Planning out the classroom floor plan and space was a more difficult task than I had predicted it to be. The assignment was challenging and frustrating at times, yet relevant and useful. The classroom I designed would be for an early elementary classroom (kindergarten to second or third grade.) There are several different spaces in this classroom. There is the student work area with tables, chairs, easy access to student supplies and cubbies, and surrounded by white boards and bulletin boards. The next area is the carpet area. The carpet space includes a spot in the front for the teacher and an easel, and a white board on the side along the wall. The carpet area was essential for my ideal classroom in order for students and me to have a large open space to meet all together and spread out. There also needs to be a large open space for instructional purposes to be more creative with lessons and incorporate more total physical response instruction. In front of the carpet area is the teacher desk with teacher storage, supplies, and instructional materials. This was strategically placed in order for the teacher to see students in all areas of the classroom from her desk. Behind the desk is another cabinet along with a sink for students to wash their hands. This area is behind the teacher’s desk so that students do not have easy access to the sink.
Behind the carpet space is the reading nook. The reading nook is surrounding by book shelves on two sides and a wall of comfy chairs separating the carpet from the reading nook. In the nook are comfy chairs (such as bean bag chairs) and large floor pillows for the students to relax and have a quiet and comfortable space to read or do work. There is the area for activity centers and work areas. There is a computer work area, along with a small group table in which the teacher can pull small groups of students to work with them on specific lessons and skills. In this work area is a bookshelf that contains resources for creative ways of learning. There are a variety of art supplies, dramatic play materials, music with music players, and more classroom library books. There is an open space near this bookshelf for students to engage in these creative modes of learning.
I decided to use tables instead of individual desks for a few reasons. Tables are a great way for students to learn together in collaborative groups. Research at Harvard University has shown that students can use each other to learn in cooperative groups, and that cooperative learning actually elicits higher level reasoning and creativity, (Johnson 2006). Students will be placed at the tables strategically in order to form a cooperative learning group. Some factors that will be considered are language status and home language, ability level, behavior, and learning styles. The goal is to have students play off of each other strengths and weaknesses in order for students to learn from each other and solve problems together. This also helps to build a positive classroom community. These tables help facilitate learning centers and group work as well. There are student cubbies for students to store their papers and materials for the day. These bins are only a few feet high in order for the teacher to be able to see the work area in the back of the room, but to also section it off.
Throughout the room, there are three white boards and five bulletin boards. This space is very important for classroom management, for learning, and for displaying student work. Plenty of wall space means essential classroom items such class rules, the class schedule, calendar, daily assignments, student work, word walls, learning tools (alphabet, number line, pictures, scaffolding learning materials), and plenty of work space for teacher instruction is possible. At the white board and bulletin board at the carpet would be materials for morning activities such as calendar and student of the day and a daily reading, along with materials that students should review daily. On another bulletin board will be a map of the world, because I will be teaching in a class with English learners, and a map allows us to continually refer back to students home countries. This helps to facilitate learning because students are continually flooded with visuals and relevant information to aid in problem solving and learning.
In my classroom, I made sure to include activity centers. Burden and Byrd (2013) suggest to incorporate activity centers and work areas in the classroom so that students can work on extra work or engage in a special activity, (p. 237). The authors suggest that these spaces should be to the backs of the other students, but still where the teacher can see them. Everston and Emmer (2013) explain that teachers need a space in the classroom to meet with small groups of students, (p. 18). This is especially true today with Response to Intervention needs. The text describes that it is important that while the teacher is working with the small group, he/she can still be able to scan the room. This is what the circular table in the back of the room is for. This table allows the teacher to engage in activities such as guided reading, mini-lessons, and tutoring. It also gives students a space to work on individual or group work apart from the rest of the class. Next to this is an open part of the room that allows students to work on the ground, or with the art activities on the back shelf. The incorporation of a wide selection of art materials, a dramatic play box, and music in the class is a great addition to a young elementary classroom because it allows students to learn through multiple modalities and it inspires their creativity.
One of my favorite spaces in the room is the classroom library, which also is a reading nook. This area is meant to be a space where students can silent read or relax if they need a quiet space. Education literature explains classroom libraries are essential to elementary school classrooms in order to provide ample opportunities to read, (Serafini, 2011). There is a music player to play soft music and comfy chairs and soft pillows in order for students to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom.
I also included a classroom pet. Classroom pets allow students to learn firsthand about science and shared responsibility. Overall, I believe this classroom would be very conducive to learning. The students would be flooded with visuals and multiple modes of learning. The layout of the classroom would build a safe and positive learning community for the students.
