Chapter 11 page 228
or back of the classroom or ask the administration to remove it from the classroom altogether.
Minimizing traffic problems. In every classroom, there is a potential for traffic jams. In close
quarters, students are more likely to jostle and push each other. Teachers should place supplies, equipment,
and materials in locations that avoid congestion and that make it easy for students to get what they need.
Putting materials in crowded corners can lead to problems. For example, if a science teacher puts all the
beakers and test tubes needed for a lab in one corner of the room, there will be a traffic jam as students all
converge to pick up their equipment. Students may drop and break supplies as they try to get through the
crowds. By spreading the equipment out along a long counter, the teacher can minimize congestion as
students get up to get and return the equipment. Similarly, teachers will want to avoid placing the pencil
sharpener or frequently-used art supplies in a cramped corner where it will be difficult for students to reach
them.
Pleasant classroom décor. It is important for teachers to decorate their classrooms to create an
aesthetically pleasing environment. Posters, pictures, and student work on the wall helps students feel that
the room is a welcoming, comfortable place to be. This can include posters that express values and class
norms, pictures that teachers and students like, or notable quotations from books the students are reading.
Bare walls may make the classroom seem like a cold, impersonal institution rather than a community where
students learn together. Posting student work from projects and other assignments is a good way to
recognize students for high-quality work. The classroom décor can also communicate information about the
teacher. By displaying posters of their favorite places or their favorite quotations, teachers enable their
students get to know them better.
Adapting the room to the instructional purposes and activities. Teachers should fit the physical
layout to their preferred instructional activities and purposes. Teachers who want students to work in
different learning centers will need to arrange the classroom so that there are learning centers spread around
the classroom. Teachers who plan to use computers extensively during group work will need to spread
computers far enough apart so that students can work in groups of two or three around each computer. In
early childhood classrooms, lessons tend to be more informal with a great deal of play, so teachers must
design their classroom to include play materials and areas for different kinds of play.
Students’ Perceptions of the Physical Environment
It is important to consider students’ perceptions of the physical environment when designing the
classroom. Students’ ideas about their surroundings may be different from what the teacher expects, and
teachers will need to understand what students are thinking in order to design an environment that meets
their needs.
In a recent study, teacher educator Kim Heuschkel (2004) investigated what elementary students
think and feel about the physical environment of their own classroom. Heuschkel investigated the ideas of
her own students in the second-grade class she was teaching. She was interested in where her students
thought they did their best work and where they liked to socialize with their friends. Heuschkel found that
that her students reacted to various parts of the classroom in ways different from her expectations.
Heuschkel had created many different learning areas in her classroom, including a cozy reading area with a
large couch, several content area learning centers and several individual work spaces/cubbies. She had
expected that many students would identify one or more of these learning areas as the place where they did
their best work. To her surprise, all of her students selected their own desks as the place where they felt they
did their best work. In addition, she anticipated that students would report preferring to socialize in some of
the wide open spaces she had created, such as the large carpeted area. However, almost all students
preferred to socialize in areas where they could squeeze several people together in a cozy, little nook.
Based on findings such as these, Heuschkel decided to give her students more of a decision-making
role in the overall design of the classroom. Before rearranging the classroom, Heuschkel asked students for