Classroom map
Rationale
This map is a representation of how I would design my ideal classroom. Each item is purposely placed in a position that will lead to maximum efficiency in the classroom for both the students and teacher. Classroom Management for Middle and High School Teachers by Edmund Emmer and Carolyn Evertson proves to be a well-researched and reputable source in terms of addressing classroom management and organizing your classroom and materials. They claim there are 5 keys to good room arrangement, and I specifically designed my classroom to follow their guidelines (Emmer & Evertson 11-12). This is the rationale for my classroom map.
1. Use a room arrangement consistent with your instructional goals and activities
In my classroom I hope to use a variety of instructional activities, such as teacher-led recitations, presentations, and group work. With my classroom layout all the students are facing forward and will be able to easily see the board and focus during teacher-led lessons that use the whiteboard to show instructional materials. However, my class will definitely not be lecture-dominated. I want my students to discuss materials with their classmates and work as groups. This is why I have all the desks in the classroom grouped in pairs. This way each student will have a partner to discuss with, and since they are already sitting next to each other, we will not waste time moving desks around and attempting to assign partners. At times, the students might be expected to work in groups of more than just two people. In that case, one pair of students will simply have to turn their desks around to face the group of desks behind them, and groups will be easily formed while taking minimal time to organize. In my classroom I hope to limit time spent transitioning from students coming into the classroom during the passing period to the start of class. I purposely aligned all the furniture in the classroom so that as the student walks into the room through the door he/she will be able to immediately drop of assigned homework (if applicable) in the "turn in bin" directly to the right of the door. Afterwards they will be expected to follow along the back of the room to pick up any supplies or handouts from the supply table, grab his/her assigned Google Chromebook, and collect any books from the bookcase if need be as well. With this easy flow of traffic all students and the teacher will be able to limit time spent on starting class each day, and we will have more time for instructional activities.
2. Keep high-traffic areas free of congestion
One of the main goals for designing my classroom was to be sure that all students and the teacher would be able to easily move around the room and pick-up different materials in a pattern that flows easily. I staggered the desks for several reasons, but I wanted to make sure that students would be able to walk between the desks to easily access all locations in the room. I tried to be sure to keep high-traffic areas, such as "the pencil sharpener and wastebasket, doorways, computers, certain bookshelves and supply areas, study desks, and the teacher's desk" open and readily accessible (Emmer and Evertson 11). While the desks are grouped in the middle of the room I left pathways to all of these high-traffic areas so that students who are working at their desks will not be in the way of a student who needs to use the pencil sharpener or throw something out.
3. Be sure students are easily seen by the teacher
As Emmer and Evertson say, "your desk needs to be placed where it will be functional" (Emmer and Evertson 15). I placed the teacher's desk at the back of the classroom because I feel that is the best position in order for me to be able to monitor what the students are doing. Just this week in my field placement we briefly discussed classroom arrangement with our cooperating teacher. His desk is located at the front of the room, but he only moved it there after he was forced to as a result of technological complications. Previously his desk was in the back of the room, and he said that it was much easier to observe the students' behavior when his desk was back there. They are piloting using Google Chromebooks, and my cooperating teacher said he struggles with keeping the students focused on the class materials and it was easier to monitor when his desk was behind the students. Therefore, I would position my desk in the back of the room so that it is out of the way, because I do not expect I will be sitting in it much during the day. But for the times that I am in my desk, I will be able to keep track of the students and ensure that they are on task and make sure no one cheats or talks during tests.
4. Keep frequently used teaching materials and student supplies readily accessible
While the teacher desk is located in the back of the classroom, I recognize that I will need some instructional materials located near the front of the room as I am teaching. This is why I have a table located at the very front of the room right by the whiteboard in a designated "instructional area." At the beginning of each day I will put all the supplies on that table that I will need to use. That way my desk will not take up an excess of space located in the front of the room, but I will still have a designated place to put all the supplies I need while teaching lessons. The student supplies are all located in one section of the classroom to make it easier for the students to come in and pick up all the materials they need in a swift motion. In the back corner has the cart of Google Chromebooks, which I am using in my theoretical classroom because that is what supplies are available to the students in my early-field experience classroom this semester. That back corner also contains the bookcase with student textbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias, and it is also where the supply table is located, which contains extra pencils/pens/paper, a hole punch, stapler, colored pencils, markers, and any handouts. Additionally, the pencil sharpener, garbage can, and recycling bin are all located in a place in the classroom that is readily accessible for students and the teacher, but they are also out of the way enough so that they do not create congestion.
5. Be certain students can easily see instructional presentations and displays
Students will not be able to learn if they cannot see the board and the instructional presentations everyday. I wanted to make sure that all desks in the room are forward-facing, because it is hard sometimes to sit in a desk that faces the windows since one would need to stretch his/her neck for the entire period to watch the front whiteboard. It can also be distracting for students to have their desks face out the windows or even at the door, because both provide lots of distractions. Additionally, I made sure to stagger the rows of desks to try to ensure all students will easily be able to see the board. If the rows were directly behind one another than they probably would not be able to see very well.
