How do you learn the best? Do you need silence? Music? Don't care either way?
Do you like bright lights while you work? Darkness?
I reflect a lot on how I learn best and how to help my students learn their best. At the beginning of the year, we have a great classroom discussion where I pose these very questions to my students. We work to identify the ideal classroom setting. Year after year though, they pretty much choose the same environment.
Music
Almost unanimously my students prefer some type of music playing. Because so many songs have some questionable lyrics, I prefer wordless music. My student's favorite is The Piano Guys. This group recreates popular songs using the piano and string instruments. I use Amazon Music because it comes with my Prime membership and there are no disruptive commercials.
Lights
One of my most favorite features of my classroom are my twinkle lights. I hang them around my bulletin boards and whiteboards. They are on all day and we frequently turn out the harsh fluorescent lights. I've actually done some research on the affects of fluorescent lights and student behavior. I have personally seen a big different when we turn off the lights and work with just twinkle lights on. I'm always very respectful if a students requests to have the lights on, though it is rare. Our favorite time to flip off the lights is during the read aloud. I find that it helps the students to focus on what I'm reading.
This is great! I think I need to run out and buy some twinkle lights for my classroom.... I know that the teacher in the classroom next to mine uses some type of little lights on her board. (And at this very moment, I'm listening to the Piano Guys on my Echo. Love!)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE, LOVE LOVE, my twinkle lights. They are one of the best parts of my classroom. When paired with the Piano Guys, its a winning learning environment.
ReplyDeleteI love to listen to the Piano Guys while grading! What a great suggestion to play it during independent classwork. I find that my students are always asking for the lights off if I'm using the SmartBoard or a PowerPoint but I'm reluctant because then the room is too dark. Now, I will have to look into twinkle lights to solve this dilemma!
ReplyDeleteI find that there is less talking when I play music. Students really do seem more focused. Twinkle lights aren't as easy to find right now, but after Christmas you can stock up on them for a few dollars. I'm looking into LED string lights this year to conserve some energy.
DeleteYou would probably feel at home in my classroom based on what I'm reading. I also play a lot of Piano Guys or similar music during work time for my students. I don't have twinkle lights, but I have lamps stationed around the room to give soft light instead of the super bright overhead fluorescent lights. I like to keep things calm and mellow and it makes a huge difference in my room. I wish I had more windows in my room as natural light would be awesome as well.
ReplyDeleteOh that's awesome! I bet I would like your room! I wish I had more windows too! I have my door and one other small window. But I compensate with lamps and twinkle lights. Calm and mellow is my goal as well.
DeleteI am personally more of a 2CELLOS person myself, but I think music at the right moment in the classroom sets the mood. Also, I agree with you about fluorescent lights. I read an article that said students perform 20% better on assessments taken in natural light. Whenever I can, I have the lights of my classroom off or at least at 50%. I am big into posters, too. Some have to do with our curriculum but some have to do with my interests, like Harry Potter. It is a good way for my students to get to know me before we even have a chance to speak to each other.
ReplyDeleteI love 2Cellos too! We listen to them during class as well. I also read that fluorescent lights affect kids with adhd. It definitely makes a different in my class when I turn the lights down.
DeleteI love playing music for my students while they are working. I start out every day with music until I'm ready to get going. I use it as a management tool as well as a way to help students learn. Piano Guys is my go to for the same reasons you mentioned. I do a Piano Guys Pandora station and my kiddos love it. The only time I really use alternative lighting is around Christmas when I string lights around every part of my room. I found out, though, that the twinkle lights act just like the pen for my interactive whiteboard if they're too close to the projector. That made for some challenging days before tech figured it out. HA!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny about your whiteboard! I don't have a plug in on that wall, so no twinkle lights. I do switch to Christmas instrumental music during the holidays too. I love to put on the youtube that is a fireplace and plays music. My kids love it!
DeleteIt is so funny that you bring up music, as I sit here listening to music. Depending on what I'm doing I can listen to music with lyrics or without. So with something like this music with lyrics is fine. But most of the time when I am working on grading or on class assignments I love to listen to film scores.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to my classroom, the students are able to listen to music on their own for independent assignments and many times I will put music on for them to listen to as well. The Piano Guys is one of the ones we also use when we are doing free writes, for example.
I had not heard about light having that much of an impact on students. What research do you have on that? I would be curious to see it. In my room I also have twinkle lights that the students love, but they mainly go on when we are watching a film, video clip, or doing something like a Power Point. So this might be something I change.
I love film scores! We play Harry Potter and Star Wars a lot! I don't have the studies saved, but if you Google it, there are a ton out there.
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