Tara Barnhill

EDI 638
October 31, 2019

Classroom Environment Plan

There are several different aspects that come together to create an ideal classroom for

not only the teacher but the students that become a part of the classroom as well. While it

is important to reflect and plan for a classroom environment, it is just as important to

remember that the groups of students entering that classroom will change each year.

Creating a plan that can be easily manipulated to serve each class best is a crucial part of

any classroom environment plan. Safety is incredibly important, not just within the

classroom walls but school and district-wide. Creating a space that is both nurturing to the

students but establishes a culture for learning, as well as a plan for organizing the physical

space of the classroom, are all aspects that will be discussed are become a part of this

classroom environment plan.

Safety

The first area, safety, is first on the list because it might be one of the most important

aspects of classroom environment creation. When safety is mentioned, physical safety is

most likely the first thing to come to ones’ mind. Physical safety is incredibly important,

and should certainly be wrapped into the classroom’s safety plan. The majority of what is

going to be discussed will be this idea of a “safe” place for our students, going beyond the

physical safety and making sure students feel they’re in a place that they can take risks, and
feel alright struggling when they are facing challenges. A classroom should be a space in

which students are protected from both physiological and emotional harm, which can be

caused by both the educators and fellow students (Holley 2005). Being safe, however, does

not mean students will always be comfortable. It is imperative to students learning to be

pushed outside of comfort zones to learn and grow, and for students to allow this to

happen they have to have developed trust, which comes from this safe environment they’re

learning in (Holley 2005). This is the most challenging aspect of creating a “safe”

environment, this confusion between focusing so much on the classroom safety and losing

the academic aspects, and creating a safe space in which students feel like they can be

uncomfortable and learn and grow. For this reason, many educators shy away from

attempting this in their rooms, out of the fear of creating a non-academic space. One way, a

method I have personally seen utilized successfully, being vulnerable with your students. If

we want our students to be able to be vulnerable, and go outside of their comfort zones, it

is up to us to show them that it is alright to that (Fletcher 2015). Being vulnerable with

your students also shows them that you’re human too, and not perfect. It breaks down

barriers and allows feel comfortable enough to confide in their teacher, even when it might

be tough or seem embarrassing. This can also, naturally, lead into allowing students an

opportunity to speak about what makes a “safe” classroom to them, and bringing them in

on the creation of this environment (Fletcher 2015). A study done, by Holley and Steiner,

was conducted from the student perspective. Students were asked to give characteristics of

a safe classroom (in their opinion) on each of the following categories: instructor, peers,

self, and physical environment. Here are some highlights of what was given by the students

for the instructor. A nonjudgmental and open instructor who models participation,
comfortable with conflict, respectful and encouraging, flexible, laid back and shared about

themselves. For peers, they said, good discussion skills, positive attitudes, friendly and

supportive, nonjudgmental and open-minded. Self-characteristics were closely aligned with

peers, adding in being prepared for class, listening actively, and being invested in the class.

The physical environment was short, but focused on seating arrangements and making it so

everyone could see, good lighting, and an appropriate size room for the number of students

(Holley 2005). Giving students a voice, to explain what they need to feel safe and ready to

learn is so powerful, and something educators should take seriously. Safety takes up a bulk

of this classroom environment plan, and this is because I feel that so many aspects of

learning stem from this part of the classroom being established.

All of these aspects listed above are things I have become aware of over the past year and

opened both my eyes and mind. This idea of safety in my classroom is at the top of my list

when discussing classroom environment, without establishing these learning goals will be

difficult to achieve.

Classroom Procedures & Expectations

Classroom procedures could, quite honestly, fall within the realm of safety. While

establishing this “safe” environment for your students’ classroom procedures should fall

into this, and likely will do so naturally. Beneficial aspects of classroom procedures are

similar to other areas that have been and will be discussed. It helps the students know and

understand what is expected of them. It is important to keep these procedures realistic, but

also direct. Having too many class procedures and expectations can overwhelm students,
so it is also important to make sure that they’re concise and will make sense to the

students. Another important aspect of procedures and expectations is allowing the

students to be a part of the process. While there will be some expectations that the teacher

will have to have and create on their own, there should always be room to involve the

students in creating the rest. When students are a part of developing rules, procedures, and

expectations, they’re more likely to take ownership of following them (Strout 2005).

