Leveraging Lighting Color, Temperature and Luminosity for Improving Classroom Learning:

Authors

Michael Seth Mott, The University of MississippiFollow
Teresa R. Thomas
Jodie L. Burnette

Abstract

This short article addresses a preliminary exploration of a third grade teachers’ action research applied to the use of a dynamic lighting system for improving educational performance in the classroom. Dynamic lighting offers teachers’ four light settings: focus, energy, calm, and normal. Prior research has revealed a positive relationship between dynamic light use and student cognition, motivation and concentration. What is not known is how a teacher should make use of the four settings throughout the day during all of the activities, content-area learning, and transitions in students’ experience. Teacher data (journal entries) was collected for one year. Case study analysis methodology was utilized with the unit of analysis consisting of the teachers’ perceptions within the boundaries of light setting selection and classroom context. Pattern recognition analysis shed light on how to make use of all four settings of the dynamic light system.

Author Biography

Dr. Michael Mott Assistant Professor Office: Advanced Education Center 108 Phone: 662-690 6256 E-mail: msmott@olemiss.edu Web: http://www.olemiss.edu/celi Education: B.A. Political Science, State University of New York at Stony Brook M.S. Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Bank Street College Ph. D. Curriculum & Instruction, Mississippi State University Specialty Areas: Literacy, Science Literacy and Educational Assessment Brief Bio: Michael Mott received his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, a Masters of Science in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education in New York City and a Bachelors of Art in Political Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Mott teaches literacy and science methods courses and serves as Webmaster for the Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction. Dr. Mott has authored four textbooks, a textbook chapter for an internationally released book, numerous research publications in peer reviewed journals, and has presented at regional, national and international conferences on assessment, literacy, science education, teaching methodology and educational foundations. Dr. Mott has secured over $500,000.00 in extramural funding as a Primary Investigator and is P.I. of the current 2011 Phillips SchoolVision™ and University of Mississippi Dynamic Lighting Research Project ($103,644.00) as well as P.I. on other small-scale grants ($12,500 for 2010). Following ten years of employment as an elementary school teacher in the New York City Public Schools and The Lowell School in Washington, DC, Dr. Mott worked in higher education, in roles varying from adjunct to professor. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Mott was a literacy education consultant for the Prairie Hills Elementary School District in South Suburban Chicago for ten years where he led a team of literacy professionals in spearheading district-wide improvement in reading achievement. He also served as a consultant at the first planetarium in the western hemisphere, the Adler, where he designed, administrated and evaluated graduate-level science literacy and earth and space science teacher education courses, conducted workshops for Chicago Public School teachers, presented research at conferences and conducted educational and visitor studies research.; Teresa Thomas is a third grade teacher at Saltillo Elementary School in Lee County Mississippi.; Jodie Burnett is a doctoral candidate at The University of Mississippi in Education.

Recommended Citation

Mott, Michael Seth; Thomas, Teresa R.; and Burnette, Jodie L. (2014) "Leveraging Lighting Color, Temperature and Luminosity for Improving Classroom Learning:," Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research: Vol. 15: Iss. 2. https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1059