How To Set Up Your Classroom For The First Day Of School
With the start of each school year, we teachers get a fresh chance to arrange our
classroom for a new group of students. Every choice you make sends a message to
your students, their parents, and anyone who visits your classroom. Through
furniture, books, learning stations, and even desk placement, you communicate
the values and priorities of your class. Follow these steps to deliberately
maximize the organization and efficiency of your classroom set-up.
Here's How:
1.
Decide how to place student desks. - If you are going to emphasize cooperative learning on a daily basis,
you'll probably want to move the student desks into clusters for easy
discussion and collaboration. If you want to minimize distractions and
chatting, consider separating each desk from the one next to it, leaving a
little buffer space to discourage misbehavior. You could also place the desks
in rows or semi-circles. Whatever you choose, work with the room and materials
you have, leaving plenty of aisle space for you and the students to move around
with ease.
2.
Strategically
place the teacher's desk. -Some
teachers use their desks as a central command station, while others use it
primarily as a paper pile repository and rarely sit down to work there.
Depending on how your desk functions as part of your teaching style, choose a
spot where your desk will meet your needs. If it's very messy, consider placing
it in a less conspicuous spot.
3.
Determine
what belongs up front. - Since
students spend most of their days facing the front of the classroom, be very
deliberate about what you place on the walls up front. Perhaps you want to
emphasize discipline by placing the class rules on a prominent bulletin board.
Or maybe there's a daily learning activity that requires easy-to-view space
that all students can see. Make this primetime space engaging, but not
distracting. After all, all eyes should be on you, not necessarily a colorful
explosion of words and images that distract from the core instruction at hand.
4.
Organize
your class library. - Just like a
public library, your classroom book collection should be organized in a logical
manner that will be easy for the students to maintain throughout the school
year. This could mean sorting the books by genre, reading level, alphabetical
order, or other criteria. Labeled plastic bins work well for this. Also
consider providing a little comfortable reading space for students to lounge
with their books during silent reading time. This could mean some inviting bean
bag chairs or a dedicated "reading rug."
5.
Set
aside space for your discipline plan. - It's wise to post your class rules in a
prominent spot for all to see each day of the school year. That way, there's no
opportunity for argument, miscommunication, or ambiguity. If you have a sign-in
book or flip chart for rule offenders, set up a station for this activity.
Ideally if should be in an out-of-the-way spot where curious student eyes can't
easily stare as a rule-breaking student signs in, flips the card, or otherwise
does his or her penance.
6.
Plan
for student needs. - Make sure basic
school supplies are strategically placed for easy student access. This may
include various types of writing paper, sharpened pencils, markers, erasers,
calculators, rulers, scissors, and glue. Organize these materials in one
clearly-delineated part of the classroom.
7.
Define
the role technology plays in your classroom. - Placement of your computer center
communicates the role technology plays in your teaching. If you aim for a more
traditional approach to instruction with technology as an occasional
complement, the computers likely belong in the back of the room or a cozy
corner. If you integrate technology into most of the lessons, you might want to
mix the computers in throughout the room so they're easily accessible. This is
a personal choice based on your beliefs about teaching in the 21st Century in
combination with how available technology is on your campus.
8.
Express
yourself through bulletin boards. - Almost every elementary school classroom has bulletin boards on the walls, requiring
themes, displays, and regular rotation. Consider designating one or two
bulletin boards as seasonal, and thus focus on keeping those boards timely and
relevant to current holidays, instructional units, or class activities. Make it
easy on yourself by keeping the majority of the bulletin boards
"evergreen" and constant throughout the school year.
9.
Sprinkle
in some fun stuff. - Elementary
school is primarily about learning, for sure. But it's also a time for fun
personal touches that your students will remember for a lifetime. Think about
having a class pet and make space for cages, food, and other required
materials. If a pet's not your style, place a few houseplants around the room
to add life and a touch of nature. Make a game center for educational
activities that students can use when finished with their work. Pop a couple
personal photos from home on your desk to express your interests and
personality. A little bit of fun goes a long way.
10.
Minimize
clutter and maximize functionality. - Before your new students (and their parents) enter
the classroom on the first day of school, take a look around your classroom
with fresh eyes. Are there any little piles that could be put into a cupboard
to tidy up? Does each part of the room serve a clear, functional purpose? What
messages are you sending with your classroom's overall appearance at first
glance? Make tweaks as necessary.
Tips:
1.
Check
out your colleagues' classrooms. - Visit the classrooms of other teachers on your campus for
ideas and inspiration. Talk to them about why they made certain organizational
decisions. Learn from their mistakes, and don't be shy about copying any
brilliant ideas that will work with your teaching style and resources.
Similarly, don't feel pressured to adopt any aspects that aren't a good fit for
your personality or approach. As a gesture of gratitude, share a few of your
own best tips with your colleagues. We all learn from each other in this
profession.
2.
Strike
the right balance. - An elementary
school classroom should be engaging, colorful, and expressive. However, don't
go overboard and end up more towards the overstimulating end of the spectrum.
Your classroom should project a sense of calm, organization, and positive
energy, as well as a seriousness about learning. If you gaze around your room
and feel overwhelmed by too much color or too many focal points, your students
will feel scattered, too. Find a balance between chaotic and stark. Aim for
cheery, but focused. Your students will feel the difference each day they walk
into the room.
3.
Don't
be afraid to make changes at any time. - Once your school year gets underway, you may find that
certain aspects of your classroom set-up aren't working quite the way you
initially envisioned. No worries! Just eliminate any parts that now seem
obsolete. Add in the new functionalities you now know you need. Briefly
introduce the changes to your students, if necessary. Every so often, reevaluate
with a practical, flexible attitude, and your classroom will be a vibrant,
organized place for learning all year long.
What You Need:
·
Classroom furniture
(desks, chairs, bookshelves, etc.)
·
Textbooks and reading
books for the class library
·
Posterboard for
sharing class rules and other key information
·
An
alphabet/handwriting poster for easy student reference
·
Materials for
decorating bulletin boards (butcher paper, die cut letters, etc.)
·
School supplies (paper, pencils, dry
erase markers, erasers, scissors, and more)
·
Optional: Computers,
class pets, plants, games
