SETTLING IN.... AND REARRANGING THE CLASSROOM
If you are reading this blog post now, chances are that you may be feeling like I have been lately: anxious, overwhelmed, concerned about the health of my students, colleagues and loved ones and fearful about the state of our democracy. This is truly a moment to take a deep breath and try once again to live in the moment- always important and yet so difficult. Here is a wonderful article about Taking an Awe Walk that I highly recommend.
We received good news at our school this past week while observing the "6- ft apart rule" we can rearrange our rooms to enable students to have conversations with one another. In order to have meaningful dialogue, human beings need to face one another, look into each others' eyes and learn to read and understand body language; these "soft skills" are essential components of civil discourse. Using appropriate tone of voice, knowing when to talk and when to listen and learning how to disagree respectively are essential skills to living in a democracy.
Here are a few thoughts on why the structure of the classroom is so important.
The Design and Structure of the Classroom Reflects New Roles for Students and Teachers
The ways in classrooms are designed and the activities that students are engaged in must reflect the values that we believe in and the skills that we are trying to teach our students. The physical arrangement of the classroom can support student engagement, student agency and new roles for teachers and students. This is especially important in Harkness classrooms where the importance of individual initiative, authentic student voice and student teacher partnerships for learning are paramount, and where the motto,” not for school but for life” is a guiding principle.
Decisions about how the classroom environment is structured send messages to students and impact student teacher relationships. When I spoke with some high school students from the country of Georgia this summer via Zoom, I asked them to draw a picture of what their classroom looked like. The majority of their drawings were similar: the teacher was the largest figure in the room and was positioned in front of the class.
A student-centered learning environment is one where the focus of instruction is shifted from the teacher to the student, with the goal of developing students who are autonomous and independent. In a student-centered learning environment, the interests of the students take center stage, and the teacher gives students choice and voice, finding ways to provide learning experiences that focus on what students value. This type of learning environment needs to be grounded in trust, mutual respect and collaboration.
The creation of student-centered classrooms begins with creating trust and open communication; this is achieved by always being fair with students, listening to them, and allowing them speak. Greeting students at the door, shaking their hand, and welcoming them into the classroom every day is an important part of creating a classroom climate where students feel welcome, safe and respected. Students can and should participate in creating norms for the classroom that reflect how they want the classroom to be run. These norms are then posted on the wall of the classroom and students are asked to hold each other accountable. This process sends the message that “This is not my classroom, this is our classroom. We are all here to learn together.” This is at the heart of Harkness education: the teacher acts not only as educator, but as a facilitator and activator as well.
As we begin to move our classroom furniture (while observing COVID protocols) here are some variants that we can experiment with:
Small groups of three or four students working in teams where desks are six ft apart:
Desks and or tables pushed together for larger groups, students sitting six ft apart:
“Rotation stations” set up around the room with different tasks to be completed at each station. Students move individually or as a group from station to station; seats at each station should be six ft apart:
Desks put in a circle for class discussion and information sharing: six feet apart:
6. Horseshoe pattern for delivering information and class presentations:seats are six ft apart:
7. Bringing Students to the Harkness table in one or two tables: six feet apart:
New Roles for Student Leadership
Student voice begins with being heard by adults and then can progress to collaborating with adults to make changes in the school, including collecting data on school problems and implementing solutions. At the top level, students can work with adults to design curriculum, and new learning opportunities, self assess their learning, and have input into issues of concern to them in schools.
responsibilities - this is what we do at Harwood.Students take on leadership roles by:
Working with teachers to co-design curriculum and have voice and choice in what they study
2) Leading parent- teacher conferences that demonstrate their learning
3) Participating on committees to hire new faculty
4) Helping design courses and co- teach classes with faculty
5) Engaging in active journalism projects that report on school/community issues
6) Reviewing school policies such as attendance, tardiness drug and alcohol policies
and other disciplinary procedures
7) Attending faculty meetings and school board meeting to give input and share issues
of concern
8) Participating as student representatives on faculty and school committees
Characteristics of Democratic Classrooms:What is YOUR classroom like?
Equality: “All students and staff members… are treated with respect and dignity; all voices are honored and all contributions are seen as valuable.” (Kluth) Equality also means an equal educational opportunity for each student... [though] it does not mean treating every student the same. It means educators will respond to students’ individual needs so each will have an opportunity to succeed. (Classroom Management and Discipline/Democratic Schools)
Collaboration: “Students are connected to each other, to the surrounding neighborhood, and to the broader community through partnerships with business, volunteer relationships, and curriculum and instruction that relates to real-life experience and student-interests.” (Kluth)
Freedom: Students are able to be themselves and have the right to express themselves through their behavior and opinions. This right is both protected and respected by educators. (Classroom Management and Discipline/Democratic Schools)
Justice: Students are taught about their rights and responsibilities. “Students also know that their rights are not absolute. [Their] rights are denied or moderated when they exercise individual rights that interfere with the welfare or needs of others... The right to justice also means students accused of misbehavior have the right to tell their side of the story. For educators to listen... demonstrates a sincere respect for a student's sense of self-worth.” (Classroom Management and Discipline/Democratic Schools)
Open-mindedness: Students are “willing to change [their] position on an issue in light of new information, new knowledge, or a better argument... [Students] listen to others in this way… demonstrating a willingness to take others’ points of view seriously and to treat them respectfully... [T]he teacher is a leader by example.” (Frank Wilmer)
Community: The classroom provides “a support structure that calls forth students’ best moral selves by strengthening community and holding them accountable to practice respect and responsibility... [It] mobilizes the peer culture on the side of virtue, because students are working with the teacher in a continuing partnership to create the moral culture of the classroom.” (SUNY Cortland)
As we move now to the next phase of this COVID experiment, let's share our ideas as to how to re- arrange our classroom dens as winter approaches.
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