Technology Equipment

    The organization of the technology in your classroom is also very important when arranging your classroom. A classroom will usually consist of a television, SMART board, and a few computers. When choosing how to organize these items you should consider how often you plan to use them. For instance, the most commonly used item will probably be your SMART board. Therefore, this item should go somewhere in the front of the classroom. You could create an area in the room for student collaboration on the computers depending on how many you have available in your classroom. I would not suggest showing too many movies in your classroom because you could use that time for instruction or group activities. However, most classrooms will make use of the television in their classroom. The television can either be mounted on the wall or placed on a cart. I would suggest that you choose to mount your television on a wall and place it in a corner of the room where students can easily see it without moving their chairs. This will allow for more floor space in your classroom. If  your television is on a cart you should place it in the most unused corner of your classroom. You may also keep in mind that  you can show DVD's and clips from your SMART board and can therefore eliminate having a television in your classroom.

    Technology is a wonderful thing in the classroom. It allows for student involvement and aids in a student-centered environment. Students are so accustomed to using technology at home that providing the opportunity for technology in the classroom will motivate them to learn. Technology allows students to make decisions on their own and allows them to learn from their mistakes. As a future educator I plan to educate my students on all of the available forms of technology that is available to them and allow them to use technology as much as possible in my classroom.

Small Group Areas

 

      Small group areas usually consist of a reading area, centers area, and art area. These small group areas can also be used as a general meeting area in the room. Teachers who seek to provide their students with a student-centered environment will need to create small group areas in their classroom. These areas allow students to work with a group and learn how to collaborate well with others. These areas should be placed in areas in the room where the teacher can observe and monitor the students at all times. The job of the teacher in a student-centered environment is to walk around these small group areas and aid in the learning process of the students.

 

      Students may work in an area in the room for reading. These small group areas can be used to allow students to have some down time to read. It can also be used for students to discuss the reading material that was presented in class or was assigned for homework. Teachers may also choose to work with a small group of students to review the reading assignments or help those who appear to be struggling. Students may also meet in a small group to do centers. Centers are where students come to work on a special activity or to study a particular topic. A center will often have special materials such as a computer, learning games, and worksheets. Centers may be designed to reflect upon a science topic, social studies topic, writing topic, etc. This area of the room is great for giving students more opportunity to explore and expand their knowledge on a particular topic. Students may also meet in an area of the room to work on an art project. This area will usually consist of colored pencils, markers, paint, scissors, etc. In this small group area students will work together to create a piece of art work or create their own art work. I believe that as a future educator it will be necessary to create a student-centered environment with small group areas in order to accommodate all of my students. I believe that it is also necessary for the teacher to work with small group areas in order to accommodate all of his or her students learning needs. Here is a short clip of a teacher explaining who she believes small groups are necessary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8if72ROI7ws.

Storage Space and Supplies

    

 

      As a future educator I also understand that organized storage space is essential to the success of a classroom. Organization creates less chaos and helps with the lesson flow in the classroom. It is necessary to organize textbooks, classroom materials, teacher supplies, technology equipment, student belongings, and seasonal items. Some of these supplies will be used more often than others and should be readily accessible. The items that are not used often or are just kept for seasonal use should be put away and not clutter the classroom.

      Textbooks should be identified in order for students to easily access them during class time. Teachers should then find easily accessible shelves in a bookcase to store these books for students to use. Classroom materials consists of paper, markers, rulers, crayons, pens, etc. These supplies should be placed on a work table or shelf for students to use. Teachers supplies will consists of chalk, dry erase markers, scissors, tape, lesson plans, grade book, etc. These items can be stored in the teachers desk. Technology equipment such as computers, televisions, and SMART boards will usually be stored on tables in the back of the room or mounted on the wall. Student belongings may be stored in the students desks or in storage areas in a certain area of the room. These belongings may consist of backpacks, lunch boxes, or show and tell items. Seasonal items such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas items should be stored out of site so that they do not interfere with the organization of the regularly used items. These items can also consist of protractors, templates, special art project materials, and science equipment that are not used on an every day bases. As a teacher, the organization of all of these classroom supplies will be crucial to the success of your classroom.

Wall and Ceiling Space

        Providing a student-centered classroom for my future students will mean that I will need to be sure to display classwork and art work that is done by my students. By displaying the students work it will give them a sense of achievement and motivate them to work harder and learn more. Wall space and bulletin boards provide areas to display the work of students. It also allows you to display important information, decorative items, assignments, rules, schedules, and other interesting items. Ceiling space can be used to hang student art work, decorations, and class work.

       When making use of wall and ceiling space there are a few things to keep in mind. The first thing to consider is to always display the class rules, daily assignments, and some decorations to capture the students attention. Other things that you can display are the correct paper heading to be used in the classroom and a content relevant display. Bulletin boards should be covered with decorative paper and outlined with a border in order to capture students attention. When coming up with ideas to decorate your room do not be afraid to borrow ideas from other teachers.

Desk Organization

 

       When I become a teacher I would like to create a student-centered environment in my classroom. The main focus of a student-centered environment is group work and collaboration. Desk and table arrangement is important when it comes to providing opportunities for group work and collaboration. In a student-centered classrooms, desks are usually in groups of four and there are small group areas around the room. There is usually a centers area, art area, and reading area. For classrooms that do not allow for extra tables for small group areas, students can be asked to place their chairs in a circle in an area of the room. This will allow for group work and collaboration without needing extra tables. In a later post I will discuss more about the importance of small group areas and how they can be arranged around the classroom. It is important as a teacher to make these types of decisions when necessary.

     It is important when setting up desks to arrange them so that all students can look at the whole-group instructions area without having to move their desks. This is necessary so that all students can copy material from the screen onto their paper without having to distract the class by moving. When arranging desks it is also good to remember that high traffic areas should be free of congestion. This will allow for less distraction during class time. Teachers should also leave enough room around the students desks so that they can approach each student at their individual desks if necessary.

Here is a website that provides different arrangements of desks. The website allows you to choose how many students are in your classroom and then provides different arrangements of desks. http://www.classroomdeskarrangement.com/ClassroomDeskArrangement/Welcome.html