Hi Barbara!
I find that students like and appreciate visuals.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
As an interior design instructor I often bring my own rendering/sketching supplies into the classroom and encourage my students to use them as they explore their projects. Typically within a week they are bringing their own supplies and trying new methods and techniques based upon the new materials that they have been introduced to. What used to be a topic of frustration about sketching has become fun!
Since I teach advertising and graphic design courses, I am constantly using visuals to help retain student interest in the classroom. My visual aids include quicktimes of TV commercials, jpeg's or pdf's of print work (magazine, newspaper, outdoor, guerilla, etc.), and power point presentations to explain more in detail class direction. The power point presentations are usually created using black type(sans serif) on white backgrounds. Simplicity seems to help student focus and retention.
In regards to class seating, I'm usually confined with the way the clasroom is structered.
I've never used color as a tool in improving the learning environment. However after this forum, I probably will start.
Great approach Frederic!
I couldn't agree more that students' enjoy seeing the fruits of their labors and it brightens up the room.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
Hi Rena!
Good job! The success is in the doing and you have demonstrated how this works in a classroom.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
using posters, spices,fresh herbs, fruits vegetable displays, changing the seating every day,using slides and power points,introducing and matching musical theme with the syllibi. ex: sushi day = traditional japanese music.
I will use color papers for quizes and tests. I will use cartoon pictures on my powerpoint presentations that look interest to my students. My classrooms are arrange in U shape that it's easy for students to ask questions.
Music is a good tool - this can affect the mood of the entire class.
use color to organize powerpoints in lecture classes I teach, use student work as visuals, rearrange seating for task at hand.
Sometimes I actually have students watch educational movies when they're working on design projects in order to keep them 'informed' and let their subconscious take over. It had usually yielded good, imaginative work.
sounds like a good idea - it probably keeps the session from turning into a social hour.
I use music to affect my students additude. It realy helps.
I like the idea of rearranging the seating in my classrooms. I find it interesting that once a student chooses a place to sit in my classes, most never vary their location. Changing the seating will brek that up. I also agree that when students face each other, it gives them a sense that they too are a participant in the learning process. I enhance this by constantly moving among the students as I lecture.
I also plan to use more visuals in my Art History classes. There are many wonderful photos in my text, but this must be enhanced by power point visuals, films and I like the idea of hand made signs that could be quotes, agendas, or reviews.
My learning environments change depending on whether they are virtual or live. One thing that I try to keep in mind is that not everyone perceives color the same way and be aware of not being too sensory with the space. Using large sheets of paper, groups, and creative supplies work in a live situation, whereas visuals, sometimes color and music can work in the virtual invironment. I often do not "own" the space so plants and major changes are not possible, but when I have used corporate spaces they often do include effective lighting, plants, color etc.
Some of the ideas for altering the learning space would be unacceptable to facilities, sprinkling confetti and bringing plants into the classroom come to mind first. I'd like to see the research behind some of those suggestions. Students have enough distractions and some of the things listed seem counter-intuitive. Not that our intuitions are always right - I just hope that there isn't somebody sitting around making this stuff up and suggesting it in a training module.....
Each day, I have an activity that requires the student to participate in some manner. Many of the activities utilize colored tools that must be gathered to complete the task. Using different seating arrangements also involves having students working in different groups to promote discussion of the daily topic.
I would use mostly green marker to write on the board, while lecturing. Peripheral learning is used a lot in my kids school. I will try to put quotes and charts in my rooms. We have rectangular tables, so I would keep the seating arrangement in the classroom as suggested in module 2.
I always wanted to keep plants in the classroom. Plants and organisms in the soil absorb pollutants. I would buy plants and keep it in the rooms. Next semester, I have day classes, I know I can easily get Basil and Rosemary plants.
I will also include instrumental music along with my powerpoint presentations.
Greetings Randy!
I am a business instructor at a local career trades college. This is a new program here so I am starting everything from scratch. So- I have been trying to put together an eye-appealing room as well as things that are educational. I had no trouble with the educational part but the eye appeal stumped me a bit. I went to the teachers and students store and found some fun and very colorful classroom fillers as I call them - colored stars, board trimmers, a couple of posters and I must say to you that it really made a difference in a very stark room. I spent $35!
So it is possible to change a rooms feel on a very small budget.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
Hi Vinita!
I would love to be in your class! Please read the response to Randy's post on some small things that I have done in my classroom.
I like the idea of herbs!
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
Hi Lisa!
Thanks for your observation! I do agree that several things should be taken into consideraton when perparing a classroom for students. I firmly believe student opinions and reactions are excellent indicators of a facilitators classroom setup. We can certainly over do it!
What suggestions do you have?
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
