Introduction
Creating an environment in which a student feels comfortable and inclined to study is essential for the efficiency of the academic process and the further performance of a learner. Of all elements that an academic environment must include, instructions and information resources should be regarded as the most important ones, hence the need to provide students with complete access to them. However, the learning environment, including its physical properties such as infrastructure and less tangible ones such as its philosophy, defines the quality of instructions to a considerable extent. Herein lies the need to make instructions as effective and clear as possible. Thus, the rationale behind the assumption that the learning environment affects the quality of instructions is based on the importance of information availability and its presentation.
The Learning Environment – Social Skills
Going to a library might seem simple enough, yet there are also several rules without knowing which one may experience difficulties. For instance, during interpersonal relationships between librarians and students, social features such as the ability to resolve conflicts and problems that may occur during communication are essential. Also, friendliness and the skill of communicating one’s needs and ideas are appreciated.
Social skills are typically defined as a basic understanding of how communication works. Therefore, the subject matter can be exemplified with abilities such as negotiation, the ability to set goals and communicate one’s ideas, and the skill of creating an emotional connection with an opponent. Social problem solving (SPS) is another example of social skills. SPS implies that one is capable of addressing an interpersonal and, possibly, cross-cultural confrontation by developing a flexible solution based on the ideas of cooperation and compromise.
In turn, social problem solving is the process of disentangling conflicts that occur during a conversation between two or more people. Social problems may occur due to a culture clash, which stems from a lack of understanding of other cultures. The application of social skills will help manage social conflicts and help opponents reconcile. Besides, important lessons about multicultural communication can be derived from an incident of the kind.
However, there are certain impediments on the way to teaching children to become Exceptional Education Students. Cultural differences can be seen as one of the primary obstacles. The lack of willingness to empathize with the needs of the participants of cultural exchange is another factor. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs such as Al’s Pals and PATHS were designed to address the issue. Also, creating a positive environment at school helps students feel more secure and, thus, willing to learn.
Promoting respect for students’ cultural, linguistic, and family backgrounds becomes possible with the enhancement of parent-teacher and parent-librarian communication. The process of building positive relationships with students and their parents, in turn, should start with the help of surveys and parent-teacher meetings. During these meetings, the idea of maintaining an open and supportive environment for learners will have to be promoted. Particularly, librarians will need to follow a set of ethical principles and make sure that parents support their children in studying.
Resource management should also be discussed as one of the primary areas of concern. It will be required to design a coherent curriculum that gives students enough time for working in a library. The spatial arrangement of the latter should also be reconsidered, with clutter being removed and lighting is provided. Furthermore, distracting elements such as bright colors or sources of loud noises will need to be removed from the library for students to remain attentive. A librarian will have to deploy the principles of Transformational Leadership to promote the idea of collaborative values to them. Besides, a librarian may suggest that students organize in small groups to share and discuss information. To ensure the safety of learners, a librarian will need to follow the established guidelines for data management closely.
The Learning Environment – Conduct Management
To create the setting in which students will be eager to learn, a librarian will have to join efforts with a discipline faculty. Particularly, a librarian will have to offer students literacy lessons to assist them in following the prescribed guidelines and procedures. Posters and other types of visual aids can be used to instruct learners about the location of exits, restrooms, and other important areas do the library. Similarly, students need to be taught about library rules and guidelines. For this purpose, a librarian will have to give brief oral instructions to learners, covering the essential, offer them a quick tour of the key locations, and show the resources that can be used to obtain further information, including rewards and consequences. To maintain emergency access, one will have to provide students with an emergency exit plan. Finally, students’ behavior can be managed with the help of a system of rewards and incentives for proper behavior.
The Learning Environment – Content Management
A librarian will also have to provide services for students with special needs. Learners with disabilities will need the support of a librarian, as well as the use of IT tools, such as optical character recognition (OCR) technology for learners with visual impairments. To meet the needs of students who speak English as their second language (ESL), a librarian will have to provide a range of visuals that will guide the students through the process of using library resources.
Also, a librarian will have to take account of different interests and learning levels of learners. Particularly, it will be necessary to provide the books that help ESL students to communicate efficiently, learners from multiple cultural backgrounds to understand the context of their current learning environment, and so on. Visual aids can be used to convey expectations to students. Furthermore, innovative technologies such as interactive online tasks can be deployed to enhance communication and integrate relevant information. Finally, students will be encouraged to develop self-directed learning skills by taking part in group discussions and using peer assessments in the process. A discussion following the activity will allow promoting shared values.
Technology
The significance of innovative information technology (IT) tools can hardly be overrated in the identified scenarios. Specifically, a librarian will have to use virtual databases to arrange the available information about books, journals, and other resources available in the library. Thus, students will be able to access the necessary data easily. Furthermore, interactive tools must be utilized to help students learn more about how the library functions, how they can borrow a specific resource, and what guidelines they must follow.
Conclusion
Using a school library might seem a very simple task, yet students require the assistance of a competent librarian to navigate the search system and learn new information in a friendly environment. Therefore, a librarian must create a comfortable and safe setting for students, as well as provide them with pieces of advice needed to use library resources successfully. Moreover, a library setting must be inclusive and allow every student to learn. Thus, students with special needs will require additional assistance. As soon as a proper learning atmosphere is created, students can use library resources effectively.