Contextual Factors #3

Description of the classroom…

Half of the classroom is bordered by windows, each having inspirational sayings that are usually covered up by the blinds. One fourth of the classroom is a long counter top with cabinets and shelves, holding Read 180 students’ “r” books, student journals, and other young adult literature. The front of the classroom has a large bulletin board with the month’s calendar, bell schedules, and bathroom check-out forms. Next to the door there is a large filing cabinet the teacher uses to keep track of quizzes, tests, and handouts she copies to disperse to students every year. Half of the whiteboard is taken up by the smartboard, and another fourth is covered with a weekly agenda and the learning goals/objectives for each day. This leaves very little space for writing on the board.

There are eight computers lining the back wall, seven of which are set up for the Read 180 program. The eighth is labeled “teacher,” and is used for entering students’ scores on computer work. The teacher’s desk is to the left of the smart board, next to a document camera that is used every day. The students’ desks are arranged in a sort of horseshoe, with a group of desks and another mini-horseshoe in the middle of the room. This is conducive to the Read 180 rotations, having one group in the middle for small group activities, another group on the computers, and a third doing silent reading next to a large bookshelf. Many of the students leave their books on the shelf, as there are rarely multiple copies of any book. There are student-created posters on the walls, usually depicting an element of fiction discussed by the class in a previous unit.

The class feels like a positive space, but it is just too cramped. I cannot blame the students for being off task when their desks are so close to each other and there is very little room for movement. If there is any need to get up and move, students are stepping on one another and knocking things off of each others’ desks. Also, the cubby space in each desk is pointed away from the student, so s/he has to tip the desk or pull it back to access the textbook stored inside. It seems like a good way to keep them from fiddling with whatever is inside the desk, but it creates kind of an annoying added detail to any transition requiring students to put their things away or pull out their textbooks. One positive aspect of the seating arrangement is that it makes it easier for me to roam the room. There is a great pathway around the outside of all of the desks, and if I am brave enough to enter the center of the room, I can communicate easily with most of the students.

I love how many books there are in the room, and it seems like they get used often. I wish there was more board room, because I like to explain and illustrate things on the board. I will have to adjust my style to become more familiar and comfortable using the smart board. Luckily, I spent part of the in-service day learning how to do just that, and my supervising teacher models how to use it every day.

I really like that students have a space for their things in the classroom; each class has a crate with hanging folders that contain student portfolios. There are also student journals on the shelves, clearly labeled and neatly kept from day to day. It seems like an easy way to check student progress and avoid some of the risk of having students take things home or to and from their lockers every day. I hope to use this system to go through student writing and do formative assessments throughout my unit.