Chapter 6: The Design of Learning Environment (a)

The content in Chapter 6 made me evaluate where I stand at this point in my teaching career. The chapter presented four important perspectives on learning environments: learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment centered, and community-centered. As an educator, I understand that I need to be more learner-centered so that my students will be able to “construct their own meanings, beginning with the beliefs, understandings, and cultural practices they bring into the classroom (136).” In regards to knowledge-centered environments, I am challenged to “help students become knowledgeable by learning in ways that lead to understanding and subsequent transfer (136).” In my composition II classes, I always emphasize that writing is a survival skill; without the written word, many of us would not be able to communicate with one another. Also, we may not be up-to-date with world news or knowledgeable about history if the written word was not taken seriously. In an assessment-centered environment, I am challenged to give feedback on a continual basis. As chapter 6 states, “feedback is most valuable when students have the opportunity to use it to revise their thinking as they are working on a unit or project.” Whenever my Chorus students have finished performing a certain song, they always ask me, “How did we sound?” Whatever my comments may be, they always want to do better not only to sound well, but to feel that they have achieved a goal. The community-centered environment is important as well. This section of the chapter reminded me of my four-year-old daughter’s teacher who gets my husband and I involved with “Family Projects.” My daughter is so eager to submit her project the next day because “mommy and daddy helped me.” I now realize why these family projects are so important; including families in classroom activities and planning “hold promise of bringing together two powerful systems for supporting children’s learning (149).” I truly believe that “A key environment for learning is the family (148).” Overall, this section of the chapter presented many challenges and new approaches to improve students’ learning environments.