1. Use a room arrangement consistent with your instructional goals and activities
In my classroom I hope to use a variety of instructional activities, such as teacher-led recitations, presentations, and group work. With my classroom layout all the students are facing forward and will be able to easily see the board and focus during teacher-led lessons that use the whiteboard to show instructional materials. However, my class will definitely not be lecture-dominated. I want my students to discuss materials with their classmates and work as groups. This is why I have all the desks in the classroom grouped in pairs. This way each student will have a partner to discuss with, and since they are already sitting next to each other, we will not waste time moving desks around and attempting to assign partners. At times, the students might be expected to work in groups of more than just two people. In that case, one pair of students will simply have to turn their desks around to face the group of desks behind them, and groups will be easily formed while taking minimal time to organize. In my classroom I hope to limit time spent transitioning from students coming into the classroom during the passing period to the start of class. I purposely aligned all the furniture in the classroom so that as the student walks into the room through the door he/she will be able to immediately drop of assigned homework (if applicable) in the "turn in bin" directly to the right of the door. Afterwards they will be expected to follow along the back of the room to pick up any supplies or handouts from the supply table, grab his/her assigned Google Chromebook, and collect any books from the bookcase if need be as well. With this easy flow of traffic all students and the teacher will be able to limit time spent on starting class each day, and we will have more time for instructional activities.
2. Keep high-traffic areas free of congestion
One of the main goals for designing my classroom was to be sure that all students and the teacher would be able to easily move around the room and pick-up different materials in a pattern that flows easily. I staggered the desks for several reasons, but I wanted to make sure that students would be able to walk between the desks to easily access all locations in the room. I tried to be sure to keep high-traffic areas, such as "the pencil sharpener and wastebasket, doorways, computers, certain bookshelves and supply areas, study desks, and the teacher's desk" open and readily accessible (Emmer and Evertson 11). While the desks are grouped in the middle of the room I left pathways to all of these high-traffic areas so that students who are working at their desks will not be in the way of a student who needs to use the pencil sharpener or throw something out.
3. Be sure students are easily seen by the teacher
As Emmer and Evertson say, "your desk needs to be placed where it will be functional" (Emmer and Evertson 15). I placed the teacher's desk at the back of the classroom because I feel that is the best position in order for me to be able to monitor what the students are doing. Just this week in my field placement we briefly discussed classroom arrangement with our cooperating teacher. His desk is located at the front of the room, but he only moved it there after he was forced to as a result of technological complications. Previously his desk was in the back of the room, and he said that it was much easier to observe the students' behavior when his desk was back there. They are piloting using Google Chromebooks, and my cooperating teacher said he struggles with keeping the students focused on the class materials and it was easier to monitor when his desk was behind the students. Therefore, I would position my desk in the back of the room so that it is out of the way, because I do not expect I will be sitting in it much during the day. But for the times that I am in my desk, I will be able to keep track of the students and ensure that they are on task and make sure no one cheats or talks during tests.
4. Keep frequently used teaching materials and student supplies readily accessible
While the teacher desk is located in the back of the classroom, I recognize that I will need some instructional materials located near the front of the room as I am teaching. This is why I have a table located at the very front of the room right by the whiteboard in a designated "instructional area." At the beginning of each day I will put all the supplies on that table that I will need to use. That way my desk will not take up an excess of space located in the front of the room, but I will still have a designated place to put all the supplies I need while teaching lessons. The student supplies are all located in one section of the classroom to make it easier for the students to come in and pick up all the materials they need in a swift motion. In the back corner has the cart of Google Chromebooks, which I am using in my theoretical classroom because that is what supplies are available to the students in my early-field experience classroom this semester. That back corner also contains the bookcase with student textbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias, and it is also where the supply table is located, which contains extra pencils/pens/paper, a hole punch, stapler, colored pencils, markers, and any handouts. Additionally, the pencil sharpener, garbage can, and recycling bin are all located in a place in the classroom that is readily accessible for students and the teacher, but they are also out of the way enough so that they do not create congestion.
5. Be certain students can easily see instructional presentations and displays
Students will not be able to learn if they cannot see the board and the instructional presentations everyday. I wanted to make sure that all desks in the room are forward-facing, because it is hard sometimes to sit in a desk that faces the windows since one would need to stretch his/her neck for the entire period to watch the front whiteboard. It can also be distracting for students to have their desks face out the windows or even at the door, because both provide lots of distractions. Additionally, I made sure to stagger the rows of desks to try to ensure all students will easily be able to see the board. If the rows were directly behind one another than they probably would not be able to see very well.