Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 210: Classroom Design Secrets Every New Teacher Should Know

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Ep 210: Classroom Design Secrets Every New Teacher Should Know · New Teacher Talk

Welcome to New Teacher Talk,
the podcast for educators who are just getting started and
the veterans who still remember what that felt like.
I'm Anna Quinzio-Zafran.
And I'm Beth Wilkins.
Today we're talking with Dr.
Meg White about effective classroom arrangement.
And if you've ever felt like you were figuring it out one
day at a time, this episode is for you.
Hello,
my name is Meg White and I've been a teacher and teacher
educator for many years.
I hail from the great state of New Jersey where we don't
pump our own gas.
So much of what we do in our classrooms, how we teach,
how we believe students learn,
and how we set up our classrooms is based on theory.
In today's episode,
I'm going to talk about classroom setup and why it's
important.
Let's start with a few questions.
As a teacher,
are you more of a behaviorist or a constructivist?
Unless you took a philosophy of education course,
you might not know.
Let me simplify the question.
Is your classroom more teacher-centered or student
-centered?
I want to talk for a moment about two theories,
behaviorism and constructivism.
Behaviorists say learning is about changing behaviors
through rewards and punishments.
Students learn through repetition.
As some say, it's learning by training.
This theory is seen in the work of B.F.
Skinner.
Constructivists say learning is an active process where
students build new knowledge based on personal experiences
and what they already know.
Students learn through hands-on experiences and problem
solving.
In other words, learning by building.
This theory is seen in the work of Jean Piaget and Lev
Vygotsky.
In simpler terms,
a teacher-centered classroom follows the behaviorist's
theory.
The teacher is the primary focus of the classroom and
students are passive learners.
This can be seen as drill and kill or death by PowerPoint.
In the old adage, give a man a fish he eats for a day,
this theory gives the fish.
A student-centered classroom follows the constructivist's
theory.
The teacher is more of a guide or facilitator who helps
students find the answers.
Teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime,
this theory teaches to fish.
My first year of teaching,
I spent the week before Labor Day putting up bulletin
boards.
Back in the day, that involved cutting out letters,
drawing pictures, hanging motivational quotes.
I layered different colored construction paper on my
bulletin boards to give the class some pizzazz.
I wanted my classroom to look visually appealing to my
fourth graders.
I was going to ask for pictures from students to put up so
we could get to know each other.
At three o'clock on Friday afternoon,
my principal walks in the classroom,
waves her hand around and says, this is lovely,
but it all has to come down.
My jaw hit the floor as she explained that in this district
we have sentence strips with district objectives and what
is on the board is student work samples so that if anyone
from the district comes in,
they can see what I'm teaching and how my students are
learning.
So it all came down.
I wanted student-centered, she wanted teacher-centered.
So which one sounds like you?
Are you a behaviorist, teacher-centered,
or are you a constructivist, student-centered?
One way I teach the difference between the two is
considering the difference between renting and owning
information.
In a teacher-centered classroom,
students are expected to memorize information,
to recite it back to the teacher in the form of a written
test,
thus renting the material as memorization doesn't always
connect to real-world information or experiences and often
isn't retained long-term.
This is, as I said before, learning by training.
In a student-centered classroom,
students are more engaged with the material through project
-based learning, cooperative learning, or centers.
Many students learn best through active engagement,
ultimately owning the material.
I'm sure you can remember different teachers you've had
that used one or both of these methods.
Which one had you retaining or owning the material?
This is learning by building.
I want to make it clear this is not to say a teacher
-centered classroom isn't effective.
Done right, it does have a place in every classroom.
So what does this have to do with classroom arrangement?
Great question.
Think about your own classroom setup or a classroom you've
been in recently.
Where were the students' desks?
Were they in rows, groups?
What about the teacher's desk?
Were classroom materials easily accessible?
When considering classroom arrangement,
teachers want to consider first desk arrangement.
Do you want small groups or rows?
What does this say about your teaching style?
You want to consider routines.
Students need to understand how the classroom works,
including procedures for turning in papers,
reading corners, centers.
You also want to consider transitions.
For example, from one subject to another,
or from one classroom to another.
How students move around your room is dependent on how your
room is arranged.
Many teachers begin the school year with a teacher-centered
classroom arrangement with students desks and rows until a
routine has been established.
You want to set up your room in a way that reflects your
values or your theory of teaching and learning and your
expectations for the students in your classroom.
While good room arrangement is not a guarantee of good
behavior,
poor planning in this area can create conditions that lead
to problems.
Here are a few tips.
You should be able to observe all students at all times and
to monitor work and behavior.
You should always be able to see the door from your desk.
Frequently used areas of the room and traffic lanes should
be unobstructed and easily accessible.
Students should be able to see you and the presentation
area without undue turning and movement.
