Teachers should always strive to create a learning environment in the classroom. This will allow children to walk in the classroom and be ready to learn immediately. Of course, this isn’t always the case and students can get engaged in conversations regarding other things which are unrelated to the subject.

If you have something pre-prepared on the whiteboard or have put sheets down on all the tables, then this will grab the students’ attention and will ensure that the students are focused right from the get go. If a student knows they have a task to do, then their natural instinct is to go ahead and do it and get it out of the way. So if you give students a task to give at the beginning of the lesson, this will put the students in a mindset where they want to learn and they want to complete the task.

Student engagement is key when it comes to creating a learning environment. If you leave students to complete a task, particularly a long one and leave them to it, chances are, they will talk about unrelated things and this will veer their focus away from the task in hand. Maybe halfway through the task, ask where the students are in terms of progress and offer your assistance.

Another way to get students engaged is to do quizzes. Students love doing quizzes and love to compete against one another. If you can channel this competitiveness and use it to your advantage, then you will end up in a scenario where the student is learning and they are having fun at the same time.

Videos are well known for being a good resource for students to watch. Find some videos for your students to watch and ensure that they are making notes along the way so that they are not slacking off. Videos should be used sporadically and not all the time because students will take advantage of this and will moan when videos are not used.

If you have a class which you always get, then play a game to build a rapport with the students so that they know that the teacher who is teaching them isn’t just there to pick up a paycheck. If a student gets on well with a teacher, then they are more willing to learn!

The best way to create a learning environment is to understand the students you are teaching and to be prepared. Make sure that your plan for the subject is detailed and ensure that you have everything you need prior to the lesson. If you need to print off handouts, then do this before the lesson because if students turn up to the lesson before the teacher, they will be gossiping and it will be hard to make them focus.