Ideal Classroom 1

IDEAL CLASSROOM

Ideal Classroom Environment Case Study

Rachel Mixtacki
Alverno College SPE: 635

Ideal Classroom 2
Abstract
In this paper I will introduce my ideal classroom. I will include my philosophy and the theories
that support my philosophy. Explaining the make up of my students through class size, ethnic
background, and disability will help in understanding my ideal classroom. Within my classroom
I will describe my ideal behavior plan, routines and procedures, paper management, and
instructional delivery. I will support my reasoning to help explain why I want my classroom to
look like this ideally.

Ideal Classroom 3
Ideal Classroom Environment Case Study
In designing the ideal classroom there are many aspect to consider. The elements involved
in creating the environment that will allow students to be successful and safe are: climate,
physical room arrangement, approach to classroom management, routines and procedures, paper
management, and instructional delivery. All of these factors play a role when creating a model
classroom.
WhatmakesmyClassroomtheModelClassroom?
Inclusive Practices
In my classroom, students with disabilities and students without disabilities learn together side
by side. This classroom is a place where everyone feels safe, everyone can learn, and everyone
feels like his or her voice is being heard. When students feel their needs are being met the
classroom is going to work more smoothly. Visuals around the classroom will ensure that
students see the class rules, are aware of the classroom schedule, and will help manage voice
levels in the classroom by placing a visual of the voice level (0-5). As a special education
teacher I need to co-teach with the regular education teacher to guarantee that we are
collaborating to meet the needs of all of our students. By differentiating teaching styles we will
be able to reach the different learners in our classroom. These aspects of inclusive practices will
help my students with disabilities and without disabilities be successful in this classroom.
Positive Relationship Building
By creating positive relationships this classroom will be a safe place where everyone feels
welcome. In my schedule every morning we will have a morning meeting where we will come
together as a class and practice respect for others in the classroom. This will give students a
chance to show they are listening and respecting others in the circle and this will help students

Ideal Classroom 4
grow relationships both inside and out of the classroom. In school, the more encouraging and
nurturing these relationships and places are, the better the child will be able to grow (Oswalt,
n.d.). We need positive relationships and we need guidance on how to create positive
relationships so that we can grow as a person. In my classroom students will work together with
whatever partner they are assigned and they will know that it is a chance to learn for both of
them. In this classroom we are building skills for life, where relationships are a key aspect to any
job, family or friend group.
Collaboration
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so muchHelen Keller. Collaboration is such in
important aspect of school whether it is with teacher-teacher; student-student; or teacher-student
collaboration, learning from others is a vital part of learning. Collaboration between teachers will
benefit the learning that takes place in the classroom. I collaborate with others to make sure I am
on the right track with curriculum, testing, or projects. Students can collaborate with others in the
classroom to gain more than one perspective. This can be done through turn and talk partners,
pair share or just by working with different people throughout the day. Teachers and students can
also collaborate by giving feedback, talking through tough problems, or digging deep in a read
aloud. Through collaboration teachers and students can learn from one another and gain more
knowledge by doing so. These three aspects make my classroom a model classroom because they
work together to include, build relationships and share ideas.
Philosophy
MyteachingphilosophyisbasedonwhatIhavegonethroughinmylearningexperience
andwhatIhaveencounteredinmanydifferentclassroomsasasubstituteteacher.GrowingupI
havehadgreatteachersbutIfeelliketheydidntalwaysgivemethechancetoexpressmyselfin

