A CLOSER LOOK

A Closer Look: The Importance of the Physical Environment in an Elementary

Classroom
Sarah Dreger
The University of Mount Union
Foundations of Early Childhood Classroom
November 14, 2013

A CLOSER LOOK

Table of Contents
Foreword.........................................................................................................
........................................................... 3
Opening
. 3
Chapter 1: Physical
Environment

Introduction
. 4
Teacher
Placement
. 5
Desks
5
Walkways
.. 6

Centered

Areas
... 7
Materials
. 8
Conclusion
.. 9
Chapter 2: Classroom
Management. 9

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Introduction
. 9
Rules
. 10
Routines
10
Maintaining and Monitoring
Behavior.. 12
Conclusion
13
Chapter 3:
Inclusion
.. 13
Introduction
13
Representation
..14
Relevance
..14
Safe
Classroom
..15

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Conclusion
16
Chapter 4: My Classroom..
..17
Introduction
17
Physical
Environment
...17
Classroom
Management.
.19
Inclusion
22
Conclusion
23
Closing..
...24
References
25
Foreword
It is late August and the air is still warm with the last bits of summer
holding on as the summer days come to a close. Children everywhere are
filled with excitement and nerves as they prepare for the year ahead of
them. Backpacks, pencils, papers, folders, and crayons are all being
compiled as the new school year approaches. This time of year, the

A CLOSER LOOK

anticipation for the year to come and the excitement of something new, is
nothing new to me. After fifteen years in school I have fully experienced the
start of the school year from the student perspective. As a teacher candidate
I am about to experience a whole new side of preparation, excitement and
nerves as I plan for the school year ahead. Part of that planning process is
setting up the classroom. As an extenuation of my Foundations of Early
Childhood Classroom I decided to research and plan my own classroom using
what I have learned in class, recent education journal articles, and real
classrooms. Based upon my research I have built an ideal classroom which
can be found at the end of this paper. As a classroom is more than just the
physical structure my classroom is comprised of three different categories,
physical environment, classroom management, and inclusion.

Opening
A solid foundation is the key to any building. One always starts at the
bottom and works their way up. When constructing a house, the contractor
starts with planning before any hard labor begins. The contractor pours over
the plans looking at every detail before breaking ground. Once the plans are
finalized the builder starts at the bottom or the foundation of the house and
builds the basement. No one would dream of starting with the second floor
without a basement or first floor and no one would break ground without first
having diligently gone over the plans. Unfortunately, I think this happens all
too often in education. Many teachers get into a grove of how things have

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always been and reuse the same plans over and over again because they
worked before or because they do not want to spend the time creating new
plans. When August roles around they dust off their old plans and ready
them to implement for the coming year. Their classroom looks the same,
their classroom management feels the same and unfortunately oftentimes
this does not benefit their students. Every year is a new year and should be
accompanied by new plans, maybe just old plans tweaked, but plans that
adhere to and fit the new group of students. Essentially that means the
classroom layout is going to change. You still have the basics: desks, chairs,
reading shelves, stations etc. So the question is, what stays and what
changes? What is important? How should your classroom mirror your
students? What does that look like? These are all questions teachers should
be asking themselves every year. A classroom is not just randomly laid out,
there is a reason behind everything in the classroom and the teacher should
be able to justify the layout of the classroom on the basis of certain
educational goals (Sommer, 2001). In other words, the structure of the
classroom should mirror the teaching philosophy of the teacher.

Chapter 1: Physical Environment

Introduction
Good teachers know the importance of the physical environment in the
classroom. The physical environment either enhances or hinders students
learning (American Federation of Teachers, n.d.). The physical environment is

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the foundation with which the learning process is built upon for that year.
When looking at the physical environment it can be broken up into five
separate areas, teaching placement, desks, walkways, centered areas and
materials.

Teaching Placement
Teaching placement is important in considering the arrangement of the
classroom. Before arranging the classroom the teacher needs to decide
where the best place to teach from is, somewhere that has accessibility to
projection equipment and boards (Sterling, 2009). This position also has to
be seen by every student and allow every student to be seen by the teacher.
It is suggested that this spot be at the midpoint of one of the long sides of
the room which minimizes the distance between the teacher and the
students (Sterling, 2009). Once the spot is designated, test the equipments
image size and word size so that all students in the classroom can easily see
and read what is projected from their seats.

