The meaningful involvement of learners in the classroom.

A learners well-being, teaching practices and school environment all play an important role to teach the child as a whole. It is important to take all factors into consideration to help each learner with regard to their specific situation to flourish in his or her academics. This can also be referred to as a holistic approach since a learner’s success cannot be pinned down to one factor.

Foley recommends that teachers should always be available and accessible to create an environment of open communication. An understanding from the teacher’s side is needed especially when things like bullying and harassment take place, not only on school grounds but also at learners’ homes.

The reason all these factors are so important, is that it influences the learners behaviour in the class. Teachers should want their learners to have the best possible attitude in class to ensure that an effective communication structure is set in each classroom. This will in return lead to increased academic outcomes. Incorporating resources such as multimedia, books, posters and stationary can help teachers to prosper in effective learning.

Wills assigned learners to particular desks which lead to greater participation but found that the noise levels were still an issue. She then tried whispering to set a quiet tone and even arrived early to move furniture. It was at this point where she realised she was taking full responsibility and not trusting her students to bring their side. She asked students what their ideal classroom would be like. They envisioned rooms surrounded by waterfalls, equipped with fibre-optic lightning and aromatherapy misters. It is clear that learners too have a need for a calm environment to learn in but sometimes forget what is needed to reach their full potential.

It is important for teachers to have an honest approach to their teaching methods. Realising from the start what is and what is not working which will lead each teacher in the right direction to enhance each learner’s potential and cause a form of self-realisation for students to reflect on and give their own input or opinion in the classroom. When we involve learners in a classroom they feel valued and confident in their approach to learning and asking questions.

Since school learners are the future of this country, we need to teach them from a young age that working together is the key to success.