Faculty Bulletin #__: Learning in the Classroom



Faculty Bulletin #__: Learning in the Classroom

Dear Colleagues:

Now that the initial paperwork that seems to inundate us at the beginning of the school year is subsiding, I would like to turn our collective attention toward learning in the classroom, which is, after all, our reason for being here.

For the past several weeks I have been visiting classrooms and have observed, in many cases, students actively involved in their lessons. Unfortunately, the conditions of the classrooms are not the environments you would expect to see.

The effective classroom environment is a shared learning community. The environment should reflect the affective and cognitive tone of the school. Materials, furniture arrangements, displays, and libraries should facilitate group and independent activities. Rooms must be attractive and orderly. Students’ work should be on display and displays are updated to reflect daily instruction. To maintain this effective classroom environment, rooms must be kept neat and clean. Untidiness and disorder, marked by teacher negligence tends to encourage slovenly habits in the children. Teachers must set the standards and consistently insist on them. It takes time to maintain an effective classroom environment but it’s worth it.

Here are some helpful hints that will assist you in maintaining an acceptable classroom environment.

1. Decorate your room tastefully. Start with a pleasant atmosphere, which the children can emulate.

2. Be neat yourself. Keep your desk neat and clean. Do not clutter up the room.

3. Discuss the need for a clean room with the children.

4. Act at once when you see children litter. Don’t allow paper to accumulate on the floor.

5. Have monitors take the basket around regularly.

6. Don’t let students write on desks.

7. Before you leave at 2:50 P.M. make sure all desks are emptied of papers.

8. Wardrobes or Lockers must be free of paper and books. This is a fire hazard and health hazard. Books that are being stored in wardrobes must be boxed, sealed (to keep small rodents out) and labeled.

9. Before the class enters in the morning, teachers should see that all movable furniture is in order. There should be an appointed monitor to see that the boards are clean and ready for use, and a monitor to care for the appearance of bookshelves, classroom displays, and the general order of the room.

Remember that an observation of a lesson is rated for instructional content, teacher’s questions, pupil participation, routines and environment.

1. Is recent student work displayed?

2. Did the teacher maintain a general orderliness of the room? (floors, desks, shelves, blackboard, etc.)

Classroom Displays

Classroom displays are basically the windows of the room. Visitors note classroom displays first. However, more important than what the visitors note is the fact that the effectiveness of teaching is usually revealed in the appearance and content of the displays. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that all effective teachers have good displays and poor teachers have poor displays. But, there is a high correlation. Classroom displays need not be Fifth Avenue displays, but they can be neat, attractive, appealing, informative and creative.

Room decorations and displays are the responsibility of the official room teacher. Subject teachers who use the room share the responsibility. If teachers need help in displaying material, staff developers should be consulted.

Visitors to MS 118 are always impressed by the creativity and the quality of our students’ work. Through your efforts, many of our classrooms have become transformed into print-rich environments overflowing with rich evidence of our literacy journey. As an educator you should take pride in demonstrating and sharing your students’ accomplishments; therefore, it is extremely significant and important that your displays effectively showcase the quality of the work your students produce. Interesting and attractive displays can serve as teaching tools to reinforce concepts and motivate students to reach higher standards. Effective displays demonstrate the following criteria:

• They are attractive enough to make the viewer want to take a closer look.

• They have clear explanations describing the purpose, process and learning outcomes.

In planning and designing displays, keep the following in mind:

• Lettering – should be consistent and legible

• Mounting and Matting – gives a work dignity and presence

• Composition – think about ways to divide a space, yet achieve overall unity – avoid visual overcrowding

• Balance – a way to combine elements to add stability

• Movement – having a viewer’s eye move throughout the display can be achieved by: - overlapping – progression of sizes – shapes – repetition

We know that quality work demands presentation and I look forward to supporting your efforts to implement these suggestions.

Very truly yours,

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