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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 12, 2012 · 16 Changing the teaching environment helps keep minds engaged Continued from page 15 spot for a child who likes quiet for personal study. Other students like to study and work together, so a round group table may be the ideal place for them to gather. The classroom need not always be brightly lit for learning either. Teachers can think about using different types of lights to set up nooks to facilitate learning. Hard seats, hard desks and the same location over and over can sometimes be uncomfortable. Teachers with novel educating styles may prefer to switch environments from time to time to keep students' minds engaged. For example, they may take science lessons outside for children to learn first-hand about nature or animals. A trip to the school's theater or all-purpose room may be better for a language arts assignment, such as acting out a play. Students from the same grade may swap classrooms with another class so they benefit from a different teaching style and environment. Sometimes teachers put all students together for a group lesson to exchange new viewpoints. Some designers and architects also have views on how classrooms should be designed. In 2011, the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture, with offices in Sydney, Stuttgart and Shanghai, designed a concept for the "classroom of the future." It's a prefabricated and portable classroom unit that integrates into the landscape while enhancing the learning environment. The materials are cost-effective and sustainable. Classroom environments may once have been about rigid rows of desks where all eyes were focused on the blackboard. But today teachers and innovators have realized the benefits of switching things up to tap students' learning potential. (MNS) 905-829-9400 2828 Kingsway Dr, Oakville, L6J 7M2 www.mathnasium.com/oakville oakville@mathnasium.com 50% OFF FIRST MONTH PROGRAM FEE ON 6-12 MONTHS CONTRACT Celebrating our 10th year of providing excellence in dance! Technical and creative excellence in a warm and friendly environment for students age 3 to adult. Fellow and Examiner with The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing SOME SPACES STILL AVAILABLE IN OUR 3-5 YEAR OLD PROGRAMS! CALL NOW TO ENROLL! Academy Director: Heidi Knapp Classical Ballet · Modern Theatre Dance/Jazz Tap · Musical Theatre & Acting · Hip Hop 905.338.0210 785 Pacific Road, Unit 1, Oakville www.graceacademy.ca