Seven Classroom Configuration Options:
(1) Twos, (2) Circle, (3) Clusters, (4) Rows, (5) Perimeter, (6) “U”s, and (7) Center.
Ten Classroom Space Recommendations:
1. Materials students use should be visibly stored and accessible.
2. Avoid dead space.
3. If needed, for reasons of safety or control, arrange space so the teacher can see all of it.
4. Vertical space (walls, dividers, closets, and movable cabinet doors) should be employed productively.
5. Use dividers placed on a diagonal to channel student movement and visual fields.
6. Have a display area for students’ work and other kinds of products.
7. Keep active areas distant from quiet areas.
8. Keep adjacent activity areas apart, or clearly bounded to prevent distraction.
9. Have clear traffic paths connecting functional areas of the room.
10. Either eliminate empty chairs, or move the students forward where they can be in contact with you and with each other.
To check your knowledge about Space, see the exercises on The Skillful Teacher website at www.RBTeach.com/TST7.
T H E S K I L L F U L T E A C H E R80
PART TWO | MANAGEMENT | SPACE
NOTES
8. Time PART TWO | MANAGEMENT | TIME
T H E S K I L L F U L T E A C H E R 81
Management Time
Management:
Time
Time is the currency of life, and teachers run the bank for their students about six hours a day, an enormously powerful position. They run the bank even for “free choice” times, where the options available are those offered or allowed by the teacher. When students do what, in what order, and for how long is largely under the teacher’s control, and we know from recent research that controlling how time is used has a big impact on student learning. This includes time spent in places other than the classroom, like the cafeteria. How long students spend in each of the environments the school offers and the quality of that time is something faculty members control.
This chapter is about being as deliberate as possible in managing student time use for maximum learning. It draws on the growing knowledge base of the field to help us be better time managers for our students. The issues of time man- agement for students center on allocation, efficiency, and pacing. Investigating how we and our students are spending class time, and getting concrete and accurate data about that, is likely to yield some surprises and some interesting and useful insights.