Teachers Organize Classroom for New School Year
Plan Better Classroom Organization to Improve Student Learning
Jul 26, 2009
The environment teachers create in their classrooms helps establish a positive learning environment and create a welcoming atmosphere that benefits both students and teachers. Here are some suggestions teachers can consider when planning their classroom arrangement.
Create a Student-Centered Work Area
No matter how compact, an area in the classroom should be designated for students-only use. This area should be situated as far away from the teacher’s desk or defined space so that students can access materials without interrupting teacher activities or instruction. For instance, if a student needs to retrieve his writing portfolio during class, he can do so with little interruption to the class. If a student needs to gather worksheets she missed when absent, she can pull them from the model binder before class begins. This work area will help minimize class interruptions and enhance student-centered learning.
Establish a Lending Library
A lending library, or book-sharing center, does not need to be reserved for the English classroom. Teachers of all grades and disciplines can encourage students to share books, magazines or printed articles obtained online. Oftentimes, students only need a venue and an opportunity to explore new reading material. The simple effort of installing a bookshelf in the classroom, entitled “For Students, From Students,” can alter the tone of the classroom.
Consider a Versatile Design
Students love change because it adds interest and excitement to their routine. Teachers do not need to view their classroom as a stagnant entity. Students desks, tables, and chairs should be considered furniture. Just as people may move their couch, which is ordinarily tucked in a corner, to the center of the room to watch a movie or a big game, so can teachers move desks into groups of four or six, in a circle, in pairs facing one another, or in pairs facing the whiteboard.
The benefit for teachers is that they have students available to assist in the transformation. For instance, if a teacher wants to initiate an activity that involves developing listening skills, he may ask students to pick up their desks and turn them completely around, so that no one faces him for the duration of the activity. This is an easy area in which teachers can use their creativity to tailor classroom design to specific lesson plans.
Creating a student work area, planning a lending library and considering a variety of classroom layouts are just a few ideas teachers can use when planning their classroom for the first day of school. It is important to realize that teachers have the power, and the obligation, to put students at ease, seek out a variety of ways to motivate students, and provide a positive learning environment.
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