Good Learning Environments and How to Create Them
As technology continues to grow, with many educators and learners climbing on the internet to either learn and educate individuals situated across the country, both seek a learning environment that crosses traditional boundaries. The general classroom has risen to hold growth for development and technology, pushing the learning capacity of students and teaching strategies of teachers to hit a new road. Both parties envision themselves to be a part of a changed learning setting that provides a sense of achievement while adopting and interacting with learners and educators alike.
A learning environment is a diverse platform where users interact with one another to get skills and build existing ones. While learners can learn from a variety of resources, this term refers to the more than just a generic classroom setting. Here is everything you need to know about a Good Learning Environment, and how to create one on your own.
Components and Importance of an Effective Learning Environment
Teaching is one of the most important tasks that can be taken up by an individual, including changes into traditional teaching methods requires a certain amount of creativity. The focus is either on the physical learning environments (institutional) like lecture theaters, classrooms, or labs; or on different technologies that are used to develop online learning environments.
Components of a learning environment are:
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Learners' characteristics,
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Learning and teaching goals,
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Activities that support learning
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Assessment strategies that drive and measure learning,
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A culture that directly infuses a learning environment.
Social, physical, psychological or cultural factors involved in a learning environment deeply affect the learners' learning capabilities. If the learning atmosphere is not conducive to gaining new knowledge or skills, it will be hard for learners to remain engaged. A learning environment is a great attribute to the success of the learner. It offers a positive ambiance to feel motivated and engaged. An ideal learning setting encourages the interaction with learners/instructors and eventually establishes a sense of support.
Factors that form a Positive Learning Environment
Following are the prime factors that contribute to establishing an effective and positive learning environment.
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Establish a supportive learning culture. Each member of the learning community should feel connected to the learning environment and courses you create. They must feel like they're contributing to the overall environment while being a bigger and important part of a supportive learning culture.
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Address Learners' Needs. Learners also have some psychological needs for order and security, love and belonging, competence and fun. It is important to meet these needs at all times and to help learners progress and be taught with a positive attitude. Any learning environment, where instructors accommodate these intrinsic needs, learners tend to be happier and more engaging.
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Keep it positive. Learners have increased positive responses when they receive appreciation. Appreciation is the key to motivation, and students appreciate the freedom to express their opinions, similar to the opinions of their peers which also play a crucial role in defining their learning attitude. The best way to cut down on negative behavior is to start correcting the behavior without highlighting the names of the ones making mistakes.
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Provide Feedback. Feedback builds connection between the learner and the educator, and sets the efforts to learn in the right direction. This is vital for learners as it helps them in tracking their progress and in changing their learning strategy accordingly. It helps them recognize their weak areas while improving the developed skills.
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Celebrate success. In addition to feedback and appreciation, another way to establish a positive and effective learning environment is to celebrate the learners' success. This could be anything from a shout out to a big regard. When learners' achievements are recognized and shared by the instructors with the other learners, it creates a sense of achievement and fosters healthy learning behavior.
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