Artifact 8

At Appalachian State University, in a curriculum and instruction course taught by Pam Schram, I wrote a paper about the classroom environment in which I am doing my internship. I had to pay attention to the set up of the classroom and think about how it effects the students' social interaction and active learning. It is important for the children to feel comfortable and safe in their classroom.

Impact

This artifact has helped me realize the importance of the classroom environment that I create for my students. I will create a positive classroom environment for my students by carefully setting up my room to fit my students' needs. I have learned specifically how I will begin to develop and build a positive learning community in my classroom.

Alignment

This artifact shows how safety and health issues are taught and related to technology by observing the learning environment of the classroom in which I am interning (Tech II D). I had to pay attention to the arrangement of desks, what kinds of things were on the walls and around the room, as well as the other features that influenced my feelings about the learning environment. I then drew a sketch of my vision of my classroom, as I thought about the reasoning behind where I placed everything (Tech VI D). As I created the classroom environment, I had to keep in mind the interest of the students, as well as the importance of their motivation and behavior. I had to make sure that the environment that I created encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self- motivation (INTASC 5).