IDEALCLASSROOM

IdealClassroom

MadalynnSmith

AlvernoCollege
SPE635

Fall2015

IDEALCLASSROOM

Abstract
Thepurposeofthispaperistodetailwhatanidealclassroomwouldlooklikeinamiddle
schoolsetting.Thispaperwillhighlightateachingphilosophy,andtheideallayoutfor
inclusionanddifferentiation.

IDEALCLASSROOM

CreatinganIdealClassroom
Anewthirteenyearoldandherfamilyenteraschool.Herpalmsbecomesweaty
andherheartbeatsashereyesgazeupanddowntherowsoflockersdownwhatseems
likeaneverendinghallway.Betweenheartbeatsshekeepsthinking,willtheylikeme?
thump,Whatwillmyteachersbelike?thump,Willtheynoticerightaway?thump,
HowlongcanIfakeit?thump,Why
cant
Ijustreadthewords?.Justasshewas
abouttoturnandrunforthedoor,theyreachedthefirstclassroom.Theguidance
counselorquietlyopenedthedoorandallowsthefamilytoobserve.Standinganxiously
infrontofherparents,shewasinaweofwhatshesees.Scatteredaroundthelargeopen
class,thereweredesksofvaryinglevelswithsomestudentssitting,somestanding.There
werecoucheswithstudentscurledupwithpillows,twosittingongiantrugsonthefloor,
andallengagedwiththetwoteachersinthefrontoftheclass.Asshegazesbehindthe
teachersshesawtwointeractiveboards.Ontheboardswherewords,andasoneteacher
pointedthechildrenwroteontheirpapers,ortypedontheirIPads.Ontheotherboard
however,everytimetheteacherspokeaseriesofpictureswouldappear.Theyounggirl
knewinstantlythingswouldbedifferenthere.Shescannedtheroomandcouldnottell
whowasreadingthewords,orfollowingalongwiththepictures.Noadultwashovering
overthestudentsmakingsuretheywerepayingattentionbecauseitwasclearthat
everyonewaslearning.Thestudentsseemedrelaxed,butfocused.Asthestudentwalked
outwithherparents,shesmiledandrelaxed.Intunewithherheartbeat,whichwas
beatingmuchmoreslowandsteadynowshekeptsaying,Iwilllearnherethump,I

IDEALCLASSROOM

amreadythump.
MakingitWork
Accordingto
MerriamWebsterDictionary
thedefinitionoflearningistogain
oracquireknowledgeoforskillinsomethingbystudy,experienceorbeingtaught
(MerriamWebster).Inthedefinitionitdoesnotsaythatachildlearnsbysittingina
desk,ateacherinfrontofthemtellingthemwhattoknow.Astudentwilllearnbestwhen
theyfindmeaningandcanrelatetothetopicbeingtaught.InanidealclassroomHoward
GardnerstheoryofMultipleIntelligenceswouldbeincludedineverylesson.Multiple
Intelligenceshighlightsthateverypersonacquiresknowledgedifferently.Thereareat
leastsevenhumanintelligences,butBruceCampelltheauthorofMultipleIntelligences
inTheClassroomstatesthatwesternsocietieshavefocusedmuchoftheirteachingon
theverbal/linguisticlearningstyleandthelogical/mathematical.Theproblemwiththis
focusisthatmanystudentshavestrengthsintheotherintelligencesandiftheydonotget
anopportunitytoshowtheirabilities,astudentmightneverreachproficiencyatatopic.
Inanidealclassroom,theteacherincorporatesdifferentstationsoflearning,students
developincreasedresponsibility,selfdirectionandindependence.Thestudentsdevelop
newskills,bytryingnewlearningstyles.Finallystudentswouldhavetobemore
cooperativebecausetheywillbelearningneedtolearningwiththeirpeersratherthan
deciphernewinformationthemselves(Campell).
Tomaintainarespectful,hardworkingclassroomenvironment,theideal
classroomwillincorporateCarolDwecksGrowthMindset.Fromtheveryfirstdayof
school,studentswillbetaughthowtochangetheirthoughtprocessonlearning.Teachers

