Classroom+Layout

Here are our "future" classrooms :)

Dan- My classroom will be a very group oriented one with with three large round tables to facilitate teamwork. The three tables will basically be working as partners until the seating assignments change, and then they will be put into new teams. There will be three smartboards in the classroom so everyone can get a clear view of the board. There will also be a corner of the room in which there will be couches and __#|beanbag chairs__ for everyone to get together and meet up. This will make for a more comfortable environment to learn certain things or a nice work area for individuals if needed. In my classroom everyone will have laptops as well so there is no need for a stationary computer, and the supplies that will be needed will be kept on one side of the room or the other in marked areas. Overall, the room will be comfortable but still an evironmet for learning. I want my room to be a place where student want to come to and in turn be a little bit more enthused about learning the subject matter. The room design allows for great group work and will provide useful when jobs or activities require said group work.

Ben - My classroom would have large tables with chairs rather than individual desks. The teachers desk is near the classroom entrance. The projectors are meant to represent white boards or screens on the walls, not overhead projectors. The room would have three side rooms attached to it. The first room would eb the reading room, it would have several large book shelves and plenty of sofas and chairs to sit on and read. The large rugs would also provide a place to sit for the kids. The middle section would be where we would watch movies or videos during the day. There are large rugs on the ground for the students to sit on. This provides an area that is easy to watch and keep under control for the __#|teacher__. The last area will be for the arts, it will have easels and painting supplies as well as other art supplies for the students to use. It will have a mini stage area and plenty of clothes and props for the students to pretend with or for them to put on mini plays and skits. The walled in areas provide privacy while the students read or do art activities. My room would be very big and have plenty of space to relax.

Brandy - My room would be open full of windows and a beautiful soft shade of yellow. The decorations around the room would be children's artwork, and many colorful posters pertaining to books, manners and classroom tasks. I would also use tables instead of desks, I believe this gives the room a more warm and creative atmosphere. I would also put a large rug under the the tables. The teachers desk will be inside the door to the left and surrounded by storage for past __#|lesson plans__ and the many documents and books for the teacher. I would also set up an easel and some basic art supplies for the children to build or extend a classroom lesson. Also, I would set up a cozy corner with a big rug, some bean bag chairs and large pillows. In this area I would provide many books for the children to relax and read as the day permits. I would have many shelves filled with learning games, supplies for the students. The room would also have a projector and a smart board in front of the room. I would also like to have four computers in my room for extending the students learning on a daily basis. I want my room to give the students a comfortable feeling, and encourage creativity and individuality.

Andrea- My ideal room would be very big, since biology labs would have to go on in the room. The front part of my room would have: a whiteboard, a smartboard with two TVs beside it, a small conference area, some shelves and a laptop cart (one for each student). The middle of my room would have: individual desks for students for lecture periods, my desk and my computer- off to the left of the door. The back of the room would have large lab tables for collaborative thinking, another whiteboard, another TV for showing lab procedures, and many lab counters with storage underneath. There would also be a large storage closet in the back with a refrigerator (so that I could store pigs haha and other lab supplies that would need to be chilled) and an incubator for labs. The best part of my classroom would be the connected greenhouse! I had this in my high school, and not only did it allow us to do fun experiments with plants, but it let so much natural sunlight into the room. I would also probably decorate my room with all different types of nature and biology models. I would love for my classroom to be painted a light green color.

Cassin - My ideal classroom would have pictures hanging all over the classroom and would have big blank pieces of paper that would allow the kids to draw anything on and show their own creativity. It would be a very colorful classroom. I would have tables instead of desks because I think it is better for students to be able to work together and to share with each other what they are working on and what they are doing. They will be able to help each other easier when near each other rather than in desks. The desks will be in the middle of the classroom and when you walk into the classroom there will be the fridge, the sink, a clothes stand, and shelves on your right. On the other side of the classroom there are two computers with two chairs so students can share the computer. Next to the computers is a little area in which students can relax on the couch or the bean bag chair in which you can read a book. There are shelves there in which books are put to read during different periods during the day. There is a TV next to the shelves in case a video needs to be shown and the projector is hanging in the back of the room and projects to the smart board in front of the room. There will be a storage cabinet in the classroom in which we can store all of the supplies for the classroom.

Heather - My ideal classroom would be very big and colorful. I would put the students desks in rows facing the blackboard. The teacher's desk would also be in front of the room. This way, while students are taking tests and quizzes or working on group projects, I will be able to keep an eye on them. Toward the left side of the room I will have two book stands. Here, I will provide numerous books on topics we are discussing. Students will be able to use them for projects or even just as practice problems before exams. There will be a storage closet; where all glass materials and chemicals will be kept so they are out of reach of the students. The two shells will contain labratory materials; such as goggles, aprons, etc. In the back of the room, there will be computers for students to complete labratory reports. The programs they will mostly be using are word and exel. On the right side of the room, there will be several round tables with sinks for students to complete their experiements. Its important for them to keep there materials in their lab stations because some chemicals are hazardous. The most interesting part of my room will be my bulliten board. This will be locate in the top right part of the room. Here, I will post the lab assistant of the week, various articles about chemistry in society, and a suggestion envelope. Students can put questions in there that they would like me to answer. The overall decoration of my room will be filled with posters and displays of all aspects of the chemistry field.

