The Classrooms

I visited two classrooms. One in Elementary School - Grade 2 and another in Middle School - Grade 6.

Movement and Transitions

This Grade 2 classroom is big enough to seat 20 students. However this year there are only 7. The room is divided into two parts. The first part which is close to the entrance door has desks and chairs facing the blackboard. The teacher sits to the right of the students. She uses this space only when students have left the class for another activity such as Music or Technology. She moves around a lot and sits with the students at their centres. The classroom has enough space for students to move around and the flow of student traffic was smooth. The reading and activity centre is the square rug. Books are placed on the shelves on one side and activity blocks and board games on the shelves on the other side.

Whole group instruction takes place in the front part of the classroom where students sit at their desks and listen to the teacher who stands near the blackboard. When I went to classroom, Student 1 walked to the teacher's desk to hand over his homework folder and then headed to the reading centre which was the square rug. This was directed movement. Student 2 headed to the reading centre too. This was not directed but since it was literacy time, he knew it was time to read and went to the rug. Student 3 was wandering around the classroom and went first to the toy shelf, then to he storage area and later came back to the rug to read. This classroom did not have a designated technology area because they work on ipads which are given to the students by the teacher at their desks.

This class was safe with enough space for students and teachers to move around. Materials required were easily accessible. The students were able to see the blackboard clearly and hear the teacher when she was talking. The cupboards for bags and outdoor shoes were outside the classroom reducing the possibility of tripping and falling.

The next classroom was a middle school Grade 6 classroom. This classroom had 11 students. Like all other classrooms in this school, this is also divided into two parts. The first part near the entrance door had desks and chairs for students to sit and a be a part of whole class instructions. The blackboard could be clearly seen and the teacher nicely heard. The activity or discussion table was placed at the second section. The book shelves were easily accessible. In this class too students work on Ipads at their desks. This classroom was a little cramped for 11 students and it was difficult for the teacher to move around between the students. He could only move around the classroom and not in between desks. As seen in the picture when Student 1 wants to access the bookshelf and the teacher wants to move to the back of the class there could be some struggle there. The bulletin board was placed behind two students which could not be seen by these two students. I would place this on a wall which is visible to the whole class. I would arrange this classroom in a U shape so that the teacher has access to all the desks. I would create space by moving the book shelves to the discussion area. Students have space under their desks to store books that are frequently needed, therefore having the bookshelf a little away would not be too much of a hindrance.

I have listed my observations and suggestions for a perfect classroom arrangement but one cannot ignore the reality on the ground and what is actually available. This school is doing the best with what they have in terms of infrastructure, number of students and the country that they operate in.

References:

Marzano, Robert J. (2007).The Art and Science of Teaching

https://educationpsychologyportfoliohk.weebly.com/my-classroom-floor-plan.html