References
Burden, P. R. & Byrd, D. M. (2013). Methods for effective teaching: Meeting the needs of all
students, 6th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Evertson, C. M. & Emmer, E. T. (2013). Classroom management for elementary teachers, 9th
ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Johnson, L.M. (2006). Elementary School Students’ Learning Preferences and the Classroom
and the Classroom Learning Environment: Implications for Educational Practice and Policy. Journal of Negro Education, 75(3),506-518.
Serafini, F. (2011). Creating Space for Children’s Literature. Reading Teacher, 65(1), 30-34.
Doi:10.1598/RT.65.1.4
Behind the carpet space is the reading nook. The reading nook is surrounding by book shelves on two sides and a wall of comfy chairs separating the carpet from the reading nook. In the nook are comfy chairs (such as bean bag chairs) and large floor pillows for the students to relax and have a quiet and comfortable space to read or do work. There is the area for activity centers and work areas. There is a computer work area, along with a small group table in which the teacher can pull small groups of students to work with them on specific lessons and skills. In this work area is a bookshelf that contains resources for creative ways of learning. There are a variety of art supplies, dramatic play materials, music with music players, and more classroom library books. There is an open space near this bookshelf for students to engage in these creative modes of learning.
I decided to use tables instead of individual desks for a few reasons. Tables are a great way for students to learn together in collaborative groups. Research at Harvard University has shown that students can use each other to learn in cooperative groups, and that cooperative learning actually elicits higher level reasoning and creativity, (Johnson 2006). Students will be placed at the tables strategically in order to form a cooperative learning group. Some factors that will be considered are language status and home language, ability level, behavior, and learning styles. The goal is to have students play off of each other strengths and weaknesses in order for students to learn from each other and solve problems together. This also helps to build a positive classroom community. These tables help facilitate learning centers and group work as well. There are student cubbies for students to store their papers and materials for the day. These bins are only a few feet high in order for the teacher to be able to see the work area in the back of the room, but to also section it off.
Throughout the room, there are three white boards and five bulletin boards. This space is very important for classroom management, for learning, and for displaying student work. Plenty of wall space means essential classroom items such class rules, the class schedule, calendar, daily assignments, student work, word walls, learning tools (alphabet, number line, pictures, scaffolding learning materials), and plenty of work space for teacher instruction is possible. At the white board and bulletin board at the carpet would be materials for morning activities such as calendar and student of the day and a daily reading, along with materials that students should review daily. On another bulletin board will be a map of the world, because I will be teaching in a class with English learners, and a map allows us to continually refer back to students home countries. This helps to facilitate learning because students are continually flooded with visuals and relevant information to aid in problem solving and learning.
In my classroom, I made sure to include activity centers. Burden and Byrd (2013) suggest to incorporate activity centers and work areas in the classroom so that students can work on extra work or engage in a special activity, (p. 237). The authors suggest that these spaces should be to the backs of the other students, but still where the teacher can see them. Everston and Emmer (2013) explain that teachers need a space in the classroom to meet with small groups of students, (p. 18). This is especially true today with Response to Intervention needs. The text describes that it is important that while the teacher is working with the small group, he/she can still be able to scan the room. This is what the circular table in the back of the room is for. This table allows the teacher to engage in activities such as guided reading, mini-lessons, and tutoring. It also gives students a space to work on individual or group work apart from the rest of the class. Next to this is an open part of the room that allows students to work on the ground, or with the art activities on the back shelf. The incorporation of a wide selection of art materials, a dramatic play box, and music in the class is a great addition to a young elementary classroom because it allows students to learn through multiple modalities and it inspires their creativity.
One of my favorite spaces in the room is the classroom library, which also is a reading nook. This area is meant to be a space where students can silent read or relax if they need a quiet space. Education literature explains classroom libraries are essential to elementary school classrooms in order to provide ample opportunities to read, (Serafini, 2011). There is a music player to play soft music and comfy chairs and soft pillows in order for students to feel safe and comfortable in the classroom.
I also included a classroom pet. Classroom pets allow students to learn firsthand about science and shared responsibility. Overall, I believe this classroom would be very conducive to learning. The students would be flooded with visuals and multiple modes of learning. The layout of the classroom would build a safe and positive learning community for the students.
References
Burden, P. R. & Byrd, D. M. (2013). Methods for effective teaching: Meeting the needs of all
students, 6th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Evertson, C. M. & Emmer, E. T. (2013). Classroom management for elementary teachers, 9th
ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Johnson, L.M. (2006). Elementary School Students’ Learning Preferences and the Classroom
and the Classroom Learning Environment: Implications for Educational Practice and Policy. Journal of Negro Education, 75(3),506-518.
Serafini, F. (2011). Creating Space for Children’s Literature. Reading Teacher, 65(1), 30-34.
Doi:10.1598/RT.65.1.4