Jason- My ideal classroom for an elementary level would be very comfortable and colorful. First off, being a choral music teacher, I would need to have a piano and risers in the room. For my layout, I have the kidney tables taking up the space of which the risers would and one of the teacher desks taking the place of the piano. Now, in elementary school, the students would learn the recorders as their primary instrument in every general music class, so I have shelves in the back corner where I would keep the students recorders when the students do not take them home. I have a sink for washing out the recorders as well as washing hands. I might use a movie or a white board in my classroom for musical concepts, that is why next to my desk (the teacher desk) I have a tv and a projector (which I am calling a white board!) For personal reasons and record keeping of music and tests and papers, I have a storage compartment next to the teacher desk. The three computer tables that you see would be modern technology MAC books and the piano keyboards that go along with the for the TI:ME technology. However, I only would like three stations because I would want my students to work together on learning and developing their musical concepts, and that way I can easily monitor what they are doing on the computers. The seating for the __#|students__ may seem a little strange but I have a good logic as to why I would lik circle rugs. I would actually just have mats that the students would sit on, like the samples at a carpet store, that way we can easily remove them from the floor but the students would still have something comfortable to sit on. I would like them to sit in a circle rather than desks because I can easily sit in the circle with them and be more interactive with the students rather then having them sitting in a desk and listening to me lecture. However, if there is an assignment in which students would need a place to sit, they can sit on the risers or they can sit in a chair that would be stacked up next to the door. (This would be a stack of the plastic chairs.) The square rug that is seen under the tv and the white board would be the musical rugs that elementary teachers use to help students learn notes, solfege, and the lines on a staff. These components in my classroom would allow for a full access elementary music learning environment for my students. In my room, I will have just about everything any music teacher would need for their classroom. However, it would be even more ideal if I had a storage room, like a closet, in my classroom. However, I only have this room and I believe it is designed well enough that the students will have not problem learning music. Any extra music instruments that I would have for my classroom would either sit back on the shelves or on top of my storage/filing cabinet. Although, I forgot to mention that my walls would be filled with musical posters and concepts and I would have on wall that is dedicated to outstanding student work. My classroom would be very hlepful to students learning abilities and that is why my set up is the perfect set up for an elementary music classroom.

Lianna - My ideal classroom would be large with many sections. In one corner I would have a rug where we could do class activities. I have an easel in this corner as well to use while teaching and reading to the classroom. I also have a bulletin board where I could post our calendar and other daily activities on. I would love to have the ability for every student to have access to a computer, but if that would not be possible, I have a computer corner. This is where students can work on projects or lessons. I have the students sitting at tables instead of desks because this makes it easier for students to work in groups. I would like to have a white board and a smart board in the front of the classroom for teaching to the classroom. I have my desk in another corner near the door so I would be able to keep an eye on the classroom. I added a kidney table because this would be convenient for when I need to work with a small group of kids. I have clothes stands for the students to hang up their coats and backpacks after arriving at school in the morning. I have storage along the one wall for things I may need throughout the school year as well as games and activities for the students. I also added a sink because elementary children can be messy and it would be very nice to have a sink available right in the classroom. I would want my room to have many windows that allow the sunlight to enter the room as well.

Kirsten - My ideal classroom would be very big. I would have a big area in the corner, filled with sofas, beanbag chairs and chairs so the students could be comfortable while they read. They would also have a few book shelf over in the reading corner. Next, I would have at least three computers in my classroom so all the students would be able to work on the computer whenever they wanted for projects and homework. In my classroom I would also have a few round tables for the students to sit at while they are learning. This would make it very easy to be able to work in groups. In front of the tables I would also have a smartboard so I could use that while teaching. I would also like a television in my room so we could easily watch educational videos and movies. My desk would be in the corner so I could watch over the whole classroom while I am sitting there.

Kari - My ideal classroom would very large. I would have my teacher desk in the front center with storage behind me and a whiteboard. To the left of my desk I would have closet space and computers for the students to do their lab reports. Around the edges of the classroom I would have students tables where the kids would do their lab experiments. In between these desks or already built in there would have to be sinks. In the center of the class, the desks would be lined up so thats where the kids sit during lecture. Around where the door is there is a fume hood. This is where all the chemicals that cannot be dumped down the drain are placed after the experiments. Working in a lab setting you need to take certain precautionary measures. For example, in my classroom there would be two eyewash stations, an emergency shower, and a fire blanket. These are a necessity when completing labs. I would place a round table in the middle of class because this is where the students would get their lab experiment matierals. I also would have a clothes rack because when doing an experiment you are not supposed to wear bagging clothing so they could hang their clothes here. I also have a project located beside my desk so when I give notes, i can do a powerpoint or even show different videos from online.

Nicole - My ideal classroom would be very bright, colorful and interesting. As you walk through the door the teacher’s desk is on the right with four student tables in front of it. I prefer tables instead of individual desks making it easier for students to work in groups. Behind the teachers desk would be the TV as well as several shelves for storage of books, lessons and materials. Off to the side of the teachers desk would be an area set aside for prep and the kitchen area, this would be mainly for the teacher. Behind that is an area with computers for students to work on assignments and projects. Next is a carpeted area that contains clothing and an area for creative play or for groups to sit and work. On the right side behind the desks is another carpeted area which contains bean bags and comfy chairs with several book shelves, this is the reading area. In the back of the room is an art area with a table and 3 easels, as well as storage for different supplies used in the classroom.