I.

Observation 1
Setting

II. Grade
Pre-K Enrichment

III. Students
13 boys, 10 girls

IV. Setting
Pre-K Enrichment classroom at The Goddard School of Flemington
Multi-Age (4-5 years old) classroom, 23 students, 1 head teacher, 1 assistant
teacher

V. Pre-Observation
I have been working at the Goddard School in Flemington for the past year. For
this assignment I observed the Pre-K Enrichment class setting. During this
observation I drew different pictures of the classroom layout and wrote notes on
how the classroom environment was affected by the student's age and the location
of the furniture. Though I have worked at The Goddard School of Flemington for
a year, I usually do not go in this classroom. The classroom layout of the Pre-K
Enrichment class was not familiar to me. Before I went this classroom I did
research on NextGen Learning. On NextGen Learning I found the article, Does
Your Classroom Design Affect Student Learning? (DePaul,2014). I used this
article to prepare me for the observation. After reading this article, I had a
different presentation of how a classroom layout should be.

VI. Data Observations were conducted on January 28, 2016.

VII. Analysis
This is my first time going in the Pre-K Enrichment classroom looking at the
classroom itself. Ms. Tracy, the head teacher, classroom theme is Fiji. As soon as
you walk into the classroom you can tell the environment is very student centered.
The childrens artwork is all over the walls and the walls had many different
multicultural posters. By the children's art work, I could tell the theme of the
week was space. All twenty-three students have personalized cubbies. In the
morning, the student is responsible to hang up their jacket and put their lunch in
the cubbies. The cubbies are located on the front and on the right side of the
classroom. Each cubby is in three different parents. Part one is where their
sleeping time stuff goes (sheet, pillow, and blanket). Part two is where the
students have a bin of extra clothes. Also, in the second part is where the students
lunch goes. Part three is where the jackets get hung up. In the front of the
classroom is the circle/morning carpet and the smart board. The bathroom, that
has a sink and toilet in it, is also located in the front. On the left side of the
classroom is where the toys are and where the teacher and student computers are.
In the middle back there are four different size tables where the students do art,
fine-motor activities, eat lunch and snack, and play with the sensory bin. Though I
have worked at The Goddard School of Flemington for a year, I have never
 looked at the layout of this classroom. I was impressed on how the classroom
environment was and the setup of the classroom.

VIII. Recommendations
The Pre-K Enrichment classroom was run very well and had great aspects to it,
but there's a few things that I would change. When I was observing the classroom
the students were eating lunch. The problem I noticed was the sink and garbage
can be in the front of the classroom while the tables were in the back. By simply
rearranging how the desks in the room are setup, you can not only get better
control of your class but create an open and friendly classroom environment,
(Classroom Layouts: Seating Arrangements for Effective Learning, 2014). If Ms.
Tracy moved the tables to the front of the classroom the students would not be
dropping garbage on the carpet and getting trash everywhere. I would also
recommend that the toys are separated for the different centers. Create both well-
lit and dimly lit areas in the classroom by using bookcases, screens, plants, and
other furniture, (Shalaway). There are many different ways you can separate
centers by the different categories of learning.

IX. Post-Observation
The Pre-K Enrichment classroom was very welcoming and as soon as you walked
in you can tell that every student matters. Ms. Tracy was very excited about my
observing her classroom and was super welcoming. After my observation, on my
way out of her classroom she stopped me and told me when I was done with this
 observation she would love to see the changes I made to her classroom. By her
saying that to me I felt like she cares about me and would like to see her
classroom designed in someone else's point of view. I cannot wait to show her the
changes I have made.

X. Citations
Classroom Layouts: Seating Arrangements for Effective Learning. (2014, March
04). Retrieved January 28, 2016, from
http://blog.ampli.com/2014/03/classroom-layouts-seating-arrangements-
for-effective-learning.html
DePaul, K. (2014, May 20). Does Your Classroom Design Affect Student
Learning? | NextGen Learning. Retrieved January 28, 2016, from
http://nextgenlearning.org/blog/does-your-classroom-design-affect-
student-learning
Shalaway, L. (n.d.). An Easy Guide to Setting Up Your Grade K-5 Classroom |
Scholastic.com. Retrieved January 28, 2016, from
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/easy-guide-setting-your-grade-
k-5-classroom