Classroom Design can Motivate Students and Make Learning Fun

Teachers who want to motivate students should consider making a classroom that inspires learning. Teachers can be creative and involve students as well.

Too often teachers look for tricks and tips to motivate students. Motivation is a complex subject and is not accomplished by rewards and bribes. Teachers must understand what works immediately, constantly, and consistently. One of the most essential motivational factors is classroom design.

The Classroom Should Promote Positive Feelings

 

Begin with neatness and organization. For teachers who need help with these issues a tour of the school might help. Examine other classrooms and imagine being a student. What aspects of the room are comforting and what are the “turnoffs?”

 

Look for things that encourage learning:

• Inspirational posters;
• Warm, pastel-colored walls — avoid white, or dark colors
• Learning centers with some books contributed by students;
• Live plants that students can care for;
• Politely posted class rules;
• A fan if need to circulate air if cooling is a problem;
• A bulletin board maintained with student input and help;
• A seating plan that avoids crowding students;
• A “time-out” area from individual students who are disruptive;
• Student work displayed.

 

The above list is not exhaustive ­— many other ideas will depend on particular situations. Whatever a teacher uses should be positive. The class rules, for example, don’t need to be a threatening list of “don’ts” and “no’s.”

 

Also, visitors to class should be able to discern quickly what is taught in the room, as the focus of displays and decorations should reflect the subject.

 

Student seating should avoid straight rows running front to back, if possible. This traditional arrangement tends to focus teacher attention to students in the middle and across the back in a “T” fashion. Students on the extreme side rows get less attention. Tables are often a better option than desks.

 

Teachers might want to consider having hand sanitizer available, but buy a large bottle to save on cost then refill a smaller bottle for student use. If a large bottle is available students will use it much more liberally. Also, if school rules allow, permit water bottles to reduce requests to leave the room. Proper hydration, by the way, enhances student learning.

 

Before doing anything, create a plan on paper. This will avoid dragging furniture around only to find that the plan doesn’t work. Create a design with students in mind. Be willing to accept reasonable student suggestions for change.

 

Classroom Design and Student Responsibility

 

The classroom is for students, not teachers. Teachers manage the class with the cooperation of students. Student assistance with specific features ­— i.e., bulletin boards — helps students develop responsibility. In order for students to become more responsible, they need opportunities to practice it. Preaching or lecturing about right and wrong is not as effective students doing things.

• Small tasks can be assigned to students to care for their classroom. The following is a partial list of possible tasks:
• Emptying pencil sharpeners;
• Keeping learning areas neat;
• Erasing boards or overhead projectors;
• Watering plants;
• Posting bulletins;
• Contributing reading material;
• Dusting.

However, all students are held accountable for keeping their immediate areas clean.This mainly includes desks and the surrounding floor area.

Negativity is Tempting but Should be Avoided

 

The frustrations of teaching are manifold and often encourage negativity like signs warning students who enter to be prepared ­— for example, "Do not enter without paper and pencil!!!" Students know they are supposed to be prepared and don’t need constant reminders from teachers. If students are consistently lacking paper and pencils, take the matter up with parents.

Sarcastic posters like “Your mother doesn’t work here” may seem cute, but are mean-spirited. Students will find pencils around the school that they can contribute to a “pencil cup” where extra pencils can be quietly borrowed. Each student might be willing to contribute to a paper stack. Of course, students who take advantage of these features should be subject to some disciplinary action or at least a contact with parents.

The pencil cup and other similar ideas are designed to encourage students to help each other and remove much of the petty bickering that occurs in classrooms about responsibility. Individual students will always vary in degrees of responsible behavior, and much of the difference is due to what they learn at home.

Do not give into the temptation of bribing difficult students with material rewards for changing responsibility. Doing the right thing is a matter of ethics, not to be linked to rewards. A digital camera is a handy device to have on hand so pictures of kids doing good things can be posted and emailed to parents.

Books with themes about character and responsibility should be available in class for students to borrow. Discussions about classroom successes or shortcomings will produce benefits.

Classrooms should be designed with student learning in mind. The color, learning centers, seating, and other factors affect the learning environment. Teachers can benefit from visiting other classrooms to borrow ideas. The design should address student needs and reflect a positive teacher attitude.

Sources:

• Marzano, Robert J., Marzano, Jana S., Pickering, Debra J. Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 2003.
• “Classroom Design and How it Influences Behavior,” communityplaythings.com. "Accessed: July, 21, 2011"

Harvey Craft

Jul 23, 2011

http://www.suite101.com/content/classroom-design-can-motivate-students-and-make-learning-fun-a381102