So I ended up back at that new house up the hill in Mission earlier this week (I’m done pretending that I can stick to that darn 100 word recommendation). That ice was so bad this time around that we couldn’t even get our work van up the ~500 meter driveway. We had to get our customer to bring down his tractor to haul up our tools while we made the icy hike up that steep hill- I was ready for a long nap before I even reached the work site!

Anyway, getting out of this preamble and jumping into another one… I planned on creating homework solutions for my new course today (I’ve finished lecture notes all the way to the midterm already – yay!), but woke up feeling like I really wanted to make a blog entry today. I’m actually jumping ahead of my week 5 blog assessment point, but this stuff is so darn addictive that I just can’t stay away!

Our article of the day is Creating The Ideal Learning Environment: Emotional written by Dan Boudreau on April 16th, 2012. Now, the title seems to be a bit confusing but I was taught to never judge a book by its cover (or a woman by her dinner party dress- another story for another time), so I continued reading the article which soon rewarded me with an explanation of the title.

This article is part of a four-part series on learning environments (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual). Thinking back, the emotion I felt in the classroom played a big part in how much I liked a course, so this article was definitely the one I was going to continue with!

Predictably, this article overlapped on some things I’ve already covered in my blog and read in my PIDP 3100 course, but there was new information for me in Boudereau’s ten tips too. His first idea about leading with a positive attitude is a slam dunk for me. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of lecturing a class on a day when I wasn’t as upbeat as others and quickly noticed the negative effect on my students.

The second point of establishing an emotionally safe and friendly learning environment is something I am still working on. I am trying to get better at involving students in my lectures and encouraging participation. In January, I am planning to have students discussing things with each other for 5 to 10 minute intervals- this is something I have not tried before. This idea also connects with Boudreau’s 9th point about learning circles.

The author’s fourth point about maintaining learner focus is something I value greatly. I encourage my students to communicate what works well for them and where things can be improved. I have actually designed a survey to have my students complete on the first day of class so I can respond to their needs and provide the best learning experience possible.

Finally, let’s talk about one last point about music which I’ve brought up on this blog before. Boudreau discusses music’s potential to influence emotion. I am considering using some music in my lectures but I haven’t committed yet. My fear is adding music might invoke too much of a “party” attitude in my classroom. If I do go ahead with this idea, it would likely be on a limited basis, such as at the very start of class or during break-time. If you have an opinion on if I should or shouldn’t use music, send me a comment (see bar up top)! I would love to hear from you 🙂