https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx Take a look at how I plan to create a positive environment! en-us 2016-10-29 17:50:42 UTC 2025-11-24 16:59:19 UTC hello@padlet.com holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134134969 2016-10-31 04:04:49 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134134969 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134134984 Depending on the activities in my class, I will organize student desks one of three ways: 

1. in clusters
2. in a circle
3. or in u-shape.

]]> 2016-10-31 04:05:16 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134134984 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134135097 2016-10-31 04:06:52 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134135097 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134135896 2016-10-31 04:15:15 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134135896 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134135905 2016-10-31 04:15:24 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134135905 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137076 2016-10-31 04:31:21 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137076 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137121 2016-10-31 04:32:08 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137121 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137328 2016-10-31 04:35:23 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137328 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137468 2016-10-31 04:38:03 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137468 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137632 2016-10-31 04:41:24 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137632 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137671 2016-10-31 04:42:10 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134137671 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138197 A classroom should feel comfortable enough to foster learning. A gathering space is a place where students can discuss, socialize, and participate in large group activities. The space often contains comfort items such as a rug, nontraditional seating (such as on the floor or in a rocking chair), and something for the teacher to write on to display to the class (such as a stand-alone white board). I want my gathering space to not only be inviting to students, but to encourage all that this is a safe place for every student to participate. ]]> 2016-10-31 04:54:12 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138197 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138203 2016-10-31 04:54:29 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138203 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138313 2016-10-31 04:58:21 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138313 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138462 Now looked as a characteristically traditional way to set up a classroom, teachers are branching off from this setup because rows stifle student collaboration. When students sit in rows there is a sense of segregation--students at the front can't see most of the class whereas students in the back row often don't participate as much because they feel they are far enough away from the action to not even bother. In this way, learning is less a collaborative endeavor and more of a individual experience. I firmly believe in a classroom community and rows, in my mind, don't help facilitate it. ]]> 2016-10-31 05:01:00 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138462 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138762 When students sit in a circle, they make eye contact with the speaker which is important in establishing ownership of ideas. This also means that at any time, someone in the circle could be looking at you. Therefore, the circle layout often increases students' attentiveness but also may make students feel more nervous because of the every-student inclusivity of the setup.]]> 2016-10-31 05:08:35 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134138762 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134139019 Desks grouped together allow students to easily collaborate with one another. This also establishes little "communities" in your classroom where students feel safe to talk to their peers rather than share their ideas in front of the whole class. The key to this setup is to continually switch groups so that students don't feel "stuck" with their cluster. ]]> 2016-10-31 05:15:57 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134139019 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134139182 While not as intense eye-contact as the circle set-up, a u-shape allows for students to still see everyone but also direct their attention to the teacher.  This set up also allows teachers a sort of walkway to engage learners as well as manage behavior. Something I like about this shape is how a sense a community is fostered through the close proximity of peers and, at the same time, the teacher has increased mobility to walk around the room. ]]> 2016-10-31 05:21:11 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134139182 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134139471 2016-10-31 05:27:45 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134139471 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134341579 I would use clusters if my class is able to handle being in close proximity to one another--that the cluster setting fosters learning rather than distracts from it. Thus, I might not start the year with the class in clusters but integrate in the set-up as I get to know my students.]]> 2016-10-31 19:39:49 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134341579 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134342165 Because I see a u-shape as inviting and inclusive, I would set my classroom up in a u-shape on the first day of school. I think it is versatile in fostering small group/partner work as well as whole group--both of which are frequently present in the classroom.  ]]> 2016-10-31 19:42:57 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134342165 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134343504 I think circles are appropriate for discussion because students can see everyone and can give speakers the due attention they deserve. ]]> 2016-10-31 19:49:56 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134343504 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134343805 Since this set-up places direct attention on the speaker, teachers need to impose a set of "circling up" rules so that respect and learning remain the focus of the lesson. ]]> 2016-10-31 19:52:12 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134343805 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134345129 2016-10-31 20:01:15 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134345129 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134346509 2016-10-31 20:10:47 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134346509 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134346708 2016-10-31 20:12:09 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134346708 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134363556 One way of looking at a classroom is through the lens that the students share ownership of their space. This is important to set up in a classroom because too often students feel like foreigners in a teacher-dominated space. Since the teacher has the authority to make seemingly all of the decisions about the classroom--layout of desks, displays, physical supplies, among others--teachers who desire to create an inclusive gathering space give students some freedom. ]]> 2016-10-31 22:40:37 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134363556 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134363793 Giving students their own set of group supplies and requiring them to maintain the area is an excellent way for students to have autonomy in the classroom. ]]> 2016-10-31 22:44:21 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134363793 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134363874 Having a student-designated space in a classroom can create a more welcoming environment--reading corners are just one way to establish this. Teachers can also have relaxation corners where students can listen to music and work on homework in a more comfortable physical environment. ]]> 2016-10-31 22:45:19 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134363874 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134364601 2016-10-31 22:54:33 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134364601 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134364904 When students walk into a classroom for the first time and see work on the walls from a previous class of students, they first know that what they will make for this class is valued by the teacher, otherwise the teacher would not proudly display it on the wall. ]]> 2016-10-31 22:59:12 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134364904 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134364959 By hanging work on the walls then, students see that what they make has value to the teacher, which gives the work more value in their own eyes. ]]> 2016-10-31 23:00:09 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134364959 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134365117 As a teacher,  I want my room to be creatively decorated with student work because it puts the emphasis on my students rather than on me. Because after all, everything I do is for my students' benefit, not mine. ]]> 2016-10-31 23:02:56 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134365117 holly_moede https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134367583 2016-10-31 23:43:11 UTC https://padlet.com/holly_moede/58zwgjm1mnwx/wish/134367583