Assigning science projects, making use of computer-based activities like creating a classroom WebQuest, that require outside research and nontraditional learning situations make children more independent learners, and facilitate teamwork and other important social skills.
Classroom layout
Almost every teacher knows that the less confident students in the class often tend to gravitate to the back. Preventing this from occurring is easy to do by rearranging student's desks in the shape of a horseshoe, or rotating student's seating patterns. Also, it may be necessary for a teacher to split up 'best friends' sitting in pairs may to minimize distractions within some classroom dynamics.
Creating a positive educational environment is also tied to creating a friendly and hospitable environment that suggests learning...
Filling the classroom with bright posters that relate to the current topics being studied creates a sense that learning is fun. Decorating the class with student artwork creates a personal sense of
investment in the
classroom environment.
Engineering the classroom to foster certain educational objectives for the year may be beneficial, like having a 'quiet corner' near the classroom library for
reading, having a computer cluster where students can conduct research on appropriate topics, or including a terrarium of animal and plant life to make science lessons come to life.
Conclusion
Learning should be a multisensory experience, drawing upon life outside of the classroom, and the classroom should contain multiple sources of learning reinforcement to create a world in which children who learn in many ways can experience different ways of acquiring knowledge, from art projects to experiments to out-of -- the classroom trips. Combing individualized learning strategies while enabling students work with others should be at the core of the classroom experience.
