MY JOURNEY TO UPGRADE MY CLASSROOM SPACE

MY JOURNEY TO UPGRADE MY CLASSROOM SPACE

I would like to start my blog with a little background on my students and our current learning environment. The students in our Adult Transition Program are individuals who did not receive a high school diploma. They range in age from 18 to 26, and each adult learner has at least one disability. The learning experience focuses on teaching students basic life skills (hygiene, nutrition, cooking, grocery shopping, monetary skills) and helping them acquire essential job skills (communication and interpersonal skills) through a comprehensive Work-Based Learning (WBL) program. Our students are most qualified for service type jobs e.g. bagging groceries, dishwashers, silverware prep, stocking shelves, office and fitness center cleaning etc. Some of the local job sites include ACE Hardware, Powerhouse Gym, South Lyon Hotel, Early Childhood Center (ECC), and Biggby Coffee. This approach ensures that learners are exposed to theoretical knowledge but also have ample opportunities to apply these skills in real-world settings.

This is a snapshot of our current learning environment:


The front wall of the room is a white board. We also have a Box light unit positioned in front of this wall. The desk space for the teacher and paraeducator are located at each end of the front wall. Our learning space is typically arranged as above but we do reconfigure the tables for group discussions and when working on group projects. We have sufficient storage space (although spread around the room) and above average natural light (half a wall of windows). Seating is challenging given the varying needs of our students. For example, one student requires a yoga ball chair for sensory issues, others need a solidly built chair, while others prefer chairs that swivel and have wheels. 

Our current setup works pretty well for our program. However, there are a few areas that are ripe for upgrades. The first area would be furniture. The tables in our classroom are “no frills”. It would be great to have tables with built-in power outlets and variable height settings. Our students use Chromebooks, which sometimes need to be recharged as do their phones when we’re teaching them how to use phone-specific apps in their daily lives. Having the ability to quickly raise table heights would be valuable for some of our group projects where a standing posture would be most efficient and productive. Also, it would be great to add a “living space” with plush carpet and Globe chairs where our students could go for sensory time or when they need a private space for full focus.

 

 GLOBE CHAIR - BOTH A CHAIR & ITS OWN LITTLE WORLD 

The second area would be lighting. While our space does have above average natural light, it would be nice to have daylight lighting for cloudy days or during the winters here in Michigan. It would also be nice to have an LED light wall for when our students need an unconscious prompt (calming effects, focus effects etc.).

The third area, closely related to the second area, is wall color. It would be great to have a green accent wall in our classroom. I’m thinking the back wall of our space would be perfect. Low wavelength colors promote restfulness and calm, and they improve efficiency and focus. Research shows that green is an excellent color for improving concentration. Apart from being one of the easiest colors on the eyes, it reminds us of nature. Green is a good color for keeping long-term concentration and clarity, making it a good choice for an office or classroom. There is some real scientific evidence for this as studies have shown that people who work in green offices have higher rates of job satisfaction, and consumers have been shown to spend more time shopping in stores that are painted green [1].

This is a snapshot of my envisioned upgraded learning environment:


I truly believe that this upgraded classroom environment would have a significant positive impact on our students’ ability to learn and overall enjoyment of our program.


REFERENCES

Calligeros, M. (2015, May 25). Seeing green boosts your concentration, research shows. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/technology/seeing-green-boosts-your-concentration-research-shows-20150525-gh8udh.html

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