Ideal Classroom 5
thewaythatIneededtoinordertobeasuccessfullearner.Havingthechancetobeinsomany
differentclassroomswithsuchdifferentideasofhowaclassroomwork,Iamabletotakewith
meideasthatworkandleavetheideasthatdontworkformeinthoseclassrooms.IknowthatI
needtomeettheneedsofalllearnersandfindnewwaystoincorporatetheirlearningstylesinto
myteaching.Whenstudentstakealearninginventory,theresultswillshowthatwemaynotall
learnthesame;itisimportanttoknowthisandhoweachchildlearnsbest.Ibelievethateachof
mystudentsisableanddoeslearn.Ineedtofindthebestwaytoreachstudents,sometimesthat
comeswhenstudentscollaboratewithoneanother.Whenstudentshavethatlightbulbmoment
ofunderstandingIknowthateverythingIhavehelpedthemwithhasgottenthemtothispoint.
Everyoneshouldhavethechancetoachieveinschool;Iwanttobetheonewhogiveseachchild
thischance.Eachstudentneedssomeonetocheerhimorheronaswell,inandoutsidethe
classroom.Theyneedtheserelationshipswheretheycantrustandknowthatsomeoneisthere
forthem.TechnologyisabigpartofourfutureandIbelieveallstudentsshouldhavethechance
toutilizetechnologythroughouttheday.AsateachermyselfIwanttoneverstoplearningso
thatIcanstrivetostayuptodatewiththebestpracticesavailableineducation.
Theory
I believe that students can learn through others, all students learn differently and building
positive relationships with students plays a role in the classroom on a daily basis. The theorists
that guide my philosophy are Vygotsky, Gardner and Bronfenbrenner. The first theorist that finds
his way into my daily teaching is Lev Vygotsky and his theory of Zone of Proximal Development
(ZPD). The zone of proximal development as defined by Vygotsky represents the area in
everything that is in-between what you can do and what you cant do without help, this is where
full development of ZPD depends upon full social interactions. The range of skill that can be

Ideal Classroom 6
developed with adult guidance or peer collaboration exceeds what can be attained alone
(Culatta, n.d.). Students can learn from each other to obtain and grow stronger in their
understanding of tough concepts that they would not be able to do. This is shown throughout my
classroom in how we work in many different groups to learn from each other, everyone is
capable of learning especially from each other. Along with every child being able to learn and
giving them the chance to do so I need to be aware of my students learning styles to meet their
needs in the classroom.
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences shows that there is a make up in every
classroom of different learners. The strengths that we may have in these intelligences (visualspatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, logical-mathematical)
will differ and we need to give each student the chance of learning the way that they learn best.
Being aware of my teaching style and differentiating across these areas will help reach all of my
students needs. Gardner believes the idea of multiple intelligences is important because it
allows for educators to identify differing strengths and weaknesses in students and also
contradicts the idea that intelligence can be measured through IQ(Gardner, n.d.). In my
classroom I also believe this and give my students opportunities to show me what they can do. I
will give students project-based assignments where they are free to work through the project
however they work best. This will allow my students to express themselves in the way that they
learn best and I would imagine that I would receive man different projects because they have
such strengths in different areas.
The final theorist that guides my classroom philosophy is Urie Bronfenbrenner. His theory
suggests that every environment affects the way a child develops. These environments can be
immediate or distantly related through other people in your immediate environment. Mainly

Ideal Classroom 7
saying that every interaction that you have and everything in a child and the child's environment
affects how a child grows and develops (Oswalt, n.d.). Our classroom is one area where
students see us directly interacting with them, in the classroom our relationships are built the day
they walk in that door, sometimes before then. If we encourage and nurture these relationships
we will see growth in our students. But this doesnt stop here, we also need to be aware of our
students home life and we need to understand that that also plays a role in their growth. I can
reach out to each students home life by calling home on a regular basis for both positive and
negative things as they arise. I can grow relationships with parents or caregivers at parent teacher
conferences or by going into the community and watching a childs soccer game. The more
positive affects that I can have on a childs environment will impact them greatly and I want to
start with the classroom and branch out to their other environments as much as possible.
Learners
Inthisenvironmentthemakeupofmystudentinmyclassroomisanextremely
importantfactor.Thisincludesclasssize,ethnicbackground,andstudentswithdisabilities.
SinceeveryoneinmythirdgradeclassroomcananddoeslearnIwillhaveadiverseclassroom
acrosstheboard.
ClassSize
Classsizeisparticularlyimportantforlearningtobesupportedintheclassroom.Not
onlydoesithelpstudentsfollowtheexpectationbutitalsohelpstheteachereffectivelyteach
andmakepositiverelationships.InthearticleHowimportantisclasssize?TheGreatSchools
Staffhascomeupwithbenefitsforsmallerclasssizewithyoungchildren.InmyclassroomI
have18children,gainsassociatedwithsmallclassesgenerallyappearwhentheclasssizeis
reducedtolessthan20students(GreatSchools,2012).Sincemystudentsareinthirdgrade,

