The Right Blue Print (online reflection #1)
Before
any project can truly begin, you have to look at the blue print. You have to look at the anatomy of what you’re
building—fostering—and see if that’s
conducive to your purpose. As for the educator, just like the architect or builder,
they have to be intentional when it
comes to the design and layout of their classroom.
For many years, and even in my
earlier education courses, I always thought the classroom construction activity
to be arbitrary in relation to effective teaching. However, it wasn’t until I started
to take notes in my CT’s (Cooperating Teacher’s) class—which I encourage every prospective
educator to do so—that I began to notice something of spatial importance. Just
from my observations alone, my CT was able to get to who she needed quick,
effectively model (like Cheryl Urbanski encourages
us all to to), and allow space for fewer distractions in the class. Seeing
all of this, and really feeling the mental cogs rotating in my head, well-oiled
this time, I began to ask myself a question: what factors do teachers keep in mind when creating effective classroom
layouts?
Management and
Mobility
From chatting with my CT, a 26-year-veteran
in the district, she said that when it comes to creating classroom layouts the
teacher should “always have a clear line of sight of the students.” And when it
comes to classroom management in the
secondary classroom, I’ve realized it is invaluable to always keep the students
apparent to avoid any potential neglect from ill-advised classroom construction.
Randall Sprick (2013) writes: “[classroom omniscience helps] to identify students
who may have questions or otherwise need your assistance.” Looking into my CT’s
class from the grandeur of her desk, she has a clear view of all her students,
and their future questions, from the left wall to her right wall. Like Big
Brother, she is watchful for all the denizens in her society—and trust me, her
classroom set-up evokes everything but chaotic, dystopia
Mobility is probably one of
the biggest factors when it comes to classroom creation because it transgresses
to so many other pedagogical aspects (e.g. an interpersonal teaching style). With
mobility, an effective classroom should allow the teacher to appropriately circulate and scan. Now, before we move on, I want you to think of that one
classroom you were in where all of the desks were clumped together. The class
where the teacher simply stood by his podium because he knew to himself there
was no space to walk around. Do you see
it? I know I do. And sadly, I know many students all around the world miss out
on having a teacher being able to regularly walk around working students, troubleshooting
anything from split infinitives to Milton’s lineation. From looking at and
analyzing my CT’s classroom set up, a clear path down the middle (the proverbial catwalk), and space on the
periphery for circulating, she has a layout that enables her to regularly scan
and monitor her students without it feeling obtrusive and distracting. Also,
with circulating, her classroom enables her to not follow predictable paths: “...avoid
a walking pattern that may let students know that you will not be near them...”
(Sprick, 2013, p. 224).
The Proverbial
Catwalk
You may be reading this subheading and
ask to yourself: “what?” However, I promise I have a point to this. Earlier in
this post, actually not that long ago, I put the phrase “proverbial catwalk” in
a parenthetical comment. What this comment is to me is a metaphor for the classroom
where the teacher gets to walk up and down the middle of their room to equal
sides of gazing students—sans designer handbags.
Essentially, I like to think of this space as a catwalk because I believe that
we, as teachers, are models. Standing in the room, wherever you are, students
look up to you seeking effective modeling. By having this proverbial catwalk in
a classroom, just like my CT does, a teacher is able to effectively walk, engage,
and model to all students on a much more compelling way.
Conferencing
Understanding the spatial importance
of a classroom is one thing, but, being able to construct a classroom that
allows for in-class conferencing is another important factor when it comes to
classroom creation. Talking with my CT, she told me that by allowing space on
the periphery of her classroom, she is able to effectively stop, kneel, and
have individual conferences with her students. This also allows her navigation
to not always span the middle catwalk of her room, causing students to break away
from their assignments. By allocating space for conferences, students begin to
see their worth: “A conference is not just a way of making sure students know
what they’re supposed to do, a clarification of an assignment; it’s a moment
that is designed to change the student’s habits or understandings from now on,
if only in a small way” (Bomer, 2011, p. 14).
Essentially, the classroom is a lot more than
an aesthetically pleasing placement for the teacher. There are many important
and conscious decisions the teacher has to make; there are many factors to keep
in mind.
Next time you find yourself looking at the
blue print, make sure you keep in mind what it’s going to take to make sure
your purpose thrives. Like every masterpiece, every brick laid, every house
painted, and every desk placed isn’t arbitrary.
References:
Sprick,
R. S. (2013). Discipline in the secondary
classroom (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Brand.
Bomer, R. (2011). Building Adolescent Literacy in Today’s
English Classrooms. Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH
Ashton, I also never put much thought into the construction of my classroom and how it can be extremely important in regards to classroom management but also teaching style. My MT has plenty of space in the periphery, but while giving my first lesson (over vocab) I noticed that I couldn’t fit very well done each aisle. It was something I was conscience of the whole time I was up there, that I wasn’t being mobile, that I needed to walk the 4 corners (which is what my MT last semester called it). Since last semester that is something that I've been working hard on getting better at, and moving around the room to look at student progress has also helped me navigate the "awkward silence" of note taking time. Being able to see each student’s work shouldn’t entail jumping over backpacks or accidentally bumping into a desk. That’s something I’ll definitely keep in mind when setting up my own classroom, paying close attention to the Sprick research you cited.
ReplyDeleteI also really loved your teacher as a model metaphor, walking down the proverbial catwalk. We are up there to “model” for our students, and reading your blog post will make me be more conscientious when I put together my future classroom.
I agree that I haven't really thought much about classroom layout, I considered it last semester when my MT had a much more spacious room to manipulate the setup of the room. She alternated between "neighborhoods" and a more stadium style seating, but in every scenario she did have a clear line of sight with her students. In the classroom I'm in now, the class is at maximum capacity -there is literally room in this class for nothing else. 31 students and a tiny classroom. I expect this will make it fairly difficult for me to navigate the classroom in a fluid manner which in turn could make classroom management challenging. This classroom does have, however, a "catwalk", and now I will never look at it the same! Thank you for your insight, Ashton.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this important post, Ashton! I appreciate your willingness to think carefully about considerations of classroom arrangement—and how different arrangements may impact your ability to interact with students in the ways you know are beneficial to their learning. I chuckled at the idea of the “proverbial catwalk,” but it’s quite apt—and the space on the periphery for circulating is also such an important detail to mention (as are the unpredictable walking paths). Thanks for both noticing and articulating these important features of your MT’s classroom arrangement.
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