I agree that classroom design is an important component to classroom learning but it needs to be monitored consistently because some students who sit together are constantly interrupting each other. There are also students who do not get along and they need to be physically seperated. If students can not deal with the issues that will destroy their education then they need to seperated.
We have a classroom in out school that looks like a house because it is a functionally integrated program where they learn lifeskills and the students who are in traditional classrooms envy the students who are in a comfortable environment. The picture that is in Clarence's bloglooks similiar to the functionally integrated class.
I do not have rows of desks, I have two large groups, one small group and two students who sit independantly. We need to base our structure depending on the students needs.
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And if we believe in a social constructivist theory of learning then we also need to design our learning environments so that there are opportunities to interact as we learn, talk about our learning and reflect on our learning.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that at one point in my career I thought I was a good teacher because I could teach with my door open because my students were quiet and "on task". I am a little embarassed but at the same time I see where I have grown I now understand that many things that I thought "worked" only worked for me as a teacher in control of my students and didn't necessarily "work" for my students "learning". I now realize that there may have been more learning if I had provided more authentic opportunities for students to interact with others around their learning.
Love your tables! Learn on!