I’m not quite sure how I plan to provide a social and intellectual environment in which students can learn, but today I definitely experienced how NOT to do that in a classroom. Today was my very first day as a substitute teacher and I subbed for a special ed teacher. Her classroom was not a social or intellectual environment in which students could learn. It was more like a prison cell. The walls were bare and the desks were in rows facing the wall. At most, there were 30 books in the entire classroom. It was not an environment I would ever want to teach in or force others to learn in. I will use this classroom as one example of what I do not plan to use as a model for my own classroom.
When we ranked the four components in class on Monday, I chose ambience as being the most important. If you think of any uncomfortable social situation you have been in, it probably wasn’t the resources provided, physical environment or the time that has made it uncomfortable. It is the ambience, the mood, in that point in time that has made you uncomfortable. So when I teach I would like to provide a social and intellectual environment with a positive ambience in which students can learn.
I do think the other components are important to education, but without the right ambience the students will most likely have trouble learning. Ambience may be the most important component to me, but all of the components can work together to create the ideal social and intellectual environment.
oh dang! it's 12:02...2 mins late :(
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6 comments:
that is definitly a great example of non-ambience. i dont know where you taught, but half the classrooms at elyria high are like that. its like they are just temporary set-ups. the teachers dont even get their "own" room. its a shame that students have to suffer because of this.
The next time they call you to come in and sub for Col. Klink, 'just say no.'
I believe that you learned an important lesson on your first day substituting. What a great opportunity to see a real classroom environment. Regardless of the situation you are learning by doing. Good luck!
In class I chose 'time' as no. 1, but I think everybody has pretty much convinced me that it is 'ambience.' I concur with your insight about how an uncomfortable setting could be such a paralyzing distraction to the learning process.
Yes, Mark, I agree. I think you hit the nail on the head, Kristin: "If you think of any uncomfortable social situation you have been in, it probably wasn’t the resources provided, physical environment or the time that has made it uncomfortable. It is the ambience, the mood, in that point in time that has made you uncomfortable. Of course, again, as you said, "all of the components can work together to create the ideal social and intellectual environment."
oh dang! it's 12:02...2 mins late :(
[If you notice, the time is off for some reason..so you got in--with time to spare! :)]
The great supreme court quote is paraphrased "pornography is hard to define but you know offensive when you see it". I believe you witnessed something offensive to your morality, your sense of right and wrong.
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