Ideal Classroom 8
smallerclasssizesarestillagoodideatohelpformtheirhabitsinaclassroomenvironment.In
thearticletheymentionedthegainsthataremadeintheearliergradescontinueforstudentsin
theuppergrades.Studentsarestilllearningtherulesintheclassroomandhowtheenvironment
works.InmyclassroomIwillmodelwhateverythinglookslike,soundslikeandfeelslike
sostudentsunderstandthewaysoftheclassroom.Quietreadingwouldlooklikeeveryone
readingquietlythewholetime,stayinginonespotunlesstheyareworkingwiththeteacher.It
wouldsoundquiet,maybeawhisperbecausestudentsarereadingtothemselvesanditwould
feellikeeveryoneiscalm,quiet,safe,havingfun,andcomfortable.Thisissuchanimportant
partintheearlygradestomodeleverythingintheclassroomsothatstudentsunderstandwhatis
expectedofthemasathirdgradelearner.Iwantmystudentstohaveagreaterchanceforone
ononelearningsothatIcanprovidesupporttoallmystudents.Oneononeinteractionswith
mystudentswillallowmorefeedbackforstudentsandachancetobuildpositiverelationships.
MysmallgroupswillbemorefocusedtomeettheneedsofmystudentsbecauseIwillhave
moretimewithfewerstudentstofocuson.Asathirdgradeteachersmallerclasssizeswillhelps
mefocusonall18ofmystudentsonanindividuallevelandhelpgetmystudentsthehelpthat
theyneedtobesuccessfulstudents.
Ethnicbackground
InadiverseclassroomIneedtoguidemyteachingpracticestounderstandandembrace
culturaldifferences.IntheTolerance.orgarticleCultureintheClassroomitstatesthatthereis
aculturalgapbetweenstudentsandteachers.Asateachertoday,totrulyengagestudents,we
mustreachouttotheminwaysthatareculturallyandlinguisticallyresponsiveandappropriate,
andwemustexaminetheculturalassumptionsandstereotypeswebringintotheclassroomthat

Ideal Classroom 9
mayhinderinterconnectedness(CultureintheClassroom,n.d).ThisiswhatItrytodoona
dailybasistoensurethatallmystudentsfeelsafeandrespectedinmyclassroom.Formy
classroomIhavepickedarace/ethnicitypercentageformyentireschoolbasedoffofaschoolin
theMadisonMetropolitanSchoolDistrictthathasdonereallywelltomeetexpectationsand
welcomethediversityofall.TheschoolreportcardfromWisconsinDepartmentofPublic
Instructionlaidoutthek45schoolas
.8%AmericanIndianorAlaskaNative
8.2%AsianorPacificIslander
33.7%BlacknotHispanic
32.7%Hispanic
24.5%WhitenotHispanic
Withsuchdiversitymystudentscanteachothersontheiruniqueculturethatisuniqueanda
differentexperienceforeveryone.Beingculturallyrelevantwillhelpmystudentfindandvalue
theirownvoices,histories,andcultures(CultureintheClassroom,n.d.).Inourclassroomwe
respectothers,weshareandlearnaboutthingsthatinterestandengageus.Throughtheseways
weareenhancingourownlearningandunderstandingothers.
Disabilities
Myclassroomwillbecomprisedofstudentswithdisabilitiesandstudentswithout
disabilities.Thiswillbeaninclusiveclassroomwheremystudentswouldstayinmyclassroom
asmuchaspossible.Thiswillgivemystudentstheideallearningenvironmentthatmeetsthe
needsofeachstudent.Ihaveincludedinmylayoutresourcesinmyclassroomthatwouldhelp
thetwostudentsIhavewithAutism,thethreestudentsthathaveADHD,onestudentisLD,and
onestudentswhoislabeledasEBD.

