https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny 1: What are things in your classrooms now that help improve your learning? Any recent changes? 2:What are things you would change about your classrooms to help you or your students learning? en-us 2016-10-31 00:26:34 UTC 2016-11-02 03:57:06 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134302130 Some things in some of my classrooms that help my learning are different chairs, posters around the room, and rooms with a lot of light. Some of my classes have new nor comfortable chairs that I really like and I feel that they help me focus on my learning rather than being uncomfortable. Having posters around the room gives me something to look at when I am focusing and thinking about class work. Having a lot of light in classrooms helps me feel more awake. If a class is dark I find it difficult to pay attention. I have noticed that many classrooms are getting new furniture. ]]> 2016-10-31 17:26:47 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134302130 817222 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134351126 I teach in a seventh grade science class, and one of the main features of their classroom design that I really see helping the students are posters. My classroom has them all over every wall. Some just have funny science puns and jokes they can look at to take a little break. We have a giant periodic table that they can look at and use in class, and there are many others of flow charts or diagrams of things they will learn throughout the year. When we started our energy unit my teacher and I took the energy types poster down and brought it to the front of the room to talk about and many of the students had comments such as "oh that's been there the whole time!" and then as the lesson progressed they knew where it was to look at it and use it as a reference. Now they pay attention to the posters and have even asked "when are we going to learn about that?", so these have really had a big impact on their learning.]]> 2016-10-31 20:38:03 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134351126 817222 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134351893 One of the things talked about in Elizabeth's presentation as being a positive thing to have is large windows. I can see why these would be good, to let natural light in and help wake up the students and make the environment seem more upbeat. However if you are having big windows, you also need good working blinds. I have been in so many classrooms where the lack of working blinds has hindered out learning. Sometimes it's that when the lights are off to watch a video the room is still light and its harder to see. Other times students are being blinded by the sun whenever they open their eyes and sometimes have to stop class just to ask to move seats it becomes such a problem. Because of this and the fact that it is such a simple solution, if I had to change something about a classroom I would give it easy to use and fully operational blinds to go along with the large windows.]]> 2016-10-31 20:43:17 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134351893 817249 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134356863 There are quite a few inspirational quotes. I find them cute and helpful if during class you get distracted, students can turn to them and be guided back on track with a good message. If it was just pictures of designs then maybe it would only foster the distractedness. Also the desks are two-people desks that are mobile so they're frequently ordered in a way most beneficial to the current activity. 

]]> 2016-10-31 21:24:55 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134356863 817249 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134357128 I would honestly not have as many posters and projects hanging around the room as she does. It seems a little unorganized at times and makes me a little frantic. It seems like it wouldn't truly have that much of an effect, but I know that in Mrs.Esparza's seventh grade Language Arts class there were limited, organized furniture and posters around. It genuinely helped me feel more organized. She also centered her room around one color which I loved. 

]]> 2016-10-31 21:26:40 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134357128 817224 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134363655 I have noticed that in all of Hinsdale Centrals classrooms there is a big wall of windows, a clear focal point (the white board or projector), easily movable desks, and some posters that relate to the subject taught in that specific classroom. These are many of the good qualities of the classrooms at Central. Recently some of the classrooms have been modernized with a change in color or new trapezoid shaped desks with new, more supporting chairs. These changes help make the classroom more lively and functional. It allows students to move easily and work together, teachers to move throughout the classroom, and students to be more engaged with the focal point in the room. ]]> 2016-10-31 22:41:51 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134363655 817224 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134364047 Some classrooms at Hinsdale central are very crowded, dark, and/or hot. This makes it very hard for students to concentrate on what is being taught because they are getting tired from the lack of light, distracted from the other students around them, and distracted by how hot they are. Another thing that I would have to complain about the classrooms at Hinsdale Central is that some of them either have too many decorations or not enough. When thee are too many decorations it becomes distracting but if there is not enough the classroom then becomes dull and hard for students to want to learn. The classroom I teach in at CHMS has many good features however there is one problem that I noticed from the very beginning. The teacher teaches in the direct middle of the class with her students all facing toward the projector. This makes it hard for the teacher and I to see all of the students and see when they have questions. This also makes it hard for some of the students behind us to hear what we are saying. ]]> 2016-10-31 22:47:43 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134364047 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134371277 In many of my classes, there are helpful posters on the walls that add to the class/students' learning. For example, I remember in my sophomore year chemistry class we had a huge periodic table poster that we could reference when doing problems and in my rhetoric class there's a poster detailing different examples of logical fallacies, which we are learning about. Also, every room that I've been in has a clear focal point which is a large whiteboard and screen at the front and center of the room. Having this clear focus point makes it easier for students to pay attention and not be confused.]]> 2016-11-01 00:46:28 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134371277 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134371717 There's honestly not much I would change about the current design of the Hinsdale Central classrooms I've been in. They are typically bright, decorated appropriately, and not too crowded/cluttered; I can't complain. I learn well in the classrooms. My only complaint would be the inconsistent temperatures, but that isn't about classroom design, that's the whole school. In my cooperating teacher's classroom, the only thing I would change would be the location of the Elmo; it's difficult to see the children and use the Elmo at the same time. Also, the students can't look at the teacher and the screen at the same time, since they're at opposite ends of the room.]]> 2016-11-01 00:53:08 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134371717 U817440 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134379331 In many of my classrooms natural light is a big factor. Most of my classrooms have big windows and they leave the blinds open during the day. I feel like natural light allows the students to be more energized and focused during the day. Also, all my classrooms make it easy for all students to see the board. In past years, I was in a classroom with the desk facing the door and the board was to the left of everyone. By students having to turn their heads, it made learning and focusing more difficult. 

