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About Classroom Design
Classrooms don't have to be dark and dreary places--in fact, teachers are discovering that more inviting classrooms create more opportunities for learning. Join us here as we discover how to create beauty in classrooms and how these creative spaces may help transform your room into the space you have always hoped for, something that is... Simply Beautiful. All videos are in Flash format, optimized for viewing on computers with high-speed internet access. If you are having trouble viewing a video, you can download a free Flash player for your computer here:
Download Free Adobe Flash Player Here.
[Two videos on Classroom Design are available for purchase. For more information, click here.]
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Design - Gathering Space and Focus Lessons (ARTICLE)
When creating a culture for learning and independence, two of the essential pieces are a gathering place and focus lessons. A gathering place is an open space large enough for the whole class to gather while sitting on the floor. The space also includes a chart rack and white board for focus lessons, class created anchor (or living) charts, an overhead projector or document camera, Café Menu board and other teaching materials. We have a gathering place in every classroom we teach, regardless of the age level. Even intermediate aged students benefit from this gathering routine. . . . more . . .
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Design - Whiteboards the multifunctional tool
(VIDEO)
When students sit on the floor for a focus lesson, we want them to all to be engaged. Enter....the whiteboard. In this video Joan shows you the power of the whiteboard as a tool for reading, writing, math, or any subject students are learning. There are two different . . . more . . .
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Design - Ginny's Classroom Map (DOWNLOAD)
It's hard for us to imagine that some of you have been back to school for weeks. Most of us here in the Northwest are just beginning our pilgrimage back to set up our classrooms in anticipation of th . . . more . . .
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CAFE - Assessment Area (VIDEO)
Joan is going to take you on a tour of the assessment area in her classroom and show you the system she uses for organizing her assessments. How she stores the data she collects so she can use it for instructional purposes really works for her. If you are looking for a way to organize and store your assessments, wondering what to do with assessment sheets once they are filled up, or hoping to design an assessment area for yourself, this video may be helpful. . . . more . . .
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Design - Phases of an Environmental Change
This download details the phases we go through when making an environmental change in our classrooms or any classroom we help redesign. This is especially helpful if you are already in the particular classroom. If you are moving to a new school, you will skip the part where you move all the furniture out...you have already done that! This form dovetails with our other Design downloads . . . more . . .
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Design - Consider the Walls
"The quality of the classroom environment is one of the key non-verbal messages students receive in their schooling. Classrooms that are warm, bright, attractive, stimulating, and cared for send children a powerful message that the teacher values them as individuals and is committed to their learning and achievement. High-quality classrooms convey a sense of comfort, respect, and stability within which positive behaviors and learning skills can be developed." John Visser (May 2001) . . . more . . .
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Design - Classroom Architect
Do you want to play around with redesigning your classroom and trying out different layouts without breaking your back? If so, you will want to check out this link. This web tool gives you the flexibility to look at different classroom layouts and move all the furniture in your classroom over and over again…with just the touch of your mouse. Put in the dimensions of your classroom and then slide around the different types of furniture based on what you have in your own room. The size of the furniture automatically adjusts to scale. . . . more . . .
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Design - Making Classroom Walls Work (SLIDESHOW)
When we were beginning teachers our classroom walls looked very different than today. We used to have a different colored paper on each wall, with a variety of borders. We realize now having each bulletin board a different color; each border a different pattern creates high visual noise in our rooms. This noise can elevate the level of distraction for our at risk kids as well as turn the focus to the bulletin boards themselves rather than the thinking placed on them. Below is a slideshow of the boards in Joan's classroom showing how we can make our classroom walls work for us. . . . more . . .
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Design - Conferring Locations (SLIDESHOW)
Where do you meet with small groups of children or confer one on one with your students? Envisioning how to set up a classroom in a way that will accommodate the diverse needs of our students can be easy, once you've seen examples you like. This slide show will give you a tour of how Joan's room is set up to lead cozy small group instruction as well as individual conferences. . . . more . . .
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Design - Classroom Seating Options (SLIDESHOW)
Our friend Lori said she knows summer is over when she lays in bed at night and mentally moves furniture around her classroom. Thoughtful seating options have the power to make our classrooms work more efficiently and productively. So, if you are mentally or physically setting up your classroom for a new school year, you may want to look at the variety of seating options shown in this slideshow. . . . more . . .
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Design - Establishing an Environment for Learning
(DOWNLOAD)
A few years ago we started teaching classroom design courses, which have been very well attended. We all spend so much time in our classrooms that it isn't surprising we want them to be and feel beautiful. So, how can teachers get started when thinking through a new classroom design? This is the first tool we share when teaching our "Trading Spaces" classroom design courses, the strategies for working through a new design step by step . . . more . . .
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Design - Reflection On Classroom Environments (DOWNLOAD)
Thinking back on our first years of teaching, the environment we created in our classrooms looked very different then than it does now. Yet at that time the space reflected what we believed; the teacher, needed to have complete control over the classroom, curriculum and childrens behavior. The room was set up for quiet since our teaching was evaluated on the amount of noise that was produced in our rooms; little noise...great teacher, much noise...teaching was deemed out of control. At one time in our teaching history we even had student desks in rows with our teacher desk looming in the front of the classroom facing the students. . . . more . . .
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Design - Layers of Classroom Design (DOWNLOAD)
Have you ever thought of redesigning your classroom environment but didn't know where to begin? Setting up a classroom at the beginning of a new school year can be overwhelming. There is so much to think about...where do the student desks go? How about the paper on the wall, what about the teacher desk? With so many questions swirling in our heads, we needed a systematic way to reconstruct our rooms. This system really works for us, and we think it will help you as well. In fact, we follow these steps every time . . . more . . .
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Design - Seven Steps to Designing Physical Space (DOWNLOAD)
Once the reflecting process and planning for your classroom environment is complete (or you are just tired of thinking about it and want your room changed RIGHT NOW) - these 7 steps may be just what you need to get started. When reconfiguring a classroom or moving into a new one, it can be tricky to see the space through new eyes. Some of the phrases that we hear or have used ourselves that interfere with change are, "I have to have the room set up this way because it's how I always do it." Or "My desk has to go over there." To begin with a clear head we move . . . more . . .
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