"If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn." Ignacio Estrada
Monday, October 3, 2011
Classroom Management
How does the physical arrangement of the classroom impact management? How do you think adapting student assignments (for those with learning disabilities or those who need enrichment) has an impact on classroom management?
The physical arrangement of the classroom impacts classroom management in a very positive way. With the arrangement of the students desk that enables the instructor to be able to see all of the students which will help enhance the instructor’s withitness. Not only does it enhance the instructor’s ability to monitor the students better, but the desks are arranged so there are no distractions for them. There are no objects in the classroom near the students for them to play with and keep them off task. The arrangement also helps students focus on the lesson because they can easily see the front of the room where the majority of the instruction is given.
I do feel that adapting student assignments for those who need it has an impact on classroom management. For those who are at a higher level and need enrichment will receive material more appropriate to their learning. If they did not receive that adaptation the student would more than likely be off task because they will finish the assignment earlier. The student could also cause their classmates to be off task, which would affect their learning. On the other spectrum if you have a student with learning disabilities and you do not adapt to their needs the student may get upset and/or have negative behavior because they are not able to do assignments. If the student becomes upset they can become a distraction to other students. Not only can they distract other students, but they can cause other students to have negative behavior. For both sides of the spectrum if the instructor does not adapt to all of the student’s needs the instructor may have to spend more time with one student. This time spent with that student gives other students the opportunity to get off task and can potentially have misbehavior. Overall not addressing all students’ needs and adapting to those needs can have an impact on classroom management.
I feel like the physical arraignment of the classroom is very important. The desks need to be arranged in a way that is conductive to learning. All students need to be able to see the teacher and the board, and also the students need to be placed in a spot that works best for them. For example, if the student has trouble reading the board, they might need to move to the front of the class. After the physical arraignment is out of the way, the teacher will have better management skills because the distractions will be kept to a minimum. The students will feel safe in the classroom and learning will get accomplished. Each teacher will find what works best for them when they meet their students and get to know what their individual needs.
I think adapting student’s assignments impacts classroom management because of the time factor. It is very important to adapt to students needs because every student learns differently and the teacher needs to find what works best for their students individually. The amount of time that this takes does have an impact. Modifying the lesson is one way of adapting to students needs and this takes time. The time spent on making the changes to the lesson and the time to give that particular student the lesson that best fits them, takes a lot of time altogether. Teachers need to manage their time wisely so they can accommodate all students and teach the lesson in the amount of time given.
In connection to what I have observed in class, today a student asked me if she could sit at the front table to see the board better. The class was asked to write down the paragraph on the board and the little girl could not read it. She asked me if it was ok for her to sit closer and I responded yes, of course. I feel like this adaptation of a student’s assignment helped the classroom management because it did not disrupt the entire class. The student simply asked to move to the front and the problem was solved. If the student had not asked to move and continued to struggle to see, the student may have gotten behind on her work but the issue was resolved by accommodating to the student’s needs.
We have learned that as classroom teachers we will want our classrooms to be arranged so that distractions are limited and the environment is conducive to learning. In Mrs. Guenther’s classroom the student’s desks are arranged in a “U” with the bottom of the “U” facing the whiteboard/front of the classroom. I see this as a positive placement for the students because they all can easily see and hear their teacher and their classmates, as well as contribute to any discussion or activity. Similarly, the placement is made so that the teacher can easily circulate the entire classroom, and if the teacher can easily move around then so can the students. When looking throughout Mrs. Guenther’s classroom it is clear to see that certain areas of the classroom are designated for certain activities. This arrangement is used as a tool to keep our rooms organized, functional, and our students in place. Ultimately, the management is a reflection of the classroom arrangement and the classroom arrangement is a reflection of the management. They both need to work together to run smoothly. Adapting student assignments has an impact on classroom management in that it requires extra preparation for a certain lesson or assignment. I believe that preparation is a component of management. If students X, Y, and Z are all at different academic levels and they receive adapted assignments, then their teacher needs to always have their assignments prepared and the copies available at the appropriate time. In addition to that, teachers will need to know what student receives what assignment.
I really liked Carly's comment about the students moving closer to the board if they are not able to see. It is great that the students feel comfortable enough to ask to accommodate their learning rather than getting behind. This shows how comfortable the students are in the classroom.
