Classroom Description

The way my practicum supervising teacher has his room set up is similar to the way many of the teachers in the school have set up their rooms. The room itself is very large with one wall of the room devoted to cabinet space and a counter. The cabinets are stocked with books and classroom materials such as textbooks used in reading and social studies. There are also drawers devoted to writing supplies such as markers, pens, and pencils. There is also a drawer for paper, scissors, and glue sticks. Everything on this side of the classroom is typical supplies one would hope to find in any middle school.
On the north wall of the classroom is the white board used for instruction as well as a white board for assigning homework. Everyday the students can come into the room and look at the "assignment board" to see what needs to be done before they come to class the next day. At the beginning of class their teacher will remind them to write these assignments in their planners so that the information is now located in multiple areas.
Beside the white board for instruction is another board which is for the students’ use. Every month my supervising teacher will have one of his student aids cut out paper letters and form a question on the board. The students are then allowed to answer the question on separate piece of paper and place it on the board. This month the question is: "what can you draw?" I like how there is a single place where the students can display their talents that may not necessarily be considered "academic." This board allows them to have opinions and be creative which gives them the sense that the classroom is really there for them.
The east wall primarily consists of windows. It is on this side that a person will find the teachers desk and the student teachers desk. There are also boxes, on top of unused student desks, where the students turn in their homework and keep their "in-progress" folders. This is a central place where the students pick up necessary materials they will need to do their work in class.
The final wall, the south wall, is my favorite wall because it is covered with student work and a board that displays the students goals for the school year. At the beginning of the year the teacher asked his students to write one goal that they wanted to achieve by the end of the school year and could be as simple as "improve my hand-writing." As long as the student felt it was important, it was considered a worthy goal. These goals were typed out and made big enough for everyone to read. This wall gives visitors the sense of what the teacher wants students to walk away with at the end of the school year. The goal is to have the students work on themselves, as well as school work, in a positive and safe atmosphere.
The final aspect of the room that I would like to describe is the way the desks are set up. The room consists of four tables and each table has four or five students at them. There are also two groups which are made up of four or five individual desks. The students are allowed to pick where they want to sit everyday with the warning that at any time their teacher can move them if they are not being productive in their group. This basically means that if there is too much talking going on at one group one or two people may be moved if they cannot quiet down. They get a few warnings before this actually occurs.
To me, this whole room gives of a very welcoming atmosphere. The walls are not too distracting, but when you do look at the walls you get the feeling that the students have been learning a lot. Their work is displayed to be admired and for them to feel proud of at the same time. The room is organized so that if a substitute was to walk in, it wouldn’t take them very long to figure out where everything is and belongs at the end of class.
The way the desks are set up allows the students easy access to discussion. They are able to discuss topics proposed to them by their teacher or about certain assignments they are working on at the time. The groups allow them to do this quietly and they don’t have to disrupt other students when they have a simple question they need answered.
I think it is important that students have the opportunity to discuss topics with each other. In my classroom, discussion will be a main component and the easier it is for students to group quickly and get started on the activity, the less time I will have to take to group them myself. These groups will allow the students to bounce ideas off each other and get others opinions. They can use the discussions to expand their understanding of a certain topic or to get help on a writing assignment. I think it is important that students try to figure out problems amongst themselves before they ask the teacher. I want a classroom environment that fosters "active learners."
I like the way this room is set up because there is a good balance between the focus on students and academics. I think it is important to set up a room that will be inviting to not only students, but their parents or other adults as well. The room should give off the feeling that learning is being done, but in a fun and engaging way. This is why I love the "goal board" so much because this is a cross between student fun and academic progress. The students were the ones who made their goals and now they will use what they learn in the classroom to accomplish their goals.