To limit these distractions, it is important for teachers to reevaluate the purpose of what is displayed throughout the classroom. If the information displayed is not purposeful or regularly referenced, then it should be removed in an attempt to reduce visual clutter. Today's Around Town Round Up has gathered a variety of Purposeful Classroom Displays to help teachers with prioritizing what to display and what to eliminate.
Calendar
One of the most common, and most purposeful displays we find in many classrooms are the Calendar displays. Many classrooms have interactive Calendar areas where students manipulate pieces daily and participate in daily living activities. These displays are purposeful because students interact with them daily and they provide opportunities for daily learning. Each calendar display can be modified to meet the needs of that particular classroom and can incorporate class-wide goals and themes.
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| Mandy Whitfield MCESC Learning Center- East |
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| Bobbi Jo Chapman Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield |
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| Brittany Sword Valley Elementary, Beavercreek |
This classroom also incorporates a daily Math Corner where students interact with manipulatives each day to practice math skills.
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| Taylor Ruef Stevenson Elementary, Mad River |
Another option to further eliminate the visual clutter is using an interactive calendar that can be displayed on an overhead projector or interactive whiteboard. There are many options that can be found on sharing sites. Our editable version can be found on our Boardmaker Online Group.
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| Boardmaker Online Interactive Calendar |
Daily Routines
We see many interactive displays for daily routines include lunch count, attendance, and line leader. These displays are purposeful because students need to reference and interact with them daily. Students can see a direct correlation between their interaction and an event that happens. For instance, making a lunch choice leads to what they receive during lunch time and the line leader display shows who will be first that day.
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| Toni Mallot Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg |
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| Jackie Vollmer Driscoll Elementary, Centerville |
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| Anne Rosenbaum Orchard Park Elementary, Kettering |
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| Kathy Timmerman Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek |
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| Jamie Minnish Prass Elementary, Kettering |
In these examples, the students move their lunch card to take attendance. The students who are buying that day then take their card when they leave to go to the cafeteria.
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| Rylie Jarrett Stevenson Elementary, Mad River |
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| Jamie Minnish Prass Elementary, Kettering |
Learning Objectives
A goal of all educators is to communicate learning objectives in a meaningful way to students so that they understand expectations. This can be done through displaying and reviewing these objectives in I Can Statement displays and Focus Walls. Like the calendar displays, learning objective displays are most purposeful when they are interactive. They should be referenced throughout the day and changed regularly to reflect the purpose of the current instruction.
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| Deanna Mullins Kiser PK-8, Dayton |
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| Christine Scarborough Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia |
We love how this example also incorporates the classroom's daily schedule.
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| Annette Stine Kyle Elementary, Troy |
This is our most recommended version because it also provides a mini-schedule so students know what activities will be completed to meet the objective (which is written at the bottom). The picture cards can be removed as the activities are completed to visually display how they are getting closer to meeting the objective.
Focus walls can be referenced prior to each lesson as well to allow students time to review material relevant to the upcoming lesson.
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| Jackie Vollmer Driscoll Elementary, Centerville |
We love how this example has sleeves which make materials easily accessible for students.
Anchor Charts
Anchor Charts are a staple in many classrooms. The are a great resource for illustrating concepts and provide a great reference point for students during activities. However, anchor charts and posters are often the biggest culprits to adding visual clutter to a classroom. Most of the time, an anchor chart is only relevant during one activity or subject throughout the day. Therefore it only needs to be displayed during those times. If it is displayed all the time, students may have a hard time filtering them out when they are not needed or they may forget to reference them during the important times. Storing anchor charts and only bringing them out when needed helps emphasize to students when they are to be referenced and eliminates distractions.
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| Deanna Mullins Kiser PK-8, Dayton |
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| Can Teach Up |
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| Washington Primary, Piqua |
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| Sarah Moore Warder Park-Wayne Elementary, Springfield |
Even with mindful planning of purposeful displays throughout the classroom, it is inevitable that students may get distracted at times. Use portable dividers to provide visual boundaries which block out the extraneous stimuli.
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| Christine Scarborough Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia |
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| Sarah Moore Warder Park-Wayne Elementary, Springfield |
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| Sandy Beck Broadway Elementary, Tipp City |
Are you interested in more ways to reduce visual clutter and help students focus? Check out these great posts:
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