Mrs. Scotts 1st grade classroom design Lynley Price Classroom Design 03/02/2016

Steele’s six functions of the classroom setting Security and Shelter Social Contact Symbolic Identification Task Instrumentality Pleasure Growth

Security and shelter The classroom setting should provide physical and psychological security and comfort. Physical security, the condition of having a physically safe, functional classroom, is the most basic functional criterion that must be met in order for students to learn. Psychological security is the feeling that the classroom is a secure, comfortable place to be. Establishing a warm psychological climate is a prerequisite for a focused learning environment . Although the picture to the left is not of Mrs. Scott’s actual room, Mrs. Scott does have a few bean bag chairs in her classroom library that the students can get comfortable on while reading and completing their classwork.

Social Contact The classroom setting is arranged to suit the amount of student interaction desired. Every room send a message to students about whether or not its okay for them to communicate with one another. Its important to make sure that the message sent by your room matches your desired level of student-to-student interactions. You can avoid many classroom management struggles when the physical environment you’ve created is congruent with your goals for social contact. Mrs. Scott has her desks arranged in pods of fours, like you see to the right. she does this so the students can work together and talk, but only when asked to.

Symbolic Identification The classroom setting should reflect the teacher’s and students’ backgrounds, activities, accomplishments and preferences. Displaying students’ work and items they find meaningful communicates to them that they are important and special. Students are more likely to take care of a classroom that they think of as theirs. Personalizing the classroom with information about yourself communicates to your students that in addition to being a teacher, you are a real person. Mrs. Scott loves to display her students art work all around the room. She also loves to keep pictures of her family on her desk for the students to look at!

Task instrumentality The classroom setting should support the specific learning tasks to be carried out there. You can avoid many management problems by setting up the classroom appropriately for the specific tasks students and teachers need to accomplish. Mrs. Scott has 5 computers set up in the back of the classroom that students use during reading workshop. They use this program called “I-Station” that sends her reports on the students’ progress each night.

Pleasure The classroom setting should be attractive and aesthetically pleasing. Aesthetically pleasing classrooms have been shown to positively influence students’ behavior, including improving attendance and feelings of group cohesion as well as increasing persistence on tasks and class participation. Mrs. Scott has a Bluetooth radio on her “teacher cart” that she turns on only when students are quietly working on classwork. She also plays one song each morning as the students arrive in an attempt to calm them down, and mentally ready for the day.

growth A learning-enriched environment, is one that is equipped with materials and resources, and encourages intellectual growth and development. Students are more likely to be engaged if they find the classroom stimulating and interesting. When engaged, they are learning rather than disrupting. Mrs. Scott has a classroom library that is jam packed with tons of books. All of her students love going to the library and grabbing a book to read after finishing their assigned class work, even the students who are struggling to read!

citations Bean Bag Chairs: Peace, Love, and First Grade. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/12807180160104541/ Desk Arrangement: Environment (DM4). (2008). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from https://dleavitt.wordpress.com/environment/ Student Artwork: Facility. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://holymountain.weebly.com/facility.html Family Pictures: Obama family photos are displayed at the Oval Office at the White House in Washington - Black Enterprise. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://www.blackenterprise.com/news/inside-black-enterprise-exclusive-oval-office -interview-with-president-barack-obama/attachment/obama-family-photos-are-displayed-at-the-oval-office-at-the-white-house-in-washington/

citations Computers: Clutter-Free Classroom: Computers - Setting Up the Classroom Series. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com/2011/07/computers-setting-up-classroom-series.html Bluetooth Radio: Robot Check. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Digital-GDI-IR2600-featuring- iHeartRadio/dp/B006RG23JC Classroom Library: A Balanced Classroom Library | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/balanced-classroom-library Information: Weinstein, C. S. (2015). Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice by Weinstein (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.