Meagan Taylor Practicum Assignment 1

8/2/2019 Meagan Taylor Practicum Assignment 1

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EDUC 345/CRIN L10Meagan TaylorFebruary 1, 2011

EDUC 345/CRIN L10 Assignment 1: Physical Classroom Arrangement

A. Draw a diagram of your practicum classroom. Label work, storage and instructional areas. Be sure to include placementof chalkboard, students and teachers desks, doors, windows, etc. Items that cannot be altered or moved should be drawn

in red. Moveable items should be drawn in blue, black, or pencil.


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B. Using the considerations for physical arrangement discussed in class, what pros andcons do you see in the current arrangement.

Advantages of the current layout:

Overall, this layout functions pretty well. The children spend a large portion of their instructionaltime on the circle time carpet, where they have assigned spots marked by nametags. This circulararrangement enables the teacher to see and make eye contact with all of the students whileteaching and vice versa. When sitting in the circle, they can also easily see the board and theeasel, which she uses for writing or displaying instructional texts and pictures. This arrangementalso works well for partner work and provides space for the children to move, which is essentialfor Kindergarteners.

The students generally only spend time at their tables when doing literacy tables. The childrenrotate from the teacher table to the teacher assistant table to the independent work tables. For thepurpose of literacy tables, the tables work well. The arrangement of the student chairs at the

teacher and teachers assistant direct students away from the rest of the classroom, enabling themto better focus on the adult delivering instruction.

The arrangement of the computers, which are generally only used during free choice time, whenthe teacher and teachers assistant are at their desk, enable one of these adults to see the screen atall times.

Storage is only in areas that are easily monitored by the teacher.

The Art Center is near the sink, enabling students to wash their hands when they are done.

The arrangement provides a fair amount of open space, necessary for movement and motiontime.

Disadvantages of the current layout:


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C. Draw an alternative floor plan for the classroom. Use the same color coding as in A. Predict and list the strengths andweaknesses for your alternative.


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Questionnaire Phase II

Potential Strengths:

The individual work tables are no longer near cubbies, thereby minimizing this distraction.

The kitchen/ dress up station is now visible from most of the classroom.

The supplies are no longer near the door.

The orientation of the art station was reversed to enable this station to be seen from most of the classroom.

Blocks and math tubs are now more accessible and would be visible from most of the classroom.

Computer screens can now be seen from most positions in the classroom.

The door to the outside is more accessible, making lining up for recess easier.

Potential challenges:

The teachers desk is slightly harder to get to.

The calendar display and days in school display, which is currently on the left side of the board would have to bemoved to the right side of the board because the easel would block it.

The word wall (positioned above the computers) would be more difficult to add to and alter.

D. Extension: If you are placed in a primary classroom, visit an intermediate class; if you are in an intermediate class, visit aprimary classroom.

1. How does the physical arrangement differ between the two classrooms?

In the third grade classroom, there was less open space. Each student had an individual desk, though these were groupedinto tables. The cubbies were all easily visible. There was no bathroom in the classroom. The library was moreextensive, and thereby took up more room. There were no centers, aside from a reading center near the library.

2. What physical arrangement elements are consistent?

Student seats were grouped for cooperative learning. There was a table for students to meet in groups with the teacher,which was arranged so that students at this table would have their backs to the rest of the classroom.

Adapted from: Beliefs on Discipline Inventory in Burden, P. R. (1995). Classroom management and discipline: Methods to facilitate cooperation and instruction.White Plains, NY: Longman. Pages 345-347.


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3. Do the similarities and differences reflect:

a) The age of the students? Yes. Kindergartners require greater amounts of physical activity interspersedthroughout the day, reflected in the greater amount of open space. Kindergartners also need easilysupervised access to a bathroom because of the early development of their self-care skills.Kindergarteners also are still learning social and oral language skills through play reflected in the

availability of dress-up and blocks centers in particular.

b) The teaching philosophy and practices of the teachers?

The grouping of students in both classroom suggest these teachers utilize and believe in the efficacy ofcooperative learning. The circle space in our classroom reflects my cooperating teachers valuation ofcreating an inclusive classroom community.

c) Special needs of certain students?

There is extra seating at some of the tables in the third grade classroom to provide space for SpecialEducation aides.

d) Other considerations?The third grade classroom was much smaller than the kindergarten classroom, which minimized theflexibility of room arrangement.

E. FYI (required for L10; optional for EDUC 345) Ask your cooperating teacher:

1. How he/she makes decisions regarding the class's physical arrangement?

She said that she bases many of her decisions on factors intrinsic to the classroom. For instance she said that sheput the art center where it is because the floor tiling made it easier to clean up spills. She said the compute table

arrangement was the only arrangement possible given the location of the plugs and the lengths of the cords. Shealso said that she uses a lot of trial and error. She also mentioned that she considers noise level in makingchoices. For instance, she placed the block center and kitchen center far from the independent tables to minimizedistraction. She also mentioned that she sought to provide a substantial amount of open space for movementactivities.

2. What pros and cons exist with the current arrangement?



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She noted many of the cons that I did, but she said that she felt that possible solutions were confined by the locationof electrical sockets, air vents, and floor tiles. She said that she feels that her arrangement works well overall,particularly because she is vigilant to observe the areas that are slightly less visible and places restrictions on thoseareas when she is unable to be up and in motion.

3. Compare your cooperating teachers comments to your observations.

Overall, we were largely in agreement about the advantages and disadvantages of the current arrangement, but I hadneglected consideration of air vents, electrical sockets, and floor tiles in my consideration of room arrangement. Ialso would like to place more emphasis on math and science centers, so I think these considerations went into myroom planning. Overall, I think discussing factors I had not considered, including several physical features intrinsicwill be make me more cognizant of these important components when developing a classroom arrangement next year.


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Meagan Taylor Practicum Assignment 1