That Welcome Students

School’s over! As you clean tabletops, take down anchor charts, and sort supplies, pause and take a look around your classroom. Will you be leaving a space that worked well for most of the year’s learning activities, a space you happily anticipate returning to in the fall? Or did the room seem to somehow get in the way of your teaching and students’ learning?
spend more time in classrooms than in any other part of the school, so the way these spaces look, feel, and function has a huge impact on how comfortably—and how much—they learn. With the past year fresh in your mind, now is a good time to reflect on what makes any classroom a great space for learning, how well your own classroom worked this year, and what you might do to make it work better.
That Welcome Students
Furniture that fits students’ bodies; materials that suit their developmental capabilities, interests, and learning styles; uncluttered areas where they can work alone or with classmates; displays that reflect their work and ideas—these are the building blocks of a space that welcomes children and supports their learning.
student-centered spaces entice children to:
Develop a sense of individual and group ownership of the room
Actively engage in and enjoy their learning
Work cooperatively
Move about responsibly and independently
Value and care for materials and equipment
Although most of us don’t choose the classrooms we teach in, we usually do have a measure of control over how we equip and arrange them. The checklists that follow will help you zero in on elements you might want to add or change to make your own classroom more welcoming and learning-friendly.
Organized With Children in Mind: Classroom Snapshots
In a classroom full of exuberant five-year-olds, the teacher removes bulky furniture to make room for large-muscle activities like block building and water play.
A teacher raises a couple of tables on wooden blocks so a child using a wheelchair can write comfortably and have some choice about where to sit.
For eleven-year-olds, who crave autonomy and interaction with peers, a teacher arranges desks in clusters and also provides tables and floor pillows so students can choose among places to sit when working independently.
A child with attentional difficulties can choose to work in a teacher-created “corner office” consisting of a small table, chair, and tabletop screens fashioned from manila file folders.
Upon inheriting a classroom previously used by fourth-graders, a second-grade teacher provides plastic cubes for footrests so children can sit more comfortably in too-big chairs.
Classroom Organization Checklists
There’s no magic formula for creating a well-organized classroom. That’s because what works well depends on students’ capabilities and needs, the space you have to work with, and your vision for how learning should look, sound, and feel. And what feels like a perfect fit one year may feel less so the next as you respond to changes in curriculum and adjust your teaching practices for each new class of students.
said, though, these checklists do include important elements to consider as you organize your classroom space to welcome all children and support their best learning. You can use one or more of the checklists to zero in on aspects of classroom organization you’d like to improve. Choose the reflection time that works best for you: as you close out the school year; during the summer, when you can think and plan at a more leisurely pace; or at the end of the summer when you’re preparing the space for a new group of students.
Does the classroom have spaces for:
__ Partner work
__ Small-group work
__ Whole-group circles in which everyone can see and be seen
__ Messy work
__ Quiet, independent work
__ Relaxing work (spots where children can lie down or sit on the floor to read, do math, or draw)
Furniture
Are tables, chairs, bookcases, cubbies, etc.:
— Sized properly for children
— Comfortable
— Suitable for children with special needs
— Clean and in good repair
— Appropriate for multiple uses throughout the day
— Easy for children to move into different learning configurations (be sure to teach children how to move furniture safely)
— Arranged to:
support classroom routines
allow for efficient transitions
enable children, including those with special needs, to move around easily and safely
Do You Really Need a Teacher Desk?
Often the teacher’s desk is the largest piece of furniture in a classroom. It’s also often the least used—except as a repository for items we haven’t had time to put away! If your desk takes up too much space, consider replacing it with a smaller, easily moveable table that has multiple uses.
Before moving your desk out, make sure you have a filing cabinet or bin and one or two “Teacher Only” shelves where you can store the stuff that formerly lived on and in your desk.
Materials
Are materials:
__ Relevant to children’s work and appropriate for their age
__ Clean and in good working order, with all parts present
__ Easily accessible if children use them independently
__ Inaccessible if children do not use them independently
__ Sorted and stored in bins or boxes or on shelves
__ Kept near the workplace where they’ll be used
__ Clearly labeled with words, graphics, or both
Displays
Do displays:
__ Consist mostly of children’s work (vs. commercial products or your creations)
__ Include students’ names and portraits (photos or drawings)
__ Reflect students’ age, interests, and current work (edit displays regularly to keep them fresh and relevant)
__ Hang at children’s eye level
__ Include work from all students
__ Focus on process (consist of both drafts and polished work)
__ Show class as well as individual work (classwork might include rules, learning goals, and favorite songs, activities, or greetings)
Positive Time-Out Spaces
Are the time-out spaces (at least two, if possible):
__ Used for no other purpose
__ Away from the action but placed so the child can see and hear classmates
__ Within your view from any point in the classroom
__ Supplied with items that can help children calm themselves (a comfortable chair or pillow; a small basket of calming aids such as stress balls or puzzles; a student-generated list of helpful hints for regaining self-control; a poster, photo, or student’s drawing of a peaceful scene)
A Space That’s Ready for Learning
A well-organized classroom sends a clear and positive message to students: This room was created for you, with your specific needs in mind, because you and your learning are important. With good organization, any classroom, even one that’s small or oddly shaped, can feel comfortable and functional. Without it, even a generously sized room can diminish students’ sense of ease and autonomy and limit their learning. You reflect on ways to improve your classroom’s organization, keep in mind that you needn’t change everything at once; just one or two small, simple adjustments can have dramatic effects. So have fun choosing one or two checklist items to work with. See how they affect students’ learning. You’ll likely be so pleased with the results that you’ll soon be ready to try a few more.
