Influences and Teaching Environments - Coursework Example

Teaching environments Running Head: Teaching environments Teaching Environments Teaching environments 2 Introduction Teaching is considered as a respected profession all over the world. Teachers are responsible for streamlining the new generation into constructive channels which is essential for the development of a healthy society and the nation. It is not necessary that a person of excellent academic calibre may become a good teacher. Teaching profession requires lot of skills which are essential for controlling both the internal and external environment of the classroom. The success of a teacher lies in how effectively he is able to control or manage the things in and around the classroom. Lot of parameters, positive and negative, controls the effectiveness of a class. It is easy to teach in a positive environment where all the students are bright and attentive to the class. But in reality, it is a distant dream. Students come to the class from different social, cultural, religious and economical backgrounds. Moreover their intellectual levels also may be different. The negative classroom conditions will make the teacher’s task more difficult. The awareness about common negative classroom conditions will make a teacher well prepared for managing such things effectively. Negative classroom conditions and disruptive behaviors 1. Poor quality of teaching Autocratic teachers use one-way communication while Democratic teachers use two-way communication (Group Processes in the Classroom) Autocratic teachers will never identify the problems of the students because their communication is from teacher to student only. But in a democratic teaching approach the communication take Teaching environments 3 place in two ways; teacher to student and student to teacher and hence effective learning also take place. Teacher has an important role in effective learning process of the students. He is the one who drives the learning vehicle. He should make adjustments in the steering to guide the learning vehicle in the proper track. The road may not be smooth enough to drive. Lot of obstacles, expected and unexpected can arise in this journey. But if the steering is in the safe hands then only the vehicle will reach the desired target. One of the most prominent problems of current education is the lack of skillful teachers. Most of the educated persons will be more focused in their careers and will work in some other fields and hence availability of good teachers is less in most of the countries. Even in developed countries like America and Britain these problems are there and they rely teachers from other countries like India to educate their children. Most of the foreign teachers may not be aware of their cultural differences with the students whom they are teaching and hence effective communication may not take place between the students and the teacher. Lots of refresher courses are there which offers the teacher the opportunity to learn current trends in the methodology of teaching. Teachers can make use of such programs to improve their teaching skills. 2. Lack of attentiveness by the students It is necessary to have all the students concentrate well in the class to acquire effective learning. But in practice it is difficult because of the excessive number of students in a class, other factors like difference in characters, behaviors and intellectual Teaching environments 4 levels etc. It is difficult for a teacher to teach in a class in which the students engage in some other activities. Lot of time will be wasted in such classes for controlling the students. Even the brighter students may not be able to concentrate well if their colleagues disturb the class. The teacher must conduct a case study of the problematic students who lack concentration in the class. Bases on the information the teacher can fine tune his approach in the class. For example if the student is non attentive because of the toughness of the topic, the teacher can make the lesson as simple as possible. 3. Lack of discipline or damaged teacher student relationships As per the research conducted by the department of school education, ‘Thimphu’ in 2001, teacher student relationship and classroom discipline along with student support services are considered important to cultivate and practice for classroom effectiveness. Material and furniture are of less importance. Teacher student relationship must be strong for effective communication between them. If a student fails to communicate properly with his teacher then he may not be able to understand the lessons properly and also he may not be able to clear his doubt which is essential for effective learning. The teacher must ensure proper discipline in the class and also he must ensure that all the students are following the lessons properly. For this the teacher must make a random check among the below average students to identify their level of grasping of the topic. This can be done through asking some questions or providing some assignments related to the topic. Teaching environments 5 4. Lack of facilities or infrastructure in the class room Infrastructure facilities of the class must be adequate for creating a better learning environment. All the students must have suitable and comfortable seating and also should have proper access to all the modern facilities like computer and internet. The classrooms must be spacious enough to accommodate all the students comfortably and also it should have proper air circulation, light etc. Students should not feel any discomfort in the classroom in order to achieve the learning properly. A well maintained library is a prerequisite for the references and also to the learning through reading. The teacher must ensure that all the students are comfortable with the facilities available and also he must ensure that the students utilizing the available resources properly. 5. Too much variations in the learning level or intellectual levels of the students Another important factor for the negative classroom environment is the difference in intellectual levels of the students. It is very difficult for a teacher to communicate effectively to all the students based on their intellectual levels. A simple approach may needed for the below average students while that may not be enough for the excellent students. The teacher needs to focus all the members of the class and if too much difference is there in the intellectual levels of the students in a class, it will negatively affect the learning and teaching process.The teacher must make extra efforts to clear the lessons to the below average students. If possible he must take extra classes for the needy students. Teaching environments 6 6. Excessive number of students in the classroom In most of the countries, the number of students in a class is more than 50 and hence it is difficult for the teacher to concentrate everybody. When the number of students increases in a class, the discipline will be reduced and it is difficult for the teacher to control the classes. The number of students in the class should be reduced to around 30 for effective learning. The teacher must try to convince the authorities about reducing the size of the class. 7. Economic , social and cultural differences among students Since most of the students in a class are coming from different social, cultural and economic backgrounds, their intellectual levels and personality traits may be different. For example, a student from a rich family may have access to all the learning sources like, computer, internet etc and hence he will learn things rapidly. But others may not be able to learn as quickly as him. The teacher may find it difficult to adapt himself to such situations. The teacher must take extra classes to the needy students in order to bring them to the desired level of learning. 8. Different beliefs in political ideologies “Conflicts arise in classrooms over incompatible procedures, goals, concepts, or interpersonal relationships” (Group Processes in the Classroom) Sometimes students may utilize the classrooms for spreading their political ideologies. Conflicting ideologies of different groups of students may cause problems in the class and also in some cases Teaching environments 7 it may result in violent encounters also. Politics and spreading of political ideologies must be prohibited from the school campus. The students who engage in such activities must be punished or dismissed from the school. 9. Lack of motivation of the students Most of the topics were discussed in the class without proper motivation to the students to the topic. The learning takes place only when the student develops curiosity in the topic. In order to develop such curiosity the teacher must introduce the lesson in a proper manner. 10. Overcrowded curriculum Compared to older curriculum the new curriculum is filled with so many topics. Each topic have wide syllabus and also it consist of lot of assignments and project works. During the ancient period the lecture method was used for learning in which the teacher was the active person. But in new curriculum the teacher acts as a guide to the students and hence the work load of the students increased immensely. Such huge workloads can create lack of interest in learning and hence the teacher must try to reduce the work load as much as possible. Conclusion The negative classroom conditions can affect the learning process badly. Poor quality of teaching, Lack of attentiveness by the students, Lack of discipline or damaged teacher student relationships, Lack of facilities or infrastructure in the class room, Too Teaching environments 8 much variations in the learning level or intellectual levels of the students, Excessive number of students in the classroom, Economic, social and cultural differences among students, Different beliefs in political ideologies, Lack of motivation of the students, Overcrowded curriculum etc are some of the factors which affect the negative classroom conditions. Teaching environments 9 References 1. Factors contributing to classroom effectiveness, A Study Report – 2001, Education monitoring & support services division, Department of ministry of education, Thimphu, Retrieved on February 28, 2009 from http://www.education.gov.bt/Publications/ClassRoom%20Effectiveness.pdf 2. Group Processes in the Classroom - Classroom as Group, A Social- Psychological View, Classroom Climate, Teaching Strategies, Retrieved on February 28, 2009 from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2022/Group-Processes-in-Classroom.html Read More

