Creating an ideal learning environment
Children tend to have a short attention span and this makes it difficult for them to focus on one thing over a long duration of time. They are also easily distracted and tend to get bored and this makes it hard to get them to concentrate in places like schools during lessons. While their short attention span makes teaching difficult, it is something that can be overcome using the right approach in an ideal learning environment. When teaching children in the ages of between 1 and 5 years, an inclusive learning environment can be on that motivates the students to share in the activities that go on in class; respect teachers as well as each other; encourages teamwork; encourages equality; and teaches them the importance of following rules.
In order to achieve and maintain such an environment, teachers should start by employing teaching methods that take into account the children’s needs, short attention span and other factors that may differ from the methods used to teach adults. Since the main issue is distraction and boredom, a solution would be to use teaching materials that are exciting and capture the children’s interests. The use of songs, pictures and storytelling for instance is likely to keep the students interested enough to learn what they are being taught. To motivate students, teachers could ask them to go around singing songs and reading stories out loud. Those that sing the loudest and read the best can then be rewarded by asking the rest of the class to clap for them. Since they are children, celebrating achievements should be done in such a way that does not make others feel as I they are not good enough and a handclap is often enough.
In addition, teachers could create positive attitudes when teaching by asking students about their day at home before coming to school. Getting children to talk about their parents will create a positive atmosphere that presents the teacher as a friend rather than someone to be feared. The aim is to make children comfortable enough to not only share with teachers but also see them as people they can talk and listen to. Teachers can further use the sharing forum as a tool to promote equality and respect for others. For example, students that intend to speak must raise their hands and wait to be picked before talking. The children can also be taught to wait until other students are done talking before raising their hands. Such an activity teaches them the importance of giving other people the chance to talk before they can have their say. It also makes them listen as they must wait until one person is done speaking thus creating tolerance and improving listening skills.
Since an inclusive learning environment is one that promotes diversity, simple activities will be used to teach children to treat each other as equals despite their differences. An example of such an activity is teaching students the important o sharing. During lunch breaks, students could be provided with fruits. Instead of giving each child a fruit, two students can be given one fruit to share. Dividing a banana or an orange will help the students to see each other as equals as they both get equal portions of the fruit. The simple activity will teach the students the importance of taking other people’s needs into consideration regardless of the different traits that they may possess.
Although a lot of efforts will be put into making the learning environment ideal for children, teachers must also be provided with the support and training needed to deal with issues that arise when dealing with students at such young ages. Issues related to bullying for instance must be dealt accordingly to ensure that all parties involved understand why bullying is bad and why they should not engage in it. If it occurs, teachers must first attend to the victims and try to calm them down so as to restore their confidence. Bullies must also be dealt with but in a strict yet soft manner due to their young age. Teachers should explain why bullying is bad so as to discourage such behavior.
Even at their young age, students need to be taught the importance of authority and why it is important to follow rules. Teachers will achieve this by coming up with fun activities that have set guidelines that must be followed by all students. One example of such an activity is teaching students what steps to take when washing hands. The steps will teach the students that some things must be followed in a certain way and in so doing, teach them how to respect authority and follow rules. The washing of hands is a fun activity meant to create a fun environment that keeps the students interested as well as teach them something that will be beneficial in their later years. Keeping children engaged in such activities yet still teach them something is guaranteed to create and maintain an inclusive learning environment.
