Desks In The Classroom

Good morning!

I'm trying to post more often so here I am! 2nd post of 2015!

I want to talk about desk arrangements in your classroom. My room is a bungalow with a promethean board. Additionally, I teach deaf/hard-of-hearing students, with some general education students coming in for 1/2 of the day. Also, we have speech come in as well as our para-professional do small work. Therefore, the desks must be fashioned to face forward and still be flexible with small groups.

In Deaf Ed, it is very common to have a U-shape desk arrangement. However, when you toss in general ed, I found this to be a bit difficult. I asked around and decided this is what works for me!

[My lovely significant other was kind enough to come and move all the desks for me.]

[Please excuse the depressing looking room. We have state testing]

Literacy

 This is the literacy corner of our room. I use this table for my DHH students. I have the sentence strips ready to go as well as the "I Can" statements posted. The students all face me so we are focused on the task at hand.

The Front of the Classroom

 This is the view of the entire classroom from the literacy center. I have twin-desks facing in a  U-Shape. I use these desks only when General Education students are here or when my DHH students need space.

Also, the student's shelf that is under the desk is actually facing the other way. This way, I don't have students making messy desks, playing with this in their desk, nor being off task. Plus, it makes cleaning up the classroom much easier when the students don't have a messy desk at all!

 Front & Center

Here is the very front of the room. Again, I like to have the DHH students sit here. This is especially important when we use the Smart Board. Additionally, the kid I need to watch carefully always has a seat near me :)

 Math

Last but not least, we have our math table. Our Para-professional uses this circle-table for her small group work. Additionally, this works for small group mathematics games.

That's all for desks today! My next post will include how I control pencils. Yes, even in 4th/5th grade we have a pencil problem.

Setting up desks to where each student is successful takes trial and error. However, taking the time to find the right match is well worth it!

Crystal The Teacher

Rick Morris: Classroom Magician!

Rick Morris: New Management 

Who is Rick Morris?

Rick Morris is a behavioral consultant for classroom management. I had the pleasure of attending one of his trainings when I worked in Chula Vista. Rick's tagline "fair, firm, consistent"is a behavior management technique I live by everyday. Be it in the classroom, camp, or after-school setting, having that mantra will help keep you in control.

My 2 favorite technique from Rick: 

1. Sign Language Posters---Nothing is more annoying than being in the middle of a lesson and a kid raises their hand & you think "Yes! Its an important question!". Little do you know, its really a question of "When do we clean up?". Say goodbye to those problems! Using sign language in the classroom is perfect for any age/grade; even if you don't know any sign language. Rick Morris simplifies communication by using signs for students. By showing your students different signs for common questions/sayings such as: 'I have a questions', 'I need the restroom', 'I need a pencil', 'I have a comment'. Since I'm going into Deaf Education, I will be using ASL everyday. Yet, I have to say that even with hearing students, they easily learn the signs! Even my after-school leaders [who don't know ASL] use the signs! Try it and it'll do wonders!

2. The Choices Program--This is hands-down the best "write up" for students. Now, I am a firm believer in preventative behavioral techniques. However, there are times where a student needs to realize that their misbehavior is unacceptable and their parents need to be informed. This form works wonders in and outside of the classroom. Why? It causes the student to self-evaluate their behavior and makes them realize that their behavior is a choice!

[Here is a sample from Rick Morris: You can get the template off his website for free!]

Click here for his awesome website!

Rick Morris has a plethora of books and tips available at his website! Everything he teaches is adaptable for any education environment. If you ever have the chance, take his workshop. It's worth every penny.


-Crystal



P.S.
Sorry I haven't posted: grad school & my promotion at work has got my schedule jam packed! I'll try to blog more often.