Today in the classroom I worked with a student on counting money. I was able to work with here one on one for quite awhile. I really liked that Mrs. Guenther accommodated to her learning needs. She knew that this student was struggling in this area and let me work one-on-one with the student so her learning would keep progressing and would not hold back any of the other students. Also allowing students to go work one-on-one with another instructor can make the student feel better. If they were working with the entire class and the teacher always had to assist them it could cause the student to have low self-esteem.
Classroom arrangement is a huge part of classroom management. It it important for students to feel comfortable in their seating arrangement/classroom climate. This means that the students should be able to see the board along with the teacher. The students should also feel comfortable around the students that sit around them; they need to sit by classmates that will not cause distraction in order to minimize conflicts. The only downfall to pod seating is that there are so many classmates to talk to and cause distraction. They are great for group work though which is essential in maintaining engaging instruction.
It is important to modify your lesson plan around students' needs. The students' needs come first and they are the first thing a teacher should consider when developing a lesson. A student in Mrs. Griswold's class needed to move to the front of the room in order to see what was on the ELMO so she simply allowed him to sit at the front desk. As people said before, this doesn't cause any distractions; it is just a simple step in order to allow the student to get his work done. Sometimes it may not be that easy to modify your lesson though. There may be students with reading disabilities that need extra attention for example. In this case it is important to give this student the attention needed in order for them to complete assignments. Modify your instructions for the students. Don't try to modify the students for your instruction.
The physical arrangement of the room impacts classroom management in so many ways. If the classroom is crowded, students are constantly fighting with the room arrangement to be mobile in the classroom which hinders the time they can be spent learning. If the classroom arrangement is too busy it can be distracting to children while learning. This adds a whole other level of difficulties for students with disabilities. If a child is in a busily arranged classroom and they have ADD or ADHD, the room will present as even more of a conflict. If the child had a disability that didn't allow them to walk, a crowded classroom would make it so much more difficult for this child.
I think the adaptation of assignments or instructions for those with disabilities will only affect the management if the child needs more time spent with them. If this is the case, we as teachers are not able to spend as much time helping other students stay on task and do what needs done. It also would create the issue of, "that's not fair" that a lot of children like to say when they see someone else doing differently than them. However, other than these two cases, I cannot think of other ways in which it will affect classroom management more so than a child without disabilities would. Classroom management can change on a daily basis just because children can be more rowdy one day than they are the next. The disability does not add a whole other level in my opinion. I see that student just as a child who needs to learn one way while this or that child has to learn another way.
The physical arrangement of the classroom greatly impacts classroom management. The way the classroom is set up is very important. The desks must be arranged so every student can see and be seen. It is important for students to be able to see the board at the front of the room along with being able to see and hear the teacher when he/she is talking. Students will be more likely to pay attention, participate, and be engaged in the class if there is good physical arrangement in the classroom. The classroom must also be easy to navigate around. The desks shouldn’t be in the way of walking around the room. There should be no distractions for students. Depending on the type of class you have a teacher can decide which seating arrangement works best. Some classes may work well sitting in groups of desks and others may work better in rows.
I think that it is important to adapt assignments based on an individual students needs. If you do not do this as a teacher it will have an impact on classroom management. If there are students who always finish their work before everyone else it is important that you adapt to this. After these students are done they may distract other students who are still working. As a teacher you should always make sure students are engaged in something productive. On the other hand, if there are students who need extra help and instruction on assignments you need to give them the attention they need. You should adjust the assignments and instruction to benefit the individual learning abilities of your students.
The physical arrangement of the classroom effects classroom management because there are some arrangements that can be very beneficial to a positive learning environment, but there are also some that may make it more difficult to keep the class focused. For example putting the students into rows could maybe help them to not talk as much because they are not face to face with a student, but it may cause fuss over being able to see the board. Sitting students into groups on the other hand helps them to be able to work together and feed off of each other, but it may create more talking between activities.
Adapting assignments could impact classroom management because while you are giving extra instructions to other groups of students, some may get off task. On the other hand though if you don't enrich the lesson for those who need it they may get bored with the material and cause disruption. It would go the same way if a student wasn't able to keep up with the work. They might just get frustrated and stop doing the work, causing distraction to other students.
I would like to comment on a few things that I noticed about the physical arrangement of the classroom during my field experience this week.
