I started to observe this week at an elementary school near my home. I have been with a first and second grade multi-age classroom. I have observed in a multi-aged classroom before and it is not drastically different from any other single level classroom. The following questions are answered relating to the classroom that I have been spending time in.
1. How is the classroom physically organized? Do children seem to know where things are?
The classroom is very organized in a very communal manor. The students sit at four colored tables, which consist of a red, yellow, green and blue one. Each table had a shelf located in different areas of the classroom that contained the baskets of their items. There were items such as notebooks, workbooks and other loose papers that were necessary for class. Each of the children knows where their tables items are located. The daily table leader is assigned to jobs such as getting the baskets for each subjects for that day. The tables also each contained a basket that had sharpened pencils, glue, and scissors. This created a very community oriented feel to the classroom. The teacher in the room does not have a traditional desk. Her main desk consisted of a moon shaped table that was in the corner of the room with shelves against the wall. The use of the table gave space for the students to sit and have a small group or one-on-one work sessions with the teacher. While I was present in the room, the teacher worked one-on-one with a student to help her with her reading skills.
The walls of the classroom were filled with different signs and posters to help the children. The board behind the alphabet carpet contained contained posters that expressed the many components of the date such as the year, the month, and the day of the moth. there were also signs that contained the students birthdays on the calender. One of the most important pieces on the board was the flip chart that had the daily schedule for the students to look at. I feel that this provides a good consistent structure for the students to see. Throughout the room there are also many different posters that contained information from word and sentence structure, shapes and their names, vowels, how to brainstorm, coins and their amounts and more.
2. How do learners and teachers' use the classroom space?
Along with the four colored tables, there were also two other other tables in the back of the classroom that are used as community tables. They are both used for group activities such as when the teacher was adding guppies to the four aquariums that the class was observing for their science project. The other table contained worksheets.
The students all have their own 'mailbox' in a shelving unit. This area is for the students to put their personal items such s take-home folders. This is the child's own space. There is also another shelving unit that the students stack all of the crayon/marker boxes.
Each of the tables is set in different parts of the room. There is enough space for the oval carpet on the floor in the front of the room. This carpet has a blue base, and the outer perimeter was decorated with a colorful set of the alphabet. The carpet is used for class meetings or other such activities such as reading a book as a class. When I was introduced to the class, the students all sat pretzel style in a group to listen to the teacher.
The tables take up a large amount of the space in the room. To try and avoid collisions, the teacher has given the students 'traffic patterns' for times when the entire class is up moving around. A prime example of this is when the students are moving about the room to gather their items to go home.
3. Is the room more child-oriented or teacher-oriented? Give examples.
The classroom is more student oriented. All of the desks and chairs are smaller and more proportional for the young students. All other shelving units are very accessible to the students.These children are all about six and seven years old. They need the items in the class to be at a height that they can easily grab or get into whatever they need.
The 'mailboxes' are within a shelving unit that is based on the ground. This makes it easy for the students to access their items. If these were on a taller shelf, this would be much harder for the smaller students to get to.
The posters in the room are geared towards the advancement of the students learning skills. These posters are very colorful and large and noticeable. The posters contain basic information that are the building blocks for learning. The posters promote the fun side of education and make it look very exciting for the children to learn. I think that the posters brighten up the room and make the atmosphere feel light and energetic.
4. What resources are in the room? How do children and adults use them?
The room is filled with shelves containing bins that are stocked with books. Some of the bins had stickers with letters on the side. These were to provide a code for the level that the books were placed in. I didn't get a chance to to ask what this meant, but I assume that each letter was code for a level that the teacher in the room assigns for each child to read based on their reading ability. The children in the room range vastly in their ability to read due to their age.
Located on a back shelf in the room are four small fish bowls. They each contain small rocks on the bottom, small plant-like items, water and guppies. These fish tanks are to help teach the students about science. The word that they told me they were learning about was observation. The fish tanks were to help the children and give them something to observe. This also was somewhat tangible to show living creatures in their habitat. While I was in the room, the teacher was adding new guppies to the water tanks. The children were very enthusiastic about the fish and learning to use their new vocabulary.
5. What techniques are used to get students' attention to transition them from one activity or place, to another?
The room is sectioned off into parts that the students can use for different activities. As mentioned earlier, there are four tables for the children to use as their work space, and the oval group carpet. While I was in the room, the students were given a thirty minute free time. About half of the students grabbed games off the shelves, and began to play on the carpet. When the time was up, rather than talk loudly over the students, the teacher set a kitchen buzzer for all the students to hear. The students all knew what this meant. They began to quiet down, clean up and put their games away, and return to their seats. the students all knew exactly how to react to sounds that they heard. There are also similar bells that buzz throughout the day to signal the beginning and end of school and children's lunch and recces break.
