Summer is here but teachers every where are thinking, even if it is still 41 days away, about the new academic year. What will I display? What colours will I use?
Right now, I think of my classroom as a blank canvas that is awaiting to inspire, enthuse, and motivate my new class. But I wonder each summer just how important are the displays I choose in the classroom, are those hours spent creating the new classroom environment worth it, and how much is too much? How much is too much is always a difficult question for me to answer and often times I do think that I go overboard (just a little).
An environment that is stimulating is important. That statement may be overly simplistic and obvious but cannot be emphasized enough. Educational psychologists have found that the environment that a child has in the classroom can have a large impact on children's learning. There are classrooms that alienate children and those that engage them. There are classrooms that are cold and clinical and those that are comforting, warm, and inviting. Research shows that children who feel engaged in their classroom are more receptive to learning.
I may not be able to change the colour of the walls, the shape of the classroom, or how many windows it has, but what I can change is the way the classroom is perceived. For instance, banners, signs, and hanging displays can adjust the height of the room, adjust the light, and definitely make the humdrum yellow walls fade into the background. A genuine sense of excitement with pops of colour, in the classroom can make for excited students. When you enter a classroom that is thought out, colourful, and has a homey feeling, with quiet nooks; you can tell that the children are loved and entering a place in which they can learn, be nurtured and this nurturing, loving ambiance affects how well students grasp the concepts that are meant to be learned and thus students are happy they are learning.
The classroom can be many things. As well as making the classroom lovelier to look at, it can be a learning tool, a way of engaging children and building the class community and a means of creating a sense of ownership in the classroom. It can also provide a different kind of learning that is not just a place to get school work done, but a place that students can feel comfortable and happy.
