Ashley Breedlove
Pam Schram
October 11, 2002
 
 

    The classroom I am currently in has lots of pleasing things to see.  My teacher has placed different teacher type visuals over most of her room and covers up almost all of the white wall space.  There is a quilt hanging over one wall with ABC’s and other pictures of that nature on it.  She has cursive letters hanging over the board and two bulletin boards on either side of her white board.  She has also placed a reading area near the window for children to go sit and read when they have a free moment.
The student’s desks are arranged in rows, but they are in sets of twos.  I find this very interesting because I know I don’t want to have rows in my classroom.  Mrs. Beach has placed a “Whoa Baby” word wall on one side for children to place vocabulary words they read in a story.  This is so they can use them in stories they write or in everyday talking.  I think this room stimulates the eye and really makes the children want to learn and interested in learning.
    I think Mrs. Beach creates a definite positive learning environment for her students.  I think she has control and the students respect her, but she also respects them.  She encourages her students in many different ways and accepts questions for clarification most of the time.  I think her students know when she means for them to do something and I have never once heard her raise her voice.  I think it’s important for the teacher to be in control and not allow herself to get impatient and out of control as well.
    The primary areas I would have in my classroom would be the reading area, the teacher area, and the student’s desk placement.  I think the teacher’s desk should be off to the side towards the back of the room.  I think this is the ideal place for it so when students get up to ask questions they are not disrupting the whole class.  Also if the teacher sits near the back she can see all of her students and what they are doing.
    I will arrange my student’s desks into groups of four, but where they can still see the board and no one’s back is to the front of the room.  I think having students sit with one another allows them to learn from each other and to me that is one of the best ways for children to understand concepts.  A teacher can stand up all day long in front of the class and go on and on, but until the child actually has a hands on experience and can talk with their peers to figure things out.  Rows imply that it’s more of a lecture type room and the teacher prefers it to be quiet.  I do not believe this would be a very effective learning environment for students and as a teacher I would not enjoy that type of arrangement.
    I am really excited about having a reading area.  I would like to set my area up with an old-timey bath tub with feet.  I want to have big fluffy pillows inside so students can go plop into the tub, hang their feet over the side and be engaged in the book they are currently reading.
    A couple minor things I haven’t mentioned are the placement of the trashcan and pencil sharpener.  These need to be placed near the back of the room for less disruption during class.  Also I want to fill up all of the white wall space because I cannot stand for the walls to be bear.  For me if the walls are bear it’s not a
comfortable environment and it doesn’t get the students excited about learning.  I want my students to feel welcomed and cozy when they are in my room.
I think that my philosophy so far definitely influences the way I want to set up my classroom.  I feel that students should be actively involved in the learning process and be able to communicate with one another to understand.  I don’t want to always be in the front of the room just telling, I want the students to think for themselves and discover new concepts and ideas.  I want my room to be more student-centered rather than teacher-centered.  I want a comfortable environment for my students to learn and always feel like they can speak out and express ideas without fear of being made fun of.  I also want to create a sense of caring and comfort for my students so they know that this is a place they can come and be themselves.
    According to the 4th grade website (http://www.ltl.appstate.edu/436/student/grlevcase/fourthgrade.html) students at this age are developing logical reasoning, being able to solve problems using senses, and developing stronger writing skills.  These intellectual skills show me that I need to create an environment where they can use their problem solving skills to answer questions and investigate new ideas.  I would also allow them opportunities to creatively write to further those skills and get their brains churning.  The website also indicated that social support is necessary which means a learning environment where students are interacting with one another is one most fourth grade students need.
I would begin by first setting the classroom up in such a way to make students want to learn and excited about school.  I would also have students play games to get to know one another as well as me.  I want the students to know they won’t be laughed at for anything they say and they will be encouraged to speak out.  I will use different teaching strategies to show students my positiveness and the enthusiasm to learn new ideas and be excited to be at school and learning.