Marissa Mason & Miranda Ray
SPE 400
Dr. Troughton
11 November 2018
Learning Environment Design
In our classroom, we decided to have a very thought out and detailed layout for our students where every piece has a purpose that is integral to the academic success of each student. The layout of a classroom is very important when it comes to accommodating children who may have learning disabilities or other impairments that impact the way they are able to learn. In the general education classroom, it is important for teachers to be away of these things so that they are giving the children who have a harder time learning an equal chance at succeeding in the classroom. Overall, our classroom design allows all students to be able to move freely throughout while also
When you walk in the classroom, the first thing you will see is the teacher’s desk. We wanted it to be visible from the hallway so that any other teachers or visitors passing by would be able to see if the teacher was busy teaching a lesson or allowing students to work on assignments individually or small groups. Being able to see whether the teacher is at their desk or not can cut back interruptions of visitors coming in and out of the classroom that can be distracting to students with learning disabilities such as ADHD. The placement of the teacher’s desk allows the teacher to easily view each student at their desk to keep them on task when working on assignments. Students can easily access the teacher’s desk since it in central in the room and has plenty of space around it.
The student’s desks are grouped together in pairs of two towards the front of the classroom. There are two rows of 6 desks that are paired next to each other. When assignments ask for students to work in pairs, it will be easy for them to work with the student sitting beside them. When group assignments are assigned, the teacher will turn the front row around to form a group of four with the back row. We would like to have at least two to three group activities assigned in the classroom every week to help build relationships and a school community between the students. Student’s seating will be assigned depending on the need of the child. Any visual or auditory impaired children will be placed in the front row closest to the white board, while students who have trouble paying attention or keeping on task will be placed near the teacher’s desk so they can be monitored during individual assignments.
The whiteboard where lessons are taught will be placed at the front of the room in front of the student’s desks. Everyday, an itinerary will be written out with times to keep the class on task. A bulletin board will be on each side of the white board and each will serve a specific purpose. The bulletin board on the left will serve as the “welcome” board. In the morning, the teacher will stay around the entryway and the welcome board to greet parents as they drop off their children to school. The board will have 3 plastic containers marked “hot lunch”, “sandwich”, and “brought lunch” and a container with popsicle sticks with the children’s names on them. The parents will find the child’s popsicle stick, give it to them, and guide them to put the popsicle stick in the corresponding container to which lunch they want. The cups will be accessible to the children so they are able to put their popsicle stick in the container. This small activity helps with fine motor movement for children who may struggle with accuracy of placing items in correct areas. The board will also have an envelope for parents to turn in any cafeteria money or papers they may need to give to the teacher. The bulletin board to the right of the white board will have educational and informational posters. We want those posters to be near the board where lessons are taught so that students are able to see them and possibly use them with their lessons.
We decided to put the reading area toward the back of the classroom. The students will sit on a large circle carpet and the teacher will be included in that circle as well. We think it is important for the teacher to be included in the circle so they are able to build a healthy community with their students as well and be able to interact with the students at their level. Sitting in a circle will allow every student to be able to see pictures in the books they are being read and for every student to have an equal chance to participate in activities. The reading area will also include a book shelf where the teacher will pick books to read to the class or allow students to pick books they can silently read. All books will be grade level appropriate so that the students are able to expand their reading comprehension skills.
Next to the reading area will be the area for small group instruction. It consists of a horse-shoe table where the teacher will sit in the horse-shoe and up to four students will be able to sit at the table on the opposite side of the table. This area will be great for activities that require teacher assistance and small group interaction such as art projects. All students will be able to access it easily, and the teacher will be able to easily move to interact with each student sitting at the table.
Behind the small group instruction area will be where classroom supplies will be kept. Daily supplies will be kept on the lowest shelf so that all students will be able to easily access it. Everyday, the students will get their supplies from the shelf and return it at the end of the day. We want the teacher to be able to monitor what supplies is being used and to be able to keep track of all the student’s supplies, so having the students return it will allow the teacher to see if anything is missing or if they need to refill anything they may be low on.
For students with physical disabilities who may have equipment to store during the day, the back corner of the classroom will have plenty of space to put these things. Each student will also be assigned a cubby to keep backpacks, lunch kits, jackets or other items they may have with them at school. Being able to store these items will keep distractions to a minimum throughout the classroom, and they will allow more space around the room for movement.
To reduce auditory distractions in the classroom, we will make sure the door is closed at all times to prevent any noise in the hallway from disturbing lessons being taught throughout the day. I will also make sure there are plenty of objects in the classroom that absorb noises to keep the room from echoing. It would be ideal for the classroom to have carpeted floors, but if the room does not have that option, we would like to have as many carpets placed in the room as we can. We already placed one in the back for the reading area, but we would also like to place one under the teacher’s desk and under the small group instruction area. The more sound absorbers present in the classroom, the less noises will travel and prevent auditory distractions from being present.