Chapter 1 was all about your idea classroom, and the your is key. The first section of the book is about figuring out what your idea of teaching is so that you can later explore how to make intentional decisions to make that vision become a reality.
Our three hosts provided us with some great questions to get started envisioning what ideal looks like to us.
My ideal classroom would be open and inviting. It would be a
space where students come in ready and eager to learn. It would a space that
the students stay throughout the day, not wanting to leave. The classroom décor
would be warm and friendly and colorful but relaxing. It would be a fun space
that kids want to be in.
In my ideal classroom, I would have open seating to
encourage discussion and collaboration. Tables would vary in height to accommodate
those who like to stand, sit or use a comfy pillow. There would also be plenty
of room on the floor for students to spread out as well, whether they want an
independent space or a spot for a group. My ideal space would be filled with
pillows, cushions, mats, and other sorts of – as my students call them now –
special seats to help make students comfortable as they learn. It would have a
reading table for me to use, when needed, for meeting with small groups or just
for students to sit at.
Also, my ideal classroom would have tons of wall space.
Space for anchor charts. Space for student work. Space for smiling faces to be
posted on the walls. Space to display learning. Space to pose questions. Space
to inspire. Space to remember.
In this room, I would have dedicated areas for the things
students need – for organizational purposes mostly. There would be a space for
writing materials, a library, a space for office materials. We’d have room for
extra materials and for organizing the materials we do use. Students would be
free to use these materials whenever they needed and would be free to move
about the room with them as needed.
My classroom would sound different all throughout the day.
It might be filled with quiet whispers as students discuss a book they are
reading. It might be filled with excited chatter as students work together to
solve a problem. It may sound like absolute silence as students concentrate
fully on a special task or assessment. Overall, it would sound like the
students are engaged in whatever they are doing, engaged in the learning.
In my ideal classroom, the teacher would serve mainly as a facilitator,
but also as a model – demonstrating to students what a successful learner looks
and sounds like. In this classroom, the teacher may sometimes be hard to find
as she blends in with a group of students. She would move about the classroom,
working with different students, sometimes one-on-one, other times in small
groups, and at times whole group. These meetings would be short and to the
point, allowing the students as much time as possible to dig into the learning
on their own. The teacher would be taking notes as she meets with different
students, noting their successes and their needs.
The students would be learning! They’d be focused on the
story they’re reading, the task at hand, or developing the skill of the day. They’d
know what they’re working on – based on their knowledge of the goals they have
set with their teacher’s guidance. They’d be glued to their spot because they
knew what they were discussing was important. Not because the teacher tells
them so, but because they understand themselves that learning is crucial and knowledge
is power. They’d be engaged in what they were doing, whether it was journaling
their thinking as they read, discussing their thoughts with a group of
students, or breaking down a math problem using their brains and the tools
available to them. They’d know how to participate in student-led small group and
whole group discussions.
They’d solve their
own classroom problems – like broken pencils, powered-off computers, or seating
issues – or know how to have a friend help rather than going to the teacher.
They’d understand that the time a teacher spends with a student is sacred and
not to be interrupted.
I’m not a new teacher, but in some ways I still feel like I
am because I often feel like I have a long way to go in terms of reaching this ideal
classroom. Looking back on the things I mentioned, I found five different areas
that I feel I need to work on in order to get closer to what I’d like.
One – Seating Options
This includes both tables and chairs. My current room has
desks that are arranged in table groups. They are all the same height. There
isn’t a lot of option. I also have a reading table and a circle table. I’ve
been meaning (for about a year) to adjust the height of the circle table to
lower it, but it hasn’t happened yet. New goal for the summer. I also have a
variety of seating in my classroom including traditional chairs, Hokki stools, pillows,
beanbags, and crate seats, but between the various items I have (traditional
chairs excluded) I don’t quite have enough for the amount of students who want
to use them which seems to create arguments. Part of this is management, but
part of this is that I need more seats.
Two – Space for
Anchor Charts, Student Work, etc.
I am incredibly fortunate in that my classroom has A TON of
storage space! So much. Perhaps too much. Of my four walls, wall #1 is filled
entirely with student cubbies with teacher storage on top. There is about 3
feet of open wall above the storage that can only be accessed (awkwardly) by a
ladder. Wall #2 is taken up by my bathroom, sink, more storage, a 6-foot white
board and a 3-foot bulletin board. I’ve used that 9-foot space for my reading
table so that I have space to write/model. Again, there are 3 feet of open wall
near the ceiling. Wall #3 has one floor to ceiling bulletin board that is about
3 ½ feet wide. The rest of the wall is entirely storage. No wall space at all.
Finally, wall #4 is made up almost entirely of a white board. The white board
is probably 16 feet long with an interactive white board in the middle. On
either side, there is another 3-foot bulletin board. Again, there are 3 feet of
wall space near the ceiling.
I don’t like using the ceiling space because it is way too
high for the students to see. I want to post their work in a space where they
and others can look at it and be proud. Plus, as I mentioned, it is incredibly
difficult and time consuming to get out a ladder and climb up there to change
things out often. Any suggestions would be amazing!
Three – Room Arrangement
I actually like how my room is arranged. It pretty much is
idea. I need to work a little bit on making a more dedicated space for writing
materials, but other than that, it is good. The big issue is that next year, I
will be going from 24 to 29 students which is going to require a major room
overhaul if I don’t want to lose any of the room components that I currently
have.
Four –
Engagement/Focus
My school uses a scripted reading program which makes it
difficult to fully engage the students. I don’t know the answer to this one. It’s
like the million dollar question at our school. How do we use the required
materials but get our students super engaged? If anyone has the answer, please
fill me in!
Five - Shift of
Control
I’m good at this some years, and it’s difficult other years.
This year, I had many students who wanted to be self-sufficient, but because of
that, they ran the class amok. It came back, in many ways, to the engagement issue.
They knew they needed a sharp pencil, so they’d walk over and get one. Great!
Except that it happened while I was in the middle of doing a mini-lesson. And
for them, that seemed okay because they weren’t engaged, so it didn’t seem like
it was a critical time. No matter how often I discussed appropriate times to do
that sort of thing, there were just certain students that it never clicked with
and it happened to be those who I had trouble getting engaged. I need to work
on shifting the control from myself to the students in a way that they take
ownership of the classroom and their learning.
I feel like a terrible teacher for having so many areas I
need to work on. Ugh!
Although I want more, I do have a variety of seating options including tables and chairs. I also have the room mostly organized - or at least I did - so that there were different organizational areas around the room for different purposes and materials. All student materials are easily accessible and easy for students to find. The room is comfortable, relaxing and fun and the students love being in it. Students, at times and depending on the year, are encouraging to each other and have a base knowledge for how to work in groups or partners.
Ah! It feels like I have so many changes to make now. I'm excited to keep reading the book and hopefully make some good plans for next year that will help my students and I have a successful year.
