The Ideal Classroom Learning Environment by Michelle

The Ideal Classroom Learning Environment by Michelle - October 2014 Scholarship Essay

The ideal classroom environment would be one that is hands on and as close to the real world market place as possible. We as students are in college to learn how to move into possible careers in the future. Many times we pick majors that will lead to careers because we think that they will bring in the most money in the future. But what if we hate the occupation in the end? What if we really stink at it? Is there a way to find out early before you go all the way through school and find out you really know nothing practical about the field you want to go into. So why don't more colleges and universities work with businesses to learn hands on information about how to be a professional in certain fields?

In the beginning of our nation apprenticeships were the way that most students learned the trade of their mentors. Benjamin Franklin was an apprentice and a prolific writer while in his teens. Other leaders learned through apprenticeships as well. It is a sure way to learn firsthand. A student would quickly find out if they have what it takes to be in a certain field or if they even like it. No more cramming for a test that you won't remember the answers to, a week later.Instead students are stuffed into classes, told to read some books, forced to memorize or write about what they have read, and wonder if they will ever use this information again. They are not scored on how well they will perform in real life situations but on how well they spit back the information they have learned. They have one professor who knows them only as an acquaintance and the student learns nothing of the professor’s ability to function in real life. What if the professor couldn't make it in the real world and that is the reason they went into teaching? I am not saying that is the case for all teachers but it may be for a few.

Most students learn best by example and then being given the opportunity to practice under the supervision of a mentor. Many medical students get to experience this when they get to shadow doctors and interns in the hospitals. Is it possible to do this with lawyers, sales representatives, broadcasters, CEO s, or editors?

When I think of the ideal classroom setting it would have to be one that allows the student to learn from a professional by coming along side of them and experiencing what they experience every day. A classroom that would consist of the real and not just the virtual. A place where relationships and character are grown and challenges are met in real time. This would be my ideal classroom environment. I suppose they didn't have it all that backwards in the centuries past, but then again they were not as educated as we are today.