SUCCESS COMES FROM A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
14 January, 2019 (Consolace Counselling Services)
Impact of learning environment on academic performance
“I hate to study!” was how a child responded on being asked, how much does he like to study. This is probably the most common response that you would get from a student. But, if given a second thought, one may realise that students don't really hate to study. Their attitude towards learning is mostly dependent on the environment in which they study. A positive study environment can bring a great change in the way students approach the learning process. And, this clearly gets reflected in their academic performance.
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Impact of learning environment on academic performance:
George Evans has very rightly said that, “Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.” So, before blaming a student for his/her poor academic performance, teachers and parents should first look into the child's learning environment.
A negative learning environment can adversely affect student learning in the following ways-
- Low achievement: If the environment in which a child learns is not favourable, then it is quite obvious to have a low student achievement.
- Poor behaviour: A child learns from his surroundings. Inappropriate environment would leave negative impact on the child's behaviour. This may make students disrespectful towards teachers and parents.
- Anxiety: Studying in a competitive environment can lead to student anxiety which can further lead to depression.
How to create a positive learning environment?
Creating a positive learning environment is all about making your child feel happy, healthy and confident rather than just focusing on achievement, discipline and academic skills. Academic performance is no doubt important for a successful life, but mental health is something we cannot ignore in the race to achieve top grades. In order to excel in academics, one should have a positive mental health. Creating a positive learning environment is crucial in maintaining a perfect balance between accomplishment and positive psychology.
Here are a few steps that can be followed to create a positive study environment:
- Make the teaching process more interesting: A child will never invest his time in something that doesn't make him happy. You can easily grab the child's attention by using interesting ways to teach.
- Fear should not come in the way of learning: Most parents and teachers believe in strict teaching methods to instil discipline and to boost the kid's performance. Scolding the child would stop them from active interaction. They would restrict themselves from answering or sharing their doubts out of fear. This hampers the child's mental growth.
- Reduce pressure: Considering the height of competitiveness in today's world, it is quite natural for teachers and parents to pressure their kids to perform well. But, this can create negative impact on the child's mental health. Stressful learning environment can do more harm than good. Mindfulness can be a great tool to tackle this problem. The technique of being in the present moment helps children to focus on one task at a time. This will help in clearing the clutter and generate productive results.
- Appreciate the child: Teachers and parents should appreciate the child no matter how little his/her progress has been. This will motivate the kid to perform better. A positive learning environment makes the students more confident towards achieving their goals.
It is said that, “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” But, it is exactly where most of us fail as parents and teachers. Our desire to see our children to come up with the best academic performance, we end up making their learning environment more like a prison. A positive learning environment offers full freedom to the students and paves the way to success. Try making the learning environment more mindful and positive to see the change in your kids academic performance. Remember, 'Every moment is a fresh beginning!’