Establishing The Physical Learning Environment

My third grade classroom will be set up to have a positive influence on my students and their learning. My classroom set up will create a place where sharing ideas is encouraged among the students. I do not want my students to feel that I am the only person in the room that makes the rules. As part of my classroom management, the students will participate in setting up the rules and consequences of the classroom. By conducting my classroom this way, it will become a more open environment for students to learn.

I want to encourage cooperative learning at this stage of my student's young academic careers. To try to accomplish this I will have the desks arranged in pairs of two all facing the blackboard. I will also have each row arranged so that no two desks will be directly behind each other. They will be staggered so that everyone will be able to see when I teach. I will regroup the students every month so they get a different view of the room, and sit with new people.

I will place my desk in the front of the room off to the side and at a 90 degree angle to the blackboard. I want my students to be able to see me and be able to get to me from wherever they are sitting. Above the blackboard will be the alphabet in print and script, as well as a number line from zero to 10. Having these visuals hung up at the front of the class will aid the students with their writing and math assignments. I will hang inspirational quotes around the classroom that will encourage the students to learn and to read. As for other wall decorations, I would use many different types around the class. To promote diversity I would use multicultural displays showing students learning from different cultural perspectives. I would also use displays showing both boys and girls. I will also have several bulletin boards around the classroom. I will display the students work on bulletin boards in the back of the class. I will have three bulletin boards next to my desk. One board will highlight any important information for the day. Another will have a calendar of the current month and the last one will have a calendar of the entire year.

In the front of the room, will be the classroom rules that the students and I set-up on the first day of school. Having them posted in plain sight will not only act to re-enforce the rules/consequences, but will also maintain the student's ownership in them. I will dedicate one wall to be my "Word Wall". I feel that word walls will enhance their vocabulary words by teaching them new words. New words will bring them to new levels when they talk to each other and will encourage them to use the new words rather than keep using the same words repeatedly.