My Classroom

     My classroom consists of 22 1st grade students, including 3 ELL (English Language Learners) students and 3 ESE students. The students will be sat in 3 rows. It can also be easier to pass out papers this way because I will give the paper to the ones at either end and they will pass them down. I wanted the 3 ESOL (kids who English is their second language) closest to me so they can come up to me when they have questions. Therefore, those students will each be placed at the end of each row in the desk closest to mine. The 3 ESE students will be sat in the first row in the 3 middle desks, so they are close to the board and are able to see and hear me.

     My desk will be to the side so I can be able to see them. The storage will also be by my desk, so it is an easier access to me. The shelves will be by my desk as well. This will be where students turn in or pick up assignments and homework, and can get line paper, white paper and construction paper. Students will also keep their journals her as well. The television will be placed up front and out of the way when it is not in use. Usually, the television is on wheels, so I will roll it out to the middle in the front when it is being used. In the back corner, I will have a square rug and book shelves with a bean bag, chair, and easel. This section will be for reading time. Students will be able to sit there when reading. If we read as a class, students will sit on the rug as I read the story aloud. I will choose one student to help me when we go over the story. This student will have the privilege to sit on the bean bag chair and write on the easel when we go over what we read.

     The kidney table will be in the back of the class. This is where I will work with students in groups. As I am working with the students, I will be able to watch the other students sitting at their desk and it would not be a distraction to them either. My back should never be given to my students; this is why the projector will be in the back if it is on wheels. Nowadays, the projectors are on the ceiling. If I ever need to use the projector, I will roll it out, so it is in the middle of the classroom behind the 3^rd row so it is not in the way of students and the cord will not be in the way of students to cause them to trip.

     My educational philosophy is a mix of essentialism and progressivism. Essentialism is an educational philosophy that emphasizes basic skills of reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, geography, and languages. Essentialism is teacher based and the philosophy I agree with is emphasis on academics. The philosophy I strongly agree with is progressivism, which is an educational philosophy that organizes schools around the concerns, curiosity, and real-world experiences of students. Progressivism is student-centered where education is based on the needs and interests of students, students learn by doing as well as from textbooks, teaching through field trips and games and grouping by interest and abilities. My teaching style will be based off of this philosophy.

     Some class room activities we will be doing is working in groups when doing hands-on activities and games. For example, when I teach math, I will act as a doctor and the students will be nurses and will help me "operate" the equations. We will read stories aloud on our reading rug. Students will have arts & crafts on fridays, this is where a parent can come in and volunteer to help the class with this activity. We will do science experiments as a class at the kidney table. We will also learn lessons using the different technologies in class. Students will be able to work together as well. We will be using the smart board and promethean board as I am teaching lessons.