This classroom is designed with the maximum student:teacher ratio (30:1) and the legal minimum amount of space per student (35 sqft/student) in order to show how I would arrange my classroom in less than ideal circumstances. No matter the size, I want my classroom to feel like home.
There is also a 4 foot wide walking path encircling the classroom, to ensure ease of student movement and wheelchair accessibility.
There is also a 4 foot wide walking path encircling the classroom, to ensure ease of student movement and wheelchair accessibility.
|
Carpet AreaThe carpet area's primary function is to serve as a comfortable place where every person can see each other so that Morning Meetings (see Kriete & Davis, 2014 for more information) can be held daily. It will also serve as an alternate location for whole group instruction as a change of pace from the table seating, as well as provide another spot in the room for students to work independently or in small groups.
|
Lecture SeatingThe arrangement of these desks - in groups with half of the chairs facing away from the board - is clearly not conducive to a teacher-centered, lecture-based classroom. When whole group instruction is required, or when students are presenting on a topic, the students facing away from the front can turn their chairs around or the presentation or instruction can be moved to the carpet area. Throughout the school day, this area will primarily serve as an area for students to collaborate in groups or work individually at their seats. Seats will be assigned for whole group instruction, but students will be able to sit where they please when they are working independently or in small groups.
|
|
|
|
Alternate SeatingIn this classroom, there is one table where students can work without worrying about being in someone else's seat. It also aids in spacing groups and individuals out around the room. There are also three areas that serve dual purpose as material and manipulative storage and lounge areas, where students can congregate to read or quietly do their work.
|
Teacher DeskI contemplated going without my own desk, as I do not intend to spend much, if any, time at my desk during the school day. However, I do plan to work at my desk after students have gone home, and a desk area also provides storage for teaching related materials such as professional books or small group kits. I placed my desk at the front of the classroom so that I can still interact with students if I am showing them an item or paper with the document camera or if I need to go back and forth to my laptop because of technical issues with the SMART Board.
|
|
|
Small Group TableThe small group table is placed next to my desk both for the ease of access to materials between my desk and the small group area and for the excellent vantage point it maintains of the entire classroom. While students are working either independently or in self-selected groups, I would pull deliberate groups to either work on skills that need improvement or teach new content beyond the introduction in a differentiated fashion.
|
Student-Organized BookcaseAt the beginning of the year, I would provide students with an assortment of books (leveled on the inside cover) and have students work together to decide on how to organize the books. I believe that this will allow students to feel more ownership over the library and be more aware of what books are present in the library. I would provide more books to add and sort throughout the school year and the organization of the books would be flexible.
|
|
|
Quiet AreaThe corner of the classroom would be a quiet place where students can go if they need space and/or time alone for a little bit. Students would know not to bother someone who is in the area. Such an area is useful to all students, but especially to students prone to overstimulation, such as autistic students, or students with emotional and behavioral disabilities who may need such an area to reclaim self-regulation ("Setting Up Your Classroom...", 2015; McLesky, Rosenberg, & Westling, 2013, p. 106).
|
Classroom StorageThis would hold supplies such as extra paper, markers, staplers, etc. as well as additional teaching materials. Students would have open permission to use anything in this area.
|
|
|
Refrigerator, Sink, & Class PetAll classrooms should have a sink in order to promote hygiene (washing after sneezing) and cleanliness (cleaning a spill). I would like to have a mini fridge to store spare food and drinks (like leftover milk from breakfast) as well as any food-safe project or experiment materials that have to be kept cold. I also believe that all classrooms should have a class pet both so that students can biology in action, take responsibility for the care of a living creature, and perhaps learn information such as reptile biology or cause and effect ("Benefits of Classroom Animals", 2015). If possible, I would like my class pet to be a bearded dragon, because they are fairly low maintenance, more interesting to observe than fish, don't eat mammals like snakes, and aren't adverse to human contact if exposed to it frequently when young.
|
Computers & iPadsComputers and iPads would be available for students to take lexile tests, use school learning programs, complete assignments, research a topic, or go on approved websites or apps (such as those that promote mathematics, reading, or programming skills) after they have finished their work. Ideally, students would have 1:1 Chromebooks, but this is not always feasible.
|
|
|
Student StorageThis is simply an area near the door where students can store their backpacks, coats, textbooks, etc.
|
Procedure AreaThis is the busiest corner of the room and is purposefully directly opposite the quiet area. This is the place where students turn in assignments, pick up absent work, sharpen pencils, and complete all the other little daily tasks of classroom life.
|
|
|
Lighting, Color, & MusicIdeally, I would have a classroom with plentiful window light, as natural light is shown to improve attendance and student performance (Edwards & Torcellini, 2002, p. 17). Any fluorescent lights would be covered with light diffusers, which is helpful to people who are adverse to them, such as myself, as well as to the group as a whole, as fluorescent lighting is known to cause headaches and issues with glare (Winterbottom & Wilkins, 2009). Lamps would be placed in strategic spots around the room to improve lighting in the filter-darkened room. Color in the room would be simplistic - neutral colors like grey or white and two or three calming colors such as blue and green - so as not to be visually distracting. Background music would be played during long transitions and before the start of class.
|
PostersPosters and bulletin boards would be minimal and new ones would replace old ones above a certain threshold, not add to them, to avoid visual distractions. Posters would for the most part be student-created rather than store-bought, so that students are invested in the learning process.
|
|
Benefits of Classroom Animals. (2015). Retrieved December 1, 2015, from http://www.petsintheclassroom.org/teachers/benefits-of-classroom-animals/
McLeskey, J., Rosenberg, M., & Westling, D. (2013). Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Edwards, L., & Torcellini, P. (2002). A Literature Review of the Effects of Natural Light on Building Occupants. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Setting Up Your Classroom for a Student with Autism. (2015). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.nationalautismresources.com/
Winterbottom, M., & Wilkins, A. (2009). Lighting and discomfort in the classroom. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(1), 63-75. doi:doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.11.007
McLeskey, J., Rosenberg, M., & Westling, D. (2013). Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Edwards, L., & Torcellini, P. (2002). A Literature Review of the Effects of Natural Light on Building Occupants. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Setting Up Your Classroom for a Student with Autism. (2015). Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.nationalautismresources.com/
Winterbottom, M., & Wilkins, A. (2009). Lighting and discomfort in the classroom. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(1), 63-75. doi:doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.11.007
Last updated: 08/2017
