Classroom Environment: What’s Conducive to Learning

The environment that we work and live in can dictate a lot about us and the actions we take. For example, working in a darker environment can be a positive or a negative experience. While working in the dark can provide more eye comfort and a cozier atmosphere, it could also lead to a decrease in productivity. Similar effects of the environment can be seen in a classroom setting where the type of environment can have an influence on students learning. 

A classroom, and how it’s set up, is a huge part of the learning process as this is where students will spend the majority of their time in school. Teachers make a point to take this into consideration when setting up their rooms, some of them setting up their rooms in a way that not only their students will enjoy the room, but they themselves will be able to enjoy being in it for eight hours a day five days a week. 

“I try to make it look nice. I want to make it feel like I want to be here. If I have to be here for eight hours a day, I want to like being here, so I like my little library. I like my posters, my tapestry. I like my lights. My lamps make me happy,” said Kennedy Ward, an English teacher here at Riley, “I had one student—he had me last year (when Ward was resident teaching and sharing her current classroom)—and he came back this year and he was like, ‘Miss, I love this. It feels so cozy!’ It's like, that is the vibe—that is the vibe I need.”

Nancy Simoni, a science teacher here at Riley, shares the same sentiment when it comes to lighting, “So some of it's a little functional, but also it kind of just gives it that nice vibe and my fairy lights in the back of the room give a little bit more extra light, so kind of creates this nice warm cozy feeling.”
A good environment can also create a relaxing environment for students too; something that can help students better learn. 

“I always try to create a comfortable physical environment because I feel like if kids come in for a room and it feels cold—like it doesn't have a warm, comfortable feeling, they're not going to be relaxed. I want students to learn in a comfortable environment,” stated Simoni.

As Ward and Simoni demonstrate, classroom decorations and lighting can be a big part of what makes a great classroom environment. Many students appreciate the effort. “I'd rather have a room with the desks spread out so that I can have a little bit of personal space, but also be able to talk to those around me if need be. I like a room that has soft lights in it like lamps instead of the annoying, headache-inducing, overhead fluorescent lights,” Madison Ring, class of 2024, shared. 

All of this effort to make a warm and inviting classroom goes into making a really great learning environment which in turn helps to improve a student’s ability and readiness to learn.