MY CLASSROOM STRUCTURE PLAN
Pictured above are three 3-D views of my future classroom and below is a 2-Dimensional image of my classroom structure plan:
Pictured above is a detailed visual of how I plan on setting up my future first grade classroom. The classroom is set up to maximize student learning, while at the same time creating a fun, engaging, and comfortable classroom community that is conducive of learning for all. According to Dr. Sheryl Reinisch, director of Early Childhood Education Programs at Concordia University – Portland, studies indicate that high-quality classroom environments “help children feel safe, secure, and valued. As a result, self-esteem increases and students are motivated to engage in the learning process” (Concordia, 2012).
To accomplish this, when students walk into the classroom they will take a walk down “Ms. Strife’s Super Star Red Carpet” that will have a star with each student’s name on it placed on the carpet. To the left, students will hang up their jackets, put away their backpacks and lunches, and store their items in their respective cubbies. Student work will be displayed along the wall on the right using bulletin boards, thumb tacks, etc., and students will each have their own “showcase” where they will display at least one piece of their work or something that they feel represents them as an individual. After all, according to Scholastic, “Children learn best when they feel they are part of a community, where everyone feels accepted and where individuality is encouraged” (Creating, 2014).
To further foster this sense of belonging and build a strong, close-knit classroom community, students will work in groups as much as possible (Creating, 2014). Instead of each having their own desk, students will either be placed in the yellow, green, purple, or red group. Students will NOT be grouped into different tables based on achievement levels. Instead, tier three students may be placed at a table with some tier one or two students that will be able to help him/her out. By creating this inclusive setting, students will be able to not only strengthen their people skills, but help one another out and learn from one another. Ultimately, the goal of this will be for students to learn to embrace one another’s differences, and become a “family” over time, in which students look out for and aid one another when in need. Thus, helping to foster self-sufficiency, after time of course. These different color tables can also easily be used for stations such as writer’s or reader’s workshops. Additionally, they may be used to change up grouping throughout different lessons by assigning students different color tables for different activities. Each of these tables are strategically placed around the carpet where students will gather for Morning Meetings, and various mini lessons that will be completed on either the mounted SMART board that is visible from all seats, or the mobile whiteboard that can be moved whenever necessary. Since the tables are placed around the carpet and SMART board, the teacher may choose to have students remain at their seats or come sit on the carpet, depending upon what the lesson entails. If an issue arises and the teacher or student(s) need to get out of the circle or leave their group, it can easily be accomplished since the space is mindful of teacher and student movement and adequate space is provided between tables, chairs, walls, etc.
The emphasis on teacher/student movement and student collaboration is instilled throughout the entire classrooms structure plan. For example, the “Guided Instruction Area” in the top left takes place at a kidney table where the teacher can easily work in a small group with four students, while at the same time having a clear view of everything else that is going on in the classroom. The “Reading Nook” in the bottom left corner of the room is created using medium height bookshelves that serve as room dividers, without creating actual barriers. Instead, an open environment is created where students are free to move around as much as they please. In this “Reading Nook” there is a loft for the “Student of the Day” and countless seating options (a small loveseat, bean bag chairs, pillows, mats, funky chairs, barstools with a mini-table, yoga balls, etc.) that form a circle around a three-sided easel that the students can use when working on projects, individually, or whatever the case may be. By creating this environment, students that have difficulty rremaining in their desk and bodily-kinesthetic learners will benefit immensely. According to Harvard Medical School's Professor John Ratey, in a 2008 Education Week article, physical exercise and bodily-kinesthetic activities "put the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn (Griss, 2013). “By creating a rich contextual environment, kinesthetic learning constructs memories connected to time, place, and emotions, which we call episodic encoding. Students activate and integrate physical, emotional, and cognitive responses to what they are learning, making learning more meaningful” (Griss, 2013). That being said, both teacher and student movement are powerful tools in a classroom. As neurophysiologist Carla Hannaford put it in her book, Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head, "Movement anchors thought” (Griss, 2013). And it does just that. “By teaching through the universal language of movement, we can offer a chance for real success to children who may be caught in a spiral of academic failure” (Griss, 2013). Most importantly, this kinesthetic approach to teaching “throws a lifeline to kinesthetic learners, who often can't sit still and are seen as disruptive or learning disabled” (Griss, 2013).
