A space that I find engaging is my classroom. I spend the majority of my time inside of these four walls planning, teaching, and learning. I believe it to be very conducive to creativity. My students also spend a lot of their time in my third grade classroom exploring, creating, and absorbing knowledge. The classroom is especially useful for me because it provides me with the space and resources I need to be creative. I love sitting at my bean table to meet with students. The way it is shaped is very helpful when working with a group of students. I can see, reach, and interact with each student and we can all work collaboratively together. My desk is the place I go to work independently. It’s where I sit to plan creative and engaging lessons for my students. Inspiration and resources surround me at my desk. I’m also very close to my team teachers so I can easily reach out to them for some creative encouragement. My students greatly enjoy sitting on the carpeted area of the classroom and working together. They appreciate the flexible seating options and being able to work around the room instead of being confined to the desks. Having options helps them to think creatively. They also utilize the technology my classroom has to offer when learning. They have access to iPads, keyboards, Apple TV, a Promethean Board, and more. These tools help to foster creativity.
I really enjoyed reading “A Room of Their Own” by Punya Mishra, William Cain, Sandra Sawaya, Danah Henriksen, & the Deep-Play Research Group. It was extremely interesting to read about the effect space can have on people and on learning. I enjoyed learning about the three different learning spaces that were created top-down to meet different needs. I found it interesting that even when designing a space with the best interest in mind, the subjects of the space can still change things up or utilize objects in different ways. This makes me think of my classroom and how the design of it has changed overtime and I’m sure will continue to change. The article states that architects need to “closely observe the organic interactions of inhabitants and then engage in the design process” (p .6) and I completely agree. After watching my students interact with each other I noticed that they love to move around the room and sit in different areas while working. Because of this, I want to create even more flexible seating options for the third graders. I would also love to have small portable desks that the students could use for their iPads and keyboards. As of right now they use the crates with cushions I have created as keyboard stands. I intended these crates to be used as seats, but this shows how the users of a space can change things to fit their needs. After reading this article, I’ll make sure to continue to have an open mind when designing my classroom. I will be open to repurposing tools and I’ll look to my students and their needs when designing.
Reference:
Mishra, P., Cain, W., Sawaya, S., Henriksen, D. & the Deep-Play Research Group (2013). A Room of their own. Tech Trends, (57) 4. p. 5-9.
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