Managing the Computing classroom environment to improve learning - A Practical Guide to Teaching Computing and ICT in the Secondary School - page 61

A product of computers is ozone, and this can build up in a computer room. It
can affect some people. Try to ventilate the room regularly. Having some plants in
the room can help.
Your voice is an essential tool and can be under a lot of strain. Project rather than
shout. Drink water and avoid too much caffeine.
Task 3.2
Other environmental factors
What other environmental or welfare factors might impact on the learning in
your classroom? Using the above and your own lists, discuss or reflect on the
factors, and place them in order of the level of impact on learning in your
classroom.
CLASSROOM LAYOUTS
The layout of this room affects the style of the teaching.
Figure 3.1 A 'traditional' classroom
In Figure 3.1 the teacher is standing at the front of the class and, by looking at the
arrangement of the chairs and tables, probably stays there! There's a blackboard at
the front but very little evidence of anything else.
In this situation the teacher is likely to adopt a 'teacher-centred' approach,
instructing the class, telling them about the subject, and writing copious notes on
the blackboard. Such notes are seen in the photograph and it is more than likely
that the class would be expected to copy them. Whether they actually understood
the material is open to debate.
Figure 3.2 A modern-day classroom