Not only does the setup of this classroom appeal to the needs of bodily-kinesthetic learners, but it also provides an opportunity for students to fulfill their sensory needs. As you can see in the bottom right of the classroom there is a Sensory Station/Brain Break area. Since this classroom is designed for an inclusive first grade classroom, chances are there will be at least one student with sensory needs. Even if there are no children diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, “children differ in their ability to process and respond to information from the environment while engaging in activities. For example, one child may have difficulty sitting during group time; another may move littler during free play outside. They react in different ways because they integrate the information obtained through their senses from the environment differently” (Thompson, 2014, p. 1). To meet these sensory needs, the Sensory Station includes various resources for students to utilize such as a mini trampoline, a swing, a play area, a hammock, puppets, a mini kitchen and laundry set, and a small sand box). This Sensory Station is also considered a “Brain Break” because it isn’t just for students with sensory needs, rather, it is for all students that could use a mental break. Students will learn the rules/guidelines regarding this are of the room as the year goes on. However, it is expected that by the end of the year students will know to quietly excuse themselves from a lesson if they are feeling overwhelmed, go to the Brain Break area, do what they need to do to fulfill their sensory needs for five minutes, then quietly return to what they were doing. Students will understand that this area of the room is not to goof-off in, and it is certainly not for students to go to, to waste class time. If the area is misused, appropriate consequences will follow.
Aside from these major sections of the classroom, several other items were strategically placed throughout the classroom. If you look closely there are analog clocks on every wall, several trash cans that are placed throughout the room so students do not disrupt class while sharpening their pencil or throwing away scraps, etc. Additionally, there is an aquarium that will house the classroom pets that students will be responsible of taking care of (according to their job assignment for the day). The water fountain is placed in an open space by the bathroom. The bathroom is in an area where the teacher can easily monitor who is going into the bathroom at any place in the classroom to ensure that no goofing off is taking place. There is also a technology center that is right next to the teacher’s desk. That way, the teacher can easily monitor what students are doing on either the three desktop computers, or when using the iPads/laptops from the cart. The teacher’s desk is located in a centralized place to ensure that all areas of the classroom can be seen from that area. Last but not least, a mailbox is located near the entrance/exit of the classroom. This mailbox is for students to place either tickets out the door, questions/thoughts/concerns, for the teacher to read at the end of the day. This will be checked periodically throughout the day, and if the teacher needs to respond to a letter, the teacher will place the response in the student’s cubby so it can be addressed the following morning (unless of course it is urgent, in which appropriate actions will be taken).
All in all, various teaching strategies, philosophies, and pedagogies make up this classroom structure plan. The placement of each object was done strategically to maximize student learning and tend to the needs of all learners within the classroom. That being said, the classroom is not only meant to be aesthetically pleasing, but conducive of learning, and safe in order to create a nurturing, close-knit classroom community.
**To view APA citations, visit "References" Page**
To accomplish this, when students walk into the classroom they will take a walk down “Ms. Strife’s Super Star Red Carpet” that will have a star with each student’s name on it placed on the carpet. To the left, students will hang up their jackets, put away their backpacks and lunches, and store their items in their respective cubbies. Student work will be displayed along the wall on the right using bulletin boards, thumb tacks, etc., and students will each have their own “showcase” where they will display at least one piece of their work or something that they feel represents them as an individual. After all, according to Scholastic, “Children learn best when they feel they are part of a community, where everyone feels accepted and where individuality is encouraged” (Creating, 2014).
To further foster this sense of belonging and build a strong, close-knit classroom community, students will work in groups as much as possible (Creating, 2014). Instead of each having their own desk, students will either be placed in the yellow, green, purple, or red group. Students will NOT be grouped into different tables based on achievement levels. Instead, tier three students may be placed at a table with some tier one or two students that will be able to help him/her out. By creating this inclusive setting, students will be able to not only strengthen their people skills, but help one another out and learn from one another. Ultimately, the goal of this will be for students to learn to embrace one another’s differences, and become a “family” over time, in which students look out for and aid one another when in need. Thus, helping to foster self-sufficiency, after time of course. These different color tables can also easily be used for stations such as writer’s or reader’s workshops. Additionally, they may be used to change up grouping throughout different lessons by assigning students different color tables for different activities. Each of these tables are strategically placed around the carpet where students will gather for Morning Meetings, and various mini lessons that will be completed on either the mounted SMART board that is visible from all seats, or the mobile whiteboard that can be moved whenever necessary. Since the tables are placed around the carpet and SMART board, the teacher may choose to have students remain at their seats or come sit on the carpet, depending upon what the lesson entails. If an issue arises and the teacher or student(s) need to get out of the circle or leave their group, it can easily be accomplished since the space is mindful of teacher and student movement and adequate space is provided between tables, chairs, walls, etc.