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AlexandAverybothhaveautismandtheyhaveverydifferentneedsandarevery
differentstudents.Theybothneedvisualschedulestohelpthemstayontaskandknowinthere
isachangeintheschedule;theydonotworkwellwithchange.Alexfixatesononeortwo
objectsandobsessesoverthem.Heoftenrunsoutoftheclassroomwhennooneislookingand
hasevenonceranoutoftheschool.Alexneedsdeeppressuretofeelsafeandcalmandhe
enjoysusingtheSensoryPeaPodbecauseitmeetshisneeds(seefigure1).Heworkswellonan
iPadandusesspeechtotexttohelphimwritebecausethatisanareaoffrustrationforhim.
Averyontheotherhandisveryhighfunctioningintheclassroomandenjoysworkingwhile
standinguporrockingonherseatcushion.Sheworkswellinfullgroupdiscussionandoften
likestoshareherideasandcangetveryupsetifsheisnotallowedtosharetotheclass.
Brian,Ben,andBethhaveADHDandhavemanythingswithintheclassroomthathelp
themfocus.Allthreestudentsareonmedicationthathelpsthemconcentratebuttheymayneed
remindersthroughouttheday.Theyeachhaveaseatcushioninwhichhelpsthemstayontask
andwiggleasneeded.Ialsousevisualtimerstohelpthemstayfocusedontasks.
Cassiehasalearningdisabilityandneedsmorecheckinsthroughouttheday.Sheworks
wellwithaslantedboardtohelpherseeherworkbetterandworkandananglethatisrightfor
her.Herslantboardalsodoublesasabinderwhereshecanstayorganizedandplaceallher
papersthroughouttheday.Sheneedsregularfeedbackandcheckinstomakesuresheknows
howtostartataskandtoinsurethatshestaysfocusedonthetask.InmultistepprojectsCassie
hasachecklistoramoreindepthrubrictomakesuresheknowsexactlywhatisneeded.
DevinhasEBDandneedsmanyideasonhowtohelpcontrolhisbehaviors.Inthe
classroomthereisatakeabreakchairthatDevincangotoatanytimeheneedsabreak,Ican

Ideal Classroom 11
alsorequestthathegoesthereifhecannotadvocateforhimself.Atthetakeabreakchairthere
areideasforhimtousetocooldownsothatheisreadytocomebackwiththerestoftheclass.
Devinmayneedtotakeawalkinthehallwaytocooldownifthetakeabreakchairdoesnt
work.Devinlikestofeellikeheisapartoftheclassroomandheworkswellwithpositive
feedback.
Thisisabrieflookintothechildrenwithdisabilitiesinmyclassroom.Itisagreatclass
andresourcesareavailableforstudentswhoneedthem.Iworktowardsmakingsurethatallmy
studentsaregettingwhattheyneed,thismaynotbeequallywiththeirotherclassmatesbutitis
whattheyneedtobesuccessful.
Climate
Everychildwillfeelwelcomeinmyclassroom.Inmyinclusiveclassroom,Iencourage
studentstodotheirbest,fosterrelationshipsandsupportallstudentsinawaythatisbestfor
them.Startingatthebeginningoftheyearitisimportanttosetthetonefortherestoftheyear.
Thisstartswithwelcomingeachstudentatthedooreachday.Havingatimeforstudentstoshare
withtheclassisimportanttogivethemthechancetosharesomethingthatisimportanttothem.
Wecandothisthroughourmorningmeetingstocreateasenseofcommunitywithinour
classroomenvironment.Wewillalsostartourdaywithsayingourschoolpledge,
IamSomebody.
Iamcapableandlovable.
IamteachablethereforeIcanlearn.
Irespectmyselfandothers.
Iwillnotwastemytime
becauseIamtoovaluable,preciousandbright.
Icanlearn.
Iwilllearn.
Imustlearn.
IamSomebody.

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Thispledgecreatesasenseofcommunityandselfpridewhichisimportantforstudentstolearn
atanearlyage.Theywillnotonlysaythesewordseverydaybutalsoworktotrulyunderstand
thesewordsandwhytheyareimportantforourclassroomandschoolclimate.Theclassroom
environmentcaneitherimproveorimpedeastudentsabilitytolearnandfeelsafeand
comfortableasamemberoftheclass,(Bucholz,Sheffler2009).Asateacheritisimportantto
thinkoftheclimateoftheclassroomtoinsurethatallstudentsareabletolearn.
PhysicalRoomArrangement
Theflowoftheclassroomisanimportantconsiderationwhendesigningonesclassroom.
Atthebeginningoftheschoolyearyouneedtoconsiderthephysicalroomarrangementsothe
classroomcanfunctionthroughouttheyear.Theareasthatneedtobeconsideredarethe
classroommeetingarea,librarycorner,tablespots,teacherarea,writingcenterandstorageareas.
Seefigure1foradetailedrepresentationfortheclassroomdiscussedbelow.
MeetingArea
Iwillstartwiththewholeclassmeetingarea.InthemeetingareaIhaveacarpetthatis
largeenoughforallmystudents.Eachchildwillbeabletositinasquareoftheirchoosingwhen
wemeetforfullgroupinstruction.IdidnotwanttoassignseatsbecauseIbelieveby3rdgrade
youcanmakegoodchoicesonyourown.Theonlyrequirementisthattheykeeptotheirown
square.Studentswillalsobeaskedtomeetaroundtheedgeofthecarpetformorningmeetings.
TherewillbeaSmartboardwhereIcandisplaythelessons,booksandmoviestothe
wholeclass.Thisisagreatplacetodointeractiveworkwithmystudentssothateveryonecan
seewhatisgoingon.TherewillalsobeanElmoorprojectorthatwillbeabletoprojecthard
copiesthatweareworkingsothatstudentscanseeortoshowbookstothewholeclass.

