Learning Space Design

As part of one of my midterm exams, I had to write an essay on how I would set up my dream classrooms, with an unlimited budget. This paper had to be based on my own thoughts and wants along with research. I was stressed out and worried about performing well throughout the writing process for the entire essay. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I received an excellent grade. Please take the time to review my writing and leave any feedback.

            A good classroom design is an important role in a student’s education and emotional wellbeing (Persaud, 2014). The issue is that there is a lack of funding to design the ideal classroom and schools build a generic type of classroom and school because that is what everyone is used to (Persaud, 2014). For the purpose of this paper I will detail what my ideal classroom will look like and provide research to back up my reasoning for the items I want to place in my classroom.

            The first thing I will begin with in my classroom is lighting. According to Persaud, when a classroom is filled with natural lighting, or lighting that mimics natural sunlight, then student’s will remain “healthier, have higher attendance rates, and have higher achievement rates” (Persaud, 2014). I believe that the natural light provides these benefits because it provides us with vitamin D and because sunshine makes us feel happy and healthy on a basic level. For the walls of my classroom I want to have one wall painted a salmon color because it is noted that natural or warm colors are the best colors for a conducive learning environment (Mocton, 2016). Another wall will be filled with cabinets and will be where the sink, water fountain, and counter space are located; however, I want the front and sides of the cabinets to be painted with marker board paint so my students are able to write messages on them to express their feelings or what was their favorite part of the day.  The third wall will be a wall of windows that can be partially opened with bookcases below the windows. I want to put a cushion on the top of the book cases so students are able to sit in front of the window to read during read-to-self time; the windows will not be able to be opened from the lower half of the windows so students cannot escape through the windows or anything else of the sort. The fourth wall will be where my whiteboards are located along with a smartboard that can be moved on a track and an overhead projector. The wall that is painted salmon I want a bulletin board that spans most of the wall length so we can hang anchor charts, student drawings, and other important information.

            For desks, I want to utilize desks that are similar to a triangle shaped, but may be more like an arrowhead, desk that can be placed easily into groups for collaborative work or moved to be solitary desks as well. For student chairs, I will use a mix of regular desk chairs, rocking chairs, and exercise balls. The exercise balls will be in limited supply, probably two, and will be used by students that need to be moving to focus effectively on their learning (Macpherson, 2016). Then, in a separate area that I will designate as my reading area I will have two beanbag chairs, a loveseat, and a chair around a circle rug. The reading area will be where I read to students, where they can go to read during read-to-self time, or where they can go to decompress if needed during the school day. By providing this reading area and allowing students to utilize it to decompress if they become stressed out I will be supporting their emotional development (Hardiman, 2015). I will also use this area everyone morning as our morning meeting place to get the day started and talk about any issues that may be bothering us in our lives (Hardiman, 2015). I will make sure that all the student desks are placed in a way that they can easily see the board when necessary and I will keep my seating arrangements flexible throughout the entire year (Macpherson, 2016). I will keep the seating arrangements flexible throughout the year because what works in the beginning of the year may not work in the middle of the year or at the end of the year, especially after my students get to know each other well (Macpherson, 2016).

            My classroom library will be big and varied. I will keep my books sorted by subject or genre first, then by reading level, and then by authors (WeAreTeachers Staff, 2016). I believe that by sorting my books in this way, I will be allowing my students the easiest way for them to find books that interest them quickly. However, I will also require them to read at least one book per week that they are not sure they will be interested in so they open their horizons in regards to what they read about and become interested in. I will also download a technology based library onto my class iPads and computers for my students that need a reward or that benefit from reading on technology instead of an actual print book (WeAreTeachers Staff, 2016). I will also include books that my students create themselves as part of their assignments, different reading materials like environmental print items or menus, and tactile books (The Access Center, 2015).  

List of items and furniture:

·       5 two shelf bookshelves

·       5 cushions for the top of the bookshelves

·       3 bulletin boards

·       One gallon of salmon paint

·       Two big whiteboards

·       One smartboard that is movable (on a tract)

·       6 sets of window blinds

·       Dimmable lights that are similar to sunlight when they’re at full power

·       20 triangle shaped desks

·       2 exercise balls

·       One loveseat]

·       One comfortable chair

·       One big circle rug

·       2 beanbag chairs

·       One overhead projector

·       6 iPads (at least)

·       3 laptops (at least)

·       40 bins for books

·       40 laminated cards with book subjects/genres, then level color sticker, and then the author’s name

·       24 expo markers

·       10 marker board erasers

·       100 #2 pencils

·       One teacher laptop

·       One teacher desk

·       One office chair for me

·       25 sets of over the ear headphones

·       Story paper

·       Hooks for backpacks

·       Coat rack

·       Scissors

·       Glue sticks and glue

·       Construction paper

·       Crayons

·       Markers

·       Printer

·       Camera

Works Cited

4Teachers. (2000-2008). Outline Your Classroom Floor Plan. Retrieved from Classroom Architect: http://classroom.4teachers.org/

Colbert, J. (2008). Classroom Design and How it Influences Behavior. Retrieved from Early Childhood News: http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=413

Hardiman, D. M. (2015). Brain-Targeted Teaching: Climate. Retrieved from Brain-Targeted Teaching: http://braintargetedteaching.org/climate.cfm

Macpherson, E. (2016). Throw Out Your Seating Chart and Try One of These 7 Ideas Instead. Retrieved from We are Teachers: http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2012/07/17/the-teacher-report-7-creative-approaches-to-classroom-seating

Mocton, D. (2016, June 27). The Ideal Classroom Designed by Today’s Educators. What Would It Look Like? Retrieved from Hertz Furniture: http://www.hertzfurniture.com/school-matters/ideal-classroom

Persaud, R. (2014, September 08). Why Learning Space Matters. Retrieved from Edutopia: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/why-learning-space-matters-ramona-persaud

The Access Center. (2015). Literacy-Rich Environments. Retrieved from Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/literacy-rich-environments

WeAreTeachers Staff. (2016). The Teacher Report: 7 Ways to Differentiate Your Classroom Library. Retrieved from We are Teachers: http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2012/07/10/the-teacher-report-7-ways-to-differentiate-your-classroom-library