Successful classroom management comes back around to this idea of students having

responsibility for classroom rules, as well as gaining an understanding as to why these

expectations are important to both their success and their peer’s success. Not only is

creating these procedures important to a classroom environment important but creating

them in a way that students are involved and understand what is being created and why.

Physical Space

The physical space within the classroom was discussed a bit with safety, but there are

many benefits when it comes to considering the different ways to organize the physical

aspects of a classroom. The biggest aspect of physical space, for my desired classroom, is

implementing flexible seating. There are many benefits to this idea of flexible seating, and

there are many ways it can be done. University wire pulled together a lengthy list of all of

the benefits of this idea of flexible seating in classrooms, a few of the benefits are as follows.

In some classrooms, students get a choice as to where their seat will be, and when students

have a choice they feel like they have a say in what is going on around them, and can lead to

higher-order thinking skills and supports development. Comfort levels go up when

students have different options, like yoga balls, wobble seats, taller tables (with ability to

stand), sitting directly on the floor (or with a cushion), not all students need the same type

of seating for beneficial learning, and flexible seating allows for this differentiation

(University Wire 2019). Collaboration is another benefit that has been seen with this style

classroom, it allows for both whole group learning and small group. Students can easily

access small groups with their peers around them, as well without having to continuously

move around the room. A studying conducted in 2012, by the University of Minnesota

reported that participation in classrooms went up as much as 48% in classrooms that have

more of a flexible style than those of the traditional lecture-style seating (University Wire

2019). The list of benefits goes on, but the point is clear that the benefits of flexible seating

can help drive the learning goals within the classroom forward.

Online Community

While this could be a scary aspect of teaching for many, I have found that it is a great

thing to implement for both students and teachers. There are ways this can be done for all

ages, the classroom I am currently in (kindergarten) utilizes an app called Seesaw

classroom. This allows the teacher (and students) to connect with their families and show

off both schoolwork and things being done in the classroom. The students are currently

transitioning into learning to use the app independently so that they’re able to choose work

that they feel is “WOW” work and share a picture of it with their families through this

online community. While there can be controversy in regards to utilizing and exposing

students to become reliant on technology and utilizing it for learning, there are many
benefits, and there has been a recent push to prepare students for the real-world and the

use of technology outside of the walls of their school (Hung 2008). Many arguments

implementing technology into the schools can benefit our students to learn how to

properly use technology, and teach our students how to remain safe when using different

online communities. Along with the above arguments, many educators have reported a

sense of responsibility that utilizing online communities give their students (Hung 2008).

An example of this being Google classroom, students do much of their work via this online

classroom, and it holds them responsible for getting it done and getting it turned in.

As stated above, I have seen this take place firsthand in a kindergarten classroom. The

sense of responsibility it gives to even five and six-year-olds is great, and they find

enjoyment showing off their work this way. Their parents enjoy feeling like they’re a part

of the classroom community as well in this sense. It is something I plan to implement into

my classroom, how exactly I will do it will depend upon the grade in which I am teaching.
Bibliography
Fletcher, A., Fitzgerald-Yau, N., Wiggins, M., Viner, R. M., & Bonell, C. (2015). Involving

young people in changing their school environment to make it safer: Findings from a

process evaluation in english secondary schools. Health Education, 115(3-4), 322-338.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1108/HE-04-2014-0063

Holley, L. C., & Steiner, S. (2005). Safe space: Student perspectives on classroom

environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(1), 49-64.

doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.5175/JSWE.2005.200300343

Hung, D., Lim, K. Y. T., Chen, D.-T. V., & Koh, T. S. (2008). Leveraging online communities in

fostering adaptive schools. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative

Learning, 3(4), 373–386. https://doi-org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1007/s11412-008-9051-7

Significant student benefits of flexible classroom seating. (2019, Aug 27). University

Wire Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/2281112110?accountid=39473

Strout, M. (2005). Positive behavioral support at the classroom level: Considerations and

strategies. Beyond Behavior, 14(2), 3-8. Retrieved from

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