Ideal Classroom 13
IhaveateacherschairthatIwillsitintodoreadaloudandteachotherlessons.The
studentswillknowthatwhenIaminthatchairtheyneedtobeabletoseeandlookupatmefor
theinstructionunlesswearelookingattheSmartboard.
Iwillalsohaveamovableeaselforwritingandmathlessonsthatarebettershown
throughpaperordryerase.Thiswillbeacommonareawherewewilldosharedwritingand
focusonmoreconcretethingsthataretakingplaceinourclassroom.Thiswillbeeasytomoveif
Ineedtodisplayanythingfortheclasstosee.
BehindmychairandtheeaselIhaveabulletinandwhiteboardcombination.Onthis
surfaceIwillhaveourdailyschedulesothatstudentsknowwhatiscomingnext.Iwillhavea
concretelunchcountthatstudentswillberequiredtodorightwhentheywalkintotheroom.I
wantitconcretesothatifthereisasubstituteteachertheydonotneedaccesstoacomputerand
theycaneasilyknowifallofmystudentsarehereandwhattheyarehavingforlunch.Therest
ofthatboardwillbeforhangingchartsoremptyspaceforimportantthingsthatcomeupsuchas
homework.
LibraryCorner
Thelibrarycornerconsistsofbooksofvaryinglevelsandissortedbylevelandgenre.
Thisistheareamystudentsgotoenjoyreadinganddiveintomanydifferentbooks.Onthewalls
willbepostersofhowtochoosejustrightbooksandwhoisabletobookshopandsitinthe
librarycorner.Ihavealamptherewithmanydifferentarmstoadjustandkeepthelightingofthe
roomsoft.Ithinkthatisespeciallyniceinareadingcornertofeelcomfortableandhavegood
lighting.IalsohaveaPeaPodinflatablestudentcalmingstationinthelibraryforAlextousefor
hissensoryneeds.

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TableSpots
Ihavetablespotsinmyclassroomforallofmy18students.Eachtableisinashapeofa
flower,whichallowsallmystudentstohavetheirownspace.Therewillbechairsforallofmy
studentsthatwillbefittedtothetable;Iwillhavesomestationarychairsandsomerockerchairs
forsensoryneeds.Onthebackofeachchairisachairpocketwherestudentswillkeeptheir
personalitemssuchasfoldersandnotebooks.Itemsinthechairpocketaretoincludetheitems
thatstudentsneedmostsotheyknowrightwhereeverythingis.Therewillberulesonwhatyou
cankeepintheretomakesurethateverythingisinorder.Onthetabletopswillbesupplies;
pencils,scissors,crayons,andpostitnotesinacontainerthatstudentswilluseasacommunity
andtakecareof.IfstudentsneedacushionfortactileneedsorpostureIwouldofferthemto
studentstostayontaskinmyclassroom.

