Design Question 6 What will I do to establish and maintain classroom rules and procedures? Page 199
Module 16 Effective Classroom Organization The way teachers organize their classrooms communicates to the students how they will manage instruction and facilitate student learning. Page 199
Key Aspects of Room Organization How a teacher: Organizes physical space Promotes effective traffic flow Structures various components of the room, especially students’ access to centers, materials, technology and equipment page 199
Recommendations for Classroom Practice Ensuring student access to learning centers, technology, and equipment Decorating the room to reinforce learning Preparing and organizing materials Arranging students’ desks, chairs, and teacher work area page 201
Ensuring student access to learning centers, technology and equipment Considerations: Number of centers needed Primary patterns of movement page 201
Ensuring student access to learning centers, technology and equipment Also consider placement of centers relative to materials, books, other resources; placement of computers, printers, and equipment that require special placement for safety reasons. Page 201
Ensuring student access to learning centers, technology and equipment Finally consider placing bookshelves to be easily accessed but do not create traffic jams or limited teacher view of students. Page 201
Decorating room to reinforce learning Things to consider: What do you want students to see when they enter the room? Available space on walls for bulletin boards, calendars, displays to post learning goals (I can statements), assignments, announcements, anchor charts, and student work Poems, vocabulary, rules, schedule, word walls page 203
Preparing and organizing materials The more teachers pay attention to ensuring that required materials are prepared and organized, the greater the chances that classrooms will effectively promote learning for all students. Pages 204-205
Arranging student’s desks, chairs and teacher’s work area Consider: safety, whole group areas, small group areas, storage areas, student visibility of teacher, seating arrangement that encourages best student production page 206-207
Scale for module 16: Effective Classroom Organization Innovating Applying Developing Beginning Not using Adapts and creates new strategies for unique student needs and situations. Organizes the physical layout of the classroom to facilitate movement and focus on learning and monitors the impact of the environment on student learning Organizes the physical layout of the classroom to facilitate movement and focus on learning Uses strategy incorrectly or with parts missing Strategy was called for but not exhibited.
Teacher Evidence The physical layout of the classroom has clear traffic patterns The physical layout of the classroom provides easy access to material and centers The classroom is decorated in a way that enhances student learning Bulletin boards relate to current content Students’ work is displayed
Student Evidence Students move easily about the classroom Students make use of materials and learning centers Students attend to examples of their work that are displayed Students attend to information on the bulletin boards Students can easily focus on instruction