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November 2007

ORGANIZING AN EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

Now is the perfect time to look at your classroom and decide if it’s working for you. The supplies you organized at the first of the year should still be mostly in order. Your classroom layout should suit your class’ learning modalities and be easy to navigate. Whether you have the perfect classroom layout or there is room for improvement, we have some ideas to consider for now… or later.

One of the trickiest things when laying out your room is finding a system that’s easy to maintain. Your classroom spaces – from the overall layout to the out-of-the-way supply areas - need to suit your personal and organizational styles so they require little effort to keep up.

STUDENT DESKS

Design them around your students. Even though your room may look pretty much the same from year to year, don’t box yourself into one type of desk configuration. Your students’ learning modalities might not work with your current system.

Design them around your teaching strategy. If you do a limited amount of group work, then grouped desks or tables shouldn’t be an option.

Limit distractions. As much as possible, arrange desks so students can’t look out the door or the windows. If your room doesn’t have window blinds, consider glare on whiteboards and TV and computer screens before positioning desks in front of windows.

Keep the traffic moving. There should be ample room for movement around each desk.

Keep eyes where they belong. The more eye contact students have with one another, the more chance for misbehavior and wayward eyes. If tables are your only option, use PRIVACY SCREENS to create private areas for quiet work or test-taking.

Provide clear views. Students should be able to see you, as well as all instructional areas, from their desks. Sit in their desks to make sure you can see from different areas of the room.

Make a change. If you feel your seating arrangement isn’t working out for everyone, change it every so often – from twice a month to once a quarter. You may eventually find an arrangement you want to keep, or you may find your class will thrive under the change.

Consider extra students. Make your desk/table arrangement flexible enough that any mid-year students can easily be added.

YOUR PERSONAL SPACE

Determine if you need a desk. If you prefer to interact with students at your desk, put it in an area where you can see all students and they can see you. If you use your desk only periodically, place it in an out-of-the-way spot.

If you use a desk:
- Keep it clutter-free.
- Make sure it locks or you have a lockable cabinet to store files.
- Keep a bookshelf nearby. For often-used materials, our STEEL DESK ORGANIZER and DESK TRAYS WITH SORTER incorporate room for binders and manuals with letter-size trays.
- Make your in/out boxes visible and accessible. THE PAPER WEDGE holds more than three reams of paper and comes in six colors!

If you don’t use a desk:
- Have a central location for your often-used teaching materials and supplies, like our TEACHER'S DESKTOP ORGANIZER. If you have no table or countertop space, use a rolling cart, like our ROYAL® READING/WRITING CENTER or ON-THE-GO CLASSROOM CART.
- Have a lockable cabinet for files and personal items.
- Designate an area for homework collection. Our COLLECTOR/PROTECTOR has six deposit-only slots with teacher-only back-door access.

LEARNING AREAS

Create quiet space. This can be for reading or other quiet work. Our SIT-UPON BENCH and CUBE combine seating and storage in one.

Keep quiet areas away from busy ones.

Use dividers that are high enough to provide privacy, but low enough or positioned so that all students are visible. Bookshelves, like our MOBILE WOOD LIBRARY DISPLAY, make great, multi-use dividers. Our LEARNING CENTER DIVIDERS, which are taller, are ideal dividers for areas with a clear view.

Art or other potentially messy areas should be located near a sink.

Determine if you need a meeting area. Will you meet with students one-on-one, in groups or both? Is the area in a place that will not disturb other students? Do you need chairs or tables?

Vary your environments. Students’ learning modalities will affect how they work alone or in groups. Provide study areas near windows, in cozy corners, in open areas (carpet works well) and ones that have manipulatives and writing or drawing paper (like our WRITING WORKSHOP CENTER).

STORAGE/SUPPLIES

Clear the clutter. Does your room feel smaller than it actually is? Take a look at your walls. If they are completely covered, it’s time to clean them. Look at your storage shelves. Does everything have a home? If not, find one or start tossing.

Make it easily accessible. Just like desks, your supplies should be easy to get to and to maneuver around.

Separate supplies into five categories. Remember to incorporate flexibility into your organization:
- Shared student supplies can be located on lower shelves and communal areas. They should be organized in such a way so they are easy for students to maintain.
- Individual student supplies should always be labeled with the student’s name or number and kept in the student’s personal area. Our AUSSIE® POUCH CHAIR POCKETS and MAKE-YOUR-OWN-PENCIL BOXES provide at-your-seat storage for notebooks, writing instruments and laptops!
- Often-used teacher supplies can be located on higher shelves or in cabinets with doors. Larger, individual items like hole punches and paper cutters should be kept out and in a location that’s easy for you (but not your students) to get.
- Occasional-use teacher supplies, such as unit material and surplus supplies, should be kept in areas that are easily located but not necessarily within easy reach. For instance, store them in bins with lids, and then store often-used materials on top of the bins.
- Infrequently used teacher supplies, such as once-a-year bulletin boards or event supplies, should be stored in harder-to-reach areas like the tops of cabinets.

Label everything. Clearly label all storage areas so materials are easy to return to their proper place. Our LABEL MANAGER creates neat labels anywhere!

Assign a personal space for each student. Students should have a desk or cubby of their very own to store works-in-progress (like our CUBBIESTACK™ or 24-COMPARTMENT ORGANIZER). For rooms without lockers or coat rooms, assign each student a hook to hang their coat and bag.

Color-Code. Storage areas, student cubbies, classroom library, centers… they can all be color coded! It makes it easy to create easy-to-remember divisions and to keep it all clean! Our COLOR-CODE DOTS, FILE CADDIES and COLOR-CODE POCKET FOLDERS are just a few of the items that are color-coded for you!

DÉCOR

Examine your space. Take a careful look at what can’t be moved, such as windows, doors and whiteboards, and design your room with the permanent spaces in mind.

Check regulations. Most schools have rules for how much of the walls can be covered. Follow these guidelines.

Create a display format. If you display student work, designate one or two areas of your room to be “permanent” display areas. Items like our CLASSROOM CLOTHESLINE and THE HOLD UP are ideal – they can remain in the same place all year, make displays easy to change and keep them hole-free.

Consider your students. Represent your class’ cultural diversity when choosing posters and designing bulletin boards.

Redecorate. After two or three weeks, students will ignore what’s on the walls if it isn’t new. Display only current student work and keep other décor limited to your current unit of study. Make bulletin boards interactive and easy to change (word walls, etc.). Our PEEL & STICK DISPLAY POCKETS are great for a quick-change quote of the day, weekly menu, etc.

AMBIENCE

Provide background music during quiet study. Instrumental music or sounds of nature can improve students’ focus and keep them on task.

Use plants. Plants clean the air, provide a nice atmosphere and teach students responsibility. Keep possible student allergies in mind before selecting plants.

Make it colorful, but don’t overdo. Using more than three colors on the walls can become a distraction.

Vary the lighting. Some students work best in low light, some in bright light. Create working areas with dimmer overhead light and add lamps for those who prefer brighter conditions.

Use furniture. If your school allows it, add a comfy chair or couch to your room. Make sure it is easy to keep clean – use slip covers and pillow cases.

HOT TIP: When your classroom is set up, take a digital or Polaroid picture of each area and tape it nearby. Students can check the photo to make sure they put everything in its place, and you’ll have a photo to make next year’s set up a breeze!

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