Classroom Design?

VMDO Architects' Design Diagram

A few dollars became available for classroom furniture recently.  During my tenure, furniture has not been a consideration.  Typically teachers brought in interesting tables, chairs and other objects from yard sales.  Sadly, those "yard sale" pieces were often removed by fire officials since they didn't meet the fire codes.  We also waited for a teacher with a desired piece of furniture to retire so we could inherit a treasured piece. That was the case for me when it came to a paper drawer.  I always wanted one, and finally inherited one about ten years into my teaching career.

Now with a few dollars available to replace broken chairs, old desks and needed tables, I'm wondering what's the best decision to make with regard to that money.  Do we simply replace what we've been using for decades, or do we think deeply about creating learning environments that match our 21st century learning goals and practices?  Tom Whitby has written about this many times and prompted this post.

As you may guess, I want to rethink the classroom environment, and make sure that our purchases support our learning priorities: literacy, numeracy, project base learning in content areas, multi-modal instruction, and 21st century skills: creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills.  A materials short list might include the following:

• Comfortable seating for reading, writing and thinking work.
• Collaborative spaces for small book groups, RTI, and project teams.
• Whole class meeting area for shared books, discussions, meetings and audio/video shares.
• Classroom libraries with book shelves for hard copies and storage spaces for digital equipment: iPods, laptops, iPads, earphone, and more.
• Bulletin boards and white boards for display and collaborative work.
• Large screen computer(s) and/or white board(s) for presentation.
• Paper drawers for posters, paper and project materials.
• Storage cabinets and containers for hands-on learning materials.

As I think aloud, I hope that our school will move towards greater RTI: targeted instruction in small, focused groups throughout the day in all subject areas.  That means our large one-size-fits-all spaces will become spaces that accommodate many learning groups and teachers at once while still leaving areas for larger group presentations and shares.  

People Pads

A dedicated colleague wrote a grant to fund a number of these
Hoki stools for our school. The students really like sitting on these
wonderful stools.

Last night, I spent a long time searching the web for interesting classroom furniture and objects.  The images posted here intrigue me.

As I continue my exploration of learning design, I realize that the learning environments we create impact what we do. What furniture, material and set-up do you feel are critical for teaching in the 21st century?  What traditional pieces are essential and what new equipment is needed?  How would you spend your replacement dollars?  Please let me know as I continue this investigation.

At The Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia I was struck by their use of what looked to be sturdy, easily moveable tables.  I found one source for "husky tables and desks" that looked interesting: http://www.smithsystem.com/productCategory.asp?categoryID=69

Many of the objects above come from VS Furniture.

Take a look at how students weighed in on this topic: Classroom Design: Children Speak

Related Articles:
Collaborative Furniture
Considering Classroom Design
Tinkering Space
Creative Spaces Post
Why Space Matters
Flexible Furniture

ePortfolios

Do you employ ePortfolios in your classroom, or are you currently considering using that tool to lift student learning?  Students in my fourth grade class started using ePortfolios in September.  Each child has a wonderful online collection of poetry, writing and reading response work.  Some students have added math projects and research work to their ePortfolios as well.

If you're considering this venue, I offer the following suggestions:

1. Create your own ePortfolio first to try it out and use as an example when you are teaching students about the venue.
2. Walk students through the creation process slowly.
3. Allow students to choose their own template design.
4. Start with a consistent, regular routine of ePortfolio work; you can loosen those parameters as you move forward.
5. When choosing page settings, I prefer the "announcement" setting for student work.  That way each time they add a section under a main heading, they simply add a new post.
6. When possible, have students add images to their work on ePortfolio as that seems to boost their writing and description.
7. Complete the first piece together in class.  Troubleshoot together, then make sure you add a positive comment to each child's first post.  That will inspire future posts.
8. Limit sharing at first while students get used to the venue.  My students only shared with me at first, then ventured out to their classmates.  
9. Pay attention to privacy settings and make sure they fit your school's policies.

I hope those tips are helpful to people starting out with this tool. It's a great vehicle for student learning and sharing.  I look forward to hearing others' success stories in this regard.  I plan to continue to build my use of this tool in the months to come. 

Related Posts

ePortfolios and Reading Letters
Student ePortfolios

Letters From Rifka: Building Deep Understanding

Next week our class will embark on the interactive read aloud, Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse.  The focus of this read aloud will be to deepen student understanding, discussion and knowledge.

I will focus on Ellin Oliver Keene's work related to the cognitive markers of deep understanding.  I'll begin by introducing students to the markers using a series of mini posters, then I'll provide a guide sheet to lead our daily discussions.

Since my students represent a wide range of reading levels, we'll only read a few pages each day and night.  For those who have trouble accessing the text, I'll provide a means to understanding such as a book on tape or a reader.  This daily dose of a shared book will create community and foster discussion while still leaving time for individual's just right books and targeted reading.

I've created a shared website to guide our work as well.  Photos, maps, and other images that deepen understanding will be added to the website as we read together.  Students will also be asked to add their thoughts and comments to the shared site.  Assignments will be added as well.

As with all units, we will revise and enrich as the book moves along.  I'm excited to put Keene's work into action, particularly since she will be visiting and presenting at our school this week.

What Leads Your Learning Design Efforts?

