Setting Up the Classroom
Lighting
When we first started thinking about how we wanted our classroom to look, we had to keep in mind the resources we had with the parameters of the Nest Model. One of the first things we discussed was the lighting.
To set up our Nest model classroom our principal purchased these light filters to help reduce the brightness.
Some students have light sensitivity and the fluorescent lights in a classroom. At NestCon 2018 we heard Stephen Shore* talk about this and it turned an abstract thought of "Hmmm, maybe these lights are affecting our kiddos" into "We are fully on board with making a change to assist students with light sensitivity."
*Google him. Seriously. He's amazing.
Our classroom has 4 large windows which will also provide lots of natural light, however the downside is that they look right out onto the playground. (Talk about distracting stimuli!)
To circumvent this, we put up curtains covering the lower portions. I'm (Valerie) known in my building for sewing totally adorable and classroom-themed curtains, so this was an area I personally had to scale back on.
Step One in setting up your classroom is basically looking around and removing anything that can be a distraction.
The Nest Model reinforces the idea of removing any kind of materials that can easily distract or overwhelm, and unfortunately, my curtains might do that for students with ASD. The Nest Model recommends using neutral tones or light/warm colors like light blue, green, and cream, and avoiding bright colors like orange or red. It sounds kind of petty, but realistically it makes sense.
Environmental Modifications
After discussing the lighting, my co-teacher and I had (several) chats about the furniture in our classroom.
For many teachers our need to hoard furniture (lest it disappear forever #RIPBOOKSHELVES2017) can accidentally make the room cluttered. Add to that an odd-shaped space, student desks, tables, and chairs and a classroom can feel a little claustrophobic and unsettling. We spend so much time puzzle-piecing things in we forget to step back and see what it actually looks like. For a student with ASD, this stimuli can be overwhelming and distracting. The Nest Model recommends taking out anything not needed, which includes unnecessary furniture and "poorly organized materials."
To set up our Nest model classroom, we thought carefully about each piece of furniture we brought into the room. (It definitely helped that we were moving into a room I hadn't been in before, as I had no prior expectations on how to use the space. If you're starting out, I recommend that you take EVERYTHING out and start from scratch.) Here's what we decided:
1. Teacher Desk- I haven't used a desk in almost a decade, so that wasn't an issue for me. Chinah, my co-teacher, wanted a desk so we were able to scavenge one from another room.
2. Cubbies- Our cubbies are built into the wall so that was not something we had any control over. I did make matching (the window) curtains to cover the top shelves, since anything I put up there may be distracting or overstimulating for some students with ASD.
3. Desks/Tables- This was a huge multi-discussion topic that we brainstormed a lot. The other first grade teachers have always had their students use desks, but our principal agreed that tables might work better for our group. The Nest Model doesn't force one over the other, but does recommend that if desks are used then they're put together in clusters. We decided that tables would be better for our group. Of course finding matching tables was impossible, so we decided to make our mis-matched finds work for us
4. Bookshelves- Hello, my name is Valerie and I am a book addict. No, seriously, I love children's books and not only have way more than I need, I have this innate desire to keep them all organized and within reach so that whenever a brilliant idea floats in my mind I can easily grab the book I need to teach with it. To solve this {overwhelming} problem, we covered our shelves with matching (the windows and cubbies) curtains. The bookcase behind the chart stand and computer has black curtains, which help camouflage the area even more with our black charts. Would you guess there were more than one-thousand books behind those bookshelves? š³
I'm guessing you're picking up on the matching theme by now. That's because a design secret I learned years ago is that you can camouflage a ton more stuff if it looks pretty. Match containers and fabric- pull in the same 3 colors all over the room and it will look like you stepped into Good Housekeeping, Teacher Edition. #IWISHTHATWASATHING
5. Break Area- A big part of the ASD Nest Model is assisting kids in helping them figure out their anxiety and frustrations so they can manage themselves. A core place in every Nest room is a space for breaks. It can be called lots of things ("cool down corner," "recharge center," "peace center") but it's basically a place kids can go to self-calm. For our space, I hung up a green canopy over a pillow in an area set apart from the rest of the room. We'll update with how it goes.
6. Rugs- I owe a HUGE thanks to my last two principals for each gifting me with a new classroom rug of my choice. I have been brainstorming a forest theme for a couple years and chose wisely when it came to picking out what I wanted. The first I chose was Natural Accents Leaves from Lakeshore Learning and the second was Natural Accents Cobblestone. Both of these designs fit the design criteria of having natural tones or light/warm colors without over-stimulating visuals.
7. Other- Having flexible seating is definitely something to consider, as well as study carrels for independent work and headphones available for auditory sensitivities. Having clearly labeled, coordinating-color baskets and containers will help the room appear less overwhelming, as well.
Here our workstation boxes (filled with STEM toys) are completely covered and out of sight (and out of mind!)
