Begin at the beginning

How do you define your classroom space?I like to call mine collaborative classroom design.  As a follower of Responsive Classroom, I know how important it is for students to feel ownership and have a voice in designing the space we share. When I walk into my classroom space for the first time after a summer break, I ask myself:

• Is the classroom a reflection of me? Or will the students own the walls with their work on display and the tools or charts they need to use?
• Is there visually too much? Has there been consideration given to create a visually calming space?
• Are the supplies students use placed so they will be able to access them independently?
• Is there a purposeful sense to the flow of traffic in the room?

Just four things to consider and yet, these four are so important! I want the students to feel that they have a shared responsibility for the room - for the upkeep, tidiness, and for the feel of the space. I want my students to know they can access needed supplies without asking me where something is all of the time! When it isn't working I find my kids may not tell me with words, but with their actions that something is working or not working. Believe me, when it isn't working, it is crystal clear!This week, I will begin to reset my classroom after its summer cleaning and spruce-up. As I set up for a new year of learning, I will keep my four considerations in mind and prepare to collaborate with my 24(ish) new best friends.

Begin.... at the beginning

It rained last Thursday. Which isn't really news-worthy unless you are a teacher with just a few weeks left of summer break.A rainy day is usually the impetus for me to start readying my classroom for the first day of school.  This year I am a bit more behind the eight ball than usual as I physically moved spaces. So lots of my stuff is not where I might have put it last spring.Here's what I walked in to:

Which, of course, isn't bad. Just not how I envisioned our classroom workspace.

Even in the new classroom, I will have a ceiling mounted projector, and therefore, the need to have the projector, Mobi teacher unit and document camera connected to wall drops just to the left out of the frame. Having several classroom work areas - a rug for large group gathering, desks for individual, and for technology viewing, places where smaller groups can work ... all are considerations.  As I don't sit at my desk during the school day, that item can be pushed out of the way. We have a somewhat large classroom library and many math manipulative materials that need to be accessed regularly.  It's a lot to consider when setting up space that feels uncluttered and open.

So with all of that in mind, I've sketched out the plan for our classroom space.