IDEALCLASSROOM

wouldhavediscussionsonmindsetandhowworkinghardisthetruekeytosuccess.
Teacherswouldcreateasenseofcommunitywithintheirclassroom.Teacherswillhelp
themrephrasetheirthoughtswhenlearningbecomeschallenging.Ratherthanstudents
sayingIcantdothis!,teacherswillmodelWhatcanyoudodifferentlynexttime?.
Posterswillhangonthewallswithinspirationalquotes,pushingstudentstorememberto
workhard,andwhenstudentsworkhardthatiswhenlearninghappens.
Throughobservationandresearchateacherwouldfinditnecessaryto
incorporatealloftheseideologieswhencreatingtheatmosphereforlearning.Using
CarolDweck,andHowardGardnerseducationalphilosophiesstudentswillgeta
personalizededucationinasafeenvironmentandaboveallhaveapositiverelationship
withtheirlearning.
Motto
LettingstudentsknowYouMatterwillbethemottooftheclassroom.Whena
studentcancomeintoalearningenvironmentandfeelsafeenoughtobecreativeand
independentthatiswhenaclassroomisideal.Ateacherinanidealclassroomwillstrive
tolearnhoweachoftheirstudentsfeelsuccessful,theircultureandbackgroundandwhat
makesthemfeelsafe.Ateacherinanidealclassroomwillwelcometheirstudentsbefore
theschoolyearhasevenstartedbysendingawelcomelettertotheirhomestoshowhow
excitedtheyaretomeetthemcomethefirstday.Ateacherinanidealclassroomwill
givestudentssimpleaffirmationseachdaytoletthemknowthatanythingispossible,
whetherit'sYouareworthitwrittenonatheboard,orYouareamazingwrittenona
borrowedpencil.Ateacherinanidealclassroomwillalwaysencouragetheirstudentsto

IDEALCLASSROOM

bebetter.
AnIdealSetUp
LearningEnvironment
AccordingtoCreatingaWarmandInclusiveClassroomEnvironment:Planning
forAllChildrentoFeelWelcomeanentryintheElectronicJournalforInclusive
Educationthealargeamountofthebeginningofaschoolyearforateachershouldbe
spentorganizingthephysicalspaceofatheclassroom(Bucholz2).Awellorganized
spacecanhelpstudentsfeelrespectfulofthespace,andgainownershipoftheir
surroundings.Anidealclassroomwouldhaveaopenlayoutfilledwithmoveable
furniture.Themainsectionwouldbepaintedacalminggreenbecauseaccordingto
the
InternationalAssociationofColorConsultantsNorthAmerica(IACCNA),
Appropriatecolordesignisimportantinprotectingeyesight,increatingsurroundings
thatareconducivetostudying,andinpromotingphysicalandmentalhealth.andgreen
isacalmingcolorthathelpspeoplefocus(Coloring).Whenastudentwalksintothe
classroom,theycanchoosewheretheylearnbest.Standingdeskswouldallowstudents
whoprefertostandhaveaplacetosettheirwork.AmandaGrey,afourthgradeteacher
atVallecitoElementarySchoolinSanRafaelCaliforniastatedthatwhenstudentsare
offeredstandingdesks,IcanholdtheirattentionforlongerbecauseIfeelliketheir
brainsandtheirbodiesaremoreactiveandmoreawake(
California
).Ifstudentswanted
tosittheywouldbeallowedchoices,onebeingacouchorafloorspotwithpillows.
Therewouldalsobeanumberofchairsthatcouldaccesstablesaroundtheroom.Chairs
wouldrangefromstandarddeskchairs,toexerciseballswithsupportedbacks.Theroom

IDEALCLASSROOM

wouldhaveadesignatedareawheretwoSMARTBoardwouldbemountedonthewall.
Thisareawouldhavedesksstationedthere,butallowroomfordifferentfurnituretobe
movedintothatspace.OneSmartboardwouldbeusedfornotetakingstrategies,or
interactiveactivities.TheotherSmartboardwouldhavedifferentiatednotetaking
reflectingstudentneeds.Theteacherswouldhaveaccesstoaprogramthatwouldassign
picturestothewords.ForexampleifateacherwasdoingaSocialStudieslesson,one
Smartboardwouldhaveanotetakingoutlinewithateachertypinginimportant
information,whileontheotherSmartboardthesameinformationisbeinginputtedbut
abovethewordsthetechnologyisputtinginrelevantpicturesabovethewords.For
studentswhoneedthepresentationincloserproximity,studentsIpadscanmirrorwhatis
beingtaughtontheSmartboard,alongwithaclassroomTapIt(FIGURE2).TheTapIt
allowsforalargeinteractivescreentobemovedtotheheightofthestudentwhoneedsit.
Ratherthantypingthisstudentcouldbeinteractingbymovingpicturesintothecorrect
notetakingspace.TheTapItcouldalsoenlargethelessontoallowforincreasingly
visuallyappealingexperience.
MultiSensoryEnvironment
Apartforthemainclassroom,therewouldbeanadjoiningroomlabeledthe
Sensoryroom.MultiSenosoryEnvironmentsimprovethedevelopmentofthought,
intelligenceandsocialskills(What).Studiesshowthattimespentinamultisensory
environmentcanincreaseconcentration,focusattention,improvealertness,awaken
memories,andtoimprovemobilization,creativity,socialrelationsandcommunications
(WhatAre).AcasestudywasdoneatSt.PetersCatholicPrimarySchoolinLancashire

