Discuss the following scenarios with another teacher and consider how you might develop practical strategies for making the most of the classroom environment and maximizing opportunities for students to get the most out of their education:
An ESOL class of 10 students with 15 weekly two-hour sessions 6–8 p.m. in a computer room in the local FE college.
A group of 15 engineering apprentices who use ‘the training room’ one day per week in a large engineering company’s premises.
A drop-in adult literacy class which takes place over a number of rooms in a rural community centre.
Thirty 16–18-year-olds in a BTEC Sports Studies class who have theory sessions in a 25-seater classroom which is used by other sports-related classes.
Offenders using the Education Room – a dedicated classroom within a maximum security prison.
Twenty mature students on a two-year part-time degree in education and training with a three-hour session once per week in a demountable classroom 6–9 p.m. in the car park of an FE college.
Thinking about the space in which you teach, how do you create the best conditions possible for a productive learning environment?
We now go on to consider how teachers can liaise and work with other adults and support staff, in and beyond the classroom.
