One perennial question and pursuit I have as an education is how can I make the learning/teaching environment a student-friendly environment.
I've been reaching for this goal for a long time and getting closer all the time. What exists now and what are the next steps in this pursuit?
Thanks to the generous support of the WPSF I have great tables and supply drawers that support this environment. The tables alone are sturdy, attractive, and positive when it comes to fostering an atmosphere of teamwork and student-friendly learning and teaching. Each table includes a map, supply caddies, paper container, and lots of useful supplies such as colored pencils, pencils, rulers, staplers, pencil sharpeners, tape, glue, and more.
I also have a number of supply drawers that allow students to store their work and also allow me to supply a large number of learning supplies. Further I have a couple of shelving units and cabinets to further supply the many materials we use throughout the year for our many active learning experiences.
The next step it to inventory and organize all the materials I have. I need to get rid of materials and books I no longer use and better store the many, many materials I use all the time.
Since my teaching career is near its end, I want to organize the materials so that another teacher can easily come into my room and have what they need to teach the curriculum well.
I'll begin with the purge--if I haven't used the material in a year, I'll get rid of it. I'll likely offer those materials to colleagues and/or students.
Then I'll organize the many drawers and shelves I have with the needed materials for the great investigations that we do in math and science. After that I'll update the purchasing list so that I can purchase the materials I'll need for next year's teaching year.
Ultimately I want the room to be completely student-friendly, the kind of learning environment where students can access what they need when they need it in easy-to-find and easy-to-use ways. This creates a great shared learning environment. Onward.
