Sit Wherever You Like... and Other Room 132 Anomalies

     This week I was responsible for distributing and collecting surveys from all of the teachers in our school regarding our PD wants/needs. As such, on Thursday during my prep, I visited each classroom in our school to ensure I had everyone's surveys... and I noticed something interesting.

     I am the ONLY teacher from Grade 8 to Grade 12 that does NOT have my student's desks in rows facing the "front" of the room. In fact, I am only teacher that does not have their desk as the focal point of the room! I am also the only teacher out of this group that has additional furniture in my room:


Our classroom "chill-out" space

 

     After I returned to my classroom, I began thinking of how my classroom differed from those of my colleagues. In addition to the furniture layout, my room also features:

 

- A student work station with a computer that can hook up to our

  room's SMART Board (no other high school classes have student

  computers in the room except our science lab)

 

- A microwave for students to heat up snacks (or for me to heat up

  the numerous coffees/teas I consume during the day)!

 

- A "charging station" for students to charge their devices throughout

  the day.

 

     In fact, if you visited my classroom you might see:

 

- Students sitting wherever they like during lessons (at a desk, at the

  "chill-out" space with a clipboard, at my desk, etc)

 

- Free-reign of device use (I would rather teach appropriate and

  responsible device use rather than ban them). **I do however,

  ask students to set their devices aside during important lessons

  or if their peers are presenting.

 

- Students with their head-phones in, oblivious to the world around

  them, but diligently completing their work.

 

- Students taking pictures or their work and blogging about it.

 

IAP mechanics review 02. (2009). Uploaded to Flickr by CPS Photo Library. Available online at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpsphotolibrary/7205319640/

     Why does my classroom function this way?

 

- I want our learning to be as student-centered as possible. I want

  students to be able to interact with their peers, collaborate on a

  project, and share their learning with others.

 

- I want students to be comfortable. I want them to be able to feel

  at home; like they belong to our classroom community. If they need

  to relax and curl up on the couch, do it. If they want to heat up food

  and have a snack, do it.

 

- I want them to use tools that they find useful and meaningful to them.

  I encourage device use in the classroom and recognize that students

  are going to be using them regardless of whether I encourage it or not;

  why not integrate them instead of banning them?

 

- I want to extend our learning beyond our classroom. I want students

  to think critically about their learning, share their ideas with the world,

  search for information that I can't provide, and explore their interests.