Creating Better Learning Environments

At the heart of Creating Better Learning Environments is the premise that students of all ages learn differently. This book is a practical guide to help educators utilize the furniture to adapt to each student's learning style. Learn about the proven process that many schools around the world have implemented to impact student learning environments. The wording of the title was chosen after careful thought.-Creating is meant to be a verb, an action that is ongoing and is never meant to be in a completed state.-Better signifies improvement and not accepting the status quo. Striving for progress instead of perfection.- Learning is the magical moment when you can see the student comprehend. We wanted to pinpoint the AHA! moments when the learning actually occurs and how to maximize those learning situations.- Environments takes the idea of learning beyond just the classroom. A large portion of this book is spent on classrooms, but we want to look at a school as a facility of learning opportunities in each square foot - inside and outside of the building. Throughout this book we provide examples of how other schools intentionally sought to improve their learning environments. By sharing best practices, roadblocks, and lessons learned to assist you on your journey. Not all schools have the opportunity to start a new facility from scratch or undergo major renovations, so the majority of this book will show you how to better utilize and enhance your current facility. This book begins and ends with the primary purpose of matching a student's environments with his or her dominant learning styles. However, the results of this approach lead to other important benefits such as community engagement, school reputation, and the recruiting and retaining of students and educators. Few people outside the school get glimpses of the education staff in action, but instead create their perceptions based on the physical environment they see when they visit the school during non-school hours. It is our intent that this book guide you through your process and help you overcome the most common obstacles. Some of these ideas require funding, but many of them only require effort. Thank you for being a leader and advocate to better educate the students in your community!