Option1:Chairforstudents

OptionalCushion
ChairPocketforStudents

Option2:Chairforstudents

StoolforKidneyTable

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TeacherArea:
Inmyareathekidneytableismydesk.ByhavingthisbemydeskIknowthatIneed
tokeepitcleanandorderlyinordertoteachsmallgroups.Thiswillhelpformyorganization
skillsandmakingsurethatIhaveeverythinginplace.BehindmydeskIhavealotofstorage.
Thisstorageisformycurriculumbooks,specialbooksthatIwouldreadaloud,
WritingCenter
InmywritingcenterIhavemanydifferentsuppliesforstudentstouseduringthewriting
process.Therearefancypensindifferentcolorsfordifferentwritingprocesseseditingand
revising.Thisiswherestudentsgotofindpapertocontinuewritingandtopublishtheirwriting.
Othersupplieswillbeavailableaswellsuchasmarkersandastapler.Therewillbealistofthe
writingprocessupandclipsthatstudentscanmovetoshowwhattheyareworkingoninwriting.
ThiswillhelpsothatIwillbeabletoconferencewithstudentswhoarereadyandworkmyway
inhelpingthem.IwillalsohaveacartofcomputersorComputersOnWheelsCowsfor
studentstousefortypingandwriting.Itisimportantforstudentstohaveaccesstocomputersat
certaintimesthroughoutthedayandtheywillgiveourstudentstheskillstheywillneedforour
future.
Storageandotherareas
Eachstudentwillhaveamailboxbythedoorthatpaperstogohomewillgointo.
Studentswillkeeptheiragendasthereuntiltheyarefilledin.Folderswillgohomeeveryday
withhomeworkandaFridayfoldergoinghomeonFridaywithimportantpapers.Itisimportant
tomethatstudentshaveamailboxthatisclearlytheirsthatIcanseeiftheyhavetakentheir
importantpapershome.

Studentbookboxes

Ideal Classroom 16
Bookboxes,whicharekeptonshelves,areintwodifferentareas.Thisissothatstudents
arenotallrushingtothesameareawhenwestartreading.Itisimportantformethatweget
startedonreadingasfastaswecanwithouttrafficjams.Withthesetwoareasstudentsare
Bookshelf
Studentbookboxes
gettingoffthecarpetandgoingtogettheirboxesthenfindaplacetoreadaroundtheroom.
Window
Ihaveasinkinmyclassroomanditwasveryimportantthatithadadrinkingfountainon
itsothatstudentshaveaccesstoitsotheycangetaquickdrinkandcomerightbacktoworking.
Thereisalsostorageaboveandbelowtokeepotheritemssuchasplasticbags,extrapaper,and
bookgroupbooks.
FinallyIhavetwolargewindowswithalotofnaturallightthatcomesinthroughoutthe
day.Therearedrapestocreateahomierfeeloftheclassroomaswell.Lampswillalsobearound
theroomtogiveoffdifferentlighting.Thisisimportantfortheclassroomfeelaswellasforthe
childrentolearnanddotheirbest.Havingmultiplesourcesoflightwillhelpstudentsthinkand
stayontask. It also seems that light can affect the social behavior of children in a positive way
and light might have an effect on physical health (Lighting in Education, 2014). The lighting of
the classroom will help create a positive learning environment in my classroom.
Sincethelayoutofaclassroomsetsthetonefortheyyearandhowthingsrunina
classroomIhavetakenmytimetocreatethemostideallayoutthatwouldhelpaccomplishthis.
Thereareplentyofareasintheclassroomthatcometogethertocreateclassroomwelcomingto
studentsofdifferentethicbackgroundsandstudentswithdisabilities.

Takeabreak
Chair

Figure 1. Room Layout

ApproachtoClassroomManagement

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IwillhaveaPositiveBehavioralInterventions&Supports(PBIS)classroomtosetclear
expectationsformystudentsbehaviors.ThisPBISclassroomwillbeembeddedinaschool
widebehaviorinterventionprogramthatwillallowallteachersandstafftobeonthesamepage
forbehaviormanagement.Awaytolookatthisbehaviorsystemwouldbetothinkofwhatone
candotoestablishaschoolandclassroomclimatethatpromotesdesirablebehaviorsandreduces
inappropriatebehaviors(Vaughn,72).Thistakesalookatwhatteacherscandotohave
expectationsinplacetoensurethatstudentsknowtheexpectedbehaviors.Atthebeginningof
eachyearasaschoolwewillgettogethertotalkaboutthedesiredbehaviorsandhowtobe
respectful,responsibleandsafethroughouttheschoolandclassroom,settingexpectationsforall
areas.Schoolwidetherewillbeasayingthatallstudentsknowsuchaspaws(pause)pleasein
whichallstudentsafterhearingthiswillneedtoraisetheirpawsandstop,look,andlistento
thespeaker.Notonlydoesthishelpteachersandadministratorscommunicatewithstudentsit
alsocreatesasenseofcommunityforthelearnersthroughouttheschool.Anothermanagement
toolthatIwilluseinmyclassroomwouldbeamorningmeeting.Thisispartofaresponsive
classroomandisagreatwaytoengagestudentsdailyandhelpthemfeelwelcome.Eachdaywe
willstartwithagreetingaroundtheclassroomsayingthenameofthepersonsittingnexttoyou
andmakingeyecontacttoknowyouarelistening/caring.Wewillthenmoveintoasharearound
thecirclewheretherestoftheclassneedstoberespectfulandlistening.Wewillmoveintoa
shortgroupactivitythathelpstheclassbondbyplayingfairlyandtakingturns.Finallytherewill
beamorningmessagethatisamessageIwouldwritetopinpointanimportantlearningpieceof
thedayorsomethingthatmightbedifferentintheschedule.Thisisagreatwaytobuildasense
ofcommunityintheclassroom.Havingclearexpectationsinplaceandhavingacommoncall

