Learning+Environment+GZ

 //“////It’s important because if you don’t have a good school atmosphere, then you don’t want to go there” - **Student at Gymnasium Zlin**// Gymnasium Zlin is a prestigious academic school situated in Zlin - an industrial city in the South of the Czech Republic. The school attracts top achievers from the city and its surrounding regions. So far, we have been looking at how learning environment impacts on students, particularly in terms of both the abstract (philosophy, attitude and atmosphere created by both staff and students at a school) and concrete (physical environment which makes up the school) environments. We went about looking at the learning environment of Gymnasium Zlin in a number of ways. Firstly we sought the opinions of both staff and pupils in relation to school/classroom atmosphere and how this impacts on learning. We also asked questions about where pupils learn best and how identity/confidence impacts on learning. Complementary to this we used our own observations of the school both in terms of the physical environment and general atmosphere of the school.

**__Concrete Learning Environment__**

//“I also like to learn in my room, because it’s my space and I can do what I want” **– Student at Gymnasium Zlin**//

We asked students about the place where they felt they learnt best. Similar to previous schools, there were a number of answers including: at home, in bed, on public transport and outside. This again emphasises the fact that people like to learn in different ways and no one learning environment will suit everyone. One of the most striking things, apparent from the moment you enter Gymnasium Zlin is the abundance of artwork on the walls and in the corridors. We were extremely impressed not just by the quantity of the artwork but also the quality which is clearly visible within the school. As a pupil at the school stated in relation to the artwork:

“//The school is more interesting....and when you see nice things, it affects you”//

Apart from the artwork around the school, there were several other things that pupils felt contributed to a good learning environment including the weather and having flowers/decorations around the school. The school is set against the backdrop of a forest with views across the city. This is another feature of the learning environment that some students liked and felt contributed to a positive feeling within the school.

Some negatives of the concrete learning environment were also mentioned by teachers. These included noise around the school, particularly noise coming from the corridors which can distract pupils.

**__Abstract Learning Environment__**

Two important parts of the abstract learning environment that can impact on a pupil’s learning are the school/classroom atmosphere and the identity of a pupil. Both of these factors were explored within Gymnasium Zlin.

**School/Classroom atmosphere**

//“Our teacher in history, he always smiles, so I have the better feeling from him, than when the teacher in math is always angry. So I hate math because of it”//**- Pupil at Gymnasium Zlin**

//“If the atmosphere is relaxed… in the class, again, it is much more effective because if it is tense then the students feel the pressure, you feel the pressure and you don’t feel comfortable.”//**- P Kovarikova, Teacher at Gymnasium Zlin**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">A number of pupils we spoke to at GZ felt that teacher/pupil relations are very important for a good school atmosphere and the nicer a teacher is, the better the atmosphere will be and the more the students will learn. Furthermore a relaxed atmosphere was seen as important for effective learning. As another pupil at GZ stated:

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">//“It’s important for me, because if I feel good I learn more. Here at this school there is a good school atmosphere for learning”//

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**Pupil identity and learning**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">We asked pupils and teachers questions about how home life, confidence and personality can impact on learning.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">//“If the student doesn’t have a family background which would actually motivate him or her to do more, then you as a teacher can create wonderful situations and opportunities but you won’t [necessarily] succeed. … this is a bit frustrating I think, there are so many things you can’t effect in the learning and teaching process”// **– M Janeckova, Teacher at GZ**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">The above quote from a teacher at GZ summarises the importance of pupil identity and learning because she is highlighting the importance of external factors and the fact that not everything depends on the teacher or the school. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Furthermore parental influence is something which came back in many interviews as being extremely important. Generally parental involvement and interest is seen as beneficial for learning. However in several interviews we spoke to teachers who felt that parents put too much pressure on their children which thus had a negative impact on their learning.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">As with every school, bullying was an issue that several pupils at Gymnasium Zlin felt impacted negatively on their learning. Some pupils felt that they were looked down upon for being from lower income families and for not being able to afford clothes that were expensive enough.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">**__Conclusion__**

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Learning Environment is one of the six core components of Personalised Learning and it is important because an individual’s surroundings (both physical and mental) can have a massive impact on their learning. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Every pupil has a different idea of what constitutes a positive learning environment. However, some things which were generally viewed as favourable about Gymnasium Zlin was the artwork around the school and the nice surrounding scenery. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">A relaxed classroom atmosphere and good relationships with teachers were viewed as important. Furthermore bullying and parental involvement could at times negatively affect learning. However, the general consensus on parental involvement was that most of the time it is beneficial for students if their parents are involved in their education.