Pupil Learning Environment Essay

2.4 The Importance of Pupil Learning Environments

According to the Primary National Strategy (2004), a child’s learning environment is made up of a number of key elements including ethos, behaviours and routines; which overlap and impact on each other in a number of ways. Therefore, it is vital that a learning-driven environment must always be conscious of how each and every component of the primary school classroom will affect how a pupil learns each day they are at school (La Marca, 2010). A sizeable portion of a child’s life is spent within a school classroom (Hannah, 2013). Here, the child will learn a specific set of skills which will aid them in accomplishing success in the future (Hannah, 2013). Creating a positive learning environment is a complex but necessary task which all teachers are faced with each academic school year (Hierck, 2016).

al (2010), there is significant evidence that, in the right hands and if used appropriately within the classroom, that ICT can be seen as an effective tool in supporting the teaching and learning process. As a result of the advancements in ICT in recent years, teachers and educators are living in a time of general uncertainty and unpredictability (Wheeler, 2001). In general, pupils have the skills to use new kinds of technologies, as a result of home use and leisure time. Therefore, their ICT skills are wide, although may not be necessarily adequate (Ilomaki, 20081). ICT is constantly changing the way in which pupils think which in turn has somewhat transformed pedagogy for teachers. For example; the traditional classroom has gradually transformed over time, with some resources such as chalk boards becoming obsolete and being replaced with Interactive Whiteboards and Overhead Projectors (OHP). These resources have allowed pupils to construct their own knowledge and to become more independent in their own learning; changing the role of the teacher to that of facilitator within the