Ideal Classroom 18
andresponse,studentswillfeelasenseofbelonging,ownershipandresponsibilitytobethebest
anddothebesttheycando.Mostbehaviorproblemsintheclassroomarecausedbythe
teachersfailuretoteachstudentshowtofollowprocedures(Wong,174)thisleadsusinto
creatingroutinesandproceduresthatallchildrencanfollow.
RoutinesandProcedures
Makingsureproceduresareinplaceatthebeginningoftheyearwillhelptheschoolyear
runsmoothly.Fromhowtowalkinthehallwaytohowtotransitioneffectivelyintheclassroom
theseproceduresneedtobeclearlyexplainedtostudentsfortheclassroomtooperate.Focusing
ontheproceduresofyouclassroomisveryimportant,effectiveteachersspendagooddealof
timeduringthefirstweeksofschoolintroducing,teaching,modelingandrehearsingprocedures
(Wong,175).Sincemyclassroomisaninclusiveenvironmentthereisalotofplanninginvolved
androutinesthatneedtobefollowedtomeettheneedsofallofmystudents.First,Imakesure
tohaveampletimeforreadersworkshop,writersworkshopandmathworkshop.Studentsin
betweenthe4thirdgradeclassroomswillswitchtodifferentclassroomstomakesurethatthey
arereceivingtheatlevelinstructionforthem.Notonlydoescollaborationneedtohappento
finethejustrightgroupsforstudentsbutitalsohelpsteachersshareresponsibilitiesandallows
teacherstoworksmarter,notharder.Tofollowalonginthemodelofworkingsmarter,each
teacherwilltakeonescienceunitandonesocialstudiesunitandtheywillteachthatunit4times,
oncetoeachclassroom.Thisallowstheteachertobecomethemasterofthisunitandimprovein
teachingitthroughouttheyear.Therewillbeclearexpectationsandproceduresforstudents
whentheyswitchclassrooms,inthehallsandhowsuppliesareshared.Scheduleswillalsobe
madefortheteacherandvisualschedulesforstudentswhoneedtoseetheirscheduledailyand

Ideal Classroom 19
remindstudentsiftheyneedpulloutforspeechorotherservicesofferedoutsidetheclassroom.A
classroomcannotrunwithoutsetproceduresandroutines.
PaperManagement
Stayingorganizedisanimportantpartinstayingpreparedforthedayandwhatever
comesup.Againthisgoesalongwiththemantraworksmarter,notharder.Creatingabasketfor
eachdayoftheweeksothatIcanplanatleastoneweekinadvancewillhelpmestayontopof
planningandstayorganized.IntheScholasticarticle,15WaystoWorkSmarter,NotHarder
theysayplacingallcopies,books,andmanipulatives[one]mightneedfortheweekinbaskets
labeledareeasytograb.Creatingaweeklytodolistwillalsohelpstayorganizedandahead
ofthegametomakesurethateverythinggetsdonebeforethelessonbegins.
Classroomjobs
Studentswillbeassignedclassroomjobstohelpkeeptheclassrunningsmoothly
Scholasticalsosaysthatthiswillhelptheclassroomrunsmoothlyandallowsthestudentshelp
theteachertoworksmarter,notharder.Asyoucanseeonfigureone,Ihavemailboxesforeach
ofmystudents.Thiswillmaketurningbackpapers(aclassmatesjob)andhandingout
importantpaperseasytodo.Beingabletoseeallmailboxeswillensurethatallstudentsgettheir
maileachweekandthatimportantpapersaregoinghome.
InstructionalDelivery
Ineedtomakesurethatmyinstructionaldeliveryisclearandconcisewhenteachingmy
entireclass.Beingabletoreachallstudentsinorderforthemtobesuccessfullearnersisthekey
toteaching.Beingmindfulofthemakeupofmyclassroomwillalsoallowmetodeliver
instructionthatisengagingandrelevanttothelivesofmystudents.LisaDelpitin