The Nest Model also recommends chair silencers, individual adaptive materials for sensory needs, and also organizing workspaces for different activities (morning meeting is always on the green rug, listening center by the red shelves, etc.)
Layout
Consider what you want each space in your room to be used for, instead of having an open-concept plan. #NORACETRACKSINOURROOM
It's a little hard to tell, but coming into the room you can see each space clearly: to the left is the brown rug (which we use for math and hands-on activities), the tables are separated slightly-but-not-too-far-apart, the back of the room has mailboxes and cubbies close together (as well as a 3x5 rug), and there is a bookshelf separating the green rug from the table area. Our green rug is for morning meeting and reading.
Once you've determined what spaces you want and the furniture you have, it's a matter of putting the pieces together. This is one of my favorite things to do in the summer. I love walking into an empty classroom and spending the day sweating and moving tables! #SERIOUSLYIDO
For our Nest classroom, we wanted these things:
-enough table spots that everyone could be sitting down at the same time.
-a couple independent work areas for students who feel like they need a little extra space to work. We wanted at least one of these work areas to be a standing-work area.
-two large rug areas for specific purposes (one for morning meeting/ActivBoard activities, the other for whole-group instruction)
-a teacher-only area for Chinah's desk
-a break/cool-down area with a beanbag or pillow
-several spots (imagine a 5x7 space) for partner/independent work and workstations/centers
Having two large whole-group areas (the rugs) is great for allowing moment during transitions. It's also really important to think specifically about workspaces around the room (what's allowed and what's not) and have a chat with your students about places to sit before releasing them for independent work. #NOYOUCANTSITUNDERTHECOMPUTER #YESUNDERTHETABLEISFINE
Walls
I'm (Valerie) a decorator. I love colors that pop and posters that give lots of information. Growing up I hated boring classrooms so I've always gone a little overboard in making sure my classroom wasn't ugly. My philosophy was "Well if they aren't paying attention to me then they'll be learning the information from the posters on my walls." Was this good? Eh, I still want my room to look pretty but understand now that for many students (not just ASD kids) this distraction is not worth it.
Chinah and I considered what we thought kids needed to see all-year versus what we can pull out as needed. (Daily schedule, whole-body listening poster, 5-point voice control system, etc.)
We want the room to look pretty but understand now that for many students (not just ASD kids) this distraction is not worth it.
Our daily schedule is by the Activboard where students can see it all day. We review it in the morning and flip each card over as the task is completed.
I printed out the alphabet and hung as a banner above the blinds at the top of the windows, where they're easily seen by the class but completely unobtrusive.
The number cards do the same above the cubbies.
The Word Wall is fine to keep up all year as long as the words are added as we learn them, NOT all of them up from the beginning. I honestly struggled with that a little.
The Nest model recommends having a bulletin board for each subject area. On the math board, for example, is where I'll have ALL math stuff: anchor charts, display work, posters, etc. This means we have to be thoughtful with our space and only put relevant materials up. Lucky for me, it also means I can trade out stuff a lot to keep things fresh. Their recommendation for bulletin boards is to keep the background and border as least-invasive as possible. #BUTCARSONDELLOSAHASFOIL
Other than the curtains, that's its for the walls. Although it is a bit plainer than my classrooms of the past, we can be proud that we're providing what my students need, not necessarily what we want.
Theme
I've (Valerie) always been an advocate of decorating my classroom in a way that makes me happy. If I'm going to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 36 weeks in a room it better be pretty. Some teachers come to school 1-2 days during the summer and are set for back-to-school. Not me! For those of us who love pretty spaces, decorating a classroom demands a lot of time and attention (and effort and sometimes money) over the summer.
Since we have the most beautiful rugs in our room, we've slowly been working on adding furniture and containers to fit in. For now, we're going with an enchanted forest theme. (Yeah, it could just be a forest but 'enchanted' sounds so much more magical!) Last year in Kindergarten I had a Fairytale Forest and included characters around the room such as Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel. Since Mrs. Jewell and I are being much more thoughtful in how we set up the room, I kept the Evil Queen and her pals at home this year. (If/when I get tired of the forest theme in a few years my rugs will be make it easy for me to transform my room into a Hawaiian paradise!)
To make the room sensitive to ASD needs but also cheerful, we chose a neutral "nature" color scheme.
We used mostly greens and browns, along with some blue. Black paper as a background for all bulletin boards is classy and easy to modify, so that can stay up all year. When we switch up our boards (as they'll be updated with each topic area as we teach) it will be as simple as replacing content, not borders and backgrounds. The black will also help minimize visual stimuli.
We gave each table a nature-themed name to give a logical reason why we would have such an awful assortment of furniture in an otherwise lovely room
We have (in the back) a blue kidney-shaped table we call the "River Table." On the right there is a brown rectangle table known as the "Walnut Table" and on the left you see the "Stone Table," a gray rectangle.
We found bins and baskets to fit our theme as well.
And here is the round wood table, we call the "Oak Table."