Alee Swanner March 24, 2015 Classroom Design Second Grade

FYI: Some pictures may overlap in Steele’s Six Functions because my practicum teacher was very intentional about making sure she had a good reason (or multiple reasons) to add certain things to her small space.

Security and Shelter First and foremost, it is crucial to make sure your students are in a safe, welcoming environment. No amount of learning can happen in an uncomfortable or dangerous environment. These second grade students have their very own lockers and desks within the classroom. They also have a sink in the classroom. Students are allowed to get up and wash their hands at any point in the day. Finally, I added my teacher’s behavior chart under Security and Shelter because I believe that having an effective way to discipline established promotes to the overall safety of the classroom.

Social Contact My practicum teacher also promotes social contact when she design her room. Social contact is allowing students the opportunities and ability to have positive interactions with one another. In the top picture, she adds marbles to the classroom’s “bucket,” which builds community through the group’s good behavior. She has her desks arranged in pods which allows students to collaborate throughout the day. In the bottom picture, students will gather on the rug for lessons and discussions. This also helps build community.

Symbolic Identification Symbol identification is just showing evidence that the people who are in the room look like they are in the room. In this second grade classroom, you can see various students work around the room. The raven on her desk represents the school mascot. She also has little cards and pictures from students around the room. On the door, they wrote and illustrated their goals after reading Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!”

Task Instrumentality Task Instrumentality is all about how you will accomplish the activities throughout your day. Organization is key here! My teacher stores clipboards and other materials under the CD player station, as well as other things in the bins under the computers. In addition to the student’s lockers where they store their belongings, there is also a mailbox system for the students. The green basket is where they turn in assignments, blue is for things to the office, and they take whatever is in their box home to their parents.

Pleasure Students, and adults, are more productive when they are in an enjoyable environment. Pleasure is the function all about making the space a “second home.” It give students the freedom to take their time and do well on their work instead of rushing through. It also helps everyone to feel more at ease and rested! This classroom is full of fun lights, plants, rugs, fabrics and pillows to spruce up the room and make it more inviting and conducive to healthy work!

Growth Opportunities for growth aren’t just valuable for the younger children. Giving students academic-rich, challenging activities that they are free to work on promotes growth. Both open-ended and close-ended activities are important to have available. This classroom has a hut/tent with coloring books, puzzles, and games that all promote growth. Certain “advanced “ students have workbooks that they can complete puzzles within at certain times in the day. Above is a bin full of puzzles, play money, dolls, coloring sheets, etc. to use for “indoor recess.”

Thank you!

References: Weinstein, C. S., Romano, M. E., & Mignano, A. J. (2015). Elementary classroom management: Lessons from research and practice (6 th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. [ISBN: ]