Effective classroom management begins with thoughtful
planning and organization and this begins with design.
The way desks, tables,
and learning areas are arranged affects how easily you can
not only monitor students but also interact with them.
Clear sight lines and accessible pathways allow you to move
throughout the room, provide support,
and address disruptions quickly.
Poor layout can create distractions, crowding,
and off-task behavior, which you really don't want.
Here's a description of a learning space designed
intentionally to support and facilitate learning while
maintaining safety and accessibility.
Students are seated in groups of three,
which allows them to collaborate easily while remaining at
their own desks.
The smart board is in the front of the room and it is large
enough for all students to see clearly from their seats.
There are clear walkways between tables,
which allows the teacher to circulate to every group
quickly and safely throughout the lesson.
This allows the teacher to quickly check understanding and
provide support where needed.
Additional supplies such as markers, erasers,
and pencils are stored on shelves by the window,
allowing students to independently gather what they need.
This layout makes it easy for the teacher to reach any
student for support while still keeping an eye on the
entire class.
This design supported collaboration, independence,
and a safe environment for learning.
Now your classroom is all set up,
let's talk about classroom management.
First, you need to set expectations.
You should identify expectations for student behavior and
communicate those expectations to students periodically,
especially in the beginning of the year.
Rules and procedures are the most common explicit
expectations.
A small number of general rules that emphasize appropriate
behavior may be helpful.
Rules should be posted in the classroom so that everybody
can see them.
Compliance with the rules is monitored constantly.
Remember,
you don't want to develop class or rules you are unwilling
to enforce.
Do you want your classroom to be a democracy or a
dictatorship?
I've had much success with four simple ideas for classroom
behavior.
One, know what you want and what you don't want.
Students need to know what is expected of them and that
starts with you.
What do you expect of them?
Two, show and tell your students what you want.
It's important to model for them so they understand what is
expected.
Three, when you get what you want, acknowledge it,
but don't praise it.
Students should not be rewarded for what is expected of
them.
I like the way Carla is sitting quietly or I like the way
Mario is looking at me and listening.
Four, when you get something else,
act quickly and appropriately.
This sets the standard for others to see how not to behave.
Act to stop an appropriate behavior so as not to interrupt
the instructional activity or call excessive attention to
the student.
Try the proximity rule.
This is done by moving close to the student or students
standing next to their desk and make eye contact with them,
giving them a non-verbal signal to stop the offensive
behavior.
You can do this in class when you see students on their
phones or fiddling with something in their desks.
You continue teaching,
but your presence in the student space will usually stop
the unwanted behavior.
Another idea is to call a student's name or give a short
verbal instruction to stop the behavior.
For example, Jonah,
please look at the board and read the first line with me.
I need everyone's eyes looking at the board.
This is just a simple redirection.
Remember,
you will get a lot further with statements such as if you
can, then you will, rather than if you can't,
then you won't.
Frequent use of punishment is associated with poor
classroom management and generally should be avoided.
Never change rules in the middle of the game.
This sends the signal to students that your rules didn't
work.
You can always modify or adjust rules,
but you never want to start over.
Here's another example of an effective tool that I've used.
I use a three strike rule in my classroom.
In some classrooms, you might see stoplights.
At the third strike,
I would give students a choice to force them to accept the
responsibility for themselves.
This was always really important to me.
Make this a teachable moment.
I might say, Roberto,
I've spoken to you twice about talking while I'm teaching.
I'm giving you a choice to either sit here and listen while
I'm teaching or come back during lunch,
and I will teach this lesson to you again.
The key to this approach is this.
Roberto, which do you choose?
This way, it's not an ultimatum.
It's a choice.
Most times, the student will say, I choose to listen.
So I would follow that up with,
so if you are talking again while I'm teaching,
you are choosing to come in at lunch,
to which I would continue teaching the lesson.
It's important for students to be a part of it to
understand that choices have consequences.
Classroom arrangement also impacts student participation
and collaboration.
Seating arrangements can encourage discussion, teamwork,
and peer support,
while flexible spaces can support different learning
activities and student needs.
Organized and welcoming classrooms help students feel more
comfortable, respected, and emotionally secure,
which can improve behavior and motivation.
Let's wrap it up.
So as a teacher,
are you more of a behaviorist or a constructivist?
Is your classroom more teacher-centered or student
-centered?
Classroom arrangement directly affects student behavior,
engagement, and the overall learning environment.
A thoughtfully organized classroom supports effective
classroom management by promoting structure, accessibility,
and positive student interactions.
By setting clear expectations,
modeling appropriate behavior,
and designing a classroom that supports visibility,
accessibility, and student engagement,
teachers can reduce behavior problems and promote
successful learning experiences for all students.
Remember,
the effective functioning of your classroom begins with
intentional design and clear procedures and expectations.
That's it for today.
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