Physical+Environment

Effectively Using Physical Environment in the Classroom:


 * The days of having desks in rows all facing the front of the room are over according to most educators- now is more typical to have desks arranged in groups of four or in a U-shape so all students have a front row seat
 * For small group work have desks arranged in small clusters or have students sit around tables
 * For whole group discussion have desks in a U-shaped formation or a circle formation so students can see one another during class discussions
 * Learning stations set up around the room when students are doing individualized learning
 * Teacher needs to have easy access to all students and be able to make eye contact with them all[[image:Supply_shelf.jpg align="right"]]
 * Physical environment should have a personal touch and be decorated in a way so that students feel welcome and comfortable in the class
 * Need ample space to have and store class supplies (one location where students have access to the supplies they need and another location where extra materials are stored)
 * Store commonly used items, such as scissors or glue, in several different locations in the room to avoid wait times for students as they wait to get the needed supplies for an activity
 * Display student work around the room to make the room more personal and to encourage achievement among students
 * [|Scholastic]found that a town in northern Italy views the physical environment as being an extra teacher to the class in the sense that it has the ability to motivate students, enhance learning, and reduce behavior problems
 * Temperature, lighting, and noise level are other factors that play a role in the physical environment of the classroom
 * Walls should reflect what the teacher desires for students to learn[[image:Pic Idea 30.jpg width="320" height="240" align="right"]]
 * Bulletin boards should be used to teach instead of used to serve as decoration
 * Boards should be used to display student work, anchor charts, and student thinking
 * Physical environment can be used to make students feel included: place student desks in groups, provide centers, meeting spot, classroom décor, and safety/emergency preparedness
 * Designated areas in the classroom that each have a specified purpose- students should be taught what each area is for and how they are expected to behave when they are at each location
 * Limit student contact in high-traffic areas (such as the pencil sharpener or trash can) to avoid delays in learning time
 * All students need to be placed in a way so they can all clearly see the teacher



Resources to Learn More About How to Use the Physical Environment in the Classroom:
 * [|Scholastic]- details ways to arrange classroom space, desk placement, environmental preferences (light, temperature, noise level), and designing the classroom space
 * [|Davidson County Schools]- provides tips for teachers of ways to arrange the classroom, using wall space to further teach with the information displayed on the walls, and gathering spaces for small and large group work
 * [|NICHCY]- five ideas are provided of ways to use the physical environment to allow for all students to feel included in the classroom
 * [|Education.odu.edu]- combines research from numerous sources to provide information about different ways to use the physical environment to promote learning in the classroom
 * [|Slide Share]- a presentation that strives to aid teachers in how to structure the physical environment, emotional environment, and the role that self-esteem plays in the classroom
 * [|Education.com]- site provides readers with different aspects that play a role in the classroom environment including the physical environment, classroom climate, psychological environment, and the teacher's role in the classroom environment
 * [|Learn NC]- emphasizes what the author finds to be two of the more basic components to focus on with the physical environment which are the temperature and lighting in the classroom
 * [|Cedu.niu.edu]- article discusses different things to consider when laying out the classroom and then provides pros and cons of different layouts in the classroom
 * [|Oecd.org]- the document talks about what the future holds for the physical environment of a classroom with the different advances occurring in the education system, including the technological advances
 * [|Socialstudies.org]- article details different ways to use the physical environment and what to have in the physical environment to increase student learning in social studies