Classroom improvements

Unbelievably, it has been a little over two months since the lessons started and now it is time to assess the strategies we are using to set the foundations for our classrooms.

Is our class a space where our students and we want to spend every day of the school year? If the answer is "no", here are some tips to improve the classroom environment and assist teachers dealing with challenges...

- Hang decorations from the ceiling: mobiles are great for capturing students' imaginations and fabric can also be hung from the ceiling to create different areas within the classroom.

- Add plants, pets and other living things!: teaching your pupils how to care for living things helps them learn responsibility.

Cacti without spines are a good choice, as they do not need much water!

- Change the lighting (buy a second-hand lamp or cover a florescent light with colored paper): it is important to create ambience for storytelling time or other specific activities.

- Decorate some walls with posters that the pupils like (films, story characters, etc.): getting students input in how to decorate the classroom gives the pupils a sense of ownership.

- Make sure the classroom decorations include positive role models for women and minorities (Amelia Earhart, Nelson Mandela): children respond to what they see around them, so including positive role models for ALL of our students is important.

- Change the layouts of the desks: arrange the chairs and tables in different formations: horseshoe, circle, clustered tables, etc.