Environment presentation1
- 2. Wairere School is a three teacher rural school near Matamata. Families are from farming backgrounds, the nearby settlement of Waharoa and from Matamata township. Classrooms each have four desktops, six laptops and data projectors. Thinking, learning and creating integrate thinking skills, SOLO Taxonomy, Habits of Mind and Discovery (Inquiry) Learning.
- 3. GOALS • Collaborative practice - strengthen professional learning community within the school. • Use Inquiry process. • Improve students’ thinking, learning and creating. • Sharing the process and outcomes with colleagues and wider community.
- 4. FOCUS Investigate and trial alternative classroom arrangements and furniture that enable students to learn more effectively as 21 century learners.
- 5. Previously: Desks in rows or groups. Each child had their own desk or seating place. Teacher’s desk prominent and at front of class. Teaching from the front of the class. Crowded and cluttered, lacking flow. No child input.
- 6. We were inspired through visiting other classrooms and looking at the rationale of the Herrmann Brain Model on how teachers teach and how children learn. Useful websites: Connected classrooms pedagogy elearningclassroom.wikispaces.com However, it has been difficult to source research material related to learning environments.
- 7. CONSTRAINT: RESTRICTED BUDGET! Existing buildings
- 8. What did we do? • Visited two classrooms • Viewed photos and examples from visits • Talked with each other • Talked with children • Looked at resources available within the school
- 9. • Throughout the year, consulted with students about how they felt about existing setup and any changes they would like. This was a project undertaken together. • As part of staff meetings, visited each others’ classrooms to view changes and provide feedback and feedforward
- 14. Further Results • No child has their own desk • Most desks have been removed from rooms • Children can sit wherever they want • Laptops can be used anywhere • Small changes are being continually made • If students do not work, they sit in designated seats and can then earn the right to self chosen seating
- 15. • Children are very proud of the changes and have more ownership of their classrooms • Children are learning more effectively as they have choices and can work where they are comfortable and/or the place suited to the task
- 16. Reflections • You can make changes without a big budget • Everyone needs to be part of the process • Management needs to be able to allow staff to experiment and to support changes • Parents are generally impressed with the changes
- 17. Challenges • Lack of examples/information to use as a model/reference • Children not having a personal desk • Keeping within budget – some money available in MOE furnishing allowance, teachers have purchased some furniture themselves as they want to keep it, using furniture in a different way eg old tiered computer desks • Sourcing alternatives eg high tables, beanchairs…..
- 18. • Allowing children to be a significant part of the process • Being comfortable with children in different learning spaces • Willingness to take a risk!
- 19. Next Steps • Purchase moon tables • Continue refreshing as teachers and children suggest changes/adjustments • Look at “hidden spaces” • Use space outside classrooms • Funding for the expensive items!
- 20. GOALS Have we achieved them? • Collaborative practice - strengthen professional learning communities within the school. Definitely – and have involved the students, too. • Use Inquiry process. Yes • Improve students’ thinking, learning and creating. Yes, as children are more comfortable and generally working better. • Sharing the process and outcomes with colleagues and wider community. Yes