In the second of two articles Agustina Savini explains how the teacher-learning process is vital in creating a good classroom environment.
This article follows on from my first article on how to create a good learning environment for students. The teacher-learning process is just as important in creating a good learning environment as the physical characteristics of a classroom. In this article I consider some important steps to help foster a good teacher-learning process.
Set the agenda
If they know what will be expected from them during the lesson, learners will feel more at ease. I would suggest writing down the different stages of the lesson on a corner of the board. You can then use these stages as objectives to be fulfilled and the lesson becomes more purposeful. Also, your students could give their opinion as to the order of the activities thus making you, the teacher, a ‘democratic leader’.
Go back to the roots
As teachers, it is important to always think about how we present relevant content. A task will be much more meaningful to students if the proposed activity appeals to the right hemisphere of the brain. This side of the brain is engaged with more emotional tasks. Therefore you could design exercises to encourage creation, games, imagery, songs, metaphors, videos and dialogues.
Be the guiding light
When setting a task, remember the CCC rule: clear, concise and coherent. It is also important to show students what you mean by providing an example. Do not just ask ‘do you understand?’ In most cases, students will say they understand even when they have misinterpreted the instructions or are not sure. Instead, you could use ‘concept checking questions’. For example, if students are doing a true or false activity based on a text, the questions could be: a) what do you have to do first? b) how many statements are there in the exercise? c) what do you have to answer? In an exam, always make sure the students know what they have to do. If they need clarification regarding a task, help them to actually understand it by paraphrasing the instructions given.
Different strokes for different folks
No matter the target language, try to think about activities that will appeal to the different learning styles – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. Visual learners like pictures, posters, slides, drawings, different colours and gestures. Auditory learners will prefer songs, speeches and talking. Finally, kinaesthetic students learn better by touching, playing, feeling and experimenting.
The milestone of the lesson
How will learners know that the activity they have just done was purposeful and meaningful? Always remember to provide relevant and accurate feedback by encouraging students’ participation. This stage is sometimes feared by some people, especially by those shy or weak learners who do not feel comfortable speaking in class.
A solution to this would be to have a pair-check instance prior to whole-class feedback. This, together with your careful monitoring, will help you know who could handle the activity successfully. It will also help you determine who would feel at ease providing answers aloud. If you have noticed that a reserved or weak student has been able to complete the task,you could give them the opportunity to participate in the feedback thus bolstering their confidence.
Make the invisible visible
To round up the lesson, go back to the initial agenda and check with your students whether all the stages have been successfully accomplished. This will give you accurate information on how well you have planned the lesson regarding timing, level of difficulty and learners’ interest. You can complement this activity by telling your pupils to comment on different aspects of the lesson. This would also help them develop their critical thinking. Some possible questions could be: what have we learned today? where/when can it be applied?
A brain-compatible environment can only be created by a single-minded, passionate teacher. I always remember the words of María Montessori: “plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission”.