Mariah Arellano

MAT 630

DAP classroom environment

I have designed my classroom for upper elementary students, most likely fifth or sixth

graders. When I designed this plan, I had title 1 schools in mind, more specifically Meadowlark

Elementary. I have also labeled my classroom, so it is a little easier to navigate.

In my floor plan you will see the lounge area which contains the snack and hygiene

cabinet and the community board. The reason I have included this is because there is no

denying that students home lives impact their school lives. It is really hard to focus and learn

when a student is hungry or worried about other things occurring in their lives. I want to make

sure students are being taken care of so that when they come to school they can enjoy it and

focus on learning. I will have snacks, deodorant, toothbrush, and other hygiene supplies that

students can come and take as needed. I also have the community board to show what is

happening in the community and celebrate their accomplishments. Students are learning in all

aspects of their lives and I want students to relate what they are learning in school to their

everyday lives. This demonstrates DAP #1 which states that “all the domains of development

and learning-physical, social and emotional, and cognitive- are important, and they are closely

interrelated. Children’s development and learning in one domain influence and are influenced

by what takes place in other domains” (DAP #1, 2009).

In my floor plan you will see flexible seating arrangements. Such as individual desks,

standing desks, group table, whole class area, and flexible seating. The reason I have included

this is because I know that I will need to differentiate instruction. A few ways I will do this, is by
allowing students to work individually, work in groups, and whole class collaborations. I have

these different options because children learn at different rates. Some students might need

extra instruction and practice and other students might need to work on their own. Because

students learn at their own rate and their own style I also have flexible seating options.

This demonstrates DAP #3 which states that “development and learning proceed at varying

rates from child to child, as well as at uneven rates across different areas of a child’s individual

functioning” (DAP #3, 2009). From this, I also know that each individual child brings different

backgrounds and funds of knowledge with them to school.

In my floor plan you will see that the teacher’s desk is off to the side and the class is not

teacher centered. There is also an area for whole class meetings and many areas for students

to interact with peers. The reason I have included this is because I want a student-centered

classroom and I do not want my desk to be the center of attention. I want to go to students

and be there for them by walking around and have collaborative learning. I do not want

students all coming up to my desk where I am not able to support many students. I also want

them to have positive relationships with their peers, so we have one area where it is a whole

class meeting for everyone to connect. This demonstrates DAP #7 which states that “children

develop best when they have secure, consistent relationships with responsive adults and

opportunities for positive relationships with peers” (DAP #7, 2009). I want to show my students

that I am here for them. I know that they learn differently, and I am trying to create a safe

space for them to be themselves, so that they can enjoy learning.

In my floor plan you will see a lounge area and graffiti wall. The reason I have included

this is because I want students to be able to relate what they are learning in school to their lives
and the world around them. I want students to feel connected to school and feel like it is a

place that they feel safe to grow. I want them to see what is happening in their community,

community role models, and be acknowledged for their accomplishments. In the lounge area, I

try to focus on community building and creating a safe space for students. In the reading area I

have a graffiti wall where students can write or tag inspirational quotes that they read from

books or anything inspirational. When I created this plan, I had Meadowlark elementary in

mind and I noticed there is graffiti around the community, so I wanted to incorporate that in a

positive way. This demonstrates DAP # 8 which states that “development and learning occur in

and are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts” (DAP #8, 2009). This practice also

demonstrates that student’s development is influenced by their community and sociocultural

contexts.

In my floor plan you will see that the classroom is not teacher-centered and there is

flexible seating. For example, I have areas for individual work, group work, whole-class work,

standing desks, wobbly chairs, and comfy chairs. The reason I have included all these different

options is because I plan to differentiate instruction and part of that is altering instruction to

student’s needs. Students learn at different rates and in different styles, so my classroom

layout allows for students to develop and construct knowledge at their own rates. This

demonstrates DAP #9 which states that “always mentally active in seeking to understand the

world around them, children learn in a variety of ways; a wide range of teaching strategies and

interactions are effective in supporting all these kinds of learning” (DAP #9,2009).

In my floor plan you will see that the desk arrangements allow for differentiated

instruction. I believe that students of different academic and social levels should be partnered
to learn and grow from each other. This demonstrates DAP #11 which states that

“development and learning advance when children are challenged to achieve at a level just

beyond their current mastery, and also when they have many opportunities to practice newly

acquired skills” (DAP #11, 2009).

 Reference

NAYEC (2009). Developmentally appropriate practices. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org