School is likely a central part of your child’s upbringing. Whether that’s through an educational institute or even home-schooling, what matters most is that they get the education that they deserve. And a lot of parents are pushing to give their child the best education they can from as early an age as possible. Furthermore, some parents are looking to give their child the edge, be it through a private instruction or extra classes. But what types of learning environment have the most potential benefit for your girl or boy?
3 Types of Learning Environment to Look For
Here are three learning environments and, more importantly, what to look for within them to help your child get the best possible school experience possible.
The Working Environment
It’s very important for you as a parent to always double and triple check the classes that you enroll your child in this year. And while this might seem common sense, I want to stress never to send your child to a school that you haven’t had a proper look around.
Every school is different, and every kid is different. If you truly want your child to shine, then you need to send them to the right school for them.
If your child has special needs, for example, then make sure that the particular school can accommodate their needs. If your son or daughter is unhappy at school, due to not getting enough support, then they won’t do as well as they might otherwise as the types of learning environment matter significantly.
Having a good work environment can really help your child’s development. Thus, it’s important to make sure that your child is happy at their school or in homeschooling.
Appearances Matter (In This Case)
Whaaaa?! Don’t go by appearances, Christy! Yes, I know, but in this instance I’m making an exception. Sort of.
By “appearances,” I mean that ideally your boy or girl is in a classroom that looks inspiring. And by “inspiring,” I mean that it’s light and airy, as well as spacious. The desks aren’t jammed against each other, preventing the children from being able to breathe freely. There’s a friendly vibe instead of a hostile one too.
While it might sound fluffy, hear me out. Having a positive, friendly looking school can really help children as they’ll likely feel more excitment about going to school and learning in general.
Of course, every school is different, every school will teach things differently, and every school will look different.
However, some of the best schools are the ones that acknowledge the importance of creating fun and creative learning facilities. A lot of schools have now started doing school refurbishments to help them create a positive type of learning environment for children.
Indeed, the primary objective of the classroom layout – or your residence, if it’s a homeschooling approach – is to facilitate learning. And I want to add that it’s very important to create diverse classrooms that reflect the diversity of the community it’s in.
Compare all of that to a classroom that is dull and grey. Nope, the kids probably won’t be as excited to come to school as they might be with a bit of the aforementioned inspiration.
Teacher Happiness
When teachers care and believe in students, the results can be phenomenal. As one Detroit primary school found, their happiness school culture positively affected students’ brains. The bonding between teacher and student, as well as their recognition of the childrens’ successes were part of the happiness type of learning environment.
Take a step back and think about how it would feel as a kid and as a parent to feel that the teachers are happy to be there. Awesome, right? It’s good energy. And not just the teachers being happy either; let’s extend that to all staff as they are all integral to a well-functioning school, from the admin positions to the cleaners.
It’s in this type of high-morale environment that your child can strongly benefit. Positivity spreads from person to person; let’s keep it going!
Final Words on Types of Learning Environment
Learning is fun, learning is good, but if the school isn’t the right environment for your youngster, then it might be time to consider leaving it. Aim for your child to get the most out of their learning experience at school, even if this means that you start homeschooling them instead.
What are some other important elements or types of learning environment?
“Teacher Happiness” – a very good point but how could a parent possibly know, as an outsider, whether the teachers inside school are happy with their jobs ? Indeed teacher’s mindset how teaching, learning and children are valued, makes a prime difference, for the children not only get education but also imbibe virtues from their teacher.
Yes, on-the-job satisfaction is crucial in any industry. Great point.
Superb article christy
Thank you kindly!
Thanks for your share. I’ve taught for many years, and always did my best to educate and get the students to see things for themselves with responsibility. I applaud teachers who do their very best, but also those parents who take it upon their shoulders to educate their kids. We all can work together.
Yes, it’s a joint effort really. Learning doesn’t have to be dull and that’s what I learned from my favorite teachers :) Thanks for the great comment!
It is always important that the learning environment match the needs of the learner. Parents need to advocate for their children.
Indeed, Norah. As a said today to another commenter, being an active parent is huge.
It is the most important thing in the world.
Very informative post
Perhaps children learn the most from their parents, thus the environment of homes should be learning-friendly
Excellent comment, yes!
Funny how parents can tend to ignore the learning environment. One classroom may be perfect for most children, but not for all. Good post.
True. We all take in information slightly differently…
Great article, Christy! For my kids, of equal importance to making learning fun was to prevent boredom, and keep them challenged. We utilized supplemental material and classes offered by the school as well as trips, books and other resources from outside.
It sounds like you took an active approach in your childrens’ schooling and that’s terrific to hear, Amy!
This post is just the tip of the iceberg, but such factors are definitely worth taking into consideration.
Thanks Jeri
Wonderful posting, Christy! Its very important how children are educated. Learning has to be fun, whenever possible. Good teaching for children is the best we can do for the future. Michael
Bring on the fun ways of learning, Michael!
So true, Christy! Hope you had/ have a nice day? Best wishes, MIchael
Thank you, Michael. I hurt my back so lots of laying down and hot/cold packs. Hope to be back to 100% next week :)
very important topic choose…in my opinion easy environment is the best….for every child…
Yes, with “easy” being different to different children of course…
As a retired teacher of thirty-one years at the elementary level, I’m glad to see articles such as this, Christy. A common mistake that some schools, teachers, governments, and parents make is to try and fit everyone into a one size fits all learning environment. Not all schools are equal (I’m talking beyond test scores) and certainly not all kids are equal. Two very bright children can have different experiences in the same school because there are so many individual learning styles. Not every kid is going to do well in a rigid system just as not every child is going to excel in a looser system that emphasizes creativity.
If you spend a little time in a school, you will get a sense of the overall vibe from the administration, teachers, support staff, and most of all, the children. I tried to make my classroom be a fun place where we would have fun learning together, appreciate individual differences, and create a safe space where it was okay to make a mistake and know that the teacher or students wouldn’t put another student down.
Most of the people I worked with (there were exceptions) were incredibly dedicated to their craft and to their students. The job is getting harder all the time because schools have to deal with all of society’s problems. There are far more angry kids now than when I started, and schools are expected to provide an education for ALL children when you sometimes feel like your hands are tied.
In spite of it all, it was the hardest and most rewarding job I ever had. I hear from former students every year thanking me for being their teacher and teaching them valuable life lessons. I have so much pride when I see former students who have grown into fantastic people who are becoming leaders of the next generation. You can’t put a price on that feeling.
Pete, I can tell from this comment the care you took as a teacher and have no doubt that you had a positive impact on many students. You helped raise some amazing kids, I’m sure! Thank you for being one of the teachers who pour their heart and soul into what they do.
I substuted many years a
nd my goal was to present high quality and morals
Excellent vision!
A most useful post, Christy. Sharing.
Thank you for the generous shares, Robbie
Great article! Children certainly need a place where they could feel the positive vibes.
Absolutely!