The New, Old Classroom

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About Lori H Rice

Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.

Bringing Project Based Learning to our Classroom - August 12, 2018
Keep the Engagement Alive: Start the Year with Purpose - August 5, 2018
It's Our Fault: A Teacher's Confession - March 18, 2018
Keeping Your Teaching Real: A Teacher's Role - March 11, 2018
Sketch Notes in the Elementary Classroom - February 15, 2017
Teach From the Heart - February 9, 2017
Who is the Teacher: School or Family? - January 11, 2017
Dear President Elect Trump, From Your Teachers - November 17, 2016
Let them Be Children - October 21, 2016
Print Resources: Great Tools for Kids - October 17, 2016

Going into my 20th year of teaching I am just as excited as I was that first year. I remember spending that first summer in 1996 organizing my classroom, making curtains, and buying supplies. This summer, I am doing much of the same thing; but with a new twist. I have 20 years of experience now to guide my decisions to add to the new things I learned this summer. This year, we are going to have a new, old classroom.

In June I attended EdCampKS and got that "everything old is new again feeling." I listened to a session about Classroom Cribs and my teacher brain went into overdrive. I had the excitement of being in my first classroom. That new teacher knowing limitless possibilities and that new teacher hope of making changes and lasting impacts. We spend all day in our classroom for nine months and the physical environment is an important part of setting the community in motion.

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Last Year's Classroom

When I got back home my first step was to think of the various learners I had last year. I had a student who worked on the floor often, spread out on the carpet is where he was most productive. I had three students who were rarely at their desks. They were on benches and milk crates with clipboards. This was 18% my class. They were non-traditional students. They did not need the rows, the desks, the chairs. They needed a different environment to be successful. Great teachers know our students are different. I started to think about what else my students might need. When redesigning your classroom talk to your students about their learning styles and their needs to see what environment will work best for them.

My next step was to think about furniture. I made a list of all the furniture in my classroom and thought about how it

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This year: tables for work groups

meets my students' needs. I also rethought the layout of my room to create better areas to offer a quiet work space and a collaborative space. I decided I needed some standing areas and lower work areas. This is where being polite and appreciate of the custodian staff is helpful. They often know of items in storage or furniture teachers have asked about having removed from their rooms that might meet your needs. I was able to secure 2 tables this way. I also checked out Facebook Online Yard Sale, Craigslist, and garage sales. I got a coffee table and butcher block standing

This Year: Coffee Table for floor work

island and decided it was worth my money to help my students learn. Again, I was flashing back to that first year where anything was possible and I was so excited to build my classroom environment.

Once my classroom map was done I moved onto management. Being an "old" teacher I am comfortable in my classroom management style. I already offer students choices, check out my past article on classroom seating, and I start the year setting up our classroom community which sets the tone for the year. If you are going to redesign your room, be sure you think about the management piece. Will students be assigned to areas or will they get to select them? You can have a map that students sign up for space daily, encouraging butts in the seats before the bell rings (added bonus), you can rotate seats, or you can assign spaces. I have decided to have

This year: tall workspace for standing work

enough seating at traditional desks and tables for each student to be assigned a spot. Then the other areas (standing table, coffee table, bench, carpet, reading table) can be used throughout the day as students work. This will allow all students to have access throughout the day for the areas they are most comfortable and productive. Choice is key in any environment, but setting up a community of respect is going to make our new environment possible and successful.

The last detail I thought through was all the "stuff." Students bring supplies and use supplies throughout the day. Removing 12 desks means there are not places for each student to house their "stuff." What supplies are necessary? What supplies can be shared? What supplies are unnecessary? I have decided each student will have a magazine holder to keep their folders, paper, etc. This can be

This year: a quiet workspace with natural light

kept on their work space making it easily accessible and mobile. They will keep their pencil box in their locker and be able to grab it each morning. This will have the added bonus of removing the "extra stuff" so many elementary students collect on the lip of their desk. I also plan to have tool boxes created from sonic drink cup carriers and plastic cups to house markers, pencils, crayons and highlighters. These will be kept around the room for quick access if students are working away from the tradition seating areas. Providing tools for learning keeps the creative process moving.

This year: fun reading area

I am so excited to see how this learning environment impacts my students this year. It will be a learning process as we work together to morph the old classroom into a new learning environment. With open discussion and conversations, with some flexibility, with creative problem solving, we will make this a success. Be thoughtful of your administrators leadership style and have conversations with them throughout the process.

This year: the whole classroom

Knowing your own teaching philosophy and style, create an environment that will offer success to all students. Change can be difficult and scary, but I know I am moving the learning for my students to an even more successful level than in the past.

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About Lori H Rice

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