How to Plan a Classroom
Have you ever thought about reorganizing your whole classroom? A well organized classroom enhances the learning experience for children and adults alike. In some school systems, the teachers change rooms to visit the students; in other systems, the teacher stays in one room. If you are lucky enough to have your own room to teach in, you have a great opportunity to plan the perfect classroom.
Instructions
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Think about what you are going to teach. Most subjects will afford you room for creativity. However, teaching science or technical subjects often requires immovable tables. Think about the color scheme, where you want to teach from and what you want to have on the walls.
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Draw a rough plan of your classroom. Include in the basic design anything that cannot be moved. Draw the default seating plan, where you want your desk and what you want to do with any remaining space. Drawing a basic plan will help you visualize the room you are hoping to create. Websites such as Classroom Toolkit can help you make a basic classroom plan online. There are several factors to consider: Can you see every student's face? Can they all see the blackboard/whiteboard? Can you move freely around the classroom? Are the walls and free spaces being used effectively?
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Prepare the walls first. Lay old newspapers on the floor and put tape on anything you do not want to paint. Paint the walls in your chosen color. Once the walls are dry you can put up posters, bulletin boards, information or even a progress chart.
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Set up your teaching area. This is primarily your desk and the blackboard/whiteboard. If you will have storage places for textbooks, worksheets and other materials, make them easily accessible.
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Lay out the student seating arrangement. If you can, give each student his own lightweight desk and chair. The advantage of lightweight desks and chairs is that the layout can easily be changed. You can have them in rows for lectures, small squares for group work or in a horseshoe shape for discussions.
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Review your plan and stay flexible. If the layout is not working, change it until you find one that works for you.
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References
- Photo Credit student image by Ivanna Buldakova from Fotolia.com
