Factors in Student Learning

1. What do you think are the major factors that assist students with learning? Feel free to mention any factors that are present in the classroom, the school community itself, or outside of school as you write your answer.

There are a lot of factors that affect student's learning process; in fact all his environment and relationships influence directly to his learning. Even though the most important ones (in my opinion) can be summarized as the followings:

- Motivation: If the issues are interesting for the children, they will be involved about the topic, so they'll participate in the classroom and they'll be more attentive about what they're studying. Personally I consider that motivation is the key in the learning process, and the teacher has to seek it to promote a significant learning.

- Objectives: Both the students and the teacher must have clear and realistic goals to acquire. It will help to organize the learning process and be aware if we're doing the things well or what we have to change.

- Connect the issues with the real life and the children's everyday situations. This fact is essential too, and it's related to motivation as well. If children notice that what the learning is useful they will have a bigger desire to learn. As well as, in this way, they realize that are important for his environment too and they're more involved with the community.

- Having a good attitude: be predisposed, be willing to learn, participate in the classroom, be patient…) is very important for both, students and teachers.

- Work together: resources like cooperative learning o working in projects are good ideas too to promote help in the classroom. Using them, children can interact with each other and create stronger links between them. Even though, it's also important for the teacher to work together with the rest of the teacher team. If we share the efforts of everybody, the result will be greater than working individually.

- A good atmosphere in the classroom based in trust, self-esteem and respect: it's essential to work well.

- School and family sharing the same goals and being involved to reach them in a similar way.

RELATED TO SCHOOL:

- Use all the resources available to promote an interactive learning in which the student has de main role. Taking this into practice promotes that the issues discussed in class become more interesting to the children.

- Continued teacher training: to be competent, a good teacher should be in constant training, be conscientious of the society changes and how them affect to the classroom and in the learning process; so he/she must be ready to meet new challenges effectively.

RELATED TO SOCIETY:

- The environment (socioeconomic status), as well as the family opinion of the "school" and the student self-esteem are also crucial factors that affects the learning process. 

2.  What do you think are the major barriers that get in the way of student learning? Again, feel free to mention any factors that are present in the classroom, the school community itself, or outside of school as you write your answer.

Of course, most of them are the opposite of what I put in the previous question. Even though, the main factors I consider that are:

- When family and school don't work together and they not share the same opinions or objectives:

- Create level groups in the classroom (known as streaming): it might cause distinctions between students; so those ones that are in the lowest group can feel inferior to the rest and it can create a bad self-esteem on them. What's more, using this practice means that the students of that groups couldn't be able to be in the regular class anymore because they will always be behind the rest of their classmates. So they are being separated and making differences in a very early age.

- The family opinion about the school: if the parents and the children environment don't give importance to the schooling the children wouldn't have it. It can explain why there are so much non-attendance classes in the lowest social classes…

- The importance of a good hygiene and feeding habits: it can affect directly to the children's success. Lots of problems about the learning processes are related to illnesses… For example it won't have the same energy and predisposition a student that have a good breakfast before going to school than that one who has eaten anything, or is not feeling well…

3. What do you think an effective classroom looks like? What makes a classroom experience worthwhile and valuable?

- All the tips that I have put before (specially in the first question) I consider that are what makes a class worthwhile; so to summarize I think that the perfect learning experience must be based in a trust and respectful atmosphere, where the fellowship reigns among all the students and teachers. We've to consider that a classroom is a place where all of us go to learn something from the others (apart from the lesson contents), so no matter if we're wrong or mistaken!

Working together is another important thing related with the previous idea. We have to promote a cooperative learning among the students and make them understand that working together will help us to reach better and faster our own goals.

However, to reach a worthwhile and valuable class both teachers and students should have a clear idea of the school rules and what could happen if somebody breaks them. It would help to organize the class as well as promote a good behaviour among the students.

Even though, one of the most important things I think that's to connect as much as possible the learning with the environment and the community. In this way, the pupils notice that what they're studying is important, so his motivation increases as well. What's more, it also causes a bigger interest and implication in the community problems, a thing that's very important for their future and to promote a change in the society.

I'm aware that there are lots of things that make a classroom worthwhile, these ones opposite are only a few examples. During the next five weeks, I hope to increase that list and learn which are the main factors that influences in the children's learning process.