First, until I specifically looked for the following items: pencil sharpener, trash can, and tissue box I had no idea where they were. These three things can all be distractions in classrooms because they receive a lot of traffic. I believe it is notable that I had no idea where they were because to me this means that these three items are located in a discrete area, and also, that their use is procedural for students.
Second, after I noticed that the pencil sharpener, trash can, and tissue box were systematically placed I also realized that other distractions such as art boxes, books, and classroom computers were all similarly placed in the back of the room. This way the students are not constantly facing these items and fantasizing about using them. I believe this saying works perfectly with where to place potential distractions: out of sight, out of mind.
I think these are both great examples of how physical arrangement of the classroom and management work together. Systematically arranging your classroom can work in favor for successful management. Such as in the examples I provided, by placing distractions out of the way of your students it is possible that: 1) you spend less time discouraging or reprimanding your students for giving into distractions, and 2) you won’t enable your students to be easily influenced by distractions.
I like and agree with Carly’s comment. I experienced a similar situation while in the classroom this week. The students are learning about mysteries. The class was filling out a worksheet on a mystery book they recently read. A girl in the class was having a hard time seeing the board at the front of the room. She was asking me what the words on the board said. Instead of disrupting the entire class and making it known that she couldn’t see what was on the board, she moved to the front of the room. She sat at a table there and was able to see and complete her work. If the situation would have been dealt with differently, it could have disrupted and gotten the entire class off task.
The physical arrangement of the classroom really impacts management because if the students see that your classroom is a mess and you do not really care then they will not care for school either. Well if you have anybody that has learning disabilities or students that have enrichment then you will have to organize your classroom to compensate for the students.
Amy i really like what you are saying about the pencil sharpener, trash can, and tissue paper. They do have lots of traffic going to them and the placement of those items are very important. The comment about the fun activities being in the back of the room makes sense so that the students are not just thinking about them the whole time class is going on.
A classroom's physical arrangement is extremely important because this will impact the students and how comfortable they feel in the classroom. They are going to be spending each and every day in this classroom learning, so if a teacher can arrange their classroom in a way that allows their students to be more comfortable then they are in return improving the management of that classroom as well. When the students are happy and able to learn in their classroom without any distractions, this requires much less management on the teacher's part. This time can be used to teach the students new ideas or lessons instead of having to correct behavior problems. After getting to know the students better, a teacher can determine what kind of classroom set up is most appropriate for this group of students. Some might work better with their desks clumped together and others prefer their desks in rows facing the front of class.
In just about every classroom, students are always going to be at different learning abilities. This means that teachers are going to have to spend some time preparing for how they can differentiate their lessons for each of these different learning abilities. We've talked in my Classroom Assessment class about how "Fair is not always equal." This means that it may not seem fair because some students might be working on more difficult tasks while other students might need tasks that are much more simplified. This is fair however as long as every student is getting the opportunity to be challenged in their learning. If these actions are not taken, there will be frustrated students that are struggling with the task as well as bored students who have already completed the task and have no more work to do. Teachers need to know their students and what they are capable of, so they can help them all improve in their learning.
The physical arrangement of a classroom is very important when it come to having good classroom management. The students' desks should be arranged so that they can see the board and teacher at all times. If your class does a lot of group work and group discussion, having the desks in clusters might be the best arrangement to save you time, instead of having to move them every time you want to do group work. If you class does a lot of individual work, the desks would be better off in rows, so that the students have their own space to concentrate and work individually. Each classroom and class will have different arrangements that work for their particular class because it meets the needs of their own students. Some of the things that could influence the arrangement of the classroom are, separating chatty friends or a chatty class by having the desks in rows instead of clusters, students who have trouble hearing or seeing might need to be placed towards the front of the room, and supplies such as scissors and glue placed away from the students desks to avoid any possible distractions. The teacher's desk should be in a place where he/she can make eye contact with all students. Although the teacher should be spending most of their time walking around the classroom, his/her desk needs to be inviting so if the student's do have questions, they are comfortable coming up to ask them. Having a well arranged classroom, which leads to good classroom management is very important. Not only will the students be more engaged in their learning, but they will feel safe and comfortable in a well managed room.
