4th grade Jackie Alexander C4 If I walked into my new 4th classroom to discover all the desks, chairs, and

computers pushed into the middle of the room, I would think about how I could best plan my room so that students were able to work in groups, there was a classroom community, and students were able to learn though a variety of methods. All of these features are important for creating a safe, learning environment. I would first push all the desks into pods of four or five desks. I think this arrangement is optimal for learning because it allows students to work together and to help each other. According to Mackenzie and Stanzione, Desk groupings or pods are popular in many schools and work great for facilitating cooperative learning activities with compliant students ( 2010, p. 18). I believe cooperative learning activities are beneficial for all students. They allow people who do not understand the material to ask their neighbor questions. This then helps the neighbor because explaining a concept to someone else helps you to realize how well you actually know the material. If both students are having a little trouble with the material, working in a group allows them to talk and bounce ideas off each other to explore what they are suppose to be learning together. Borich also agrees that it is important to put a mix of students in each group. Groups should be a mixed of different performing levels, different verbal levels, different learning styles, different genders, and multiple ethnicities. The key is to make the groups very diverse. Diversity contributes to the collaborative process by creating a natural flow of information from those who have it to those who need it. It also promotes the transmission of alternative perspectives and viewpoints that often sends the flow of information in unexpected and desirable directions (Borich, 2011, p. 370).It is important for students to work together because talking and learning with peers will help to create a community in the classroom. This will be enhanced even further if the student arrangement is mixed up multiple times throughout the year. This will allow students the opportunity to hopefully get the opportunity to sit near everyone during the school year. The more students know each other, the more they will understand each other. This understanding is crucial for building a classroom community. I also like the pod idea because it allows the teacher to easily walk around the classroom and help those students who are struggling. The pod set up allows the teacher to come up to each pod individually and check each group members work. There is the pod set up in the classroom I am currently in and I really like it because it allows me to easily get around the room to check in with every group of students work.

I arranged the pods the way they are so that no student has his/her back to the front of the room ever. According to Wong, many problems arise when students have their backs turned to the teacher. This arrangement allows students sitting in a small group [to] look at each other and roll their eyes toward the sky (Wong, 2009, p.120). This is also not a good way to arrange students because it forces some students to turn around to face the teacher when he/she is talking and then turn back around to write down what they said. Finally it is a negative seating arrangement because it does not allow the teacher to see if the students who are faced away understand the concepts they just learned (Wong, 2009, 120). Since I want to avoid all possible problems, I made sure that none of my students were faced with their backs to the teacher and the board. While I was creating my room arrangement I decided to taper the desks so that I have a clear view of everybody. I wanted to guarantee that no student was hidden behind another student. According to Borich, one of the mistakes first year teachers make is [t]alk[ing] while not being able to see all students because other students are blocking their view (2011, p. 174). Although I will be a first year teacher, I did not want to fall into this category. By tapering the pods, I am able to see all the students from the front of the classroom due to no one being directly lined up behind another person. Next I decided that it was important to have a place where students could take care of morning and afternoon procedures, such as turning in homework, deciding on hot/cold lunch, pencil sharpening, and picking up papers from the mailbox. I thought the best place for this was right by the door. I think one spot where all these events take place is best. If there are too many locations for these activities, students are likely to forget to go do one of these things. However, if they are all together, students might be reminded to do one thing when they are doing something else. For example, students might remember to turn in their homework because they see the homework basket when they are putting their lunchbox in the crate. Therefore, I created a table right next to the front door that had students mailboxes, the homework basket, and pencil sharpener on it. Then, under the table there is room for a basket to hold lunchboxes and a basket for library books. I put the table by the door for two reasons. First of all it allows easy access for people who are in a hurry. Students who get to school late can quickly put their homework and lunchbox away when they walk in. Similarly, students are in a hurry to catch their ride home can grab their homework from their mailbox and their lunchbox from the basket. The other reason I think it is beneficial to have it by the door is because students will see the table every time they walk in the room and will be reminded of what they have to do there. On the other side of the door is the coat closet. Just like the table, I decided to put the coat closet near the door so students would have easy access to it when they are coming in and going out of the room. I have witnessed students about to go out the door for recess and then realize they want their coat. For this reason, it is important that the coats are somewhere near the door so that students can quickly jump out of line, get their coat, and jump back in.