Desks
Desks are the focal point of the classroom because this is usually
where the majority of the learning occurs. Arranging the desks is a very
personal choice for teachers but needs to be a well based decision. The
placement of desks can affect student productivity and overall classroom
behavior (Capizzi, 2009). The teacher needs to have a clear view of all the

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students at all times so no desks should be tucked away in a corner of the

room. All students need to be able to see all of the instructional displays and
presentations so desks need to be central in the room or at least central to
where most of the teaching and demonstrations occur. There should be
sufficient space between the desks so as to allow the teacher to monitor
students during all times of instruction. Student desks should be arranged
away from high traffic areas and high distractive areas like windows and
doors, so as to minimize distractions from learning. The overall level of
structure needed in the classroom should determine how the desks are
arranged amongst one another. Students who need more structure should
have more personal space so the desks would be arranged in traditional rows
or a horseshoe formation (Capizzi, 2009). Students who need less structure
should have less personal space so the desks would be arranged in groups or
clusters. The picture above is a first grade classroom. They use tables
instead of desks. This is an example of a less structured classroom because
the tables allow for more group work and collaboration between the
students. The structure of the classroom will be discussed in further detail in
the classroom management section.

Conclusion
My classroom is never the same. Year after year the rules change, the
procedures are altered, the reading corner is restocked, repositioned, the

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tables may be changed out for desks and the play area is always being
updated. Some years the room looks totally different but for the most part
this is the loose template tweaked each year for the incoming students. No
matter how the room changes the same principle applies, the physical
environment is important.

Closing
A solid foundation is the key to any building. In teaching, the physical
environment is that foundation that everything is built off of. As seen the
physical environment includes more than just the furnishings but the
management and the inclusive nature of the classroom. A teacher needs to
be aware of the significance of the learning environment which many
teachers take for granted. Each year brings changes to the environment
since no two years are the same. When August roles around teachers need
to start at the beginning, the foundation and plan the new year from there.

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10

References
American Federation of Teachers. (n.d.). Before the Year Begins. Classroom
Tips. Retrieved November 8, 2013, from http://www.aftacts.org/tools-forteachers/professional-resources/30-classroom-tips

Capizzi, A. (2009). Start the Year Off Right: Designing and Evaluation a
Supportive Classroom Management Plan. Focus On Exceptional Children,
42(3).
Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved December 2, 2013, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inclusion?s=t
Efer, S., Heinze, A., & Rach, S. (2013). Learning from errors: effects of
teachers training on students attitudes towards and their individual use
of errors. PNA, 8(1), 21-30.
Floor Planner. (n.d.). Kaplan Floor Plan. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from
http://kaplan.floorplanner.com/dashboard

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11

Holley, L., Steiner, S. (2005). Safe Space: Student Perspectives on Classroom

Environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 41(1).
Lewis, R., Roache, J. (May 2011). The carrot, the stick, or the relationship:
what are the effective disciplinary strategies? European Journal of Teacher
Education, 34(2) 233-248. doi: 10.1080/02619768.2010.542586
Mrs. K. (2013). Subway Sign. Retrieved, December 2, 2013, from
http://theteachergarden.blogspot.com/2012/03/in-our-classroom-subwaysign.html
Perry, Bruce. (n.d.). Creating an Emotionally Safe Classroom. Early Childhood
Today. Retrieved November 8, 2013, from
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/safety_wonder.htm
Sommer, R. (2001). Classroom Layout. Theory in Practice, XVI(3), 174-175
Sterling, D. (n.d.). Classroom Management: setting up the classroom for
learning. Retrieved, November 8, 2013, from
http://mrsbank.pbworks.com/f/Classroom+Management.pdf
Strange, J. (2013). Creation of Classroom Rules. Retrieved, December 2,
2013, from http://jobspapa.com/here-are-our-class-rules.html