In my Future Classroom…
In today’s Technology and Innovation class, we had a guest speaker, Brittany Johnson, discussing her classroom management techniques with tools and routines she found useful to help navigate the demands of the class and students.
Classroom Setup
Classroom setup has been an inquisitive topic among my peers since we first started the program. What is the best classroom setup to meet the needs of the students and encourage them to thrive for high success rates? While that is a loaded, and seemingly unanswerable question, Brittany was able to share some of her experienced insights that she has developed over the years:
- try out different desk arrangements and gather the students’ input and preferences (Sometimes it takes several tries to find the balance between comfort and compatibility for students and the teacher)
- a space in the classroom for mindfulness (something like a ‘calming corner’ that incorporates relaxing components, like sensory tools and different surfaces to sit on, to help with emotional regulation)
- a classroom decorated with art and work done by the students. Brittany said she starts each school year with bare walls and creates a classroom design with her students. She does this so students feel they have contributed to their classroom and can feel ‘at home’ in the space
Ultimately, the best classroom setup that I’ve gathered is one that has been orchestrated by the students in collaboration with the teacher. This is because the students feel that their input is valued and they have autonomy over their learning environment -a space they occupy for the majority of their weekdays.
Above is an example of creating the class design and art. The students in my kindergarten class are working through each letter of the alphabet to design the ‘alphabet wall’ in their class.
Routines and Visual Schedules
Routines are an important element for all children and especially for children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). According to the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD), children with ASD struggle with remembering extensive verbal information, so a constant visual schedule can provide predictability and assist with transitions between activities because they will be expected due to the visual reminders. They can also help students comprehend abstract time concepts and learn concepts such as later, next, or last. As POPARD describes, visual schedules can increase independence for students, teach the importance of organization and planning, increase inclusion, and it can help children with ASD learn to adapt and become flexible with schedule changes or adjustments.
“The visual schedule can bring structure and predictability to the child’s day and can be extremely effective in decreasing unpredictable behaviour. It also promotes and increases motivation to complete less desired tasks and provides visual reminders that preferred activities are scheduled within the day.”
Popard
Below is a picture of the daily visual schedule in my practicum kindergarten class. At the beginning of the day, the class sits on the carpet and goes over the daily schedule for any questions or clarifications. This removes unpredictability and can set the expectations for the day. Throughout the day, we sit and check off things we have completed so the children can see how far into the schedule or day we are and know how much of the school-day is left.
Digital Portfolio/Fresh Grades
Mrs. Johnson taught us about Digital Portfolio, or also known as Fresh Grades by our instructor, Rich McCue, as a means to create a digital footprint following the child and their progress throughout the classes and semester. The parents are then able to track their child’s progress and achievements through viewing the online submissions by the teacher and have real-time updates on how the student is doing.
Below is a video showing how Digital Portfolios can be used in the classroom.
The pros:
- Students are able to pick their best work to show their parents or guardians
- The parent is able to get the most clear evidence for how their child is doing in their skill development and content acquisition
- The parents are able to use the updates as conversation starters to discuss how the activity or lesson went for their child
- The viewer can observe the areas in which the student may need to practice to strengthen their abilities
- When parent-teacher interviews roll around, the parent that has viewed the student’s work prior are able to be informed before entering the conversation with the teacher to better target goal planning and setting
- Less work going home and getting lost or thrown away
The cons:
- A child may not have a very supportive relationship with their parents or have a poor perception of their academic capabilities and skills
- The challenge can arise if a student is feeling a particular way about their schoolwork that may leave them open to criticism
- The parents don’t have access to internet at home or technology to view the online images
In The Future
It’s hard to say what specifically I can and will incorporate into my own future classroom because so many factors influence the implementation: classroom and resource availability, teaching budget, accessibility resources and components, student profile, and time. Ultimately, there are several aspect that I would love to include and I’m excited to see how these ideas will manifest when I gain the privilege of having my own classroom one day.
