How does a Comfortable School Environment Impact Children’s Learning?
A school is a place where a child grows and learns. The environment consists of more than just delivering lessons and kids taking tests. It is where learners spend most of their days and weeks for a better part of the year.
Various factors could impact a child’s learning experience. For example, parents, caregivers, educators, and other students may impact receptiveness and thought processes. However, learning is still critical for development, especially in the early years.
The importance of comfort cannot be stressed enough in today’s schooling structure, and international school must provide spaces where students are willing to learn. They should not feel forced, and their motivation levels should always be high.
Let’s look at the impact of a comfortable school environment on children’s learning and how schools provide these positive environments.
1. Improves Learner’s Mood
Children cannot do anything if they are in a bad mood, especially in the classroom. When the school environment makes them feel uncomfortable, they will feel irritated. The more irritable they are, the less they can focus. In some instances, the student might feel trapped within the school environment, distracting them from being active.
When the school environment feels comfortable and helps them relax, students can easily focus on the tasks instead of feeling anxious and distracted. Comfort also shows that the educators care about the children and will respond by performing better.
2. Promotes Active Learning
Active learning and a comfortable school environment are inseparable concepts. Teachers should be actively involved in students’ well-being to promote collaboration among learners and teachers. By providing a learning environment with elements of comfort, students can easily relax and be open to peers and teachers around them.
Such an environment allows for active learning, reflecting the learners’ creativity and critical thinking. Making classrooms and school facilities flexible and versatile allows teachers to improve the space effortlessly within a short time. Improved versatility creates a comfortable space for both learners and teachers.
3. Helps Children Focus More
A comfortable international school environment helps young learners focus more because they know they are in a safe space. Such an environment offers students variety and provides accessories that help them focus better. Instructing styles, for example, can be adaptable to different learners who have difficulties focusing.
Rigidity might bother some students, and when the teachers adapt to their learning styles, they can position themselves in a focused way. Teachers in IB schools in Riyadh should also allow learners to communicate their learning needs to help them focus without disrupting learning.
4. Learners Stay Healthy
Physical comfort and health always correlate in school, even outside the classroom. Spacious hallways, well-painted walls, and high-quality infrastructure ensure that the environment is conducive to learners. In the classroom, natural light sources and warmer lighting solutions help children focus on what is being taught instead of their strained eyes. Some children may also be affected by bad posture at home or in the classroom. Comfortable class seats or school benches offer posture-correcting abilities that ensure students are in good shape.
5. Reduces Anxiety among Children
An international school’s architecture and external environment can make students anxious, especially if they are still young or new to the school environment. Warmer colours and interactive exterior elements can help students feel calm while in school.
However, discomfort may cause heightened anxiety and negative thoughts in some students who are still building their social skills. Even in the classroom, the lighting and temperature may make children anxious.
When they become irritated, they will have difficulty responding to teachers and may not even complete their assignments or class projects. Making students feel relaxed can help them overcome their fears and interact with their peers effectively.
6. Fosters a Sense of Belonging
A comfortable school environment focuses on not only the school infrastructure but also the people. A diverse school environment will likely motivate other students to feel like they belong. Teachers must also be friendly to make learners feel they are on the same side.
These learners will feel inclined to do better because they believe in a school environment that works for them. Bringing kids from diverse cultures into a conducive space creates a community that cares about each other.
How do Schools Promote a Comfortable School Environment
1. Balancing Colours with Accent Walls
Children have their favourite colours but can still respond to specific colours in certain ways besides their personal preferences. Bright and vibrant colours that appear warm, like orange and yellow, can stimulate and energise young learners. Painting walls with accenting colours can capture and channel students’ energy helping them focus better in IB schools in Riyadh.
2. Improving Classroom Comfort
Fluctuating temperatures can cause discomfort to learners hence leading to distraction. Both teachers and students can benefit by cutting out such distractions. Classroom temperatures may fluctuate multiple times in a day.
The use of thermostats helps adjust room temperatures to keep the classrooms comfortable throughout the day. These thermostats are also programmed into smart systems to improve convenience and learn room patterns over time.
They can automatically adjust room temperatures as required to maintain an ideal learning environment for everyone.
3. Establishing a Supportive Learning Culture
Everyone in the school environment should feel connected, and they must feel that their contribution is worthy. IB schools in Riyadh make students feel connected through a supportive learning culture.
It is possible by creating a dependable support system and mentorship program that assists when needed. The idea is also supported by creating interactive learning where students can collaborate on projects and tasks.
4. Addressing Children’s Needs
Young learners need to feel secure, loved and that they belong. The school environment should promote competency, personal power, freedom, novelty, and fun. Meeting these needs throughout helps learners progress and be taught with a positive attitude.
A comfortable school environment should accommodate the intrinsic needs of learners to keep them happy and engaged. The right learning atmosphere helps learners develop a positive attitude while building solid relationships with their peers.
5. Celebrating Learners’ Success
Besides feedback and appreciation, celebrating learners’ success is a great way to promote a comfortable school environment. A reward system makes learners feel recognized for their achievements, fostering healthy behavior.
Teachers will create a way to recognize student achievements weekly or monthly. In addition, it is essential to discuss processes and strategies learners use to meet their objectives. This process will guide others to implement these learning strategies to improve their performance.
6. Improving Safety in School
A school environment should be a safe platform for children. Learners will only succeed in school when they feel mentally and physically safe. Therefore, IB schools in Riyadh consider the learners’ mental safety besides focusing on their physical well-being.
Learners should feel respected, welcomed, and supported at all times. Disciplinary practices that negatively impact the morale of the learners and hinder their performance should not be considered.
A comfortable and positive environment sets the mood for learners throughout the year. Schools providing a comfortable environment ensure that kids thrive socially and academically. While aesthetics are part of the package, student management is very crucial.
Teachers should ensure that kids are accommodated within an environment that opens the world to them and presents new things to enhance their talents. Parents should also assess the school environment to ensure their kids get the best. Anything that affects kids at school will reflect at home, and creating a responsive environment benefits everyone.
