3.+Characteristics+of+a+Supportive+Learning+Environment

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**3.1 Introduction**
The learning environment can significantly influence the motivation of adult learners. In adult education, teaching is as much about the context and environment in which the learning is taking place as it is about imparting knowledge (Hutchinson, 2003). Inclusion is quite complex and there are several factors within a classroom that can either support or disrupt the learning climate, including the physical aspects of the room, the attitude and behavior of the teacher, the attitude and behavior of the peers, and the activities performed in class. These factors will be discussed in greater detail below.

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**3.2 Physical Aspects of the Classroom**
As discussed on the Introduction to Motivation and Learning Environment and Motivation pages of this wiki, certain basic physiological needs must be met so that higher level needs motivate behaviour. This means that the classroom itself must be an attractive and welcoming physical environment (Brophy, 2004). The furnishings must be comfortable and accessible for all students, the lighting must be appropriate for the learning activities, and the temperature must be moderate enough to appease most students. The chalkboard, whiteboard, and projector screen must be easily visible to students sitting anywhere in the classroom. Also, all audiovisual equipment must be working properly. The aesthetics of the classroom must be appealing without being distracting. Displaying student work increases the sense of student pride while also encouraging interaction and interest between students (Brophy, 2004). The classroom must be the right size for the number of students and free of background noise (Hutchinson, 2003). All of these factors must be considered in order to maximize focus and minimize distraction. []

**3.3 Characteristics of the Instructor**
The instructor is one of the most powerful components on the educational environment. At the beginning of a new course, it's a good idea for the instructor to introduce themselves to the students with a personal touch. When instructors show that they are willing to share information about where they are from, what their background is, why they are interested in the subject matter of the course, and perhaps an appropriate personal story, the students' tension associated with the new course is eased (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). The learners will quickly realize that the classroom environment is supportive of sharing and will feel more comfortable. If feelings of emotional comfort are not established early in a new course, it will be difficult to establish such feelings later on.

According to Brookfield (2006), the two main characteristics that students expect in their instructor are **credibility** and **authenticity**. In other words, students need to know that their instructor has a lot to offer in terms of expertise and experience, but also can be trusted and relied upon. As seen on the Learning Environment and Motivation page of this wiki, trust is a important part of an inclusive learning environment. Also, although students want some independence and autonomy, they also want to see their instructor as an authority figure that creates predictable course structure and upholds high standards of behavior (Brophy, 2004). The following table, summarized based on Wlodkowski's work (2008), highlights the instructor characteristics that produce a welcoming and positive learning environment:

The diagram below demonstrates that it is a combination of characteristics exhibited by the instructor which contribute to the learning environment: http://myresearchbaseit.wikispaces.com/my+literature+review+2 This video illustrates the role of the instructor in providing a supportive learning environment, and why this is so important in learner motivation:

media type="youtube" key="q1R0HTbeUIg" height="315" width="420" align="center"

**3.4 Characteristics of the Learners**
In addition to the instructor, the learners also play an important role in creating a positive classroom climate. In fact, the attitudes and behaviors of the learners can really make or break the classroom environment. The following table lists some of the learner characteristics that can promote a positive classroom environment: (Rogoff, 1994; Turula, 2002; Meyer & Turner, 2006; Powell & Lines, 2011)

When the instructor also exhibits the above characteristics, they set a good example for students to follow. Of course, instructors cannot expect that every student in every course will have all of these characteristics. Reluctance, shyness, apathy, and segregation are just some of the challenges that instructors may face when trying to establish and maintain a learning community. Refer to the Troubleshooting Problems in Learning Environment page of this wiki for more information about troubleshooting problems in the learning environment.

**3.5 Classroom Activities to Promote Inclusion**
Harmer has come up with 5 A's to sustain motivation in the college classroom (2008). The 5 A's are illustrated in the diagram below:

To focus on the A representing Activity, there are many classroom activities that may be used by instructors to establish and maintain inclusion in the learning environment. Most of the activities are based on collaborative and cooperative learning, which encourages students to face challenges together (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). The following list is only a sampling of the many options available to instructors. It's important to note that the role of the instructor in all of these activities is to facilitate student exploration and involvement in a respectful and safe environment. If these goals are not being met, the instructor must step in and resolve issues in a timely manner.

//"Working collaboratively includes learning many skills, such as moving a group toward a goal, managing disagreements without being destructive, generating ideas to move beyond obstacles in a project, and being accountable."//

- J.D. Powell and J.I. Lines Activities to promote inclusion include the following:
 * **Participation agreements** - an opportunity for students to meet and make guidelines regarding course participation. This activity also gives learners some control over the course expectations, which can increase motivation (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009).
 * **Icebreakers** - activities that help people get to know each other and feel comfortable together (Knox, n.d.). There are numerous icebreakers available online (e.g. //40 Icebreakers for Small Groups//).
 * **Cooperative base groups** - small groups of students that last for the whole course. Base groups provide a source of support, encouragement, and comradery among members (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009).
 * **Peer teaching** - ask the students to research and teach parts of the course in groups. This collaborative activity requires students to face a challenging task and work together to research, compile, and present information to the class (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009).
 * **Storytelling** - the instructor or students telling real stories. Not only does storytelling improve retention and understanding, it also promotes a level of intimacy in the classroom (Fanning, 2011).
 * **Jigsaw** - students break into groups and each group is responsible for researching a certain course topic together. The groups then re-assemble so that each group member teaches the others about a different course topic (Touahria, 2011). This activity promotes teamwork and interaction with many different students, while also building confidence.

The following video describes the method and best practices for using the Jigsaw technique to promote inclusion:

media type="youtube" key="dhsZz40rjI8" height="315" width="560" align="center"

**References**
Brookfield, S.D. (2006). //The skillful teacher: on technique, trust, and responsiveness in the// classroom, 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Brophy, J. (2004). //Motivating students to// learn, 2nd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Dubguy1988. (2008, December 5). Just for teachers: motivating your students through a supportive environment [Video file]. Retrieved from [] Fanning, F.E. (2011). //Engaging learners: techniquest to make training stick//. Retrieved October 17, 2011, from []

Ginsberg, M.B. & Wlodkowski, R.J. (2009). //Diversity & motivation: culturally responsive teaching in college//, 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Harmer, J. (2008). //How to sustain motivation in the classroom//. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from [] Hutchinson, L. (2003). ABC of learning and teaching: educational environment. //BMJ, 326//, 810-812.

Knox, G. (n.d.). //40 icebreakers for small groups//. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from [] Meyer, D.K. & Turner, J.C. (2006). Re-conceptualizing emotion and motivation to learn in classroom contexts. //Educational Psychology Review, 18//, 377-390. Powell, J.D. & Lines, J.I. (2010). Make learning personal: recommendations for classroom practice. //About Campus, 15//(2), 20-25.

Rogoff, B. (1994). Developing understanding of the idea of communities of learners. //Mind, Culture, and Activity, 1//(4), 209-229. Touarhia, S. (2011, November 22). Jigsaw for learning [Video file]. Retrieved from []

Turula, A. (2002). //Language anxiety and classroom dynamics: a study of adult learners.// Retrieved from []

Wlodkowski, R.J. (2008). //Enhancing adult motivation to learn.// San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.