My Potential Classroom

BOOKSHELF FILES GROUP WORK TABLE

TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS TEACHERS DESK W/COMPUTER

TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS

SMART BOARD

TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS EXTRA STUDENT COMPUTERS GROUP WORK TABLE

BULLETIN BOARD BOOKSHELF

Mrs. Giovanellis Kindergarten Classroom

TEACHERS DESK W/COMPUTER FILES

STUDENT TABLE BOOKSHELVES

STUDENT TABLE

CARPET

WHITE BOARD STUDENT TABLE

CARPET

SMART BOARD

Mrs. Giovanellis Kindergarten Interview

1. Do you prefer table or desk seating? Group/partner seating or individual? Why? I prefer table seating and group seating. Kindergarteners are very social and not ready to be seated in individual seats and expected to sit still and quiet all day. I like to vary how they are sitting throughout the day, or they get restless. 2. Does your classroom seating change depending on the activity or lesson? Why? Yes, we switch from sitting on the rug to the tables as we change activities. For any writing, of course, we are at the tables. For calendar and story time we are on the rug. Sometimes it is necessary for a child to sit in an individual desk (I have one) if he or she is having a difficult time getting his/her work done. 3. Do your students have assigned seats or is their seating flexible? Why? Seating is flexible to promote responsibility and free choice of seating. I try to teach the kids that if they have a hard time working or are not getting along with someone, they need to sit elsewhere. Of course, there are times that I have to move people. 4. Do you have to rearrange your seating based on students personalities and behaviors? Why or why not?

I don't rearrange the seats, rather the students to reduce talking, horse playing , or attention issues.
5. Do you have your classroom materials (books, supplies, etc.) available for students' use? Are they controlled? How? The only text I control are the math workbooks, which I keep, and I tear out the pages we are doing each day. The students are not allowed free access to them. Most reading books, materials and writing utensils are out for the taking when the time is right, though they are put out sparingly until new stuff is needed. I have a tray on each table that I add crayons and pencils to as needed. 6. Do you have posters and other visual stimuli in your room? Why or why not? I do have posters and bulletin boards up in my room, but I do try to keep it to a minimum so as not to overstimulate those students who may be distracted by it. I also think that makes a room look very cluttered. Posters that remind the students of facts and skills are good to have up, but again, I keep them few and far between. The key is that they have to be in the students' line of vision and not all across the top of the walls. 7. Do you have a private area that the students are off limits to? Why or why not? Behind my desk/by my computer is the only place they are not allowed to be, and that's only if I'm not standing there. 8. Anything else you want to add about your classroom setup? I think it is important to keep a room clean and organized (easier said than done). But for the kids to stay in a routine and know what to do, it is important to have set procedures and try to keep them consistent throughout the year.

Mrs. Foremans Third Grade Classroom

BOOKSHELVES FILES

TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS

TEACHERS DESK W/COMPUTER

TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS

SMART BOARD

TABLE W/ ONE COMPUTER PER TWO STUDENTS EXTRA STUDENT COMPUTER AND WORK SPACE GROUP WORK TABLE

WHITE BOARD

SUPPLIES

Mrs. Foremans Interview

1. Do you prefer table or desk seating? Group/partner seating or individual? Why? I prefer Table seating to individual desk for a few reasons: - I do not like replacing individual desks daily as they seem to migrate across the floor of the classroom. - I also prefer children to interact frequently. - I let me my students choose where they sit on the first day of every month. I do a random name selector and they choose who they sit by as well. I only have a student or two each time who will have to have the entire table to themselves and they are not very clean or find it hard to share with others. Sometimes this is obvious to the student and they prefer to sit alone or they maybe forced to sit alone since others refuse to deal with this child based on their reputation. Sometime the student can be tricked into thinking "Wow I get the whole desk to myself and I don't have to share the computer. They feel they have won this way. - I do not sit students I have problems with close to the front of the room or near my desk. I do not find this to be effective at all, maybe it is just me. Moving them just shows you don't trust them, labels them as a trouble maker and puts them on display for the either class and anyone who walks in the room. To me these kids usually need their self-esteem boosted not stomped on. Instead I make use of proximity when I teach. I teach near the Smart-board most times and they come to the front of the room during this time. There are no desks in this area, only a semi-circular table and an empty floor. If someone is not respecting our learning space I can send them back to their desk until they are ready to return. When I do teach them at their desks I walk around the entire room and stand by anyone who wants to talk over me. I am constantly on the move and talking. I also expect them to discuss things about what they are learning with each other as I need to verbally process so they must as well. 2. Does your classroom seating change depending on the activity or lesson? Why? I think I answered that in my last response. I want them close or in partners. Group work will require that we just sit near each other and we use the entire room for projects and co-operative learning. The main thing is to know who your group or partners are not where you complete the work. 3. Do your students have assigned seats or is their seating flexible? Why? I already answered this as well in my first response. 4. Do you have to rearrange your seating based on students personalities and behaviors? Why or why not? Students sometimes find in the middle of the month that they are not getting along with the person they chose to sit with. First thing we do is try to figure out if it is fixable or not. Most of the time it is something simple that can be fixed or worked out and they are fine. Other times they just need to move for the awhile, an hour, a day maybe 2 days tops. They only move what they need at the time and they can move back when things cool down. I find that they had to have some reason for choosing to sit by this person and that reason usually brings them back together again. 5. Do you have your classroom materials (books, supplies, etc.) available for students' use? Are they controlled? How? Each pair of students has a computer in the middle of their desk to share. Most times they work together just fine. If not, who gets it first can vary by doing Rock, Paper, Scissors or silly things like today it is the person wit h the biggest shoe size or shortest hair, etc. - I also have community pencils and they are passed out when I see a need or someone asks for one. If they bring special pencils I explained I am not going to hunt them down if they should get lost or stolen. I do the pencils, glue sticks, scissors, markers, paper, and other supplies this way as well. I even collect their rules on the first day of school and only give them out when needed. We organizers in the center of each table for all these item. They keep their special things in their own cases if they choose. 6. Do you have posters and other visual stimuli in your room? Why or why not? - I do not have a lot of posters in my classroom. My philosophy on this goes along with the artist in me. Painting have a focal point for a reason, so the eye is drawn in a certain direction. Too many focal points and the viewer gets confused, overwhelmed or distracted and the painting can lose it meaning. My classroom's focal point changes constantly with my content. Sometimes its me, sometimes its a board in the room or a poster with specific information. My ADD students don't need anymore distractions than one or two focal points at a time. Also there will be a certain population of students who cant read or understand them anyway so they just fill up space. It upsets me to know that some teachers put up wall to wall posters and never make reference to them, explain them or use them. Then they wonder why they can't get their students attention or they cant focus on their classwork.