]]> 2016-11-01 02:29:48 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134379331 U817440 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134379497 There isn't much I would change in my classrooms other than the size of the rooms. Many of my classrooms are small which makes moving desks and walking around the room more challenging. In my math class, my teacher likes to put stations around the room and it is very hard to get from station to station. I also have a student in my math class in a wheel chair so they had to bring in an extra desk for him. If the room was slightly bigger, I don't think this would be a problem. ]]> 2016-11-01 02:32:10 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134379497 817587 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134382094 In my classrooms I have noticed that my teachers have all put big, and usually inspiring posters on the wall. Besides the inspirational quotes, there are also many informations posters specific to each classroom. Something else that my classrooms provide for me is constant exposure to natural lighting. With each classroom equipped with large windows across one of the walls the room feels more open and inviting, which makes me want to be there]]> 2016-11-01 03:10:34 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134382094 817587 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134382392 In some of my classrooms, there is a poor set up to allow each student to view the board. Especially in my math class, in which there are two white boards, it is necessary to see exactly what the teacher is doing and how he is doing it. However, at various times during the year, depending on where I sit, I cannot view one of the boards he is writing on. I know they want to give teachers such as my math teacher more room to write and explain things, but changing the focal point while still keeping desks that are difficult to move isn't what is best for the students learning. Therefore I would like to set up a white board like those in the science department which have many layers and are all up at the "front" of the room. This way the teach still has the space and has only one focal point.]]> 2016-11-01 03:15:35 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134382392 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134387712 In my classroom I would change a few things to help my students learning. First off, I would take out a lot of the extra stuff in the room that is not necessary. Their are a lot of coaches, pillows, and chairs that take a up a lot of space and make the room feel very crowded. I think that without these things in the room. It would feel a lot more open. I also think that the posters around the room could change based upon the lessons being taught. This could help the students be reminded of things and help them remember key points.]]> 2016-11-01 04:44:38 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134387712 817623 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134547410 I would spread out the desk area in my classroom. Recently my teacher changed the desks from 3 long rows of two desks connected and facing eachother to three rows of two desks connected facing the front of the room. I think this is better so that the kids can see the board and pay more attention. However, the new arrangement is a little more crowded and makes it more difficult to get around the room.]]> 2016-11-01 16:45:52 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134547410 817623 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134548610 I would make the desks into pods of 4 desks because my teacher does group work often and it would make it easier so we dont constantly have to move the desks around and take up time.]]> 2016-11-01 16:48:35 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134548610 8172861 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134640451 In my classroom there are lots of helpful posters. In the back of the room there are number posters that show the number and it written out which students refer to often. There are also letter posters with the sound they make. For my visual I made a bulletin board with goals for student writing, so that is also a helpful reminder. For the desks, they used to be in small group but now they have been switched into two large groups.There is also a quiet room which is very helpful for students to go in and work on independent or small group work. Me and my cooperating teacher can also work with kids one-on-one in there. In my own math class, we recently got new desks with chairs that aren't connected to the desk which I like a lot. The room is also colorful, but in a not distracting way. ]]> 2016-11-01 22:18:50 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134640451 8172861 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134640905 Some classrooms, like my english classroom are hard for me to focus in because the desk face the door and not the board/projector. I sit on the opposite wall as the board so it is a very long distance for me to see and I have to turn my body. I would change this room so the desk are pushed against the walls and there is open space in the middle like in other english classrooms. Some of my other classrooms are bland and have nothing on the walls so it is never a very positive environment to learn in. In my 1st grade classroom, I would raise the flag up a bit higher because it is sagging and covers some of the board. Also students jump up and hit it with their head when walking to the writing corner so it is distracting.]]> 2016-11-01 22:23:26 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134640905 817601 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134658726 In my English classroom, we only had desks that were only half the size of normal ones (in terms of the flat part that you write on; it was weirdly small). The purpose of this was for whole classroom discussion purposes, since I am in Honor Seminar and Writing and the majority of that class is discussion about writing; I suppose that having a smaller desk that's easier to move into a big classroom circle is better for the social environment aspect of the class. However, it poses an issue when you're trying to write while also referencing back to either your computer or a sheet of paper or something extra like that, because then there is literally no room to function. It is especially difficult for the AP Lit class the period before my class that is also in that classroom, and when they have timed writings students have complained that it's the most difficult thing ever. Because of this, they changed it about two weeks ago so that the abnormally small desks are gone and are now replaced with the average desk that's in other classrooms. ]]> 2016-11-02 01:24:00 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134658726 817601 https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134658804 In every classroom of mine in high school, I would love for there to be more comfortable seating such as couches and bean bag chairs, or something along those lines. To me, I often find it hard to focus because I am uncomfortable (but this very well could just be me). Also, I would change the structure of classrooms so that all of the students can see the main focal point of the classroom (board, projector, etc.) because sometimes the way that my seat is located in the class, I really have to crane my neck or move to see what is being written. ]]> 2016-11-02 01:24:34 UTC https://padlet.com/817302/ntd7wxncrgny/wish/134658804