I also feel that adapting assignments to students' needs is very important in terms of classroom management. If assignments are too easy for certain students they will be done ahead of time or become bored with the assignment because they are not being challenged enough. When this happens it leaves room for getting off task and misbehavior. If the work is too hard for the students, they are likely to give up or become frustrated, which could end up disrupting the entire class. The students always come first, so teachers should automatically plan for different levels of learners in their class. By adapting assignments for your students, you not only set them up for success, but you lower the chance of distractions and misbehavior altogether.
Throughout the week I observed the classroom climate and arrangement. The classroom arrangement seems to be effective during learning and instruction. I like how the students sit together on the carpet to listen to instruction. I also like how the students sit in pods together. I can see how it could be cause for distraction but for the most part, it seems to work. They sit by people that don't cause issues for them. The location of sharpener and trash can don't seem to be a disturbance. The walls are very decorative with student artwork and effective bulletin boards. The walls also list the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the class pledge, and "give me five." It has classroom rules posted and reminds to maintain good behavior. These are all great because if the students are having a hard time staying on task, the teacher can just direct them to look at the wall and they will be reminded that they need to be proactive and put first things first.
I have noticed that the physical arrangements in my level two classroom are very functional for the classroom. The only thing that I think is difficult is that the desks are in groups and the students are having a lot of difficulty with side conversations. I wonder if separating the desks would help at all. I can see pros and cons to doing this.
There aren't any students with special needs to adapt classroom management in my classroom so I have not had any witness to how this has happened. There is behavioral issue in the classroom that requires more cueing toward the specific student but that does not change the management to a significant amount.
This week I have paid special attention to the arrangement of the classroom I am in. The desks are in clusters and it works well for the students in the class. They do a good amount of group work and also use it as an opportunity to feed off of each others ideas. The only downside I see to the arrangement of the desks is that they are a very social group of students, so at times when they are supposed to be working individually it promotes more talking between the students. I find it very interesting that all of the students seem to get along with one another very well. Maybe it has to do with the class size only being eleven, maybe not? I think it is a great thing to have such a small class. Not only do the students really get to know one another, but because they are a small class they are comfortable working with one another and sharing their ideas with the entire class.
The physical arrangement of the classroom impacts classroom management in a very positive way. With the arrangement of the students desk that enables the instructor to be able to see all of the students which will help enhance the instructor’s withitness. Not only does it enhance the instructor’s ability to monitor the students better, but the desks are arranged so there are no distractions for them. There are no objects in the classroom near the students for them to play with and keep them off task. The arrangement also helps students focus on the lesson because they can easily see the front of the room where the majority of the instruction is given.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that adapting student assignments for those who need it has an impact on classroom management. For those who are at a higher level and need enrichment will receive material more appropriate to their learning. If they did not receive that adaptation the student would more than likely be off task because they will finish the assignment earlier. The student could also cause their classmates to be off task, which would affect their learning. On the other spectrum if you have a student with learning disabilities and you do not adapt to their needs the student may get upset and/or have negative behavior because they are not able to do assignments. If the student becomes upset they can become a distraction to other students. Not only can they distract other students, but they can cause other students to have negative behavior. For both sides of the spectrum if the instructor does not adapt to all of the student’s needs the instructor may have to spend more time with one student. This time spent with that student gives other students the opportunity to get off task and can potentially have misbehavior. Overall not addressing all students’ needs and adapting to those needs can have an impact on classroom management.
I feel like the physical arraignment of the classroom is very important. The desks need to be arranged in a way that is conductive to learning. All students need to be able to see the teacher and the board, and also the students need to be placed in a spot that works best for them. For example, if the student has trouble reading the board, they might need to move to the front of the class. After the physical arraignment is out of the way, the teacher will have better management skills because the distractions will be kept to a minimum. The students will feel safe in the classroom and learning will get accomplished. Each teacher will find what works best for them when they meet their students and get to know what their individual needs.
ReplyDeleteI think adapting student’s assignments impacts classroom management because of the time factor. It is very important to adapt to students needs because every student learns differently and the teacher needs to find what works best for their students individually. The amount of time that this takes does have an impact. Modifying the lesson is one way of adapting to students needs and this takes time. The time spent on making the changes to the lesson and the time to give that particular student the lesson that best fits them, takes a lot of time altogether. Teachers need to manage their time wisely so they can accommodate all students and teach the lesson in the amount of time given.
