Section III: Seating Arrangements and Classroom Climate/Environment
Type 1.5 pages for this section.
Your chart COUNTS as a half page. Use the format and directions in the introduction for the other page. Remember you must link videos, cite work, and use textbook references. Place a header at the top to denote this is:
Seating Chart:
Create a computer-generated schemata or chart of a classroom. Include the following elements: student desks, a teacher desk, study carrels, computer stations, chalkboards, etc. Label elements with the computer ONLY!
Some helpful websites for this include:
http://classroom.4teachers.org/ (Links to an external site.)
https://creately.com/diagram-type/class-diagram (Links to an external site.)
http://teacher.scholastic.com/tools/class_setup/ (Links to an external site.)
Feel free to use any source you find user-friendly for the classroom environment design or one that is provided.
Place a heading to denote this:
Observation Journal Section III: Seating Arrangements and Classroom Climate/Environment”
Choose one video to evaluate the seating arrangement and the influence it has on classroom management. Choose one video from the resources, one of the attached videos, or a self-selected one.
Video :
Classroom Seating Arrangements (Links to an external site.)
Classroom Seating Arrangements
https://www.teflcourse.net/blog/how-does-seating-arrangement-in-the-classroom-influence-classroom-management-ittt-tefl-blog/ (Links to an external site.)
https://primalteacher.com/blog/classroom-seating-who-gives-a-sit (Links to an external site.)
Answer the following questions in context.
Why do you think a seating arrangement affects teaching and learning?
How can seating arrangements encourage learning? How can it also affect misbehavior?
In your opinion, should teachers have free or ordered seating?
Describe the ideal classroom environment. Should there be a lot of print on the walls? Should there be diversity in posters, prints, and materials? Why?
Analyze and evaluate the climate of the room aside from the seating in the videos. Does it have to do with the teacher? Describe the emotional climate and physical climate of the classrooms. Answer the following questions in context for the remainder of this section:
Choose two videos from the resources, one of the attached videos, or a self-selected one.
Does the teacher use POSITIVE discipline approaches?
Is the teacher proactive or reactive?
What kinds of misbehavior do you observe? Typical misbehavior includes: students pushing or hitting each other, throwing things, negative verbal interactions between students, talking out, shouting out answers, daydreaming…
From the videos and textbook, when do you think most misbehavior occurs? Is it at the beginning of the day, the beginning or end of the lesson, transitioning from one activity to another, after lunch or recess…
Observe what strategies the teachers uses with regard to behavior: send children to the principal, public humiliation, verbal reprimand, detentions, written punishment for homework, name on board, time out, touch shoulder, proximity, hand signal or another signal, eye contact, ignore the behavior. Which are used most often? Is there something else that is done?
Observe the children in the class. Are any actively or passively resistant?
Were there signs of resistance (boredom, sleeping, staring into space)?
Are girls or boys more resistant? Why do you think this is so?
Was it one of gloom, tension, uneasiness, silence or bickering? Was it easy and joyful—students talking, sharing, teacher talking, laughing, smiling, joking, atmosphere light and alive with energy? Was the climate conducive to learning?
What kinds of nonverbal communication did you notice in the videos.
What did it look like and what stood out to you the most?
Would YOU like to be there everyday? Why or why not?
What did it look like and what stood out to you the most?
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/watch-a-classroom-management-expert (Links to an external site.)
https://www.edutopia.org/video/how-keep-your-elementary-students-focused (Links to an external site.)
https://canicollege.com/8-proactive-classroom-management-tips/ (Links to an external site.)
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