TEC 901- Mod 2- Classroom Makeover

I liked the idea of the classroom architect tool, but there were some adjustments I would need to make because I could not resize certain elements. I will describe some of those issues below.

I am currently moving to a new room, so it will be simple, in some ways to redesign, because I have to adjust to what furniture is in the room. I also have difficulty visualizing this. Most times, I need to physically move an item to find out if that's a good place that I like. The basic structure above would be basically what I would use to at least start out.

I liked what Sir Ken Robinson said about creating an environment that is conductive to student growth and learning. I hope I am moving in this direction with this plan.

Starting at the top:

• Teacher Desk- I tried going without one to open it up but I found myself not able to be organized enough to not have to go to two or three different places to get supplies I can just put in my desk, so I went back the last part of last year. On my teacher desk, I also have a projector and Elmo (and I work with students, so I needed a bigger surface.
• Top Left- I am hoping to have some flexible seating (maybe beanbag, but may not) but 'beanbag' and 'chairs' were the only options I could put there with the program. Around the room I also want to create some floor space, because my kids really like working around the room, including any crevices and under desks.
• Top Right- This is a corner I am going to work on being useful with it. Either here or along the left, I am going to store classroom supplies for the kids to access. The TV is mounted, so I am also looking at creating a meeting place on the floor for Morning Meetings/Presentations/etc.
• Right- These cabinets cannot be moved, but I liked one of the ideas a teacher had and I am going to look at adding some shower board - for the students to have access to whiteboards around the room. I hope to put several on the storage and one in the bottom left, as a work station.
• Left- These shelves will be my classroom library, student cubbies and, if room, a curriculum storage (or class supplies) area. That whole wall is mostly windows looking out to a (fairly low traffic) common area. The shelves only go as high as the window height, so I can have some natural (indirect) light coming in. The classroom door is the very bottom left.
• Back- This one will be dependent on space. It may be wishful thinking. I have a long tall, standing desk (Student Table) that many of my student used to stand and work, or sometimes it would hold our projects in progress. Behind the kidney table I want to have any supplies I would need for Guided Reading or working with students. Maybe a possibility for basic classroom supplies.
• Bottom Left/Top Right- Several videos/articles had an area for students to work quieter (or collaboratively) and I like the idea of having a whiteboard workspace for students to use. I would need to purchase and secure the whiteboard on the bottom. I also liked the idea of securing it with velcro so students could use it in a mobile way.
• Student Desks in the Middle- These are supposed to represent groups of 4 (or 8). We use Kagan a lot, so students are doing many activities in a collaborative manner. I have wondered how I can make these desk more mobile (ie...they can move them around), without making more work for our custodians or myself.

I think this plan takes into account some of the research dealing with the teacher not being the sole focus for learning in the classroom. I think using the areas around the room where students can collaborate and work together helps facilitate this mindset. What I liked about this exercise is that some of these things can be done within budgetary constraints or with an bigger budget, some specialized furniture can be considered. Like this Donor's Choose Project. (Insert Shameless self promotion), with some cool seating for my students (until July 30).

This article discusses the importance of flexible work areas and furniture. Having places where students can hear lessons, work independently, with others and on Project-Based Learning adds to the richness of the learning experience for our students. This will help prepare them for future jobs and careers that have some structures as well as options for how the work gets done, depending on the company and task.

This style can easily be integrated with the CCSS, especially many of the College and Career Readiness standards, which then pushes into delivery of content. Having the students learn and practice the 4 C's of 21st Century learning supports the CCSS

Creating an environment that is comfortable, flexible and fun for our learners will help our students as they move forward in their education. And while this plan works on paper, when our students (and budgets) come in August, or September, we may need to be flexible enough to change it up. And if we have, in our minds, the thought of flexible learning environments, changing it up will be a breeze.

Derrick