One of the most important parts of teaching coming your way!! I've been waiting to post this since the first few days.
Physical Layout
The school has table desks instead of individual desks. None of the tables have built in pieces for storage. However, they do have community supplies on the table with pencils, erasers, colored pencils, etc. On a shelf, there are boxes labeled with scissors, rulers, glue sticks, and pencil sharpeners. Students have access to these if they need them.
There's also a lot of storage in the room for their books and work. She has bins with portfolios, works in progress, spelling books, writing journals, math stations, etc. They are all organized and labeled. I love the types of books they use for notebooks. Instead of using a full composition book, they have "blue book" type of books which have a smaller amount of pages in them so it's not as wasteful. I remember as a child that I only filled about 1/3 of a composition notebook, meanwhile, their books are about halfway full at the halfway point in the year.
I love how high the desks are because it gives students the opportunity to stand if they don't want to sit while working. The chairs also have foot rests for students who can't reach the floor or want to rest their feet. I like this concept because even when I sit down, I am comfortable. It's also good for hyperactive kids to tap their feet on. It's similar to the concept of the stretch band on the leg chairs that some classrooms have. The chair also "float" when they are put up. There's a small hook to hang the chair on so that at the end of the day, the students hang their chairs for people to sweep.
The desks are laid out in table groups to promote collaboration among peers. Some tables have 2 seats, while others have 6. But the average number of students per table is 4. There's a lot of students in the class, so organizing desks is limiting to fit everyone.
There's student artwork displayed, which is great since my students love seeing their work showed. I love looking at it all to see what they've done. It's also interesting to see how certain students' drawing and writing is so distinct that you can identify it without a name on it. My teacher is great at this since my students forget to write their names frequently. Student artwork also makes the classroom more welcoming.
There's also posters of their curriculum pieces such as the "type of learner" you should be and different parts of inquiry, which is a major part of IB schools.
My teacher has a dry erase board by the door that has a greeting and what will happen during the day. She puts my name on it now that I'm here and that small gesture just makes me feel even more a part of the class.
There's also a nice backroom area for students to work in if they are distracted, need to work in small groups, with the teacher, want to read, etc. I find it peaceful and students do like to work in there.
Classroom Management
In terms of behavior management, there is a student contract/class agreement made at the beginning of the year that all students sign. This is very similar to American schooling where teachers and students agree to follow the classroom rules and if they break them, there will be consequences.
If there is a problem, she tells the child to "rest and return". The child will go back to his or her seat and sit there for a minute or two before coming back to the class. Or if they are at their seats, she will send them to the backroom, have them sit on the floor in front of her, or to stand in the hallway. It is a good way for students to reflect on what they've done and it prevents them from continuing off-task behavior.
There is also a noise level range she has posted on the front board. It is similar to the 0-4 levels, but is in the theme of secret agents (spy talk, secret mission, bionic noise, etc.). If the students get too noisy, then the noise level will go down. This is a good way to regulate what activities should be quiet and which ones require some talking.
However, there is no reward/punishment system in place from what I've observed. The students do not need one since they have the rules. They also respect my teacher and will listen to her if she corrects them. Maybe it would be beneficial to have one for students who misbehave frequently or to motivate students to behave properly, but it is not needed. I thought this was interesting because every school in America that I have been to has a reward/punishment system, whether it be taking time off of break, signing the board or folders, clipping up and down, etc.
The school's focus is on the child and the child's development rather than trying to mold them into behavior robots, which America may tend to overdue at some points.
