We are happy to say that with some small changes in classroom structure, this week was a success, and much more calm than last week. We took four of the large wooden tables out of the classroom, and used two of them for class purposes, the mandala and coats. This was the first part of the class that made things less chaotic - what to do with coats? We put a table outside of the classroom and labeled it "Coat Table," wondering if parents and or children would even notice it, but they did! All of the students, with the exception of one, came into the classroom coat free, which made for less running around on our part. We also set up the classroom differently. We replaced the majority of the big wooden tables with small square ones, and arranged them around the outside of the classroom, so that the entire center of the room was open for sketchbook time, and for ease of moving around the classroom for everyone.
The image above was one of the more popular studio centers in the classroom. Some of our centers are the same each week, and some are specific to the lesson, like this one. Our lesson was framed around patterns, and we used recycled water bottles as a tool for this. This station did not directly link to patterns, but more color theory and mixing. The students got the chance to drop food coloring into the water bottles and see what happened! They loved this activity, and every student wanted to work at this station! Mallory was in the classroom manning the studio centers.
The image above was the collaborate activity that the students worked on in the hallway. This was the bottle cap collage inspired by patterns and mandalas. Jen was in the hallway working on the bottle cap collage with 4 students at a time. It worked well at first, because we only allowed 4 students to work at the collage at one time, but time was running out, so at one point there were 6 students working on it at once, which was a little hectic. It worked well though, because if a student was not interested in this, he or she could go back into the classroom and continue their work at one of the other centers. The students enjoyed choosing the color of the caps and figuring out how to continue the "pattern" of the former 4 students that worked on it. When the first four students came out at the end of the class, they were very interested in how the pattern changed as different groups worked on it.
All in all, Saturday was a success!
Things to consider for next week:
- How can we change the structure of the centers yet again to fit the activity?
- We may need to decide to take some of the centers away for some classes, depending on the lesson for that day.
- Any suggestions for snack? Last week we passed it out to them at the tables and it was hectic, this week we set up snack on the counter, uncovered it when it was time, and allowed the students to grab their snacks and continue working at the centers. It went better than week one, but we're still looking for ways to improve!
So glad to see the glitches worked out so quickly and effectively: This was great testimony to your adaptability and reflection on the first week (and your commitment to teaching in this manner). Which centers are the standards? How are you deciding what will stay and what will change? Does the optimal number of centers in the room depend upon the activity that is the focus for the day? What are you noticing about the students' ability to focus as they become accustomed to working in centers? What about the quality of their work?
ReplyDeleteDid you feel more relaxed in (and out of) the classroom this week?
I think that the structure of your class may make help-yourself snacks a good idea (unless you gather the kids at some point during the morning and find that snacks are a good accompaniment to listening and participating in discussions?) Kris has excellent advice to provide in terms of self-serve snack procedures.
I think it was a great idea to move some of the tables into the hallway. I think the more space students have in their classroom, the easier it is to provide positive classroom management.
DeleteI think having studio centers was a great idea. Incorporating new centers from that days specific lesson as well including the same centers each week, allows them to practice art techniques and learn new things all in one day. I like Tina’s idea of having the students get their own snacks at a snack center in the room. Jordan and I eventually did this with our class and it really helped. The students were able to keep working if they wanted to and were very good about getting snack.
It seems like you guys learned a lot about classroom management this week! Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest differences, as I think we have all learned. The coat table was such a great idea, as coats cause so much clutter! I also like that you have consistent centers as well as changing ones; it probably gives your students a sense of familiarity while also giving them something exciting and new!
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