THE CLASSROOM

A good classroom environment includes the physical classroom space and the practices adopted in that context. The
lighting, seating arrangement, use of work areas, and ambience must be conducive for effective experiential learning. Other
techniques for effective experiential learning classroom management include:

1. Consistency
The teacher should set the right expectations with her students with respect to behaviour, interaction and discipline at
the beginning of the school year. However, as the year progresses, she may find herself struggling to manage the class
and try out a range of methods to see which works best. This often leads to inconsistency in the instructions given to
students. One of the primary reasons for indiscipline in a classroom is this inconsistency, which should be avoided by
all means. In the other extreme, the teacher may be so much in control of the class that students are reduced to
passive receptors of a smorgasbord of instructions. The trick is to find the right balance between no structure and
rigid structure.
2. Inquiry
The most permanent answers are found by questioning and inquiring. The crux of experiential learning is to question
existing knowledge so the student can form her own knowledge. This works best when the teacher tries to make
students responsible for their actions; and as comfortable as possible with the concept that it is okay to question to
know more. Continuous emphasis on sharpening inquisitiveness instead of reprimanding students for a mistake is
the key. The only aspect to be managed here is to ensure that children understand that questioning is but the first
step on the path to seeking the answer.
3. Teach the other
Students, in spite of anyone’s best efforts, cannot look to the teacher as an equal inside or outside a classroom. There
will be a certain belligerence owing to the sense of hierarchy with respect to learning of concepts. Students learn best
when their peers re-explain or repeat concepts. Make some simple rules to enable this – for example, if a set of
instructions is to be memorised, make students repeat it to each other repeatedly so it becomes internalised. Guard
against the tendency for this to get out of place over time as some become ‘student teachers’ and other students
become passive receptors. Take care to ensure that opportunities and roles are consciously rotated across the students
in the classroom, exposing every student to all possibilities.
4. Positive reinforcement
Psychological studies have suggested that positive reinforcement is one of the most effective ways to identify desirable
traits among students and reiterate them through constant rewards. For example, if a student does not use classroom
equipment with care, instead of pointing out, “Do not break the glass again”, point to another student who is more
responsible and say, “I think we should all appreciate our classmate for his/ her responsibility towards the
equipment”. All students invariably need attention, either through negative or positive means. This way, the teacher
can make it clear that only desirable traits merit her attention.