When transitioning from one subject to another the teacher will generally give the students a couple minutes warning. This gives them the opportunity to begin thinking about what they will be doing next, and finishing up their current project.
6. What examples of technology are available?
During my first visit there wasn't any technology used in the classroom. There was however one computer located in the front of the classroom. This computer looked as though it was for the teachers use and not for the students. If necessary, there are many computers that the students are able to access in the library.
Connection:
The classroom has many different traditions that they stand by and follow. Each week the students chart their chips that they have kept or lost as a part of their behavioral plan. They keep track daily of how they did during the day. At the end of the week this will either result in a prize for perfect behavior or no prize for anything other than all of their chips. This ritual takes place each week. The children in the class are aware of the system and will mention if they believe that the teacher has forgotten. The children are also aware of the routines during the day, such as reading after lunch, the specials that they attend, and other activities during the day. This is mentioned in chapter 2 entitled Traditions. The principal is also a part of different traditions and building rapport in the school. The students all know when they see him in the hall to give him the peace sign. He will also often remind the students over the intercom the school’s musts. These include being: peaceful, respectful and responsible. This is a saying at the school that I feel that the students feel that they can take a part of and feel proud of.
1. How is the classroom physically organized? Do children seem to know where things are?
The classroom is very organized in a very communal manor. The students sit at four colored tables, which consist of a red, yellow, green and blue one. Each table had a shelf located in different areas of the classroom that contained the baskets of their items. There were items such as notebooks, workbooks and other loose papers that were necessary for class. Each of the children knows where their tables items are located. The daily table leader is assigned to jobs such as getting the baskets for each subjects for that day. The tables also each contained a basket that had sharpened pencils, glue, and scissors. This created a very community oriented feel to the classroom. The teacher in the room does not have a traditional desk. Her main desk consisted of a moon shaped table that was in the corner of the room with shelves against the wall. The use of the table gave space for the students to sit and have a small group or one-on-one work sessions with the teacher. While I was present in the room, the teacher worked one-on-one with a student to help her with her reading skills.
The walls of the classroom were filled with different signs and posters to help the children. The board behind the alphabet carpet contained contained posters that expressed the many components of the date such as the year, the month, and the day of the moth. there were also signs that contained the students birthdays on the calender. One of the most important pieces on the board was the flip chart that had the daily schedule for the students to look at. I feel that this provides a good consistent structure for the students to see. Throughout the room there are also many different posters that contained information from word and sentence structure, shapes and their names, vowels, how to brainstorm, coins and their amounts and more.
2. How do learners and teachers' use the classroom space?
Along with the four colored tables, there were also two other other tables in the back of the classroom that are used as community tables. They are both used for group activities such as when the teacher was adding guppies to the four aquariums that the class was observing for their science project. The other table contained worksheets.
The students all have their own 'mailbox' in a shelving unit. This area is for the students to put their personal items such s take-home folders. This is the child's own space. There is also another shelving unit that the students stack all of the crayon/marker boxes.
Each of the tables is set in different parts of the room. There is enough space for the oval carpet on the floor in the front of the room. This carpet has a blue base, and the outer perimeter was decorated with a colorful set of the alphabet. The carpet is used for class meetings or other such activities such as reading a book as a class. When I was introduced to the class, the students all sat pretzel style in a group to listen to the teacher.
The tables take up a large amount of the space in the room. To try and avoid collisions, the teacher has given the students 'traffic patterns' for times when the entire class is up moving around. A prime example of this is when the students are moving about the room to gather their items to go home.
3. Is the room more child-oriented or teacher-oriented? Give examples.
The classroom is more student oriented. All of the desks and chairs are smaller and more proportional for the young students. All other shelving units are very accessible to the students.These children are all about six and seven years old. They need the items in the class to be at a height that they can easily grab or get into whatever they need.
The 'mailboxes' are within a shelving unit that is based on the ground. This makes it easy for the students to access their items. If these were on a taller shelf, this would be much harder for the smaller students to get to.
The posters in the room are geared towards the advancement of the students learning skills. These posters are very colorful and large and noticeable. The posters contain basic information that are the building blocks for learning. The posters promote the fun side of education and make it look very exciting for the children to learn. I think that the posters brighten up the room and make the atmosphere feel light and energetic.
4. What resources are in the room? How do children and adults use them?
The room is filled with shelves containing bins that are stocked with books. Some of the bins had stickers with letters on the side. These were to provide a code for the level that the books were placed in. I didn't get a chance to to ask what this meant, but I assume that each letter was code for a level that the teacher in the room assigns for each child to read based on their reading ability. The children in the room range vastly in their ability to read due to their age.
