Paola Bribiesca CI 406 Cohort 4 Classroom Arrangement Rationale Teaching always requires preparation; without it, chaos is bound

to occur. One of the most important ways to prepare for a new school year is by setting up a classroom arrangement plan. If the teacher arrives at the school and attempts to physically move the furniture around until she finds her ideal set-up, she is better off spending the night there because this will take a long time. It helps to first start out with a virtual plan or layout of the classroom and try different ways of setting up the furniture with the main goal of creating an effective and spacious learning environment. It is a much faster and less tiring means of finding a good set-up. In my classroom set-up I have chosen to arrange it for a third grade classroom. I have arranged the desks in rows to start off the school year. According to Wong, it is important to begin the year this way so that teachers are able to keep their eyes on the students and get to know each of them (p. 94). I think it is also a great way to determine which students together in groups later, as the year progresses. Borich mentioned that changing the internal arrangement of a classroom from time to time for the sake of variety is refreshing (p. 170) and I agree because some students may get bored from always sitting in the same spot. In addition, I have noticed that a rearrangement of furniture creates energy in the room. Change is good, but I plan to implement this change after I am able to get to know my students more. What will remain consistent in my classroom, however, is that I have placed my desk at the front of the classroom next to the whiteboard. This way, students are facing me and it is easier for me to monitor their behavior. Wong also mentioned how important it is for a teacher to place her desk in a spot where it does not interfere with the flow of traffic (p. 97). My desk is placed in a corner, but close to my students desks so that I can be easily seen and quickly offer assistance to students in

need of individual help. The other desk where I can keep my eye on students will be the Reading Groups desk. It is located on the opposite corner of the classroom and I can easily see my entire classroom from that angle. Borich mentioned that as a teacher I need to exhibit with-itness in order to have an effective classroom. This means that I am aware of the activity that students are engaging regardless of my location in the classroom (p. 174). Both of these locations will help me keep my students on task and minimize negative behavior. My classroom will be arranged so that students can have a designated space during centers depending on what group they are placed in. Having the students spread out, minimizes distractions and keeps students on task. During this time, students will be in groups of five which may change every quarter as each students learning ability progresses. There will be a total of five groups and they will follow individualistic social climate, as described in Borich (p. 168169). Each group will be working on one different center each day of the week, but they will all work independently, with the exception of reading groups. The centers I have chosen for guided reading are the following: listening center, computer game, Time for Kids, reading groups, and Grab & Write. During listening center, students will borrow a small cd/cassette player with headphones from the storage cabinet at the front of the classroom. They will then choose a book packet from the bookcase closest to the teachers desk. These book packets include a cd/cassette so they can follow along with the narrator as they read. They will need to do this at the carpet so they have fewer distractions. The next centercomputer gamewill consist of having children play reading games online or through designated software to help their reading speed increase. They will be working at the computer center, which is located at the back of the classroom to minimize distractions between other students. During Time for Kids, students will be working at their desks. They will get a worksheet and a Time for Kids magazine which they will need to

read in order to complete the worksheet with simple questions about the articles. During reading groups, I will be with five students who are fairly on the same reading level at the Reading Groups table and we will be reading a book as a group, as well as having a discussion. I will have these specific books in my cabinet behind our table and they will be arranged by reading level number. During Grab & Write, students will be working at their desks. They will need to select three cards from the Grab & Write box located on top of one of the bookshelves. These cards provide a specific topic or scenario that students will need to write half a page about in their journals. It can range from writing a poem about the ocean to describing their dream house. Each topic also provides additional questions to help students who are having trouble about what to write about. The carpet area will not only be used during centers, but it will also be used during shared reading when I read a book to the students which is followed by a brief, but valuable, lesson. In addition, I have chosen the front of the room to be where the larger whiteboard is; the whiteboards on the opposite side of the classroom are too small and too far apart from each other, so I cannot make effective use of them. The computer lab is at the back of the classroom so that students I can still keep my eye on these students whether I am at my desk or at the Reading Groups table. It is also a good location because students who are supposed to be working on another center will not be tempted to have their eyes on the computer games. I have placed the coat closet on the left side of the entrance because there is a large amount of space in front of it, which prevents a traffic jam when students enter the classroom in the morning. This classroom set-up seems like a very good way to start off the year and has been inspired from the recommendations given by two teaching experts; hopefully, as my teaching experience grows, I

can develop even more ideas to increase my teaching effectiveness in the classroom through different classroom arrangements.