Task 2.1.1

History class

​

The layout: The classroom is square, across from the door, you have the teacher’s desk. 
Seating arrangement: There are 32 tables for the students. They are divided into six groups of tables, see the document “1.1 Learning environment sketch – History class”.  
This formation makes it less traditional and more effective for collaborative group learning.
However, it makes it inevitable for students to interact with one another, especially when, at times, they should not.

The seating arrangement also creates little to no moving space for the teacher, forcing her to stay in front of the class when she is teaching. 
The space between the tables becomes smaller and more dangerous because the students tend to place their bags next to their desks, instead of underneath them.

​

Resources: In the classroom, there is a whiteboard, projector screen rolled up above the whiteboard and a projector on the ceiling. Both the whiteboard and the projector can support the teacher during her class. Usually, the teacher only tends to use the screen when showing a film fragment or a map.
With the projector, you can display PowerPoint presentations, online games, pictures, and videos, all to improve/stimulate their learning.
The whiteboard is best to use when needing to draw something out or writing along with the students while maintaining an active posture.

​

Lightsource: The ceiling of the classroom is mostly covered with LED lighting. Whenever the class is at use, the lights are on. The lights have a yellow/orange shine to them, making it more natural and warm. The lights don’t seem to affect the projector. Yet it leaves a slight twinkle in some corners or the whiteboard. When seated in the wrong place, this can be frustrating.
The wall opposite the entrance is mostly window, letting in a vast amount of natural light. Only when it becomes distracting (sun shining in the eyes of students), the teacher pulls down the shutters.
The wall, connected to the entrance,  also lets in some natural light via de windows in the hallway.
This glass is only on the top of the wall, this way, teachers can look inside from the hallway or other way around, and the students who are seated aren’t capable of seeing anyone.

​

Decorations: The wall in the back of the classroom consists of a bulletin board, covering most of the top half of the wall. This board is (nearly) full with all kinds of papers; task descriptions, posters, information pamphlets, etc., all about the topic History. It is very colourful. There are also some pictures of historical figures stuck on the windows and the glass.  
All these posters on the windows and the bulletin board seem to make the room smaller, more crowded. Everywhere you look, you can see either a historical figure, a text, or something colourful.
When having a class of 28 children, with 32 tables, who are a bit hyper and cramped in a small room with this many tools around them, it would seem only to deteriorate their concentration.
They seem to easily drift away, getting distracted from all the different things they can look at instead of paying attention to the teacher.
Even though these displays are placed behind them, combining it with their seating arrangement, it still makes it easy for the students to turn their head slightly.
The decorative wall only seems to be looked at with an observing eye at the start of a project; information and examples are displayed.

​

This environment feels very cramped and is overwhelmed with information and details. When teaching in this class, it is essential to gain the attention of every student. The seating arrangement can be useful when considering active learning activities and teamwork. Activities like this also prevent students from losing their concentration.
I would make use of a PowerPoint presentation. When the screen is rolled down, there will still be a bit of space leftover of the whiteboard. This can be used when needed to spell out a word or for extra explaining.