Have you ever entered a classroom and immediately started yawning?  How about trying to pay attention and you can’t stop staring at notes on the flip chart from the last class?  Whether too much or too little decoration, to keep your audience engaged and fresh, you’ll need the right mix of decoration and stimuli to pull off an incredible learning experience.  Here are the top 5 tips to achieve that.

1. Arrange all items needed for activities to a central location or in front of each student. The best thing that came out of the pandemic is that people became more aware of germs and the need for frequently used objects to be cleaned and sanitized.  A clean fresh smelling classroom has always been the ideal setting for optimal learning.  Wiping down chairs and desks and making sure the room is vacuumed or swept after every class is a practice that needs not to be discarded. It speaks to the overall readiness of an instructor and company to teach adults.  Having to look for materials needed shows that an instructor is not organized or ready.  All items should be in a specific place, if not on the students’ desks ready to be utilized.  And, in the spirit of cleanliness, a small station with hand sanitizer, tissues, wipes, and a waste basket can assist the student if there is a spill or if they have an extra need to wipe down their area before sitting. Students will thank you for the readiness and, in turn, open their brains for a day full of knowledge!
2. Make sure all whiteboards, smart boards, and flip charts are free and clear.  If using from a previous lesson, recall them when needed. Visual aids are the unsung heroes of the learning experience.  Activities produce them and their appearance on the walls helps to reinforce the lesson when the student glances at the words and art created.  However, if the visual aids were not created by that class, it may serve as a distraction more than a reinforcement of learning.  Be sure that all items created from other classes are removed before class begins (more on this in number 5).
3. Snacks. Whether your place of work has a space to procure snacks or not, it’s important to provide them in class for two reasons: It eliminates the need for the learner to travel to another destination and risk being late coming back to class on a break.  I don’t know about anyone else, but sometimes my appetite has a mind of its own and I’m quickly hungry or thirsty and must satisfy this need.  It’s nice to know that I can get up and refresh my thirst or grab a quick snack – all without missing any of the lesson or activity, the second reason for providing snacks.  What types of snacks?  They don’t have to be caviar and champagne, however, water and a pretzel or potato chip snack would do just the trick.  Let’s not forget about our coffee drinkers.  A carafe or Keurig could be just what the doctor ordered for our caffeine dependent learners.
4. Temperature of the room. I am a proponent of a cooler classroom for two reasons: cooler classrooms keep learners alert, and a cool environment keeps the germs at bay. According to a 2018 study that looked at 10 million students who took the PSAT test, students demonstrated a 1% decrease in how much they learned that year for ever one-degree increase in room temperature.  It’s important to note that a “cold” classroom, or temperature too low, can cause distractions as students may be too focused on warming up rather than learning.  A temperature of not more than 70 degrees is optimal.  Synonymous with organization, temperature can positively affect sanitization. According to an article written on the ThermPro Website, the humidity and temperature can have many lasting effects on the classroom.  To name a few, high humidity in the classroom can cause spread of diseases, allergens, mold, and exacerbate Asthma.
5. Maximize Wall Space. Let’s face it, minds will wander.  No matter how great of an instructor you are, adults will naturally day dream when stationary.  Here at ASE, we are in the middle of a transformation of our training room wall space.  Soon you will see items that tell our storied history as well as some motivational items when your mind takes a journey while learning.  We first defined categories of things needed.  Here’s what you should consider when adding decoration to your training wall:
   1. Something that talks about the history of your company – Mission, vision, goals of the company and of your training program should adorn your walls to remind the learner of the experience they are having!
   2. Any upcoming events for your training department or company. Make sure to remind learners to come back for many more experiences that you offer.  This can be a poster or handbill flyers advertising upcoming events or classes.
   3. Lastly, a couple pictures with motivational quotes or images.  These will make the learner feel motivated to continue to learn in the environment you are providing.

Sources: responsiveclassroom.org; CCH; sitelogiq.com; buythermopro.com