Learning Environments

Did you know that across Houston schools you can find many different types of learning environments. Finding the right one for your specific child to learn in is very important. Five different learning environments to consider when searching for the right school for your child:

Traditional classrooms - much like the classroom most parents recall from their own school experience. Typically, the teacher stands at the front of the room while students are seated in assigned desks or tables. The students are all the same grade level, and much of the teaching is directed to the whole group or groups of students with similar ability levels. 

Cooperative learning classrooms - Classrooms that enable and promote students working together to accomplish learning goals. Most often these classrooms are set up with tables or individual desks that are clustered together so that small group of students can work together to solve problems, share ideas, and help one another with new learning tasks. 

Montessori classrooms - Classes are multi-age groups within three years (e.g., ages 3-6, 6-9, 9-12, etc.) in which each child may choose their activities, how long they work on each activity, and the pace at which they work. With teachers as guides, students can work collaboratively with a lot of manipulative materials with real-life applications. 

Reggio-Emilia inspired classrooms - Another collaborative preschool/primary grades learning environment, but one in which the subject matter is child-directed, based on a child’s interest and curiosity. Teachers facilitate rather than direct learning, allowing the students to explore and create within the chosen topic. 

Individualized learning environments - Classrooms that are set up to personalize the content, pace, and method of instruction for each learner based on their individual abilities and interests. This requires very small learning communities, sometimes one-on-one student/teacher ratios. 

Need help determining which learning environment is right for your child? Contact us for more information here.