Environmental Factors Affecting Learning

1.      Heredity:

Children of bright parents tend to be bright and the children of very inferior parents are often inferior. Though, heredity follows the principle of regression that says that traits when passing form parents to children tend to move towards the average. The genius son of a genius father is as very rare thing. Again, there is a tendency among the off-spring to be higher in the traits in which their parents are low and lower in which their parents are high. They move towards the average that is they regress. The reason for not showing consistency in the attainment is due to the complex nature of heredity, as heredity of a child is not solely determined by his immediate parents but from all his forefathers and ancestors. Apart from this heredity plays an important role in motivating and deciding the future course of learning according to the status of the family and heredity characteristics.

Example: Well known cricketers Yuvraj sing and Mohammad Kaif got full support from their family. Kaif’s Father had been a good cricketer and he made tremendous efforts to get his son place in Indian squad. Yuvraj got coaching in the early days from his father itself. His father prepared pitch at his home for this purpose.

2.                                Environment:

Our environment is our habitation in the fullest sense. Not only our physical surrounding but also the people around us, social customs and traditions, culture, education and training all constitute our environment. A number of studies conducted show that environment has remarkable influence on the learning of the individuals.

Example : I.Q. of the fathers corresponds to their occupational status and that the intelligence of the   children would correspond to the occupation of the fathers.

3.                                Freedom and Self-discipline:

Until recently, school discipline was regarded narrowly as merely a means of restraining pupils from creating disorder. So that learning activities may be carried effectively. Restrain commonly took the form of stern teacher imposed authority involving the extensive use pf punishments. It was based on the assumption that the child is a bundle of evil qualities and that he should be corrected and molded into shape by the iron rod of authority. Thus no child could escape beating. But now gone are the days of such beliefs and no truly progressive education or school can tolerate this authoritarian method of life. The education in every child centered school is carried on in an atmosphere of freedom. Freedom means that the child is given opportunity to think for him, to feel for himself and to get for himself. Opportunities are provided for using and developing all his powers. The child is given the chance to develop his own personality, to learn to discipline himself, build up his own character.

4.                                 Recognition of Teachers’ Authority:

One should not accrue that the teacher has lost its importance in the modern time. Rather, modern school situations demand a more carefully selected and well prepared teacher than was necessary for the traditional schools. Infact education on an atmosphere of freedom demands on teacher than does education guided by the old ideas of authority imposed. It demands a new atmosphere in the school and a new attitude in the teacher. It also demands new methods which advocate free activity of body, mind and soul of the pupils. The teacher instead of being a slave driver forcing the unwilling pupils to learn becomes a guide, makes himself one of the group, brings to the help of the group his larger experiences and thus helps the group in the search for truth, encourages them in every way to think, feel and work for themselves. Hence the teacher should be given a key place in the modern times. His authority of course is not that of an autocrat but of a leader, friend and a guide.

1.                        Nature Neglect:

A teacher should have a complete knowledge of the biological laws. He should know how the whole organism works. He should realize that the whole child comes to school and not only his mind. The mind and the body are an entity. They connot exist without each other. Latin proverb says that “ Mens Sano in Carpore Sano” means “A sound mind in a sound body”. Mind lived in the body as in a clay cottage but it would be more true to say that the mind grows in the body as a plant grows in its soil. Poorer the soil, the more arrested the growth; richer the soil better the growth. Thus the mind and the body are independent, one influences the other. The body responds to various states of mind. Fear, joy, anger and all other emotions are reflected in the body. On the other hand mental activity uses up nervous energy which has to be replenished by the body. These considerations have natural bearing upon education and the teacher being conversant with these laws aims at the development of both, the body and the mind. In brief one should not neglect the laws of nature and should work accordingly.

6. Physical Environment of School:

    In general, the school environments present an educative atmosphere. The modern school site, building and equipments are adequate, safe, sanitary comfortable and attractive. It is only in the best environmental setting that the most effective learning takes place.

The improvement of the environment no doubt, lies in the hands of school authorities rather than teachers.  Yet, the requisitions, request and suggestions by the teacher can correct the environment to a considerable extent. The teacher can suggest about lighting arrangements in the class, as due to defective lighting and ventilation arrangements the crowded classrooms lead to overheated conditions which reduce working capacity and encourage the spread of respiratory infections. Further, it will amount to restlessness, inattention and unsatisfactory work. It is a well know fact that individuals work much better in a room with an attractive atmosphere. Although a teacher cannot completely recondition a dull and dilapidated room yet a better planning and efforts can work wonders to improve its condition. Actually it all depends upon the upkeep of the room. Careless disorder in the room, waste papers on the floor, and the untidy state of storage space, book shelves, teacher’s table and pupils desks definitely give a shabby look to a room.

Thus, the rooms should be attractively decorated. Neatness, cleanliness, orderliness and suitable decoration in a room will induce pupils to take a pride in their room and should largely eliminate scribbling on the wall and desks. This all will prove to be a boosting environment for learning.

7. Gap between School and Community

      The traditional schools are directed from social life and social activities. It has confined itself to book learning which has no utility for the child in his later life. But, the modern school represents the society in miniature. It has an intimate and organic relationship with the society. It incorporates such experiences which are intimately connected with actual living and enable the individual to lead a successful life is society. Secondary Education Commision  points out that there exists a “two way traffic” between the school and the larger community outside and  the problems that arise in the home and community life and the realistic experiences gained their should be brought into school so that education may be based on them and be intimately connected with real life and on the other hand the new knowledge, skills and values acquired in the school should be carried into home life, solve its problems, to raise its students and link up the teachers, parents and children in one compact and naturally helpful group.

8. Wholesome Experiences:

                            Real education is the acquirement of experiences which will help the pupil to adjust himself to his environments. Modern school, therefore, is an experience giving institution where pupils learn things through purposeful experiences. The old conception of the pupils mind as tabula rasa or clean slate, upon which the teacher is to write are gone. Now the school is an institution where learning takes place through experience. The importance of an experiences will be recognized by the child only when it responds to his needs and once the child feels its importance he will really be interested in it. Also the experience provided must have a clear objective. Actually we forget when we do not see clearly what we are supposed to be learning, because in that case we do not know what we are trying to be. We do not know over goal. Apart from this experience should have its value and meaning for use in daily life. We forget when we do not make use of what we have been asked to learn because we cannot make use of it in our daily living or in any other meaningful way.

Thus, wholesome experiences provide a  basis for better learning as most of the things common to our daily life situations need some sort of experience this way or that way significant to find a solution of the problems.