This blog is slightly out of order... this is in regards to last weeks reading:
Routman discusses just about everything in her books Reading Essentials and Writing Essentials, yet in the first few chapters of the first mentioned book one idea stood out in my mind-- how to set up your classroom.
As a new-teacher-to-be I am full of excitement about MY new classroom. It's not my master teacher's classroom that I am using as a stage to practice my teaching skills. No, this is MY classroom. It represents who I am as a teacher and I want parents to walk in on the first day and think to themselves, "This is going to be a fantastic year!"
And then I read Routman's ideas in chapter 2. Oh my gosh! Talk about taking what I thought I knew and turning it completely upside down, and well... me being okay with it. In fact, more than okay. In love with her ideas is more appropriate. Its not MY classroom. It is our classroom, where the teacher and students come every day to learn from eachother. After reading her ideas about allowing the students to help set up the classroom during the first few days of the school year, I realized how important it was for my students to feel at home in our classroom just as I would like to feel. Looking back at my preschool classroom, there were plenty of Routman's ideas that I had done. I always tried to cover as many blank spaces with student art. I took to heart my boss's theory of "If I walk into your classroom any day of the week, I should instantly know what you are learning in the classroom." I love this idea and I made sure that students' work was hung as soon as it was dry. If we studied dinosours for two weeks, by Tuesday of week one I would have two bulletin boards full of dino-art. The giant volcanoe overflowing with lava? Group art project! The boarders? Dino-footprint stamp project! I thought that meant it was their classroom. I thought I had it down to a tee.
And then Routman through my world in a tizzy! The kids deciding where the recyceling bin goes? Where homework sheets should be turned in? Where the art table should stand and how often we switch jobs... or which jobs we have for that matter? No... they couldn't be in charge of that! That would be chaos. Or would it? Routman makes very solid arguements for why students should be an active participant in the layout and dynamics of the classroom. The more stake they have in the building of their enviornment, the more respect they will have for their classroom day in and day out.
I am happy to say that Routman has influenced my ideas about classroom set-up. I went from having a very materialistic view of "sharing" the classroom with my students to having a wonderfully democradic outlook on the design and day to day runnings of our classroom.
Routman discusses just about everything in her books Reading Essentials and Writing Essentials, yet in the first few chapters of the first mentioned book one idea stood out in my mind-- how to set up your classroom.
As a new-teacher-to-be I am full of excitement about MY new classroom. It's not my master teacher's classroom that I am using as a stage to practice my teaching skills. No, this is MY classroom. It represents who I am as a teacher and I want parents to walk in on the first day and think to themselves, "This is going to be a fantastic year!"
And then I read Routman's ideas in chapter 2. Oh my gosh! Talk about taking what I thought I knew and turning it completely upside down, and well... me being okay with it. In fact, more than okay. In love with her ideas is more appropriate. Its not MY classroom. It is our classroom, where the teacher and students come every day to learn from eachother. After reading her ideas about allowing the students to help set up the classroom during the first few days of the school year, I realized how important it was for my students to feel at home in our classroom just as I would like to feel. Looking back at my preschool classroom, there were plenty of Routman's ideas that I had done. I always tried to cover as many blank spaces with student art. I took to heart my boss's theory of "If I walk into your classroom any day of the week, I should instantly know what you are learning in the classroom." I love this idea and I made sure that students' work was hung as soon as it was dry. If we studied dinosours for two weeks, by Tuesday of week one I would have two bulletin boards full of dino-art. The giant volcanoe overflowing with lava? Group art project! The boarders? Dino-footprint stamp project! I thought that meant it was their classroom. I thought I had it down to a tee.
And then Routman through my world in a tizzy! The kids deciding where the recyceling bin goes? Where homework sheets should be turned in? Where the art table should stand and how often we switch jobs... or which jobs we have for that matter? No... they couldn't be in charge of that! That would be chaos. Or would it? Routman makes very solid arguements for why students should be an active participant in the layout and dynamics of the classroom. The more stake they have in the building of their enviornment, the more respect they will have for their classroom day in and day out.
I am happy to say that Routman has influenced my ideas about classroom set-up. I went from having a very materialistic view of "sharing" the classroom with my students to having a wonderfully democradic outlook on the design and day to day runnings of our classroom.
Hi Tina,
ReplyDeleteIt's great that Routman is turning your world upside down! And it's especially terrific that you're letting her do it. The notion of "our" classroom instead of "my" classroom is huge - and it extends way past the environment.
Tina, I couldn’t agree more. It’s not MY class as the teacher; it’s OUR class as a teacher and students. I was equally blown away by chapter 2 in Routman’s “Reading Essentials” as well. She didn’t quite turn my world upside down, but she came damn near close. I always had the notion that the teacher is a sort of Supreme Being that makes all the major decisions within a classroom. It's great to know that this isn't the case and that the students should be involved in these decisions.
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