Two years ago, my classroom was full of desks in straight rows, like this:
I knew it wasn't what I wanted, but I had to make the best of it. So, every period I moved desks into this formation:
Last year, I knew it was time to leave the desks behind. I wanted space for my students to spread out. I wanted to encourage collaboration. I found 7 tables on Craigslist for $50 - not too shabby. I loved having tables - it was everything I wanted, except... the tables were standard long rectangular tables and they took up a lot of classroom space.
My tables ended up in rows. It was the only way to allow space to move between the tables. It worked... but it still wasn't what I really wanted to do.
This year is special. I am inspired, encouraged, and energetic. I have high hopes. I went back to Craigslist last week to see what I could do to change up my table situation.
I found round tables! Two beautiful tables were given to me for free, I dug one up from our storage, and another three I bought on the cheap from a local restaurant that went out of business.
I got rid of a lot of classroom storage - I really don't need it as almost everything is digital. I don't have any files.
I promise I will post pictures next week as my classroom comes together. I've already taken the before pictures... and I can't wait for the transformation. I have big plans for my classroom walls.
**All room plans were created using the Living Spaces room planner.
School starts in four weeks. Teacher orientation starts in two and a half weeks. Summer is almost over and it's crunch time.
I spent most of my summer gleaning information from twitter, webinars, blogs, google+, facebook, and face-to-face conversations. At the beginning of August, I created a blueprint for my classes, mapping out the where, when, and hows.
Now, it all comes together. This week, I've been focusing on google accounts. My school does not use Google Apps for Education, but my students do use many google apps. To make this easy (ha!) I set up a google account for each student to use while in my class. I give them a password and link the accounts to my google account so I can monitor and address issues as needed. It's not a perfect system, but it works. It takes massive amounts of time to set up. Breaks are a must.
My plan for this year: PBL. I have a lot to learn and a lot to explore in the next few months as I start to implement PBL in more of my classes. I've used PBL on a smaller scale for the past two years - it's time to expand.
While my mind is mostly focused on curriculum, I'm also thinking about my classroom setup. Last year I was fortunate enough to be able to swap out desks for tables. This year, I will continue with the tables, but I'm desperately searching Craigslist to see if I can change my long tables for round tables. Round tables would allow me to move easily around my classroom, and check in with table groups. I would love to do something like this.
My plan for the walls is much like the design in my GTA video:
I'm currently working on adding wood grain to butcher paper to make the railings and parts of the cabin. Here's where I got that idea.
It may be crunch time, but I still have two and a half weeks to enjoy sleeping in (which, really, is the best part about summer)!