IDEALCLASSROOM

UK.Theteachersobservedthebenefitsamultisensoryenvironmenthadforstudents
withspecialneedssotheteachersencouragedallstudentstospendsometimeinthearea
(Case).Theirresultsshowthatstudentsweremuchmoreenthusiasticandanimatedafter
spendingtimeinthemultisensoryroom.Ithelpedstudentswiththeirstorywriting,math
andhandwriting.Withintheroomtherewouldbedimlighting,andsoothingsound
effects.Therewouldbetactileitemstoimprovemotorfunctionortoaidinself
regulationtechniques.
QuietRoom
Forstudentswithspecialneedstherigorsofaschooldaycanbecometoomuch.
Inanidealclassroom,asidefromthelearningenvironmentandmultisensoryroomthere
needstobeaquietplaceforstudentstogowhentheyneedabreak.Thequietareashould
bepartitionedofftothesideorasideroomwithanopendoor.Theareaitselfwouldbe
dimlylitandhavesoftareasforstudentswhomightneedtolaydown.Whenstudents
knowwhereasafe,quietareais,theycanstarttoidentifyfeelingsofhighanxiety,or
sensoryoverloadandremovethemselvestothequietarea.Onceinthequietareatheycan
useselfregulatorystrategiessuchasbrushing,kooshballs,weightedblanketsandmusic
toreturntocalm.
ApartmentArea
Inmiddleschoolstudentsareencouragedtostarttothinkaboutlifeafter
secondaryeducation.Whetheritmeansafouryeardegree,orstraighttoonthejob
trainingtherearevitallifeskillsthatmustbetaught.Forstudentswithspecialneedsthe
transitionfromstudenttoindependentadultbecomeahighpriority.Intheideal

IDEALCLASSROOM

classroom,therewouldbeasideclassroomwithaminiatureapartment.Itwouldbelarge
openspacewithakitchenette,includingafridge,counterspace,amicrowave,smalloven
withastovetop,sinkandkitchentable.Ontheothersideatwinsizebedwouldbeset
nexttoamakeshiftcloset,anddresserdrawers.Thefinalpieceofequipmentwouldbea
washeranddryerfortowels,sheets,andclothingitems.Onthewallwouldbetwolarge
whiteboards,onewouldhaveanintaskschedulewiththejobsthatneededtobe
accomplishedthatclass,andontheotherwouldbealistofthestudent'snameandtheir
specificjobslistednexttothem.Onthecounterwouldbeafilefolderofeachjoband
insidewouldbeahowtoincludingpicturestoencourageindependenceforallstudents.
Studentswithspecialneeds,andstudentsinregulareducationwouldworktogetherto
accomplishdailylivingtasks.Taskswouldincludemakingandservingameal,cleaning
thekitchenorbedroomarea,doinglaundryandputtingitemsaway.Theseactivities
wouldnotonlyteachallstudentsbasiclifeskills,butstrengthentheidealsofteamwork
anddecreasethedivideofabilitylevels.

Students
Theidealmiddleschoolclassroomwouldbeonewhicheveryoneisrespectedfor
theirdifferentabilities.TheparticularclassroominFigure1wouldbesetupforfifteen
students.Anidealclasssizewouldbeunder20,andiftherearechildrenwhoneed
specificmodificationsthenumberwouldbearound15.Theabilitiesofstudentswouldbe
diverse,aswellastheirculturalbackgrounds.Therewouldbetwostudentswhoare
giftedandtalented,eightstudentswithIndividualizedLessonPlans(IEPs)andfive

IDEALCLASSROOM

10

studentswhoareinallregulareducationclasses.Atthebeginningoftheschoolyearthe
teacherwouldmeetwitheachstudentforabriefgettoknowyouconferencethatwould
entailthestudentsharingwiththeteacherwhattheyneedtobesuccessful.Theycould
shareinwhatmodalitiestheyworkbest,beitpaperandpencilorIPad.Bydoingthisthe
teachercandifferentiatehisorherlessonstobestsupporteachstudentsneeds,aswellas
eachstudenttakingownershipoftheirlearningandadvocatingtheirspecificneeds.
Thechildrenwhoaregiftedandtalentedwouldhavetasksthroughouttheir
lessonsthatarecateredtotheirneeds.Whenclassworkinassignedthat,their
assignmentswouldinvolveaspectsofmorecriticalthinkingandenrichment.The
studentswithIEPswouldhaveindividualizedlearningplanswithinthatclassroom
wheretheyaregivenwhattheyneedtobesuccessful.Studentswouldknowtheir
expectationsandtheirabilitiesinthatclass.
Everystudentintheclasswouldbeabletousethemodificationorenrichmentas
theysawfit.Whenstudentstakeownershipoftheirlearningandhaveagrowthmindset
theyareabletoseepastthebarriersofintelligenceanddowhatisbestforthemselves.

