Thursday, August 9, 2018

Organization Station-- Classroom Layout

August is in full swing and many of our teams are busy preparing for students to arrive soon. We wanted to focus today's Organization Station on one of the first steps of organizing the classroom and that is Classroom Layout.



When planning your classroom layout, it is important to plan ahead. The classroom should have clearly defined locations for the followng:
  • whole group instruction
  • small group instruction
  • one-on-one instruction
  • structured/independent work
  • free time/indoor recess/reward breaks
  • sensory breaks
  • technology
There may be some age-specific areas included in your classroom layout as well. For instance, preschool classrooms may have areas for dramatic play, naps, and sensory play while high school classrooms may have areas for vocational tasks. 


In some classes, an area of the classroom may need to serve multiple purposes such as using a kidney table for whole group or for small group depending on the time of day. Below we have compiled some of the best examples we have seen across the Miami Valley for each location.

Whole Group Instruction
Many teams at the preschool or elementary level have a carpet area for whole group activities such as GoNoodle, calendar, or whiteboard activities.
Angela Crum
Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek

Keelin DiMuccio
Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

A large table, such as a kidney table, is also a great place for whole or small group instruction.


Small Group Instruction



One-on-One Instruction
Jessica Ward
Rolling Hills Elementary, Northeastern

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Rebecca Lemons
Miamisburg Middle School, Miamisburg


Structured/Independent Work
Larger classrooms can often accommodate for each student to have their own work space.
Pandy Pugh
Indian Riffle Elementary, Kettering


Smaller classrooms may need to have a designated independent work station if they do not have the room for every student to have their own work space.
Carrie Prickett
Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg
Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River


Free Time/Indoor Recess/Reward Breaks
Designating where students should spend play and leisure time as well as clearly communicating when they are allowed to play is an important classroom management strategy.
Jessica Ward
Rolling Hills Elementary, Northeastern

Toni Mallott
Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Brittany Sword
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek


Sensory Breaks
Many students benefit from a quiet area where they can get a break from the sensory demands of the classroom. In some buildings, this may be a designated room. When a building does not have this space available or when a teacher wants an area that is quickly accessible, they may create a sensory space within the classroom.

Pandy Pugh
Indian Riffle Elementary, Kettering

Kendall Koehler
Normandy Elementary, Centerville 
Keelin DiMuccio
Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek



Traci Parker
Forest Elementary, Troy

Bobbi Jo Chapman
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield

Jamie Zimmer
Kettering Middle School, Kettering
 For some students, a quiet location within the room with reduced visual stimuli is helpful.
Beth Young
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield

Technology
Some classrooms have a designated location for technology such as a computer station or iPad area.
Jennifer McGowan
Smith Middle School, Vandalia
Peggy Ristau
Brookville Intermediate, Brookville


Other classrooms have technology stored in a designated location and when it is time for students to use the technology they can take it to another area.
Megan Kelly
Beavertown Elementary, Kettering



It is important when dividing up the classroom into clearly defined locations to use visual and physical boundaries. Sometimes these are static such as positioning of furniture or shelving. Other times, we see teams use portable dividers that can be adjusted throughout the day based on the number of locations being used and distractibility of students.
Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

Ramel Mitchell
Kyle Elementary, Troy 
Marissa Calhoun
Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek



Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Before moving furniture around, consider creating a layout plan. You can create a plan in Powerpoint or visit one of these free online resources:






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