everywhere. Often there are principles that you have to understand well before you can advance in the field. There's a basal level, or threshold of understanding before you are able to advance in order for you to apply or combine previously learnt information with the new. Can the system, developed by the learners of Monument Mountain Regional High School, work as practically as the current system and can it practically prepare students for tertiary studies?

Out of my own experience I went for extra maths an science classes in my final school year at Master Maths, a tutoring organization that makes use of computer software to teach and test students to improve their grades. I personally benefited from the experience and I seldom required a teacher to explain a concept or problem. Only when I ran into problems, or struggled with a concept, the standby facilitator would then help me with my problem and then once I understood the concept he/she would move onto the next student with a raised hand. This system felt more interactive, I became more time efficient, covering work faster than I would have in my classroom at school. Then again, some of my friends had different experiences to me and insisted that Master Maths never worked for them.

With the rise in our global population, classrooms will become too full and teachers will become too few to teach, leading to an imbalanced ratio of teacher to learner. We need to start 'trialing' new ideologies to accommodate the future of pedagogy.

  

Tools of the Trade

Blog entry- Tools of the trade

To bring closure to what felt like a never ending search for accommodation in Stellenbosch, I have finally settled down into a flat with shorter than walking distance to class. I have three digs mates, a friendly group, we call ourselves "bugga's and babe" as there are three of us guys and a girl. I look forward to the year ahead and of course, the prospective stories that come with it.
So now that I'm settling in I guess it's time to pull up my socks and get those ducks in a row!

Davis discusses the many uses of social media in a class room. She suggests that by teaching learners how to use social media effectively, students are able to use it as a resource to facilitate learning, making your lessons,"more engaging, relevant and culturally diverse'' (Davis, V;2014). She gives examples of teachers who have used social media to enhance learning. I think it's very creative, I like the idea of facilitating learning whilst supporting a cause as done by Mrs. Standler.

Provenzano writes about how Remind allows teachers to communicate with their students after school allowing teachers to share handouts that were given in class,  as well as it keeps students informed and up to date.
Twitter allows for teachers to communicate with students outside of class, this facilitates class discussions, connecting students beyond the boundaries of school. With instagram Provenzato writes how taking photos and constructing hashtags related to a theme or unit covered in class, students are given more opportunities to think about the content and thereby improving their understanding of the material. Combining your blogging experience with twitter, students are able to discus work and make connections with individuals interested in the same topic.