Conditions for learning

After reading the section on page 47 about "Cambourne's Conditions for learning", I realize that every little thing in a classroom can help develop English skills not only for ELL but even for students whose primary language is English. Aspects as simple as having lots of writing posted on bulletin boards can greatly improve students langauge skills. Cambourne refers to this pratice as "immersing" or "surrounding" the students with written words. Another technique that is pointed out is the importance of including a "classroom library", which can include books, periodicals, and even poetry or short stories. Cambourne points out that no matter how large or small the "classroom library" is it will encourage students to read on their own and practice their language skills. It is these simple things that some people may consider "significant" that help to maximize student learning. Also this is not only applicable in the lower grades, where the students are still just learning to read. Techniques like word immersion are important for all grades and I will keep this in the back of my mind for when I become a teacher. My cooperating teacher for my Junior field has tons of reading materials on the wall including fun facts and interesting information. She also has a lot of inspirational poster throughout her class room. I would say that she definitely successfully immersed her students in written words.