Carly Nieman
In connection to what I have observed in class, today a student asked me if she could sit at the front table to see the board better. The class was asked to write down the paragraph on the board and the little girl could not read it. She asked me if it was ok for her to sit closer and I responded yes, of course. I feel like this adaptation of a student’s assignment helped the classroom management because it did not disrupt the entire class. The student simply asked to move to the front and the problem was solved. If the student had not asked to move and continued to struggle to see, the student may have gotten behind on her work but the issue was resolved by accommodating to the student’s needs.
ReplyDeleteWe have learned that as classroom teachers we will want our classrooms to be arranged so that distractions are limited and the environment is conducive to learning. In Mrs. Guenther’s classroom the student’s desks are arranged in a “U” with the bottom of the “U” facing the whiteboard/front of the classroom. I see this as a positive placement for the students because they all can easily see and hear their teacher and their classmates, as well as contribute to any discussion or activity. Similarly, the placement is made so that the teacher can easily circulate the entire classroom, and if the teacher can easily move around then so can the students. When looking throughout Mrs. Guenther’s classroom it is clear to see that certain areas of the classroom are designated for certain activities. This arrangement is used as a tool to keep our rooms organized, functional, and our students in place. Ultimately, the management is a reflection of the classroom arrangement and the classroom arrangement is a reflection of the management. They both need to work together to run smoothly.
ReplyDeleteAdapting student assignments has an impact on classroom management in that it requires extra preparation for a certain lesson or assignment. I believe that preparation is a component of management. If students X, Y, and Z are all at different academic levels and they receive adapted assignments, then their teacher needs to always have their assignments prepared and the copies available at the appropriate time. In addition to that, teachers will need to know what student receives what assignment.
I really liked Carly's comment about the students moving closer to the board if they are not able to see. It is great that the students feel comfortable enough to ask to accommodate their learning rather than getting behind. This shows how comfortable the students are in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteToday in the classroom I worked with a student on counting money. I was able to work with here one on one for quite awhile. I really liked that Mrs. Guenther accommodated to her learning needs. She knew that this student was struggling in this area and let me work one-on-one with the student so her learning would keep progressing and would not hold back any of the other students. Also allowing students to go work one-on-one with another instructor can make the student feel better. If they were working with the entire class and the teacher always had to assist them it could cause the student to have low self-esteem.
Classroom arrangement is a huge part of classroom management. It it important for students to feel comfortable in their seating arrangement/classroom climate. This means that the students should be able to see the board along with the teacher. The students should also feel comfortable around the students that sit around them; they need to sit by classmates that will not cause distraction in order to minimize conflicts. The only downfall to pod seating is that there are so many classmates to talk to and cause distraction. They are great for group work though which is essential in maintaining engaging instruction.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to modify your lesson plan around students' needs. The students' needs come first and they are the first thing a teacher should consider when developing a lesson. A student in Mrs. Griswold's class needed to move to the front of the room in order to see what was on the ELMO so she simply allowed him to sit at the front desk. As people said before, this doesn't cause any distractions; it is just a simple step in order to allow the student to get his work done. Sometimes it may not be that easy to modify your lesson though. There may be students with reading disabilities that need extra attention for example. In this case it is important to give this student the attention needed in order for them to complete assignments. Modify your instructions for the students. Don't try to modify the students for your instruction.
The physical arrangement of the room impacts classroom management in so many ways. If the classroom is crowded, students are constantly fighting with the room arrangement to be mobile in the classroom which hinders the time they can be spent learning. If the classroom arrangement is too busy it can be distracting to children while learning. This adds a whole other level of difficulties for students with disabilities. If a child is in a busily arranged classroom and they have ADD or ADHD, the room will present as even more of a conflict. If the child had a disability that didn't allow them to walk, a crowded classroom would make it so much more difficult for this child.
ReplyDeleteI think the adaptation of assignments or instructions for those with disabilities will only affect the management if the child needs more time spent with them. If this is the case, we as teachers are not able to spend as much time helping other students stay on task and do what needs done. It also would create the issue of, "that's not fair" that a lot of children like to say when they see someone else doing differently than them. However, other than these two cases, I cannot think of other ways in which it will affect classroom management more so than a child without disabilities would. Classroom management can change on a daily basis just because children can be more rowdy one day than they are the next. The disability does not add a whole other level in my opinion. I see that student just as a child who needs to learn one way while this or that child has to learn another way.