Most of the foreign teachers may not be aware of their cultural differences with the students whom they are teaching and hence effective communication may not take place between the students and the teacher. Lots of refresher courses are there which offers the teacher the opportunity to learn current trends in the methodology of teaching. Teachers can make use of such programs to improve their teaching skills. 2. Lack of attentiveness by the students It is necessary to have all the students concentrate well in the class to acquire effective learning.

But in practice it is difficult because of the excessive number of students in a class, other factors like difference in characters, behaviors and intellectual Teaching environments 4 levels etc. It is difficult for a teacher to teach in a class in which the students engage in some other activities. Lot of time will be wasted in such classes for controlling the students. Even the brighter students may not be able to concentrate well if their colleagues disturb the class. The teacher must conduct a case study of the problematic students who lack concentration in the class.

Bases on the information the teacher can fine tune his approach in the class. For example if the student is non attentive because of the toughness of the topic, the teacher can make the lesson as simple as possible. 3. Lack of discipline or damaged teacher student relationships As per the research conducted by the department of school education, ‘Thimphu’ in 2001, teacher student relationship and classroom discipline along with student support services are considered important to cultivate and practice for classroom effectiveness.

Material and furniture are of less importance. Teacher student relationship must be strong for effective communication between them. If a student fails to communicate properly with his teacher then he may not be able to understand the lessons properly and also he may not be able to clear his doubt which is essential for effective learning. The teacher must ensure proper discipline in the class and also he must ensure that all the students are following the lessons properly. For this the teacher must make a random check among the below average students to identify their level of grasping of the topic.

This can be done through asking some questions or providing some assignments related to the topic. Teaching environments 5 4. Lack of facilities or infrastructure in the class room Infrastructure facilities of the class must be adequate for creating a better learning environment. All the students must have suitable and comfortable seating and also should have proper access to all the modern facilities like computer and internet. The classrooms must be spacious enough to accommodate all the students comfortably and also it should have proper air circulation, light etc.

Students should not feel any discomfort in the classroom in order to achieve the learning properly. A well maintained library is a prerequisite for the references and also to the learning through reading. The teacher must ensure that all the students are comfortable with the facilities available and also he must ensure that the students utilizing the available resources properly. 5. Too much variations in the learning level or intellectual levels of the students Another important factor for the negative classroom environment is the difference in intellectual levels of the students.

It is very difficult for a teacher to communicate effectively to all the students based on their intellectual levels. A simple approach may needed for the below average students while that may not be enough for the excellent students. The teacher needs to focus all the members of the class and if too much difference is there in the intellectual levels of the students in a class, it will negatively affect the learning and teaching process.The teacher must make extra efforts to clear the lessons to the below average students.

If possible he must take extra classes for the needy students.

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