Is Your Classroom Structure Student-Based?
Before you know it, summer has come and gone are you are staring at the canvas that is your classroom once again.
Now, before you start rummaging through the closet to find those same posters you put up year after year knowing you will have your room set up in a matter of minutes, FREEZE.
Your classroom should not look exactly the same year after year. Of, if you are like us and get new students all throughout the year, your classroom might change slightly every few months.
Why would I change what I have been doing for so long just because of new students?
It might seem obvious after we say it, but your classroom layout should be based on your student’s needs. As you go through the year, pay attention to what works well within the space, and what doesn’t. Look at how the students are using the furniture, navigating the room, attending to visuals, and accessing materials. Every student is different and they come with their own set of unique strengths and weaknesses. Differentiation is part of the behavior business, and one way to differentiate for your learners is by tailoring their environment to their needs.
What about my own needs as a teacher?
Yes! Keep that Keurig and your Boston Bruins flag. We aren’t saying every single thing needs to be solely for the students. But, remember the reason we are here. The purpose of the classroom is to house the students you lovingly wake up for every day. It’s their instructional setting. It’s the space they spend the majority of their day in, experience challenges and celebrations, and learn new skills. So keep your personal teacher space, but dedicate the other 90% of the room to your students; in the end it will be worth it.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before start setting up your room in the fall:
- Have I gone through my student’s IEPS?
Accommodations/Modifications:
Look through your student's individualized education plans and highlight which accommodations and modifications need to be in place. Maybe they need access to a timer or a visual schedule. Maybe they require a quiet space to complete independent work. Keep in mind that accommodations are meant to be faded to some degree over time.
Goals/Related Services
Read through each student's goals and consider what you can do to the environment that will promote the acquisition of these skills. i.e. If you have a student working on self-help skills, you may want to spend some extra time working on the bathroom and sink area in terms of visual supports, access to materials (toothbrush, soap, washcloth), and accessibility furniture (steps tool, elevated toilet seat). Maybe the student requires sensory-based breaks to assist in regulation. If this is the case, you will want to ensure you have a basket or area that they can go to access these items or activities.
- Have I read through my student’s Behavior Plans?
Do I have students that engage in aggression towards property?
Not all students that require behavior support engage in aggressive behavior towards property. However, if you do have a student that struggles with this, be mindful of what items you keep out in the open. We highly recommend keeping materials in cabinets, binders, bins with lids, drawer systems, anything that will make it harder to throw or break things. It's too easy to clear a countertop when there are multiple things on top of it. This also helps to limit distractions and decrease anxiety due to clutter - so, it's really a win-win!
Do any of my students have a strong history of elopement?
Thinking about putting Johnny right next to the door? If Johnny has a history of running out of the classroom without permission, think again. You basically want to turn your classroom into a giant maze. Think of ways you can rearrange the furniture to make it take at least one second longer to get to that door. Seat this student further away from the door. That being said, we highly recommend avoiding the use of a baby gate. A gate is not a long-term solution, nor are they age appropriate for elementary students. At the very least, make sure you are teaching skills to meet that need for escape proactively so you can fade these barriers as quickly as possible.
Other prevention and teaching strategies
You likely will need certain materials to implement some of the prevent and teaching strategies in your student's BIP. Think about not only where you will house these, but how you can arrange the setting to make it as easy as possible for you and your team to implement these strategies to prevent the occurrence of problem behavior.
- How will each student learn best?
Visual supports
Many students with behavioral skill deficits benefit from the use of visuals, especially those students with lower expressive and/or receptive language skills. Consider if your student might benefit from functional communication cards, visual task analyses of certain skills, outlines of the rules, and anything else that might promote positive behavior and clarify expectations.
Level of staff support
It seems like we are seeing more and more students go through the day with 1:1 support. Though the end goal is always independence, we advise you not to rip off such a high level of support like a band-aide. Therefore, you will need to start with taking into account the space for a dedicated paraprofessional. Will the child and the para have their own space? Does the student have the skills to be part of a group? Thinking long-term, how can I setup the space so it is easier to fade this level of support over time?
Instructional delivery style
Not all students respond to whole-group instruction, some may even lack the skills to tolerate small group instruction initially. You also may have students that benefit from a discrete trial teaching format, which at times may require a separate space. Consider the instructional delivery style that your students respond to best and plan accordingly.
These are just some of the many things to think about when you are considering how to best set up your space to meet the needs of your students.
