The Classroom Environment

This imagined classroom map is taken from a partner exercise during our Curriculum and Pedagogy class. In our imagined classroom, my partner and I arranged the room so that students were at the center and had access to the majority of the room. We chose to place the teacher’s desk in the corner so that the rest of the room could hold different seating/ work areas and space for movement and rearrangement. Our imagined classroom takes on a literal interpretation of Muhammad's concept of "The Circle" as a restorative space in which all voices are centralized and connection is encouraged (2019). We arranged desks in a circular center of the room so that all students can easily see and hear one another; this arrangement prevents any spatial hierarchy that traditional lined desks imply. In the space of a circle, all students are on the same playing field.

The most necessary part of any physical classroom is flexibility; students should have the opportunity to utilize spaces they feel are most conducive to their learning. We provided flexible seating – seating beyond the traditional school chair, could include rocking chairs, standing desks, and carpeted seating – and a “break area” in which students may remove themselves from the activeness of the center of the room for a few moments. We also made sure to include clearly marked spaces for extra supplies and books so that all students have access to them (Johnson 2005). We also included wall hangings that will display students’ work and the daily agenda to boost student motivation and pride in their work. If we expect students to spend at least 6 hours a day in these spaces, then we must make students feel comfortable, acknowledged, and active in our classrooms.

Another essential aspect of pedagogy is classroom management. I believe in making classroom expectations explicit on the very first day of a class. Classroom expectations – note: I refer to these as expectations and not rules because I think the term is overused in classrooms and belittles students by disregarding their autonomy – should be stated clearly, kept consistently, and should be subject to change as the school year progresses and teachers build stronger relationships with their students. Trust between students and teachers is an essential but complex part of classroom management. Comments taken from students in Cook-Sather's Learning from the Student's Perspective reflect a common thread of respect for trusting and respectful relationships between teacher and students; multiple students draw attention to the frequency with which classroom "rules" contradict themselves and target students who speak their minds or question norms openly in class (2009). One student puts it simply: "Don't make false threats because no one will ever trust you" (2009, 36). The key to effective management in the classroom is reciprocity and openness. Muhammad emphasizes that an equitable classroom does not begin with trust and respect; rather, an equitable classroom produces space and opportunity for trust to develop through connection (2019). It is infinitely more beneficial to establish classroom expectations and norms as a collaborative unit with students rather than to produce a generic list of rules that students have heard endless times before and that do not address the nuances of each classroom.