Besides having a morning routine in place, posting the classroom rules is another important feature of classroom management. According to Setting Limits in the Classroom, one of the guidelines for introducing rules is to [p]ost your rules in a visible area (Mackenzie and Stanzione, 2010, p. 8). Taking Mackenzie and Stanziones advice, I posted my classroom rules right next to the white board at the front of the room. With its convenient location, students should always be aware of their expectations. I just want to have three rules in my classroom, Respect Others. Respect Yourself. Respect Property. Although they are just three rules, I think their big idea covers all the rules any teacher would want students to be following. Although most teachers put their carpet at the front of the classroom, I decided to put my carpet in the back of the classroom. I wanted to do this because I wanted to have the students desks closer to the front white board. Another benefit of having the carpet in the back of the classroom is that it allows for more space and we will not be as squished. In addition, it is a good idea to give students a break from being in the same location of the classroom. I think this location is also good because it is right next to the computers. This close proximity allows students or the teacher to look up information that goes along with their discussion. Since we might need a whiteboard while we are on the carpet, I would have a small portable whiteboard/easel that I could use, should I need it. In the corner of the room by the carpet, I have a pile of beanbags. I want to have silent reading everyday so that my students get practice reading at school. However, I want to make this experience as enjoyable as I can for my students. I think one aspect that makes reading more enjoyable is being able to get into a comfy position and read. Students are limited to how comfy they can be when they are sitting at their desks. For this reason, I would like to offer my students the opportunity to find a place in the classroom where they can get comfy and read. Since I will not have enough chairs for all my students, I would use a rotational system in my classroom. Every day a new pod would get their chance to sit in the chairs. I could also use the chairs as part of a reward system. If students behave, they will be allowed to use the chairs. However, if they have not been behaving, their opportunity to sit in the chairs will be taken away. Another important feature of my classroom is the set up of the teachers desk and halfcircle table. I definitely want a half-circle table in my future classroom. This type of table is crucial for one-on-one work, which I want to make time for everyday. Half-circle tables are also ideal for reading circles or other work where a group of students work with the teacher. I think it is important to have the half circle table near the bookshelf because the teacher might forget to bring a book and will need easy access to the book. The teacher can have this by being so close to the book shelf. This arrangement also allows the teacher to easily be able to get anything he/she needs to get off of the desk. In addition to the half-circle table, I also added a square table. I think having multiple tables around the room are important for many reasons. One of the most important features of having multiple tables, is that they allow the teacher to use stations in the classroom. I definitely

want to use stations in my classroom. The use of stations will be beneficial because it allows for more hands on learning and it allows instruction to be differentiated per student. This type of instruction can be especially beneficial for math and science. An extra table in my classroom would also allow students to work with another teacher or classroom volunteer if I was using the half-circle table. Finally, I added extra storage spaces around my classroom. Since I will have the opportunity to teach language and literacy, math, science, and social studies, while incorporating art and music, I want to make sure I have plenty of resources in my classroom. The more resources I have in my classroom, the better chance I will have of being able to supply every student with material that is appropriate for their learning level. Overall, I want to set up my classroom in such a way that will promote students to work together. This will promote a classroom community. I also want to set up my classroom in a way that will promote hands-on learning. By creating this plan, I am showing my knowledge of #5 Learning Environment The competent teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. This shows I understand this standard because I created a picture and wrote about the way I would create a learning environment in my own classroom.

References Borich, G. D. (2011). Effective Teaching Methods: Research-Based Practice (7th ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson. Mackenzie, R. J., Ed.D., & Stanzione, L., M.A. (2010). Setting Limits in the Classroom (3rd ed.). United States: Three Rivers Press. (Original work published 1996) Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The First Days of School. Singapore: Harry K. Wong Publications,Inc. .