Chapter 6 Blog: My Classroom enviornment!

I found this chapter very interesting and educational. It really made me think about what type of classroom environment I have. While reading this chapter and the part on learner centered environment, I realized that this is the type of classroom environment I use.

In a special education classroom I believe that teachers must use learner centered because students in this type of situation feel more confident when they do the work on their own and come up with the answers on their own. Through my experiences I found that my students care less about the problems I solve for them or the projects that I develop. Students want to take pride in their work and I also believe that student comprehend the work more if they take ownership.

Instead of boring you with a description of what is the meaning of a learner centered environment, I found some tips on creating an effective learning environment and a learner centered environment.

To create an effective learning situation in the classroom, Combs (1976) says that three characteristics are needed:

Combs, A.W. (1976). Fostering maximum development of the individual. In W. Van Til & K.J. Rehage (Eds.). Issues in secondary education. (NSSE Yearbook, 1976). Chicago: National Society for the Study of Education.

1.)The atmosphere should facilitate the exploration of meaning. Learners must feel safe and accepted. They need to understand both the risks and rewards of seeking new knowledge and understanding. The classroom must provide for involvement, interaction, and socialization, along with a business-like approach to getting the job done.

2.)The atmosphere should facilitate the exploration of meaning. Learners must feel safe and accepted. They need to understand both the risks and rewards of seeking new knowledge and understanding. The classroom must provide for involvement, interaction, and socialization, along with a business-like approach to getting the job done.

3.)Learners must be given frequent opportunities to confront new information and experiences in the search for meaning. However, these opportunities need to be provided in ways that allow students to do more than just receive information. Students must be allowed to confront new challenges using their past experience without the dominance of a teacher/giver of information.
New meaning should be acquired through a process of personal discovery. The methods used to encourage such personal discovery must be highly individualized and adapted to the learner's own style and pace for learning.

In A Different Kind of Classroom (1992), Robert Marzano makes six assumptions about creating a learning-centered classroom:

Marzano, R.J. (1992). A different kind of classroom: Teaching with dimensions of learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Instruction must reflect the best of what we know about how learning occurs.

1.)Learning involves a complex system of interactive processes that includes five types of thinking the five dimensions of learning.
What we know about learning indicates that instruction focusing on large, interdisciplinary curricular themes is the most effective way to promote learning.

2.)The K-12 curriculum should include explicit teaching of higher-level attitudes and perceptions and mental habits that facilitate learning.
A comprehensive approach to instruction includes at least two distinct types of instruction: teacher-directed and student-directed.

3.)Assessment should focus on students' use of knowledge and complex reasoning rather than their recall of low-level information.