Having a good learning environment is vital to student success. In the first of two articles Agustina Savini explains why and gives advice on how to set the right classroom atmosphere.
Why might learners still show lack of interest or concentration even when the lesson is highly interesting and well-delivered? The very first challenge of learning is to create a brain-compatible environment. This is even more important than the essential task of motivating students. In order to do so, there are two main aspects to bear in mind: the physical environment and the teaching-learning process. This article considers the physical environment.
Setting the right atmosphere
Below, you will find key aspects in the design of an appealing, non-threatening classroom. Although these may seem like common sense suggestions, they all have scientific foundations that back them up.
See in a new light
Lighting influences our well-being in many facets of life, including our learning mechanism. Make sure that the classroom gets natural daylight or warm lighting as this will boost their concentration levels and prevent numbness. In the absence of light, the brain produces more melatonin (a hormone that is involved in controlling biorhythms, such as our sleep pattern) and this slows down cognitive processes.
The right climate of opinion
Body temperature is controlled by the hypothalamus, the brain’s thermoregulator, which is an area that keeps our body stable. The hypothalamus makes us sweat when we are hot and tremble under freezing conditions to help us reach a balance. If your students are too hot or too cold, the hypothalamus will struggle to work effectively, meaning a period of concentration loss may occur.
Come on in, the water’s fine!
When our organism starts feeling that there is absence of water and dehydration occurs, our memory is affected. Always make sure there is a jugful of water in the classroom. If students can have some water whenever they need it, this may help them achieve better results while working in class.
Think positive: ‘I can’ is more important than ‘IQ’!
As teachers, we are all aware of the importance of being inspirational leaders. We can help our students be more self-confident by encouraging them to write ‘affirmative messages’ to be placed on the classroom walls. Apart from being in the affirmative form, they should be in the first person singular or plural, present tense. Help them to think about their weak areas and turn them into an ‘I-can-do-it’ attitude. The brain believes everything we make it believe. For example, if you are going to work on writing, an affirmative message would be ‘I am improving my spelling’. It is important to do this at the beginning of the lesson so that these messages become realistic goals to attain.
Don’t fail the smell test
Smells are probably more powerful than you can imagine. They allow the brain to produce anchoring. Anchoring occurs when an external stimulus triggers an internal response related to a past experience. If you use smells while students work on an activity they are keen on and then use the same smells during an exam, the learners will feel more at ease and the results will be better. Lemon, lavender and mint are particularly good for our memory performance.
Jazz it up!
Music is also a very important factor in learning. It has been shown that music improves performance levels when played at the beginning of a new topic. Music can also relax students or cheer them up if they are feeling down. When using the right side of their brain (e.g. when they are doing something creative), it is a good idea to play background music as it may improve performance. However, when students are using the left side of their brain (e.g. when they are doing grammar exercises), it is not a good idea to play music as this can lead to lapses in concentration. This is especially the case in very auditory students who might just pay attention to the music and not to their work.
Keep everything in order
Students are mostly visual. Disorganisation may therefore be off-putting or distracting for students. Make sure the classroom is in order and that they know where to find material easily.
Flying colours
When thinking about the classroom design, you should take into account the colours you will choose for posters, drawings, pictures and any other material that will determine the classroom colour scheme. Avoid very intense colours such as red, violet or black. Brain-compatible colours tend to be pastel shades like light green, soft yellow, pale pink or light blue. Make sure you check out the second of Agustina’s articles on creating a neuro-learning environment.