Re-Designing Classrooms
Rationale
In an attempt to redesign my classroom, I wanted to focus on enabling creativity, innovation, and experimentation along with providing a collaborative environment. My current classroom in China (I'm in Michigan at the moment), while having natural light along the wall in the form of large south-facing windows, it is quite cluttered and the furniture seems to be placed with no specific purpose. Computers are placed in a couple of locations, and desks are organized in a semi-circle fashion. I generally stand in front of the room and conduct the class while pacing the floor. While I tried to use the natural light in the room from south facing windows, allow for more open space in the middle of the classroom to give a sense of flow, and added several new pieces of furniture (sofa/chairs) to create a more comfortable environment. I included a panel display to improve the overall quality of student /teacher presentations, and retextured/painted the walls and other surfaces with warm colors and designs that older students would likely enjoy. Further, the tile flooring (institutional feel) was replaced with a hardwood surface and the size the instructor’s area was reduced in order to encourage more interaction. I am not in my classroom until later this year, so I was unable to take before photos. My students are learning English, are adults ranging from 19 to 24. We generally limit individual class sizes to around 15-20 students. Many of the activities and lessons are aimed at providing as many chances for speaking as possible. The goal is to encourage and facilitate improved student to student and teacher to student interaction. I wanted to make it easier for individuals to work together, but I also wanted to make personal space available for relaxation and independent study. There are several computer stations along two walls, and a printer for assisting in making copies of materials we may want to use for particular projects.
The cost of this plan would be considerable. Unlike the cap of the Remake your Classroom (2016) projects, this would run into the thousands of dollars for certain. While I could likely source materials and furniture from low cost options and find volunteer or inexpensive labor, the plan currently would be out of our school budget. The stakeholders in this case are the parents, the students themselves, and educators. While The parents of our students would no doubt react positively to the new environment, but would likely be slow to opt for tuition increase in order to make it a reality. A long term transition could easily happen though. In reading Minds at Work (2016), I found it interesting that there is a such a trend towards moving away from the model of institutional design that limits students in exploration to one that resembles somewhat of a museum in which students can move through various experiences at their own pace. For English learners, this would be very suitable. Many of my lessons center on group projects, and are designed to encourage expression, and movement around the room, and also to facilitate interaction with objects in the space. Most of our students have their own laptops and bring them to class. A design that enables movement around and access to subject matter either at desks or in an environment that resembles the comforts of home is in line with my curriculum. I was considering having access to snacks and drinks, but I thought that because these were available just outside the door in the hallway, this was unnecessary. I aimed more for a space similar to project based learning environments in which students are able to work in teams together and there is a chance for improved movement and access to exploring more with a student-centered approach in mind.
Reference:
Minds at Work (2016). The Third Teacher +. Minds at Work. Chapter 2. Retrieved from:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/509c0d15e4b058edb8f35a86/t/50f495b3e4b0c7661ad2ec2e/1358206387728/Ch2+TTT+for+Web.pdf
Edutopia & Third Teacher + (2013). Edutopia & Third Teacher+. Remake Your Class/Edutopia. Retrieved from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXjEcnaYAmc
Trung Le (2010). Wanna Improve Education? Demolish the Classrooms. Co. Design. Retrieved from: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662178/wanna-improve-education-demolish-the-classrooms
The cost of this plan would be considerable. Unlike the cap of the Remake your Classroom (2016) projects, this would run into the thousands of dollars for certain. While I could likely source materials and furniture from low cost options and find volunteer or inexpensive labor, the plan currently would be out of our school budget. The stakeholders in this case are the parents, the students themselves, and educators. While The parents of our students would no doubt react positively to the new environment, but would likely be slow to opt for tuition increase in order to make it a reality. A long term transition could easily happen though. In reading Minds at Work (2016), I found it interesting that there is a such a trend towards moving away from the model of institutional design that limits students in exploration to one that resembles somewhat of a museum in which students can move through various experiences at their own pace. For English learners, this would be very suitable. Many of my lessons center on group projects, and are designed to encourage expression, and movement around the room, and also to facilitate interaction with objects in the space. Most of our students have their own laptops and bring them to class. A design that enables movement around and access to subject matter either at desks or in an environment that resembles the comforts of home is in line with my curriculum. I was considering having access to snacks and drinks, but I thought that because these were available just outside the door in the hallway, this was unnecessary. I aimed more for a space similar to project based learning environments in which students are able to work in teams together and there is a chance for improved movement and access to exploring more with a student-centered approach in mind.
Reference:
Minds at Work (2016). The Third Teacher +. Minds at Work. Chapter 2. Retrieved from:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/509c0d15e4b058edb8f35a86/t/50f495b3e4b0c7661ad2ec2e/1358206387728/Ch2+TTT+for+Web.pdf
Edutopia & Third Teacher + (2013). Edutopia & Third Teacher+. Remake Your Class/Edutopia. Retrieved from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXjEcnaYAmc
Trung Le (2010). Wanna Improve Education? Demolish the Classrooms. Co. Design. Retrieved from: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662178/wanna-improve-education-demolish-the-classrooms