The physical space of the classroom plays a significant role in both the culture and community of your learning environment. In fact, I consider the space to be a third teacher, alongside the students and myself. Classroom space is most effective when it invites and encourages learning: bookshelves invite readers to read, math shelves invite exploration of geometry and algebra, and displays invite discussion or debate, just to name a few examples. And while it is tempting to fill up every inch of the classroom with displays and materials, it is essential to have a tidy, organized space that invites meaningful learning and interactions. As I set up my classroom, I keep three big ideas in mind:
Organization is key to the infrastructure. An organized space sets the tone for how things will be done in your classroom. I like to start with a minimalist setup in which materials are clearly labeled and accessible.
Minimize visual distractions. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, store it to use later in the year or offer it to another educator.
Let the furnishings multi-task. Let furniture serve more than one purpose. Embrace the 70/30 principle: if 70% of the furniture serves a dual purpose, don’t stress about the rest.
With these three key ideas in mind, here are ten ways to set up your classroom for success before students arrive.
Start with a clean slate. You’ll spend most of your waking hours in your classroom, so make time to give it a proper clean. This is the perfect opportunity to consider what furniture serves multiple purposes and what you might be able to live without.
Channel Marie Kondo. Teachers often have a scarcity mindset when it comes to supplies. But purging unused items frees up space for those you do use and brings a sense of lightness, openness, and creativity. If you haven’t used it in two years, you inherited it, or it looks older than you, get rid of it. It is an added bonus if you find someone else who can use it!
Inspect the walls. Are your walls neat and inviting or cluttered and distracting? Many of us tend toward an overabundance of displays, but a 2014 study examining the effects of the visual environment on children’s learning found that young children struggled to filter out the displays of a highly decorated learning environment. As a result, they spent more time off-task, and demonstrated smaller learning gains. Keep items on the walls simple, relevant, and organized.
Label meticulously. When things are put in the proper place, they are more available to students. Labels support students in finding materials and properly returning them. They also create opportunities for students to build autonomy and responsibility. Plus, this organizing will serve you well all year. If any labels wear out, invite students to make new ones!
Schedule space surveys. Once a month, schedule time to take stock of your space. I write this in my calendar so I don’t forget or mindlessly start doing it when I have other work that needs my attention. What you’re not using, put away, including any anchor charts that are not still relevant.
Plan Interactive Modeling lessons. Now that you have invested time in organizing the space, consider the routines and procedures students will need to know to be successful. Make a list of each and plan your Interactive Modeling lessons, or check out those already outlined in Interactive Modeling.
Post what is most important. We all have essential information that needs to be displayed, including class lists, schedules, and emergency procedures. Post these neatly in a way that supports their use. Consider using simple mats or frames or securing them to the wall with removable Velcro or magnets.
Plan a prominent display point for class guidelines. Each summer, I keep an eye out at yard sales or Goodwill for a new frame that will hold my upcoming class’s unique rules. These rules will be the center point of our work, particularly in the first six weeks, so the display needs to beckon students’ attention and reflect their intentions and hopes.
Make space for everyone. Whether you have tables, crates, or desks, each student needs a workspace. Look for opportunities to minimize what is on students’ tables or desks by making a space for shared supplies to be stored. Many children do better with learning tasks when there is less in front of them. Plus, getting up to get necessary materials can provide movement that helps focus attention and build cooperation skills.
Secure your spot. Where can you station yourself for students’ arrival each day to greet each student individually? Where is your workspace, and can you see the whole class from there? Do you need an entire desk, or will a portable workstation help you join small groups throughout the classroom? Minimizing teacher workspace often frees up more space for interactive learning.
Thinking proactively about your space sets everyone up for success. Take time now to assess your space and start with a clean slate. Soon you will be welcoming new students to the classroom—how will you show them the space is made for them and their learning?