The emphasis on teacher/student movement and student collaboration is instilled throughout the entire classrooms structure plan. For example, the “Guided Instruction Area” in the top left takes place at a kidney table where the teacher can easily work in a small group with four students, while at the same time having a clear view of everything else that is going on in the classroom. The “Reading Nook” in the bottom left corner of the room is created using medium height bookshelves that serve as room dividers, without creating actual barriers. Instead, an open environment is created where students are free to move around as much as they please. In this “Reading Nook” there is a loft for the “Student of the Day” and countless seating options (a small loveseat, bean bag chairs, pillows, mats, funky chairs, barstools with a mini-table, yoga balls, etc.) that form a circle around a three-sided easel that the students can use when working on projects, individually, or whatever the case may be. By creating this environment, students that have difficulty rremaining in their desk and bodily-kinesthetic learners will benefit immensely. According to Harvard Medical School's Professor John Ratey, in a 2008 Education Week article, physical exercise and bodily-kinesthetic activities "put the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn (Griss, 2013). “By creating a rich contextual environment, kinesthetic learning constructs memories connected to time, place, and emotions, which we call episodic encoding. Students activate and integrate physical, emotional, and cognitive responses to what they are learning, making learning more meaningful” (Griss, 2013). That being said, both teacher and student movement are powerful tools in a classroom. As neurophysiologist Carla Hannaford put it in her book, Smart Moves: Why Learning is Not All in Your Head, "Movement anchors thought” (Griss, 2013). And it does just that. “By teaching through the universal language of movement, we can offer a chance for real success to children who may be caught in a spiral of academic failure” (Griss, 2013). Most importantly, this kinesthetic approach to teaching “throws a lifeline to kinesthetic learners, who often can't sit still and are seen as disruptive or learning disabled” (Griss, 2013).
Not only does the setup of this classroom appeal to the needs of bodily-kinesthetic learners, but it also provides an opportunity for students to fulfill their sensory needs. As you can see in the bottom right of the classroom there is a Sensory Station/Brain Break area. Since this classroom is designed for an inclusive first grade classroom, chances are there will be at least one student with sensory needs. Even if there are no children diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, “children differ in their ability to process and respond to information from the environment while engaging in activities. For example, one child may have difficulty sitting during group time; another may move littler during free play outside. They react in different ways because they integrate the information obtained through their senses from the environment differently” (Thompson, 2014, p. 1). To meet these sensory needs, the Sensory Station includes various resources for students to utilize such as a mini trampoline, a swing, a play area, a hammock, puppets, a mini kitchen and laundry set, and a small sand box). This Sensory Station is also considered a “Brain Break” because it isn’t just for students with sensory needs, rather, it is for all students that could use a mental break. Students will learn the rules/guidelines regarding this are of the room as the year goes on. However, it is expected that by the end of the year students will know to quietly excuse themselves from a lesson if they are feeling overwhelmed, go to the Brain Break area, do what they need to do to fulfill their sensory needs for five minutes, then quietly return to what they were doing. Students will understand that this area of the room is not to goof-off in, and it is certainly not for students to go to, to waste class time. If the area is misused, appropriate consequences will follow.
Aside from these major sections of the classroom, several other items were strategically placed throughout the classroom. If you look closely there are analog clocks on every wall, several trash cans that are placed throughout the room so students do not disrupt class while sharpening their pencil or throwing away scraps, etc. Additionally, there is an aquarium that will house the classroom pets that students will be responsible of taking care of (according to their job assignment for the day). The water fountain is placed in an open space by the bathroom. The bathroom is in an area where the teacher can easily monitor who is going into the bathroom at any place in the classroom to ensure that no goofing off is taking place. There is also a technology center that is right next to the teacher’s desk. That way, the teacher can easily monitor what students are doing on either the three desktop computers, or when using the iPads/laptops from the cart. The teacher’s desk is located in a centralized place to ensure that all areas of the classroom can be seen from that area. Last but not least, a mailbox is located near the entrance/exit of the classroom. This mailbox is for students to place either tickets out the door, questions/thoughts/concerns, for the teacher to read at the end of the day. This will be checked periodically throughout the day, and if the teacher needs to respond to a letter, the teacher will place the response in the student’s cubby so it can be addressed the following morning (unless of course it is urgent, in which appropriate actions will be taken).
All in all, various teaching strategies, philosophies, and pedagogies make up this classroom structure plan. The placement of each object was done strategically to maximize student learning and tend to the needs of all learners within the classroom. That being said, the classroom is not only meant to be aesthetically pleasing, but conducive of learning, and safe in order to create a nurturing, close-knit classroom community.
**To view APA citations, visit "References" Page**