AspectsofTeaching
Inanidealclassroomtherewillbethreeaspectsfocusingstudentsuccess.These
aspectsaretechnologyuse,collaborationandcreatingaclassroomcommunity.Whena
teachercanembracetechnology,collaborationandcommunitythestudentswillfeelsafe
andhavetheirpurposeforlearning.

IDEALCLASSROOM

11

Thefirstaspectofanidealclassroomisusingtechnologytoexpandtheirworld.
Withtheuseoftheinternettheworldisnowatthefingertipsofstudents.Ateacherinan
idealclassroomwouldembracetechnologyandteachstudentshowtolearnwithit,not
abuseit.Technologywouldaidateacherindifferentiatinghisorherlessonstobest
facilitatelearningforallstudents.Ateacherinanidealclassroomwouldalsomodel
appropriatetechnologyuseandteachdigitalcitizenshiptohisorherstudents.
Thesecondaspectofanidealclassroomiscollaboration.Ateacherneedsto
collaboratewithfellowteachersintheschoolandwelcomenewapproachesand
techniquestolearning.Ateacherinanidealclassroomwouldinviteotherteachersto
come,observeandofferideastobetterincreasesuccessofstudents.Alongwiththe
teachercollaboratingwithfellowstaff,shewouldmodelpropercollaborationtechniques
toherstudents.Studentswouldpracticecommunicationskillsinacademicandsocial
ways.Academiccollaborationwouldbeintheformofgroupprojectsanddebateswhile
socialcollaborationwouldbehowtobeagoodfriend.
Thethirdandmostbeneficialaspectofanidealclassroomiscreatingasenseof
community.Ateachermuststartcreatingaclassroomcommunitythesecondthestudents
entertheroomonthefirstdayofschool.Sittingstudentsaroundacarpetorjusttalkingto
themwhiletheyareseatedaroundtheroomaboutwhattheclassroomexpectationswill
beasagroupwillhelpallstudentsbuyin.Doingsocialskillslessonswithallstudents
canteachstudentsempathyandhowtobeafriend.Allowingstudentstofeelsafeand
sharetheirfeelingswillsurelycreateasafecommunityforallstudentstolearnin.

IDEALCLASSROOM

12

Conclusion
Threemonthsafterthenewstudentstartedatthenewschoolshewasinvitedtobe
presentatherIEP.Shewouldbeturningfourteenthatyearandherteacherhadsatdown
withhertodevelopapostsecondaryplan.Shewasfeelingateasesittingaroundthe
tablewithherparents,teacherandotherspecialists.Whenherspecialeducationteacher
startedreadingherPresentLevelofPerformanceshewatchedherparentsexpressions.
Theywentfromconcerntohopeful.Theteachersstatedthatsincestartingatthenew
schooltheirdaughter'sreadinglevelhadimprovedthreegradelevelsandshewaswellon
tobeingdismissedfromneedingspecialeducationservices.Thestudentsawhermoms
eyeswellingupwithjoyfultearsassheexplainedwhatshewantedtodoaftershe
finishedhighschool.Shewantedtobecomeateacher,amiddleschoolteacherandteach
studentsinthesamewayshehadbeentaught,andhelpkidswhocouldnotreadfeel
betteraboutthemselves.Herheartbeatstartedtoincreasewithexcitementasshethought
aboutherlifeahead.Icandothisthump,TheyknowIcantoo!thumpItstarted
withreadingthewordsthumpAndnoweverythingispossiblethump.

IDEALCLASSROOM

13

References
BucholzEd.D,J.,&Sheffler,J.(2009).CreatingaWarmandInclusiveClassroom
Environment:PlanningforAllChildrentoFeelWelcome.
ElectronicJournalfor
InclusiveEducation
,2(4),24

CaliforniaSchoolChildrenStepUptoStandingDesks.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember14,
2015,from
http://www.nbcnews.com/nightlynews/californiaschoolchildrenstepstandingdesksn4
49496

Campell,Bruce."MultipleIntelligencesInTheClassroom."
ContextInstitute
.N.p.,16
Sept.2011.Web.14Nov.2015.

CaseStudy.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember14,2015,from
https://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/projects/gp_award/download/file/stPeter.006.006

ColoringtheClassroomSchoolPlanning&Management.(n.d.).RetrievedNovember
14,2015,fromhttps://webspm.com/Articles/2013/12/01/ColoringtheClassroom.aspx

MerriamWebster
.MerriamWebster,n.d.Web.14Nov.2015.

WhatAreTheBenefitsOfAMultiSensoryEnvironment(MSE)?(n.d.).Retrieved
November14,2015,from
http://www.especialneeds.com/whatarethebenefitsofamultisensoryenvironment.ht
ml

IDEALCLASSROOM

14

FIGURE1

FIGURE2