Teacher Tips: Setting up the Classroom

Arranging a classroom can be a daunting task for any teacher, whether tenured or first year and making the most of the space in the classroom can be a struggle and as well as a challenging puzzle. When putting together a classroom, the teacher has to consider many things. Some of the things that need to be considered are the equipment, the materials, the students, and most of all, the amount of space that is available to work all of that into. You want all the pieces to fit, but some pieces just do not belong together; that is namely students.

In setting up a classroom, the grade in which the teacher is teaching makes a difference in its design. It is not productive to design a classroom with little chairs and tables with finger paints and play-doh when it's a fifth grade classroom. It is also not a smart idea to set the classroom up with tall chairs and desks with posters in cursive writing when there are six- and seven- year olds in the classroom. Designing the classroom should be considerate of the grade in which is being taught and the subjects/curriculum that is being used by that grade. Setting up a classroom for a bunch of kindergarteners and setting up a classroom for a bunch of fourth graders is completely different from one another. Each grade, each group of students, have different needs, in materials, design and atmosphere. Matching the needs and atmosphere to the students make the student's ability to learn, grow and develop is the key to success for the teacher and the student because teaching a first grader about division before they can add will not be beneficial for the student. It will only lead to frustration and disappointment in the long run.

The way that a teacher sets up the classroom generally reflects the style of the teacher; both the teacher's teaching style and the teacher themselves. Adding a personal touch can take a lot of thought and planning, but most of all, it can make the student's feel less intimidated about coming to school to learn. A classroom that feels less like four empty walls and desks can make a child scared and out of sorts. Using a personal touch can make the classroom feel inviting and warm and the children will feel welcome. A few plants and some color to an otherwise dull looking room can brighten the room and the attitudes of everyone that enters it, but be careful that it is not too comfortable or the thought of learning can get lost in the decorations.

Setting up a personal space for the teacher is vital because the teacher also needs that space that can be called their own and provide them with the space to work as well. Lesson plans and grading papers are an important part of education. The teacher needs to be prepared with what to teach the students the next few days and planning the assignments is the key, as well as grading the mountains of papers from the students, teachers have to find out somehow just how much the students were paying attention and learning form them during those carefully planned lessons. Having a place for the teacher to be able to do those things is important as well. Bookcases and shelves are good to have to set up an in class library too. If space allows for them, then they can be integrated into the classroom plan also; allowing for something constructive to be done when the assignment is complete and the student is waiting for his/her classmates to finish their work.

Using the proper equipment in the classroom also can make a difference in how learning is achieved. The desk and chairs should be size appropriate to the age, grade or size of the students that will be using them. A small child, a kindergartener for instance, can feel intimidated and out of place at a desk and chair where their feet can not even touch the ground and a teen will not fit and will be uncomfortable working at a table that is only a foot off the floor all day long. If the equipment is not the correct size and style for the student, their ability to focus on the assignments and tasks will prove difficult because they will be constantly thinking about how uncomfortable they are. At first, the students would probably think it is great to sit in a "big person" chair and to work at a "big kids'" desk, but soon the novelty of the idea will wear off and that child will begin to get frustrated about always having to climb into a chair that is too big and too difficult to get into.

The room was not designed for the student that is using it. In today's society, the chances of having computer equipment in the classroom is great and these factors also need to be considered in the set up of the classroom. If the computer equipment is not placed in a location where it is accessible and useful, then it is wasting valuable space that could be used for a different activity or more desk/personal space or even storage space within the room. A good chalkboard or whiteboard should be available for the teacher utilize. If the board is cracked, scratched and/or dirty, chances are the information that is put on that board is not being conveyed to the students in an effective manner. They would probably be having difficulty reading the information that the teacher is providing to them and probably not understanding the information either.

Making sure that the correct materials are available to the student is another key factor in making sure that the students are not uncomfortable in the classroom; making sure that the materials in the classroom are relevant and necessary for the student's educational growth is very important. Every piece of equipment, each material used should have a clear and definite purpose for being in the classroom. If the text book is designed for third grade and it is in a fifth grade classroom, then there probably is not a good reason for it to be in that room and needs to be returned to the location in which it belongs. You do not want to teach a kindergartener about the Underground Railroad when they don't have a clue that it is not a real train! Using primary lined paper for a fifth grader may not be such a good idea either, hopefully by this time, they have mastered their ABC's and can write them legibly. Making sure that the proper books, pencils, paper, computer programs and such are available for the correct grade level is vital to the education and social development of the student.

The space of the classroom is to be shared by the teacher and all of the students in that classroom; therefore the space has to be used efficiently and effectively to maximize the learning potential of the students. Some of the attention and behavior problems in a classroom can be attributed to the lack of personal space that the student maintains throughout the school day. The space may be too small for the physical attributes of the student and make the student feel confined and crowded or a space could be too wide for the student and make that student feel alone and insignificant. In order to set up the classroom, the physical aspects of the room and the number of persons that must occupy the space must be taken into consideration. The amount of personal space can be greatly limited, as can the amount of storage space that is needed to maintain the amount of materials that is needed to properly educate the students. If the teacher prefers to use different areas of the classroom for different activities, such as reading or computers, this may not be possible if the space is not available for them.

The psychology behind setting up a class is to make the classroom feel safe, inviting and important while at the same time making sure that it is not so comfortable that a student forgets that they are there to learn and develop. Making sure that each student feels as though they belong in that classroom allows for the first step in teaching, wanting them to want to come back to each day. Materials, equipment and space are only three of the many aspects of setting up an effective classroom environment and the arrangement of these things is the primary factor for the successful education of students. There will never be the perfect design or setting of a classroom setting. The design may need to be altered from time to time, but that is a fact that must be dealt with as the time comes. The teacher may find that one student needs a bit more space or another student needs to be seated away from a group to maintain control and focus. These factors are all adjustments that need to be made as time passes. The one thing that remains the same is that there are always the same things in that room so designing and setting up a classroom should make the most of these considerations and so many more.

REFERENCES:

Brickman, J. (2006). Teaching Tip: Setting Up Your Classroom. Retrieved April 23, 2007 from http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3000

Classroom Organization: The Physical Environment. (2006). Retrieved April 23, 2007 from http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4134.

Clayton, M.K. and Forton, M. (2001). Classroom Spaces That Work. Retrieved April 23, 2007 from http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/newsletter/13_2NL_1.asp

Setting Up Your First Classroom. (2007). Retrieved April 23, 2007 from http://www.new2teaching.org.uk/tzone/Induction/getting_started/1stclass.asp