I just read Matthew Ray's post, Putting the Pieces Together, which demonstrates the success of one educator's purposeful, targeted teaching in a positive, child-centered learning environment. I look forward to Ray's posts each and every day as he is a reflective educator who continually revises, creates and implements thoughtful learning design to engage, inspire and educate his students.

His posts inform my current inquiry surrounding optimal learning design?  I am eager to weed, prune and nurture the classroom environment, lessons and units to teach children well.  I want to know all there is to know about providing students with the best possible tools, attitude, skills, concepts and knowledge as they move forward toward happy, meaningful lives.

Mary Ann Reilly's blog and recent post, Nomad: No Passport/Too Many, invigorated this quest yesterday as she prompted me to think of our "nomads," those who do not establish lasting connections in our classrooms and schools.  All of Mary Ann's posts are helping me to ponder the depth, purpose and direction of my work as an educator.

At this juncture, the learning design inquiry stands before me like a cloud--I can see the outline and understand many of the components, but I'm not quite sure how they all fit together or the best path to take towards deepening my knowledge in this area.  I am looking for mentors, guides, successful examples, authentic assessments and research to guide my work.

Currently, these are the ingredients of learning design I value and continue to explore.

A Positive Climate:  I'm sure some will see this as obvious, but I am just realizing how important this is to optimal learning.  Brains respond to positive atmospheres, and children learn more in these environments.  What does a positive climate look like?  How do teachers respond to students in these environments?  How does this notion affect assessment design and implementation, conflict resolution, classroom routines, parent conferences and student goals?

Engagement:  When students are motivated and engaged, their minds are working; they're asking questions; and they are creating.  What lessons foster greatest engagement?  What does engagement look like in a classroom or school environment?  Where does this engagement lead?

Skills:  There are specific skills that are integral for all students.  Students need to develop optimal social, organizational, and goal-setting skills so they can get along with others, collaborate and manage their learning journey. Students also need to acquire skills that lead to learning such as reading, writing, speaking/presenting, and mathematical thinking/computation. Underlying those essential skills are the comprehension/critical thinking skills related to understanding: asking questions, making connections, inferring, determining importance, monitoring for meaning and synthesizing (Mosaic of Thought)--skills which can be integrated throughout the curriculum.  How do we develop skills in developmentally appropriate, targeted, engaging ways so that students have the tools they need to comprehend and move forward in their world as optimal communicators, critical thinkers, creators and collaborators?

Concepts/Knowledge: Determining which concepts and knowledge are worthy of our schedules and consideration is the challenge of our time when knowledge is bountiful, accessible and overflowing in every direction.  We want to provide students with a broad understanding of the world we live in.  We also want students to understand themselves, their families and communities, and we want them to experience deep, meaningful, engaging project work that leads to greater self knowledge, learning how to learn, and a thirst for more.

Learning Environment: Our learning environments should support pedagogy that reflects the latest cognitive research related to learning.  What do these environments look like?  What tools are used?  What furniture and arrangement marks a school and/or classroom?  What transportation is readily available so that learning extends into the community at senior citizen centers, museums, science laboratories, businesses, nature sanctuaries, farms and more?  How do students access virtual spaces in the school environment, and when are virtual spaces used?

Social Media: How is social media used to respond well to students' needs, inquiry and learning?  What protocols are in place to develop and utilize these tools?

Communication:  What does effective communication look like in person, on the Internet and via written correspondence and assessment?  What communication tools best effect optimal student learning and engagement?  How are those tools organized, managed and shared with others?  Is every student and family member in the loop of communication, and if not, how can we broaden communication to include all?  Also, how do we streamline communication so that it does not become overwhelming?

What am I missing?  What are the first steps with regard to an optimal learning design inquiry?  How will I create a comprehensive tool to lead my learning design plans, implementation and analysis?  Please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts, links and ideas.

Related Posts:
Learning Design Presentation 2014
Matt Ray's Optimal Learning Post
A Post by Grant Wiggins
Project Base Learning and Differentiated Instruction
Lessons from the Design Studio
Great Teaching: Love and Trust
Time
What You (Really) Need to Know
Google Learning Design for Secondary and Primary

My Posts:
Professional Inquiry: Learning Design
New Learning: Embrace
Lesson Choreography
Developing Student Interest and Motivation: Criteria Chart for Lesson Plannning

Learning Together

Yesterday I embarked on a new unit, Adaptations!  I was exhilarated because students were both engaged and motivated by the project. Last night, I tweaked the project description, directions and example.

Today, I shared the enhanced example with students.  I told them about the research I did. One girl piped up, "Ms. Devlin, that information is right on the website."

I looked for the information on the website and could not locate any.  "Where is it," I asked. Then she proceeded to teach me where the information is located. Later she showed me her latest project example. Unlike my example, she was able to import her creature without a border making it look much more natural in the setting, hence I asked, "How did you do that?"

Then she proceeded to teach me again explaining, "I emailed the image to myself, imported it into KidPix and colored in the background to make it look the same." Not only did she teach me, but she taught all her classmates too.

More than ever before, learning in the 21st century is a process of learning together as we navigate multiple tools and limitless information.  As I've mentioned time and again, it's an exciting new age of education and I'm happy to be a part of it.  Aren't you?