Located on a back shelf in the room are four small fish bowls. They each contain small rocks on the bottom, small plant-like items, water and guppies. These fish tanks are to help teach the students about science. The word that they told me they were learning about was observation. The fish tanks were to help the children and give them something to observe. This also was somewhat tangible to show living creatures in their habitat. While I was in the room, the teacher was adding new guppies to the water tanks. The children were very enthusiastic about the fish and learning to use their new vocabulary.
5. What techniques are used to get students' attention to transition them from one activity or place, to another?
The room is sectioned off into parts that the students can use for different activities. As mentioned earlier, there are four tables for the children to use as their work space, and the oval group carpet. While I was in the room, the students were given a thirty minute free time. About half of the students grabbed games off the shelves, and began to play on the carpet. When the time was up, rather than talk loudly over the students, the teacher set a kitchen buzzer for all the students to hear. The students all knew what this meant. They began to quiet down, clean up and put their games away, and return to their seats. the students all knew exactly how to react to sounds that they heard. There are also similar bells that buzz throughout the day to signal the beginning and end of school and children's lunch and recces break.
When transitioning from one subject to another the teacher will generally give the students a couple minutes warning. This gives them the opportunity to begin thinking about what they will be doing next, and finishing up their current project.
6. What examples of technology are available?
During my first visit there wasn't any technology used in the classroom. There was however one computer located in the front of the classroom. This computer looked as though it was for the teachers use and not for the students. If necessary, there are many computers that the students are able to access in the library.
Connection:
The classroom has many different traditions that they stand by and follow. Each week the students chart their chips that they have kept or lost as a part of their behavioral plan. They keep track daily of how they did during the day. At the end of the week this will either result in a prize for perfect behavior or no prize for anything other than all of their chips. This ritual takes place each week. The children in the class are aware of the system and will mention if they believe that the teacher has forgotten. The children are also aware of the routines during the day, such as reading after lunch, the specials that they attend, and other activities during the day. This is mentioned in chapter 2 entitled Traditions. The principal is also a part of different traditions and building rapport in the school. The students all know when they see him in the hall to give him the peace sign. He will also often remind the students over the intercom the school’s musts. These include being: peaceful, respectful and responsible. This is a saying at the school that I feel that the students feel that they can take a part of and feel proud of.
In the time that I have spent in the classroom, I have come to know and feel a sense of belonging. This is different for the students who spent a significantly greater amount of time in the room than I have. This has given them the time to feel a connection and belonging to the room. The children know that they have a place on the carpet that they can have different area to use in the classroom. In chapter three of the class’s text entitled Place of Pride the author discusses the idea of a community carpet. This gives the children a place to sit when they are talking in the beginning of the day to use the front board introductions, to sit as a class for the teacher to talk to them, or to play on during their free time. The carpet has a homey feel to it, and I think that they children have sensed this vibe, and will often gravitate toward it.
hey,
ReplyDeleteWow I'm really impressed on the organization of the classroom, I think its very important for a classroom because it helps the students and the definitely the teacher. Something I want to incorporate in my own classroom.
It was interesting to hear that the school doesn't have that much technology in the classroom. The class I'm observing has three computers in the back, but they rarely use them.
Good Job
hey kim!
ReplyDeleteI know other rooms in the building such as a 3/4 room that has three extra computers for the students. I think it depends on the room. Also, when I observed with a 5/6 class, and they I was observing during their presentations using power-point and pod-casts. I think that the lack of technology use has to do with the age of the children.
-Stefanie.
Very well written, Stefanie. Very professional and you describe your classroom clearly. Because there are partitions in your classroom, I think it is much bigger than the one I am in. It seems as if your students are well disciplined at a very young age, because they know to cease play time when the bell rings. I also like how the teacher gives the children advance notice of a change of subject matter. Particularly in very young children, this can make the transition go more smoothly.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, like yourself I am working in with younger students. Judging by your experience as well as the classroom as the school I am at, there is definitely a trend when it comes to organization. The one thing that was different in comparing our classrooms is our desks are not different colors, but each group is assigned a different name, for example Spongebob or Penguins. Does the teacher use these different colors as a way in organizing the students? For example when it is time to get ready for lunch, does the teacher say, “Red and then yellow table can get their lunches now”.
ReplyDeleteYes she does use the color's to organize. The tables are the actual color that they are called, and the bins that hold the childrens folders and workbooks correspond with the table color.
ReplyDeleteA great first journal about the classroom organization. You capture all the unique elements of classroom organization imbedded in this 1/2 classroom. I also the complexity of a multi age classroom makes this so important. Your explanations are details are great and really help elaborate your understanding. I am sure you will learn much in this classroom. Please remember to add the final paragraph where you make connections to our Practicum Seminar and the text. This higher level synthesis is so important.
ReplyDelete