I was working with an elementary school in New Hampshire today and walked into a classroom with an incredibly calming environment. I immediately noticed that the teacher had turned off the florescent lights. Instead, she had four floor lamps and a table lamp strategically placed around the room. There were no cords visible. She had the cords tucked away so that students would not trip on them. She, also, had calming classical music playing in the background. The difference between that classroom and the hall was striking. Students were on task and happily going about their work.
It’s wonderful to see strategies that I advocate for in practice. One of the first dimensions of learning is “Attitude and Perception”. The classroom environment plays a key role in promoting positive attitudes and perceptions for learning.
I acknowledge that there have been controversial results from studies done on the benefits of Full-spectrum lighting vs. incandescent or other non-florescent lighting. There is no argument that, although economical, florescent lighting can have detrimental effects. The debate between full-spectrum vs. other non-florescent light sources may come down to personal preference or psychological benefits. See the following links for more information.
http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/cmenuitem_12.htm a source for several articles on lighting.
Studies that conclude that natural lighting improves learning:
http://www.h-m-g.com/Projects/daylighting/publicity%20daylighting.htm
http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/CONS/school/docs/ashcreek.PDF