ORGANIZING THE CAN-DO CLASSROOM
Breathing Out and Breathing In
The organization of the classroom is an important element of keeping students and staff calm and organized in their daily activities. The example classroom used in the chapter discusses the use of 90-minute play sessions where students are allowed to move between different centers or stay at the same for the entire time. This is a k-2 classroom with co-teachers. This time is referred to as the ‘breathing out’ period where students are able to let go of the baggage they may have from their home lives and just be kids. This breathing out session begins in the morning when students first arrive until morning recess. Upon signal from the teacher, students start to clean 10 minutes before the bell. After recess until lunch is the ‘breathing in’ time when language arts is the focus. During this time activities are teacher directed at the beginning and progress to more independent activities that are student lead and practiced. In the example classroom, the teachers found that combining the breathing out and breathing in time in the morning resulted in students remaining on task without having to be reminded. However, the author noted that this may not be the approach for every classroom.
Deciding on the Shape of the Day
There is no one ‘right’ shape to setting up the school day. The most appropriate shape to the day will depend on the needs of the students, they will dictate when the breathing out and breathing in time is most appropriate. However there is support for having breathing out at the beginning of the day as the data has also shown that students are more productive after the breathing out period (p. 67).
Gathering the Materials
Can-Do classrooms are set up so the materials, tools, and equipment are accessible and available for the students. It is important that the materials can be manipulated to aid in a student’s growing and learning. It is important that materials work as allies with the students and not as adversaries. The materials, tools, and equipment at the centers and are used throughout the day which allows for different levels of investigation and play-debrief-replay activities.
Setting Up the Classroom - Guiding Principals
Wassermann, describes 5 principals for setting up one's classroom. The first is large tabletops that have the ability to be multi purposeful throughout the day. The next is tables to display students’ work and teachers’ examples. The third is a ‘reading corner’, to house the classroom library. The forth, are private areas where students can complete independent and quiet work. The last principle is storage; while the author acknowledges this can be challenging in a primary classroom, it is important not to have a classroom with cluttered spaces and walls, as this distracts students from their learning.
The organization of the classroom is an important element of keeping students and staff calm and organized in their daily activities. The example classroom used in the chapter discusses the use of 90-minute play sessions where students are allowed to move between different centers or stay at the same for the entire time. This is a k-2 classroom with co-teachers. This time is referred to as the ‘breathing out’ period where students are able to let go of the baggage they may have from their home lives and just be kids. This breathing out session begins in the morning when students first arrive until morning recess. Upon signal from the teacher, students start to clean 10 minutes before the bell. After recess until lunch is the ‘breathing in’ time when language arts is the focus. During this time activities are teacher directed at the beginning and progress to more independent activities that are student lead and practiced. In the example classroom, the teachers found that combining the breathing out and breathing in time in the morning resulted in students remaining on task without having to be reminded. However, the author noted that this may not be the approach for every classroom.
Deciding on the Shape of the Day
There is no one ‘right’ shape to setting up the school day. The most appropriate shape to the day will depend on the needs of the students, they will dictate when the breathing out and breathing in time is most appropriate. However there is support for having breathing out at the beginning of the day as the data has also shown that students are more productive after the breathing out period (p. 67).
Gathering the Materials
Can-Do classrooms are set up so the materials, tools, and equipment are accessible and available for the students. It is important that the materials can be manipulated to aid in a student’s growing and learning. It is important that materials work as allies with the students and not as adversaries. The materials, tools, and equipment at the centers and are used throughout the day which allows for different levels of investigation and play-debrief-replay activities.
Setting Up the Classroom - Guiding Principals
Wassermann, describes 5 principals for setting up one's classroom. The first is large tabletops that have the ability to be multi purposeful throughout the day. The next is tables to display students’ work and teachers’ examples. The third is a ‘reading corner’, to house the classroom library. The forth, are private areas where students can complete independent and quiet work. The last principle is storage; while the author acknowledges this can be challenging in a primary classroom, it is important not to have a classroom with cluttered spaces and walls, as this distracts students from their learning.