Dov J.

Emerson Classroom Layout Description

Variety of Spaces:
Within my future classroom layout design, I crafted there is a variety of
learning spaces for students to facilitate learning to their own specific needs
and areas of interest. There will be an activity centre that is an area that
promotes physical wellness and an area that can be used to release energy, I
speak about this in-depth within the affective elements section. There will be
C-shaped tables to promote student collaborative learning, as well as
adjustable whiteboard desks/tables that student will be able o personalize
and store their academic belongings within found within the center of the
classroom. There will also be a sink and pantry area within the classroom. A
component of my teaching philosophy is keeping children engaged the entire
class period. I will have a water jug in this section, that will eliminate students
leaving the classroom to fill up their water bottles, or get a sip of water. There
will also be a classroom library that is not only in one spot but bookshelves
can be found throughout my classroom. There will also be normal student
desks and tables for students who may not benefit from the adjustable white
hoard tables/desks. In front of the teacher, the desk is comfy student chairs
that are in place for students to have comfortable conversations with me.
There will also be a large rug in front of the projector and a whiteboard with
additional seating around it for students who don’t feel quite comfortable
sitting on the rug for class instruction.

Traffic Patterns:
Traffic patterns within the classroom I designed was a large focal point for me
when designing my classroom layout. One of my main goals was to be able to
see all students at all times, ensuring that students are not secluded in a
corner or specific area of the classroom. As stated in a later portion of this
document, student cleanliness is a highlighted area of the classroom,
Ensuring that students have clear walking spaces throughout the
classroom, and being able to walk around and not trip on manipulatives or
classroom materials. Students and educators alike will be able to locate their
resources without having difficulties. Students will be provided with a labelled
layout of the classroom, in case they do have issues remembering where
specific elements are located within the classroom.

Seating :
A huge emphasis within my classroom is the variety of seating arrangements
available for students and educators alike. Within the center of the
classroom, there are the students’ personal desks that are collaborative
whiteboard top tables. Their desks can be found below the whiteboard top
where they can keep their personal belongings. These tables are also
adjustable in height if students with to stand and complete work or listen to
instructions or they can sit in their adjustable chair that is on wheels. Another
variety of seating will come in front of the whiteboard. I have a huge carpet in
front of the whiteboard that is meant for instruction and read aloud,
students will be able to find a spot on the carpet to relax and listen. If
students don’t feel comfortable sitting on the carpet they can feel free to pull
up their desk chair around the carpet or I have additional seats that can be
found around the carpet if they don’t feel comfortable moving their chair to
and from their adjustable desk. IIn the reading corner of the classroom, there
is yoga balls, a set of couches, bean bags and several students sized rocking
chairs that students can choose to use in the reading section or to transport
to their personal learning space. In addition to the previously mentioned
seating arrangements, I will also have group seating areas for group works
or peer content evaluations. These tables will be C shaped for promoted
collaborative learning and sharing. Students will be allowed to sit on the inside
of the C or the outside of it, depending on their role for the day.

Materials :
Within my classroom layout, several materials are included. One is the
technology cart that is positioned next to the teacher desk. This is so,
technology is used effectively and students don’t have access to their devices
throughout the day to promote directed learning. Another material that is
included within my layout is design-oriented bookshelves. I have bookshelves
mainly in our classroom library, but also spread throughout the classroom in
other locations as well, literacy will be a driving force within my classroom, so
having bookshelves with a wide variety of organized literature spread
throughout my classroom is imperative. Another element within the classroom
that involves materials will be my teacher storage found near my desk where I
will keep important books and manipulatives for in-class instruction. There will
also be several other closet spaces to ensure that the room is not full of
clutter and messes. Student cleanliness is an important function of our
classroom in the future. We will strive to respect and honour our janitorial staff
and make their job easier.

Affective Elements:
When speaking about affective elements within my classroom, one of the first
elements that I included was the Student highlight push board, this is to
highlight student success within the classroom and outside of it. Every
student will have a section on the board and will have the ability to alter their
highlight(s) once a day throughout the curse of the year. We will highlight
student success once every day to promote and healthy, encouraging
classroom environment. We will also have a whiteboard floor in our classroom,
that promotes collaboration and an effective way of doing group work, I am
not too sure about the possibility of putting whiteboards on the floor. But this
seems like an innovative idea that could be lots of fun for students to
collaborate with one another. Another effective element will be the group
seating C-shaped tables that I discussed earlier. Another form of
collaborative work amongst peers. These tables are an amazing way to
promote fluency and group work, it also makes it easier for the educator to
monitor student progress and collaborative work. There will also be student
cubbies found in one of the corners of the classroom. This is where students
will be able to store personal belonging that doesn’t belong in their lockers
that may be utilized in the classroom. (Pencils, binders, sharpeners, erasers
etc)There will also be a bulletin board that informs students on ALL of the
projects and assignments for the day/ porceeding weeks of class. There will
be due dates, and key ideas/themes that students will find valuable. An idea
that is important for this board is to only include important information, not
side notes and small assignments, it will be easy to navigate for all students.
There will also be an activity corner within my classroom, where our
classroom pet will be located, as well and a few yo-yo’s, rubix cubes, yoga
balls, and yoga mats. I plan to include physical wellness as a daily or weekly
routine within my classroom. This is especially important for students that
struggle with ADD/ADHD or other attention disabilities. Apart from those
students, everyone on a daily basis will be encouraged to go let out some
energy for five + minutes per day, on top of the daily reccess period. A fun
theme to incorporate eventually would be yoga instruction, this has been
proved to imorve student attention and other elements within the classroom.