How Environment can Impact a Child’s Learning

There are many things that teachers need to contend with inside a classroom. Not only are they receiving students who come from different socio-economic backgrounds, they also have students who are stimulated or turned off by vastly different things. The classroom and school environment then has a very big impact on the learning that can happen. If a classroom is too hot, too cold, too bright, too dark, lack of fresh air, mildew, excessive noise, etc. All these can impact the learning of the students within the classroom. These factors might not affect all students, but as long as it affects the learning of some, it disrupts the flow of the entire class. Our troubling statement was “every child can learn.” It is troubling in this instance because not every child will react to classroom environments the same way as the others. If it is the teacher’s job to help these students learn, then they must find ways to overcome the challenges posed in the classroom environment.

Another factor present to teachers is the fact that it is becoming ever more common to include technology and new teaching methods inside the classroom. However, as most school were built quite a long time ago, with none of these accommodations in mind, it is hard to implement them so that they will function properly within the classroom without being a detriment to any student’s learning. For example, one of the most problematic architectural issues in schools is their accessibility (Disabilities Act). All students must be able to attend their classes, no matter where these classes are situated in the building. Some schools however, have no yet made these alterations and therefore the learning of some of the students who have any sort of disability is compromised. There are many factors that can impact a child’s learning that goes above and beyond the actual lesson of the day. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the teachers and the principal to resolve these issues in order to accommodate the learning of each and every student.

Source: http://www.igreenbuild.com/pdf/School%20Facilities%20Impact%2012-27-01.pdf

Kelly Maisonville