Posted on: 26 April 2016
When you are trying to absorb information, whether at home or in the classroom, temperature matters. If you are sweating bullets or shivering uncontrollably, you obviously will have trouble concentrating. Even less extreme temperatures can have an adverse effect. Comfortable learning climates are important for productivity. You and your children will learn better if your home and schools have a good HVAC system.
Studies show that memory is adversely affected when the temperature is too high or too low. Experts point out that you cannot concentrate well in extreme temperatures because your body is continually telling you to do something to make things more bearable. When a group of students was asked to take a test in either 64, 72, or 80 degrees, the scores were much higher in the 72-degree group. This study emphasizes the need for all schools to have adequate air conditioning and heating systems. In addition, your children will be better able to correctly recall information while doing homework if the temperatures are consistently moderate.
Speed and Accuracy
Other studies show that temperature affects both speed and accuracy in learning. Students who worked in 62-degree temperatures made the most mistakes. Although students who worked in 80 degrees had fewer errors, they also worked the most slowly. Students' work speed was found to decrease 1.1% for each degree increase between 68 to 77 degrees. In short, having a reliable heating and cooling system is not just about student comfort. Student performance is clearly tied to having moderate, comfortable temperatures in the classroom and at home.
Temperature also affects behavior. Not surprisingly, when students are too hot or too cold, their mood worsens and they sometimes act out inappropriately. Experts have long linked hot weather to bad behavior. In fact, spikes in violent crimes happen in extreme heat. It stands to reason that classroom behavior worsens in the heat, making learning that much more difficult. Ask any teacher how hot weather affects their classroom management.
You should not only have an effective HVAC system at home; you should advocate for one in your children's schools. You may have had to suffer through tremendous heat and cold at school when you were a child, but inflicting those conditions on your children will not make them tougher; it will simply lower their learning performance. If this issue is a problem in your district, contact the administration about making proper heating and air conditioning repairs.