Oct 19
2008Use These Classroom Design Strategies to Motivate Your Students
Filed Under (Personal Development) by Danny Krumholz on 19-10-2008
Tagged Under : Personal Development
Your classroom layout, displays and decorations are important to help motivate and stimulate your students. A classroom that is comfortable, friendly and colourful, creates a very positive learning and social environment for your students.
In this article, I have provided you with my ideas and suggestions about the how’s and why’s of designing and decorating your classroom. The topics I discuss below include classroom layout, classroom decorations, classroom bulletin boards and classroom displays.
1. Classroom Layout — One of your main considerations when designing the layout of your classroom is the classroom seating arrangement. I always organized the students’ desks in groups of 4 to 6. I found that this promoted a healthy interaction between students for doing group work. In life, one must learn to communicate and work together with others. When I wanted to give my students more focused attention, it was easy for me to work with them using this grouping arrangement.
Every 6 to 8 weeks I would reorganize the groups and move students around. The main benefit of this is that every student eventually sits with every other student in my class. They all get to know and learn about each other and develop new friendships. I allowed the students to make up their own seating arrangements and then I would finalize it.
2. Classroom Decorations were always very important to me! I always wanted my classroom to be a fun and welcoming place for students, parents and other visitors. I used various classroom decorations throughout the year depending upon the season; for example, Halloween displays in October, Christmas displays in December, Valentine’s Day in February and on it goes.
It is important that students play an important part in decorating the classroom. When students feel ownership, it motivates them and creates a positive learning environment. Encourage students to suggest their classroom decorating ideas. It’s all part of the learning process.
3. Using your classroom’s bulletin board displays is another excellent method for motivating and building your students’ self-esteem. Most students will try harder at producing better quality work if they know it will be displayed for their fellow students, parents and visitors to see.
You should always divide up your bulletin boards in the classroom to display different material in your curriculum - whether it’s your information or the students’ work on a specific topic. Want some suggestions - students’ art, creative stories written by the students, science diagrams, pictures and information on a unit. One more thing, - students love to help put up their work, so definitely let them!
4. Classroom Displays — Classroom bulletin boards are just one form of classroom display. You can use other parts of the room to display posters (preferably ones with a motivational message), hang displays (such as the different planets) from the ceiling, or string displays in one area of the classroom (if permitted). All it takes is some imagination and you’ll find your students will want to participate in making their class one that everyone will want to visit.
Be sure to give the tips that I have made here a try. You won’t be sorry! Use my suggestions and with a little imagination, you be able to stimulate and motivate your students just as I have and love doing it at the same time!
