Practicum A

Kindergarten +First Grade

Due March 5,2015

CLASSROOM DESIGNLAUREN CUDDEN

William Fox Elementary School

MRS. BRADLEY’S CLASS

KINDERGARTEN & FIRST GRADE

To create a psychological ly and physical ly safe and healthy learning environment

Classroom pets are a great way to promote a psychological security within the classroom

Although my practicum class does not have a classroom pet, I think that land snai ls would make a good choice

They wi l l eat basical ly anything, can reproduce on their own, do not bite or st ing, and can be released into the wi ld (as long as they are a native species)

SECURITY & SHELTER

To create a highly social learning environment

Seating arrangements in my practicum classroom consist of four rectangular tables

Each table has six smal l s ized chairs to accommodate such young (and t iny) students

This al lows the students to (quietly) talk amongst others at their table

This photo shows the students’ seating arrangements in my practicum class

SOCIAL CONTACT

To create a learning environment that is owned by both the teacher and al l of the students as a whole community

In my future classroom I hope to have a wal l solely dedicated to student artwork, including their personal pieces that may not relate to any lessons

This photo shows a section of the wal l with sectioned areas for individual student’s artwork in my practicum class

SYMBOLIC IDENTIFICATION

To create a learning environment that al lows students to easi ly and eff ectively accomplish tasks

Learning centers are a great way to promote task instrumental i ty within the classroom

Each learning center consists of either a specifi c subject or parts of a subject

This photo is of a reading based learning center from my practicum class

TASK INSTRUMENTALITY

To create a learning environment that is not only pleasing to look at, but is pleasing to be in

In my future classroom, I wish to have a space solely dedicated to leisurely reading

By being able to relax and unwind a bit , struggl ing students may be less anxious to read

This photo shows a very smal l couch that the students in my practicum classroom sit on during their free reading t ime and learning centers

PLEASURE

To create a learning environment that promotes students’ growth and development

I personal ly feel as though students learn better when lessons are hands on

By using manipulatives, students can access knowledge through kinesthetic or tacti le learning

This is photo shows Mrs. Bradley’s col lection of math and reading manipulatives

GROWTH

Weinstein, C.S. Romano, M.E. Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice. Sixth Edition. McGraw Hill: 2015.

Image of child with snail from http://natural-japan.net

SOURCES