My Classroom Spaces
Room 224
This year I am co-teaching Algebra I. Our class generally meets in room 224, but we often split the class for various activities and use room 255 as well. In room 224 there are 28 student desks arranged in a rectangular array, which we often move into groups of two or three, depending on the day’s activities. In addition, there is a small table and chairs for small group instruction, a teacher desk, and various filing cabinets and book shelves, not pictured.
A projector is mounted to the ceiling which can project images onto the whiteboard in the front of the room. There is also a Sympodium located on a podium to the side of the student desks, which can be used for annotation in SmartBoard’s Notebook software. We also have an application on our teacher iPads to control the Sympodium so we are not bound to the podium area during instruction. Our classroom houses a cart containing 26 Chromebooks that can be signed out by any teacher to use. In addition, here on the second floor of the high school there are three carts each containing 25 laptops in other teachers’ classrooms that can be signed out for use. While demand can be high for these devices, so far I have found if I am planning well in advance, I seldom have trouble getting laptops or Chromebooks when I need them.
In addition, our school has a “Bring Your Own Device” policy in which students are able to bring their devices from home (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) which can be used as directed by the teacher for educational purposes. Many teachers integrate device use into their lessons by having students text answers or use various educational apps in the classroom. However, not all students own devices, and many who do have devices do not bring them to school because they do not trust themselves not to lose it, particularly during after-school activities. I have found that most students prefer to use school technology in the classroom.
This year I am co-teaching Algebra I. Our class generally meets in room 224, but we often split the class for various activities and use room 255 as well. In room 224 there are 28 student desks arranged in a rectangular array, which we often move into groups of two or three, depending on the day’s activities. In addition, there is a small table and chairs for small group instruction, a teacher desk, and various filing cabinets and book shelves, not pictured.
A projector is mounted to the ceiling which can project images onto the whiteboard in the front of the room. There is also a Sympodium located on a podium to the side of the student desks, which can be used for annotation in SmartBoard’s Notebook software. We also have an application on our teacher iPads to control the Sympodium so we are not bound to the podium area during instruction. Our classroom houses a cart containing 26 Chromebooks that can be signed out by any teacher to use. In addition, here on the second floor of the high school there are three carts each containing 25 laptops in other teachers’ classrooms that can be signed out for use. While demand can be high for these devices, so far I have found if I am planning well in advance, I seldom have trouble getting laptops or Chromebooks when I need them.
In addition, our school has a “Bring Your Own Device” policy in which students are able to bring their devices from home (smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) which can be used as directed by the teacher for educational purposes. Many teachers integrate device use into their lessons by having students text answers or use various educational apps in the classroom. However, not all students own devices, and many who do have devices do not bring them to school because they do not trust themselves not to lose it, particularly during after-school activities. I have found that most students prefer to use school technology in the classroom.
Room 255
This classroom is a bit smaller, so we often use it for small group instruction. There are 13 student desks centered around the whiteboard and interactive projector, which can be used to annotate on nearly any computer or web application. The remaining 12 student desks are situated in clusters of four and are used for group work and projects. There are no student technology devices in this room, but a Chromebook or laptop cart can be signed out and brought in as needed.
We have found having two classrooms is a great way to differentiate instruction. We often give pre-assessments and then split the class into groups based on the data (below average, average, and above average). In this way, all students can be supported and challenged in a smaller setting.
This classroom is a bit smaller, so we often use it for small group instruction. There are 13 student desks centered around the whiteboard and interactive projector, which can be used to annotate on nearly any computer or web application. The remaining 12 student desks are situated in clusters of four and are used for group work and projects. There are no student technology devices in this room, but a Chromebook or laptop cart can be signed out and brought in as needed.
We have found having two classrooms is a great way to differentiate instruction. We often give pre-assessments and then split the class into groups based on the data (below average, average, and above average). In this way, all students can be supported and challenged in a smaller setting.