Post 29

Joanna Williams

Sally Chandler

5-8-12

Does classroom set up affect the way the students learn?

On the first day of school I couldn’t wait to see how my new classroom was set up. I knew since I was getting older my class would be set up a different way each time. A set up of a classroom is a very important factor for students just as much as the teaching. Some studies show that things such as color, desk placement or even lighting can all affect a student's temperament and ability to be productive. Making sure that the desks are comfortable for the students that everything is eye level and just that students are in a comfortable learning environment.

In a classroom it is very important to make sure the classroom is set up for the students and not the teachers. In my study I will focus on how some features in the classroom can enhance the way a student learns. If the student is not comfortable then it will be hard for them to focus on the lesson. In my experienced in elementary I had one class were the desk was too big for the students, our feet couldn't reach the floor and it was very distracting. The main focus when setting up the classroom is to focus on how the student will react to the environment.

Literature Review

In the book Classroom Spaces That Work by Marlynn Clayton she focuses on how the classroom should be set up for the students. Sometimes it is hard for teachers to put their self in the mind of the students. Marlynn states in her book the classroom should support students’ developmental needs: emotional, social, cognitive, and physical. (Clayton,13) She makes sure that teachers understand that the classroom should be set up in an organized way. This means the scale of the room, privacy, configuration, and neatness. In the first page of the first chapter she starts off by saying “the room is not made for you” (Clayton,11) This book also focused on how children development changes with their age. The classroom should accommodate the student needs and age range. When students reach different ages their focus changes and so should the classroom.  In the article she touched on certain ages, the ages I focused on was ages 6 and 7. At these ages six year old students are competitive, bossy, socially energetic and also sloppy. Having classroom with six years old the space needs to be organized and neat.  “Their learning materials should invite active and concrete exploration..” (Clayton,27)

In a classroom with working with seven year olds they like their privacy, they are more serious and focus. They like to work in confine spaces and also easily distracted. When setting up a classroom for seven year olds the classroom should be set up were the children are able to work alone or at least with one person. They like their individual space to work instead of groups. There should also be a good supply for art materials and things for the students to express themselves.

My second review comes from an article Classroom Spaces that Work also by Marlynn Clayton. She also wrote an article that expresses the way the structure of a classroom should be. In the article she express that the classroom should fit the bodies. The desk should be a certain size base on the students, bookcases and other things students need to have access to should be the same size as them. Also things like posters and the board should all be at eye level so it will be convenient for the students. Marlynn believes that students should also be a part of the setting up process this will give them a sense of ownership.

              

Methods and Data

In my paper I will touch on the things I noticed in my observation and relate that back to what Marlynn Clayton believed was a good classroom. Clayton gives specific bullets on what makes a classroom set up should be and if teachers follow this set up the will have a comfortable and functional classroom.

Scale

Marlynn Clayton stressed in her book that the scale of a classroom had to work for the students.  Her first point was to “choose desks, tables, and chairs that fit the children.” (Clayton, 13) In my observation of the second grade class I notice the desk were the same size as the children; students seem comfortable and able to do their work on the desk. In the different sections students were able to sit in comfortable chairs and had enough room to do all their work. Her next point was to “select and arrange free standing bookcases and shelves in the classroom” (Clayton, 14). In the classroom was a reading section were all the books stood. In this section the teacher had the shelves place so the students were able to reach the books themselves. This is exactly how Clayton said the classroom should be set up. Students need to be able to feel independent and being able to grab a book themselves or being able to feel comfortable in their chairs help them achieve that.

Privacy

Since the classroom I observed was second grade the ages ranged from six through seven. In Clayton’s book Classroom Spaces that Work she broke down how a classroom should be for certain age groups and one of those things were privacy. Clayton says “at seven students like their privacy; like to work alone with one friend” (Clayton, 28). In the classroom I observed I noticed that the students did not have much privacy. Even though their desk was the same size as them they were placed in groups and sat closely together. The day I observed the students did a lot of group work and was able to look over at the other students work right next to them. Even when the students went to the different sections they were sitting next to each other and even worked together there. In the computer section there were no barriers and students didn’t have privacy either. Everywhere in the classroom students did not have enough space to just work alone. Clayton believes that students need to have individual time to themselves.

“Seven -year –olds often prefer individual desks to table for work areas. They need spaces that offer privacy for working and for taking out “friendship” problems. Cardboard screens placed on the desks can create such spaces” (Clayton, 29).

Configuration

The second grade classroom was arranged very well for second graders. The desks were set up in groups of five. There was a smart board right in front of the students so it was easy for the students to view the board. The classroom was divided into sections which gave the room a spacious feel.  All of the students were able to walk around the classroom and have enough space. The arrangement of the classroom was neat and well planned out.  The teacher desk sat behind the students so she was able to see everything the students were doing when they were doing their work.

Interview

After my observation I interviewed the teacher to ask certain questions on the set up. I interviewed her in her classroom after the students left so it will be more comfortable to her. Even though NR (teacher) set up the classroom in a way that would be comfortable for students I noticed that the way she placed the students caused some conflicts in the classroom. As I observed I notice that there were only a few students that participated in the classroom. Classroom set should enhance all of the students learning but in this classroom when it was time to participate only a few students stepped up to the plate.

JW          Ok did you see… I see… say the students are in groups did you seat them in a certain way I remember being me in elementary school the teacher sat us in certain ways base on our different personalities and different types of way we were taught and learned.. Did you seat your students in that certain way?

NR      UMM yes actually I decided to place at least one active and enthusiastic student     in one of the group just to provide encouragement and support and UMM those students who require special attention they receive attention from our teacher aid.

She explained to me that she did set up the students based on how outgoing the students were. When I observed this I noticed that the students who were more outgoing over powered the other students. Those students answered most of the questions while the other students blended in the back ground. When I asked NR if this was an issue it seemed as if it wasn’t. I capitalized UMM because as she answered the question she had to think hard on how they were set up. 

JW      Do the shy student still find a way to make there self-known in the classroom?

NR      Yes they do weather its him or her doing its own their own or me being the one to force it .. Not force it but weather me not calling on more of the active student but me trying to encouraging the shyer student.

At this moment I felt like NR knew there was a problem so that’s why NR had to call on the shy student because they don’t respond on their own. NR starts off by first saying she has to force them but quickly changes it up to justify that the shy students are not being force. With this setup I think it might be embarrassing for the shy student because they may feel like they are not as good as the more energetic student.

Even though the arrangement of the classroom was set up nicely and up to standards with Clayton’s view on set up each student should feel comfortable. The way the desk are set up the shy students may feel un noticed or feel like they are being forced to answer the questions instead of doing it on their own.  As I stated in the beginning the classroom should work for the students not the teacher and I believe that NR set up the students the way she felt fit instead of incorporating the students’ opinion.

Conclusion

Students should feel right at home when they walk into their classroom. The setup of the classroom should be just important as the lesson plan. Teachers should put just as much effort into their classroom as they do their lessons. If the student feels comfortable they will always want to come to school and learn and that should be teachers’ main focus the students’ education. Setting up a classroom could be fun and incorporating the students opinion can make it more comfortable for the students and make them feel like it is “their” classroom. Classroom set up affects a students learning and it’s all about making the student comfortable enough to want to learn.

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Work Cited

·        Clayton, Marlynn. Classroom Spaces that Work : Northeast Foundation for Children, 2001. Print.

·        Clayton, Marlynn, Forton, Mary. “Classroom Spaces that Work” Responsive Classroom Newsletter. n.p., April, 2001. Web. 9 May 2013.