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MultiplicationisforWhitePeopleRaisingExpectationsforOtherPeoplesChildren,talks
abouttheimportanceofteachingvocabularydevelopmenttostudentswhomaynothavethe
vocabularybackgroundneededfortheirgradelevel.Thisisnoteasyinaworldwherelow
incomechildrencometoschoolknowingfewerwordsthanmiddleclassstudents.Asateacherof
awidevarietyofchildrenwithdifferentbackgroundsIneedtobeawareofthis.Studentsneed
focusedinstructionalstrategiesthroughouttheirschoolyearsthataredesignedspecificallyfor
theirculturalandacademicbackgrounds(Delpit70).Contentneedstobetaughtthrough
differentiatinginstructiontomeettheneedsofallmystudents.Reachingthelearningstylesofall
ofmystudentswillbeimportantinmakingsureallstudentsaresuccessful.Ialsowantto
considergroupworktomakesurestudentsarecollaboratingwithotherstoshareideaswith
others.

Conclusion
My ideal classroom is a place where all students are welcome and able to be successful.
They know that in this classroom that their voice will be heard and that their voice counts.
Students will receive help and assistance when needed and that instruction will be differentiated
to meet their needs. The design of my classroom will allow all students a space of their own and
a space that welcomes them in the classroom community. Inclusion of all students helps us learn
together and gives students with disabilities an opportunity to be successful with their peers.
Being able to work smarter not harder is a huge part of my ideal classroom as it allows me to
collaborate with other teachers and stay organized and ahead of the game. My ideal classroom
brings everything together that I find important in making a classroom run. All of these areas

Ideal Classroom 21
mentioned above create the model or ideal classroom where everyone is included, relationships
are built and collaboration happens to allow the very best learning to happen.

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References:
Bucholz, J. L., Ed.D, & Sheffler, J. L. (2009). Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom
Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome. Electronic Journal for
Inclusive Education, 2(4). Retrieved from http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/
viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=ejie
Culture in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://www.tolerance.org/
culture-classroom
Connell, G. (2014, August 21). 15 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder This School Year.
Retrieved October 29, 2015, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/topteaching/2014/08/15-ways-work-smarter-not-harder-school-year
Culatta, R. (n.d.). Social Development Theory (Lev Vygotsky). Retrieved from
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-development.html
Delpit, L. (2012). "Multiplication is for White People" Raising Expectations for other People's
Children. New York, NY: The New Press.
Gardner, H. (n.d.). Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Retrieved from Genius
website: http://www.cse.emory.edu/sciencenet/mismeasure/genius/research02.html
GreatSchools Staff. (n.d.). How Important is Class Size? Retrieved October 30, 2015, from
http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/class-size/
Kriete, R., & Davis, C. (n.d.). What is Morning Meeting? Retrieved October 29, 2015, from
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/morning-meeting-components
Land, S., M.Ed. (2004, November). Effective Teaching Practices for Students in Inclusive
Classrooms. Retrieved October 30, 2015, from
http://education.wm.edu/centers/ttac/resources/articles/inclusion/effectiveteach/
Lighting in Education. (2014). Retrieved October 30, 2015, from http://lightingforpeople.eu/
lighting-in-education/
Oswalt, A., MSW. (n.d.). Urie Bronfenbrenner and Child Development Child & Adolescent
Development: Overview. Retrieved October 30, 2015, from
http://www.gulfbend.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=7930&cn=28%5C%22
Vaughn, S., & Bos, C. S. (2015). Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Behavior
Problems (9th ed.). Pearson.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). How to be an Effective Teacher: The First Days of School.
Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong.

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