Alex Foehrenbacher

Dream Classroom Assignment Rationale

February 15th, 2023

This assignment was fun but a challenge to set up my “dream classroom.” I had to

balance the 6 keys, classroom management expectations, and affordances. Keeping all those

things in mind, I still wanted a clean, neat, and realistic classroom. I will begin with a description

of my classroom and the details/objects.

To start I added a few basics, desks, chairs, teacher desk, white board, smartboard, door,

and storage. These basic items don’t need much explanation. There is some form of seating,

chairs, board, and storage in every classroom. A few common items I added are bulletin board,

turn in space, bookshelf, worktable, window, and class rules. I added these because they are

found in most classrooms. They are crucial to help learning and are something I wouldn’t go

without in my classroom. A bulletin board can post classroom news or work, a turn in space is

and organizational factor I like, bookshelf to create a classroom library, a worktable so I can help

students easily, a window for natural light, and class rules to set expectations and boundaries in

my classroom. Lastly, I added a few uncommon or not as common items such as, birthday board,

carpet seating, organizers, couch, bean bags, self-reflection space, game shelf, mailboxes, water

station, nutrition station, and an extra supply station. These all aid to learning but are something

that are more “wants” rather than “needs.” I added a birthday board to show students they are

important to me, carpet seating for a comfy and organized spot, organizers to aid for planning

lessons, a couch and beanbags for a spot to relax when needed, a self-reflection space for when

they are overwhelmed, a game self for some fun while there is down time, mailboxes for the
students belongings, water station to make sure they stay hydrated, nutrition station to fuel their

bodies, and an extra supply station for when they need an item. The storage and set up areas will

be neat and put back the way the students found them each day. Students will have freedom to

interact with anything in the classroom that isn’t the teacher’s space. I want them to be able to

treat this space as a fun and friendly environment. There is plenty of room to play a game, do

their work, or read a book throughout the room.

For the 6 keys I had to think of safety, success, love/belonging, freedom/independence,

fun/enjoyment, and valued. For safety I added classroom rules and a door. The rules will be to

keep everyone safe while having fun, and the door to be able to lock the classroom if that

situation comes about. For Success I added a supply station for students to get supplies when

needed and had a whiteboard and smart board to teach the lessons on. Love and belonging were

hard to show but it will be present in my classroom. I added desks for each student, so they have

their own space, and have a nutrition and hydration station so they are fueled to learn. Freedom

and independence are shown in carpet seating as they can pick wherever to set, the bookshelf

they can pick any book, and the self-reflection space where they can figure it out on their own

when needed. Fun or enjoyment is something I always loved as a kid, so I added it to my

classroom. I added a couch and bean bags because reading or relaxing is more enjoying on one

of those, and game/bookshelf for students to enjoy on their free time. Value is also present in my

classroom. I want them to respect the space and everything in it, including their classmates. The

classroom management expectations will be clear and posted on a class rules poster. A few of the

would be, give your best effort, be kind, clean up, keep your hands to yourself, and respect others

and their property. A few affordances I hit above when explaining why I added the items I did in

my room, but I want a neat and organized room. I want this space to be colorful and welcoming
to all students. The bulletin board and classroom will be decorated to the time of year, the desks

will be neat, and chairs pushed in, a window for natural sunlight, and mailboxes for more

organization.

Overall, this was a fun assignment to create my dream classroom. I had to be sure to keep

in mind the 6 keys, classroom management expectations, and affordances. Although it was hard

to categorize a few of the items, I feel like I put together a well-rounded classroom. I can’t wait

to turn this dream into a reality!