Instructional Environment (A-2)
Directions: Thoughtful consideration of your classroom layout is important in meeting the needs of your students. Indicate
how you have addressed appropriate prevention and intervention for classroom safety concerns. Include relevant seating
chart information showing placement of students with special needs. Include the rationale for your decisions.
Draw or attach a layout of your classroom.
Classroom Design:
Classroom Layout Rationale
The classroom is organized into three sections of desks. Because of the thrice rotating structure of a
Developmental Reading class, the desk layout makes sense and serves a a functional purpose. The
sections also allow for a seating chart devoted to differentiated instruction, which is the backbone of
Developmental Reading.
The students are seated according to their given rotation group and have been placed in a group based
on test scores and reading capability. In doing this, the teacher is able to differentiate class instruction
in a seamless manner, and the students are able to determine which group they are in- yellow, red, or
blue, based on where their seat is located in the room. Also, the seating chart helps the rotation process
because the students are then able to flow in a clockwise motion around the room. The ease of this
process is, at least partly, attributed to the layout of the classroom.
The layout of the room also makes sense within the rotations because each section serves as a location
of one of the three rotation stations. The yellow section of desks is the area in which direct instruction
is held, the red is dedicated to independent reading, and the blue desks are placed directly in front of
the computer tables. The students begin their rotations for the day in, or near, their original desks and
end the day back at their desks. This set-up unquestionably helps the rotations stay organized and
fluid.
Not only does the seating chart allow for differeniation, but it is also dedicated to student learning.
The students are placed in seats that are appropriate for their particular needs and that isolate them
from the distractions of friends. Talkative students, or students who are easily distracted, are seated in
the front rows, and those students who display strong work ethic are strategically placed throughout the
room to form a balance of learning. Seating charts are a necessary tool in Developmental Reading.
The classroom layout and seating chart for period two, Developmental Reaing I, has proven effective
so far this semester. However, neither is written in stone and can be changed at any time if needed to
accommodate student learning.
Rationale:
Copyright © Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the California Department of Education
Formative Assessment for California Teachers (FACT) – 2010
Context for Teaching and Learning – Classroom Layout (A-2)
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