Dream Classroom

What does my classroom look like?
There are somethings in your classroom that you can not control. Like whether you are given a room with windows or what the desks look like.  Things like that you just have work with what you are given. But somethings I can control are what go on the walls, how I arrange the desks, what other outside resources I can bring into the classroom.  My room is not going to be empty, meaning, there will be things on the walls. Sometimes I do feel that the "decorations" put up in classrooms can distract from the learning which is something I want to avoid.  So what goes on my walls will be helpful to the learning and when projects are done those will be displayed.  This will let the students know that I care about what they have done.

Image 1: This picture demonstrates a temporary arrangement for working in groups. I would arrange the desks so that they wouldn't need to be moved every time we wanted to work in groups.

 The desks will be arranged in groups if the classroom space allows for that.  I believe that one of the main ways that students learn is from each other.  Having the desks arranged in groups will allow for the students to work together and collaborate and bounce ideas off of each other.
A big misunderstanding with mathematics is that there is one correct answer and only one way to get that answer, but that is very rarely the case. I am going to have resources in my classroom that will allow the students to work hands on and to help them explore other ways of answer questions. Block, fraction tiles, calculators, mini white boards, etc. will be available in the classroom.

Image 2: Expectations, rules, and policies will be posted so that all students can see them on a daily basis.

Rules, Policies, and Expectations
Students are going to be expected to show up to class and to be present and attentive. Meaning they will be expected to participate in small group and whole class discussions.
Classroom rules: be respectful of others, stay on task, learn from your mistakes, come prepared and ready to participate, and have fun!
If they fail to follow these rules they will get a warning, lose privileges, grades will suffer, and if it becomes a constant thing we will have to talk with parents and/or principal.
I also want to get the students involved in coming up with the rules and expectations of the classroom.  When they feel like what they have to say is being heard and that they are making a contribution then they are going to be more willing to follow those rules.

My Students
My students are going to be from all different backgrounds and they are all going to be welcome.  My vision for my classroom is that it is a safe environment where students from different backgrounds and interests will feel comfortable sharing and participating.  I want it to be place where you see the varsity sports players and the music/arts students, and math enthusiasts are all working together, forgetting about their label in school.

Image 3: I hope to build a safe environment where all students are in the air when I ask a question

Image 4: My students will feel comfortable coming to the board to share their work and teach the class what they discovered.

Me as a Teacher

A day would look like this: the students come in and get started on some kind of warm up to review the stuff they learned the day before or maybe even a week before.  This will be one way for me to assess if they understand was they have already learned. Then we will go over homework. I will have the students come up to the board to show their work and then we will discuss as a class if we agree why or why not.  Then we will get into the lesson.  My lessons for the most part will be task based.  I want my students to be actively learning and not just listening to me lecture for 30-45 min.  So after a little bit of instruction from me they will be given a task where they can work with each other.  Something we may be working on is solving equation by substitution, elimination, or my graphing.  I want them to learn that there is not just one way to solve an equation. There are three different approaches that will give you the same answer which ever way you choose.

Image 5: When I give my students a group assignment that doesn't mean that I am going to be sitting at my desk.  I am going to be walking around to see how they are doing and ask questions to see their thought process.  This will be another way for me to assess where my students are at with understanding. 

Image 1: http://aplacetothrive.blogspot.com/2013/09/classroom-reveal.html
Image 2: http://everybodyisageniusblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/classroom-expectations.html
Image 3: http://msbrownnobullteacher.com/wordpress/talking-out/
Image 4: http://yorkvilleschools.blogspot.com/2012/10/yorkville-high-school-math-thinking-to.html
Image 5: http://www.tbo.com/news/education/hillsborough-art-classes-adopt-common-core-approach-20140309/