Using Tech to De-Clutter
Your Classroom Perimeter
By Jamie Averbeck
Embedded Files
As we approach spring time and spring cleaning, I want to share some research and some tools to help de-clutter your classroom walls. Before we get to all of that, let’s start by doing a perimeter walk around your classroom. What do you see? I’m guessing you all sorts of posters and displays, in the form of anchor charts, student work, inspirational quotes, class pictures, etc.
Dr. Robert Dillon, an educator, author, and learning spaces researcher, poses the following questions:
How are the walls, and every inch of your walls, either supporting or distracting from learning? Do we really need that poster?
How are the walls, and every inch of your walls, either supporting or distracting from learning? Do we really need that poster?
His research shows that only three types of perimeter displays really have a positive impact on student achievement…
- Anchor Charts…BUT, they have to be current and relevant to learning that is taking place that week. Old charts should be digitized (more on this later) and available as needed, but not on constant display.
- Pictures of Current Students...Pictures of kids doing work, modeling positive behavior, working collaboratively.
- Images of Nature...Research by Dillon and others have shown that images of nature or art created with natural materials have a profound effect as a calming agent.
What about everything else that I have on the walls? Dillon says “visual noise can be a distraction for all students, and most don’t even recognize the negative cognitive impact of walls filled with items that don’t support learning.”
How can technology help improve your classroom perimeter?
How can technology help improve your classroom perimeter?
Balance “Screen Time” with “Green time”
Balance “Screen Time” with “Green time”
Think about how you use your digital display. If you use it for 30 minutes to display content, find 30 minutes to project an image of nature. Pixabay has thousands of free to use nature pictures for classroom use. Choosing pictures that tie into content is even better, using “Nature” and a content topic in the search will help filter results. Example Search (Nature and Washington Monument) on the left.
Use Google Calendar to Create Anchor Chart Expiration Dates
Use Google Calendar to Create Anchor Chart Expiration Dates
Dillon’s research says that only relevant anchor charts should be displayed. When you put up an anchor chart, create a Google Calendar Reminder with a date that the chart should come down.
Digitize and Personal Anchor Charts Using Google Drawings
Digitize and Personal Anchor Charts Using Google Drawings
You can take a picture of an "expiring" anchor chart and insert the image into Google Drawings, or create a miniature version using the tools within Drawings. Alice Keeler has a blog here that is all about sharing a Google Drawing. You simply can share or print the miniature version with students who still need access.
Empower Your Students to Recognize and Remind You to Take Pictures of Students Modeling Expected Behaviors and to Display Them!
Empower Your Students to Recognize and Remind You to Take Pictures of Students Modeling Expected Behaviors and to Display Them!
Create a space in your classroom of students doing the work. Dillon’s research shows that students seeing themselves or peers modeling expectations in a picture, has a much larger impact than a list of expectations on a wall.
What did your perimeter walk show? Are all of your anchor charts current? Do you have pictures of students doing the work? Any images of nature? Are there any items on your classroom walls that could be removed? Dillon asks, “Do the walls in my classroom really maximize learning or do they distract from learning?”
When I first heard Dr. Dillon talk about learning spaces, it really gave me a different lens around classroom design. Hopefully, this blog post gives some ideas to reflect on and some tools to help design the perimeter of your classroom to maximize student achievement.
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