Raine Allen
The physical arrangement of the classroom greatly impacts classroom management. The way the classroom is set up is very important. The desks must be arranged so every student can see and be seen. It is important for students to be able to see the board at the front of the room along with being able to see and hear the teacher when he/she is talking. Students will be more likely to pay attention, participate, and be engaged in the class if there is good physical arrangement in the classroom. The classroom must also be easy to navigate around. The desks shouldn’t be in the way of walking around the room. There should be no distractions for students. Depending on the type of class you have a teacher can decide which seating arrangement works best. Some classes may work well sitting in groups of desks and others may work better in rows.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is important to adapt assignments based on an individual students needs. If you do not do this as a teacher it will have an impact on classroom management. If there are students who always finish their work before everyone else it is important that you adapt to this. After these students are done they may distract other students who are still working. As a teacher you should always make sure students are engaged in something productive. On the other hand, if there are students who need extra help and instruction on assignments you need to give them the attention they need. You should adjust the assignments and instruction to benefit the individual learning abilities of your students.
The physical arrangement of the classroom effects classroom management because there are some arrangements that can be very beneficial to a positive learning environment, but there are also some that may make it more difficult to keep the class focused. For example putting the students into rows could maybe help them to not talk as much because they are not face to face with a student, but it may cause fuss over being able to see the board. Sitting students into groups on the other hand helps them to be able to work together and feed off of each other, but it may create more talking between activities.
ReplyDeleteAdapting assignments could impact classroom management because while you are giving extra instructions to other groups of students, some may get off task. On the other hand though if you don't enrich the lesson for those who need it they may get bored with the material and cause disruption. It would go the same way if a student wasn't able to keep up with the work. They might just get frustrated and stop doing the work, causing distraction to other students.
This is just a practice to see if I can get my posts to show up. Hopefully it works this time!
ReplyDeleteI would like to comment on a few things that I noticed about the physical arrangement of the classroom during my field experience this week.
ReplyDeleteFirst, until I specifically looked for the following items: pencil sharpener, trash can, and tissue box I had no idea where they were. These three things can all be distractions in classrooms because they receive a lot of traffic. I believe it is notable that I had no idea where they were because to me this means that these three items are located in a discrete area, and also, that their use is procedural for students.
Second, after I noticed that the pencil sharpener, trash can, and tissue box were systematically placed I also realized that other distractions such as art boxes, books, and classroom computers were all similarly placed in the back of the room. This way the students are not constantly facing these items and fantasizing about using them. I believe this saying works perfectly with where to place potential distractions: out of sight, out of mind.
I think these are both great examples of how physical arrangement of the classroom and management work together. Systematically arranging your classroom can work in favor for successful management. Such as in the examples I provided, by placing distractions out of the way of your students it is possible that: 1) you spend less time discouraging or reprimanding your students for giving into distractions, and 2) you won’t enable your students to be easily influenced by distractions.
I like and agree with Carly’s comment. I experienced a similar situation while in the classroom this week. The students are learning about mysteries. The class was filling out a worksheet on a mystery book they recently read. A girl in the class was having a hard time seeing the board at the front of the room. She was asking me what the words on the board said. Instead of disrupting the entire class and making it known that she couldn’t see what was on the board, she moved to the front of the room. She sat at a table there and was able to see and complete her work. If the situation would have been dealt with differently, it could have disrupted and gotten the entire class off task.
ReplyDeleteThe physical arrangement of the classroom really impacts management because if the students see that your classroom is a mess and you do not really care then they will not care for school either. Well if you have anybody that has learning disabilities or students that have enrichment then you will have to organize your classroom to compensate for the students.
ReplyDeleteAmy i really like what you are saying about the pencil sharpener, trash can, and tissue paper. They do have lots of traffic going to them and the placement of those items are very important.
ReplyDeleteThe comment about the fun activities being in the back of the room makes sense so that the students are not just thinking about them the whole time class is going on.
