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March 26, 2006
Adding life to the classroom
THIS article explores ways of livening up the classroom atmosphere, thus resulting in better teaching and learning coupled with a keen sense of belonging to a classroom culture. A classroom is not only a place where a learner takes in the knowledge and gives feedback but a physical space where learning is enhanced and windows are opened for exploring new vistas.
In our schools a typical classroom is enclosed within four walls and has benches or table-cum chairs lined in rows. A blackboard is fitted right on the opposite wall with a teacher’s desk either in front or at the side. The space on the vacant walls may or may not have a display board.
The teaching/learning sessions seem to be usually quite mundane. Students are expected to come in everyday, greet the teacher, seat themselves in their respective places with their backpacks and begin with the routine class activity of the day. The teacher enters the class with his/her instructional material. He/she begins right away with the curriculum in mind deviating little to accommodate students’ questions or to offer them much in the form of an explanation.
There may be small bouts of activity when a student passes a funny remark or indulges in a clownish antic which induces laughter or even when misbehaviour demands the teacher’s attention. But that is all that happens. Eventually, it’s time to go home and that is when the students are most excited because they can then get away from the classroom walls and head towards the bright world outside. Similarly, the teachers too are relieved; glad to return home after completing yet another satisfactory (in their mind) day of scheduled tasks and activities.
The above indicates how teaching and learning have been suffocated within the walls of a typical classroom in Pakistan, with little opening for fresh air from the outside world. The question that comes to mind is that how does one expect to learn new things and grasp concepts when the learning environment itself is so and lifeless and where teaching/learning is a singularly one-way process.
A classroom should be an area full of activity, colour, experiments and variety. It should be a place where learners climb aboard the reading train, tackle the number dragons, experiment with the science wizards, explore the world in a hot air balloon (metaphorically of course) or paint the sky in rainbow colours. This is only possible when we stop looking at a class within the four walls but beyond it.
Life can enter the classroom but with a little imagination. To begin with, the setting of the classroom can be made more inviting for learners. This can be done by re-arranging the way the desks are laid out, or if the students are asked to change their seats every week and sit with different classmates. The latter innovation can help them in getting to know all their classmates and in deriving benefit from each other’s strengths while complementing weaknesses.
If a class is spacious then work areas can be set up in the corners. For instance, basic skills work centres can be created focusing on English, math, science, social studies and arts skills. When a student completes a designated task, he or she can get more material from there and move on to another work area (to work on another subject). This way the student can work at his or her own pace and will not be hampered by what other classmates are doing. Also, there should be no restriction and students should be allowed to pick material from any work area according to their interests. This will arouse their curiosity and enable them to learn faster.
Display boards can be used in a classroom to provide a space to students to post newspaper items, quotes, cartoon clips, interesting facts, or even challenging problems that need to be solved. A classroom should also have a calendar and a list of duties to be performed by students to help maintain classroom decorum.
The display board should be updated bi-weekly to keep it topical. A display board also goes a long way in reflecting a class’s character and uniqueness. Charts are another way for students to show their creativity and besides they add colour to the classroom walls. The charts can be changed as the class progresses to newer texts, topics and subjects.
Variety can be added by holding class outside under a shady area so that the students can get close to nature. A change from the classroom boundaries once in a while can be refreshing. The areas surrounding a classroom can be used to link things taught in a class because real-life examples are far more effective in helping students retain knowledge and information.
Moreover, small skits, presentations and debates should be held to boost the confidence levels of students and add fun to what is being taught. Such activities should be group-oriented so that students can learn how to work in teams and also get a taste of healthy competition. Above all, the teacher should act as a coordinator and a facilitator to the whole learning process.
A classroom should always be a place to which a learner has a sense of belonging. He/she should be able to identify with the class culture and feel safe in expressing his/her feelings and opinions. A classroom atmosphere that is able to accomplish this will score high on the learning scale. While rejuvenating a classroom this should be the primary objective and if this is achieved then it can be safely said that life has been injected into an otherwise staid and dull learning environment.
Note: These classroom improvement techniques present an ideal application for classes I to X.
Email: shehlap@hotmail.com
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