In relation to Organisation and Accessibility, we see that classroom organisation and management is key in relation to the aims, requirements and curriculum plans within the classroom. The organisation within the classroom can increase the effectiveness of the teachers and their strategies and it will make the children find it easier to learn. It is important that there is organised space within the classroom as children need freedom within the class to move around, however if this is not in order it is more likely for pupils to cause disruption. Such as having carpet space within the classroom where the teacher can have a discussion with everyone in the classroom and it gives the teacher a sense of control.
With use of resources, it is important that teachers have access to a range of different resources to enable children to have the experience of hands on and practical work. However, simpler resources such as paper, pens, scissors etc, is something that should be accessible for children to use as and when they need it. On the other hand, back to relation of organisation, teachers must take into consideration if other resources such as computers, gym space or art resources are available to the children. Another main everyday source is the use of whiteboards such as interactive whiteboards, which can be great opportunities to work as a whole class and allows individual children to take part.
In terms of displaying and presentation of work, it gives children the sense of inclusion within their classroom as they feel a sense of identity within the classroom and that their work is on display for everyone to see. Having strategies and topic tips on show throughout wall displays, it gives children the opportunity to refer to these if they were stuck and needed some support to get their answer.
Effective class rules and routines are important as each lesson is likely to have similar patterns to grasp the attention of the children, so they are used to the structure in which the way the teacher delivers the information to the class. The purpose of effective class rules is to control the behaviour management within the classroom and provides children to engage with their learning in the correct way. It is important that as a student teacher, as we take on the role of the class from another teacher, we must consider that not all the teacher will respond to the same rules and regulations, so it is important to display your rules often and keep reminding the children unto these rules are put into place.
Allocating activities is an effective way to give children a sense of responsibility and take on lead roles within the classroom, rather than the teacher doing it all. It teachers the children to take turns and the concept of sharing within the pupils of the classroom, as every child is allocated different jobs each week as it changes around. It is not only easier for the teacher, it allows children to develop many skills such as their time management, organisation and even communication with other people within the school environment.
The process of delivering the curriculum can be put across in many ways and not always by the well-known ways of the learning intentions and success criteria’s, there are serval exciting ways in which different curricular areas can be addressed to the pupils. Such as the use of resources within the class, allowing the children to work independently, with a partner or in groups, which is a more appealing way rather than explaining the basic structure of the curriculum.
Very thorough discussion of this Robyn, well done. I particularly liked that you highlighted the inclusive aspect of displaying all children’s work. One thing I would say is that you, as the teacher, cannot ‘control’ the children’s behaviour. You can however influence it, with good organisation and clear routines and rules.