As a teacher you are constantly busy mapping and improving the atmosphere in the classroom. You ensure that the children can learn, feel comfortable in the classroom and on the playground and enjoy going to school. We call all this the ‘pedagogical climate’. But what exactly is this?
Definition
The pedagogical climate can be described as the total of present and consciously created environmental factors that respond to the well-being of the child, allowing him or her to develop to a greater or lesser extent . Important factors within the pedagogical climate are the learning environment and the relationship between the teacher and the student. In addition, the influences on the pedagogical climate are also important.
Learning environment
A rich, powerful and meaningful learning environment challenges students to learn. The most important thing is that the student feels comfortable and safe with this. It is important for the student to feel that his way of learning is appreciated and that he is recognized as a person by the teacher and fellow students.
Characteristics of a good learning environment
The book More than Education lists a number of characteristics that a good learning environment should have:
- A professional teacher from whom the student can learn, the teacher is focused on the student’s learning;
- Activities and materials of various types that are meaningful and inviting to the student;
- Various contexts that stimulate the student’s curiosity;
- Sufficient space for the student to express his own wishes and needs;
- Opportunities to do things together, experiment and research and space to search for your own solutions and creativity;
- Space for different learning forms and learning styles;
- Many different options in the field of ICT support.
Different types of learning environments
When you think of the learning environment, you quickly think of a large space. The entire classroom, the entire gymnasium. You can also view the concept of learning environment differently. A certain corner of the classroom with a certain theme can also be a learning environment. Or the doll corner in the nursery classes. A group discussion or a mental arithmetic activity can also be a learning environment. All of these examples are in the classroom, but each reflects a different learning environment.
The concept of learning environment is best described as broadly as possible, according to the vision in More than Education. A learning environment is seen as powerful and rich if the student can learn optimally. Such a learning environment does not have to meet all the characteristics mentioned above, as long as active and intensive learning can take place.
Didactics
These characteristics of a good learning environment can also be called didactics. The concept of didactics could be explained as the theory of teaching.
There are different forms and views on good didactics, including:
- Activating didactics;
- Effective instruction;
- Cooperative learning;
- Adaptive/appropriate education.
These forms of didactics are all based on a certain view of learning and teaching. Every didactics has a normative side and a technical or instrumental side. An image of what good education is and the knowledge of experiences and research about its effectiveness together form the specific didactics.
Didactic triangle
There are three elements that together form the didactic triangle. This didactic triangle looks like this:
- We see the student as the first point of the triangle . From the student’s point of view, you may think that the learning environment serves the learning process.
- The teacher is the second point of the triangle. If we look from the teacher’s perspective, he or she will say the following: the learning environment is designed to encourage the student to learn.
- learning material forms the didactic triangle. The concept of learning material can be described as ‘ what will be learned, what it is about ‘.
Influence on the pedagogical climate
There are a number of aspects that can influence the pedagogical climate. Some aspects are beyond the teacher’s control, for example the various extracurricular situations of the students. In the group it is important that there is an atmosphere in which all children can learn. This atmosphere is determined by the influence of the teacher. Every child has the right to attention, which contributes to a good relationship between the teacher and the child.
T he following aspects fall under the sphere of influence of the teacher and/or the school and influence the pedagogical climate. These aspects are important in creating a good pedagogical climate, according to C. Bos.
- Orderly and functional learning environment;
- Respect for the students, shown by the teacher;
- Mutual respect between students is promoted;
- The students’ self-confidence is supported by the teacher;
- Clear rules of conduct;
- There is structure in the group;
- A challenging learning environment;
- Stimulation of independence and responsibility of the students.
These aspects are also retained by the education inspectorate. You can further develop all these aspects into sub-aspects. The summary is a guideline. It is only a tool for the teacher and can never be complete. After all, everyone has a different view on the aspects.
Class management
In a classroom we must take into account the design of the learning environment. Management of learning processes is planning, directing and organizing, creating a learning environment in which children learn under the guidance of the teacher. The layout of the classroom is also important because it determines the atmosphere, order and peace in the group. The classroom will be organized differently when the learning child is central than when the teacher wants to do a teaching task.
Effective design
A number of principles for an effective design of the space can be:
- The space must be attractive and uncluttered. Provide an invitation to play and learn in corners, for example, as well as peace and quiet. Avoid an environment with many stimuli.
- Working with pictograms for young children is desirable: a clearly recognizable image or symbolic representation indicates what needs to be done that day. You can use pictograms, for example, to plan the day and work independently.
- Make sure that the material is ready and can be picked up independently.
Just like the aspects surrounding the establishment of a pedagogical climate, the principles for an effective design are also a guideline. Each teacher determines what kind of pedagogical climate is present in the classroom and what he or she wants to change or contribute to it.