Mrs. Foremans Interview

7. Do you have a private area that the students are off limits to? Why or why not? I have a huge book shelf that covers the back wall that is off limits unless they ask to pick or trade out a book. When I allowed them full unsupervised access I found my books in such disarray it upset me. I appointed a librarian to be back to the shelf when someone asks. This student is chosen based on the way they take care of their things daily and treat their books. I also have 4 fill cabinets full of files that are off limits for obvious reasons. Students are even allowed to get in my desk because their isn't anything in them I feel they can't see or use. They have to ask first but they pretty much know where everything is in order to avoid rummaging. I keep things like index cards, bandaids, pens, erasers, stickers, stampers, paperclips, etc. 8. Anything else you want to add about your classroom setup? - Oh boy where do I start lol - First of all I don't have traditional rules, just a Love and Logic Policy You can do ANYTHING you want in this classroom as long as it doesn't cause a problem for ANYONE else. I also do not have a standard set of consequences. If you cause a problem you are going to have to figure out a way to solve it or I may have to offer my advice on a solution. If you cant choose I can choose for you but you may not like my solution. If it happens again the problem has not been fixed and we may have to get other peoples advice like parents, other teachers, or even the principal (last resort). If the problem is fixed fairly easily there will be no reason to burden parents with details unless it happens again. I have found treating classroom issues as if they are as unique as the kids having them to be very effective and respected. Make them do all the problem solving and not just tell them what to do all the time. - Also you WORK before you PLAY. But that stands to reason, and I use this to my every advantage, that if you work really hard you get to play really hard! On the flip side if I get nothing from you, you get nothing from me! You would be surprise what you can get out of kids by offering them 15 minutes of free time when they give you their best, K-12th grade! - I have a student teacher position in my room. A students is chosen daily based on ABC order to be my right hand man or I prefer minion :) This eliminates most of the classroom jobs because they do almost everything I need them to for the entire day. These things include errands, paperwork collection and distribution, checking to see if others are finished with their work, calling on peers, leading the line, choosing helpers, answering questions first, answering the door, using the Smart board or iPad 3 during recess and so much more. They get a special desk with a rolling office chair and a name plate. They also get to complete all their work in pen for the day. Some take this job very seriously and even my most behaviorally challenged students step up their game and meet every expectation. Substitute teachers love this because they know who to ask for help or for information. - I HATE mass punishment cause not everyone needs to go down for a few unruly students. I work with teachers who believe giving a whole class laps at recess day in and day out is a fitting consequence. Are you kidding me! If you have to do this for more than a week than something is not working! Try something new! Sometimes they are doing laps for the entire recess. I feel so bad for students I know are angels and don't deserve it. I do believe in pointing fingers at guilty parties and they know that up front. So, if you are going to act out you are going to get pointed out and most times by more than one of your classmates. If that happens you are the only ones going down for the crime most times. I also let you chose your consequences if they turn out to be a good enough sacrifice. If you are having a hard time thinking of something to make up for the mistake I will help you and give you a few things to choose between. If you can't choose I may have to but you live with the choice without complaint. - During MAP testing the real work I expect from them is their tests! We stop any other serious classroom work and absolutely NO other tests. I want them to use every brain cell on the MAP. They also have to have to the BEST attitude and behavior during the time the tests are taken. If they do their very best and give it their all, the rest of the day is theirs. We plan the days together and the entire afternoon consist of crazy mad science experiments and demonstrations. We make messes and have lots of fun but they have to give me their all! If they don't, I can find another location for them to be during the fun stuff and especially the science experiments. - When I do tutoring for the kids after school they are up front playing a game using PowerPoint and test questions pulled for all 50 states for 3rd grade. They have buzzers and wipe off boards and they earn points. They have so much fun they don't even realize they are learning. It upsets me when I see teachers using their after school tutoring time to allow the students to play on computer games and never work with them personally. - I love doing Classroom Plays and I make them take their rolls very seriously. No bad acting! - I also have a Luau on the last day of school. This is a time for me to have one last day to enjoy my students but it can be very emotional!