Managing Space

As I observe the classroom I have been assigned to, I have noticed a few positive and negative aspects of this particular classroom. The desk layout is a line of desks in 6 rows consisting of approximately 6 desks each.

Front White Boards
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| _ _ _ _ _ _ |<--- teacher's desk
| _ _ _ _ _ _
| _ _ _ _ _ _
| _ _ _ _ _ _
| _ _ _ _ _ _
| _ _ _ _ _ _
Back

This minimizes the tendency to copy other students' work but increases the possibility of students in the back talking during lecture and not giving their attention to the teacher. This also decreases the amount of space available for activities that require movement around the classroom. There has not been any activities so far that require this, but there could always be an idea that would in the future.

The back wall of the room and around the top of the walls all around the room are covered in Time Magazine covers. I have found this to be distracting because during prep and professional time in the room I have a desire to look at the covers and read them. Also, the ceiling is covered with lawn signs for candidates that have run for elected office currently and in the recent past. This adds to the distraction because it is visual noise. The teacher's desk is off to the side so she is not the focus of the students, the white boards are. The front podium is off to the side as well so when she is lecturing or giving notes on the overhead she is still not the focus, the notes are.

There are windows on the left side of the room with adequate curtains to prevent or allow light in. There is not much to look at out the windows, another building and a chain link fence is all you can see from looking out the window from the desks.

Overall this setup is a common setup (besides the Time Magazine covers and election lawn signs) and the students are familiar and comfortable with it, which I believe helps them be able to focus more on the teacher instead of their friends and the layout of the desks.