A classroom's physical arrangement is extremely important because this will impact the students and how comfortable they feel in the classroom. They are going to be spending each and every day in this classroom learning, so if a teacher can arrange their classroom in a way that allows their students to be more comfortable then they are in return improving the management of that classroom as well. When the students are happy and able to learn in their classroom without any distractions, this requires much less management on the teacher's part. This time can be used to teach the students new ideas or lessons instead of having to correct behavior problems. After getting to know the students better, a teacher can determine what kind of classroom set up is most appropriate for this group of students. Some might work better with their desks clumped together and others prefer their desks in rows facing the front of class.
ReplyDeleteIn just about every classroom, students are always going to be at different learning abilities. This means that teachers are going to have to spend some time preparing for how they can differentiate their lessons for each of these different learning abilities. We've talked in my Classroom Assessment class about how "Fair is not always equal." This means that it may not seem fair because some students might be working on more difficult tasks while other students might need tasks that are much more simplified. This is fair however as long as every student is getting the opportunity to be challenged in their learning. If these actions are not taken, there will be frustrated students that are struggling with the task as well as bored students who have already completed the task and have no more work to do. Teachers need to know their students and what they are capable of, so they can help them all improve in their learning.
The physical arrangement of a classroom is very important when it come to having good classroom management. The students' desks should be arranged so that they can see the board and teacher at all times. If your class does a lot of group work and group discussion, having the desks in clusters might be the best arrangement to save you time, instead of having to move them every time you want to do group work. If you class does a lot of individual work, the desks would be better off in rows, so that the students have their own space to concentrate and work individually. Each classroom and class will have different arrangements that work for their particular class because it meets the needs of their own students. Some of the things that could influence the arrangement of the classroom are, separating chatty friends or a chatty class by having the desks in rows instead of clusters, students who have trouble hearing or seeing might need to be placed towards the front of the room, and supplies such as scissors and glue placed away from the students desks to avoid any possible distractions. The teacher's desk should be in a place where he/she can make eye contact with all students. Although the teacher should be spending most of their time walking around the classroom, his/her desk needs to be inviting so if the student's do have questions, they are comfortable coming up to ask them. Having a well arranged classroom, which leads to good classroom management is very important. Not only will the students be more engaged in their learning, but they will feel safe and comfortable in a well managed room.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that adapting assignments to students' needs is very important in terms of classroom management. If assignments are too easy for certain students they will be done ahead of time or become bored with the assignment because they are not being challenged enough. When this happens it leaves room for getting off task and misbehavior. If the work is too hard for the students, they are likely to give up or become frustrated, which could end up disrupting the entire class. The students always come first, so teachers should automatically plan for different levels of learners in their class. By adapting assignments for your students, you not only set them up for success, but you lower the chance of distractions and misbehavior altogether.
Throughout the week I observed the classroom climate and arrangement. The classroom arrangement seems to be effective during learning and instruction. I like how the students sit together on the carpet to listen to instruction. I also like how the students sit in pods together. I can see how it could be cause for distraction but for the most part, it seems to work. They sit by people that don't cause issues for them. The location of sharpener and trash can don't seem to be a disturbance. The walls are very decorative with student artwork and effective bulletin boards. The walls also list the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the class pledge, and "give me five." It has classroom rules posted and reminds to maintain good behavior. These are all great because if the students are having a hard time staying on task, the teacher can just direct them to look at the wall and they will be reminded that they need to be proactive and put first things first.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that the physical arrangements in my level two classroom are very functional for the classroom. The only thing that I think is difficult is that the desks are in groups and the students are having a lot of difficulty with side conversations. I wonder if separating the desks would help at all. I can see pros and cons to doing this.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't any students with special needs to adapt classroom management in my classroom so I have not had any witness to how this has happened. There is behavioral issue in the classroom that requires more cueing toward the specific student but that does not change the management to a significant amount.
This week I have paid special attention to the arrangement of the classroom I am in. The desks are in clusters and it works well for the students in the class. They do a good amount of group work and also use it as an opportunity to feed off of each others ideas. The only downside I see to the arrangement of the desks is that they are a very social group of students, so at times when they are supposed to be working individually it promotes more talking between the students. I find it very interesting that all of the students seem to get along with one another very well. Maybe it has to do with the class size only being eleven, maybe not? I think it is a great thing to have such a small class. Not only do the students really get to know one another, but because they are a small class they are comfortable working with one another and sharing their ideas with the entire class.
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