The classroom and the school
Within a school the classroom is the main learning space in which children engage in, it is important to make this learning space appealing and engaging to all students and their needs. "There is an awareness of how environment and access to resources impacts learning (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2012)." The way in which the classroom is set up to the visual aids used around the room influence the impact. Students need to feel comfortable within there surroundings, they need to feel safe and have access to resources. Both the teacher and the students should be taken into consideration when the classroom is set out, the teacher needs to be able to access all they need to give the students the best learning experiences. "Many new learning spaces also feature sustainable and progressive design elements that take into account respect for the natural environment and energy conservation (Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2012)."
Curriculum and pedagogy
"In 2013, Queensland schools will plan, teach, assess and report on the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science and History across the year levels (QSA, 2013)." QLD teachers are currently using the ACARA (Australian Curriculum) to know what their students should be achieving throughout the year, also to understand what they already know and what they will need to know in the next year level. however for those subjects that are not available through ACARA teachers are accessing the QSA national standards to understand what is expected in those subjects. Within state schools teachers have access to a program by the name of C2C; "The Curriculum into the classroom (C2C) project is the strategy employed by Education Queensland to support its schools with the implementation of the Australian Curriculum and to assist them to meet its goal for state schooling of one vision, one curriculum, one platform, different ways (Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2013)." Teacher have these tools to use within the classroom and can be adapted to the classroom lessons. Teachers need to understand their students to be able to effectively tech to the curriculum.
Teachers and Students
Learning in the classroom is enhanced, "deepened and made more relevant when connected learning spaces provide opportunities for:
Teachers should take into consideration the students learning when designing and setting out the layout for the classroom, and should be prepared to alter the layout if needed for the students best interest. Students also need to consider others learning preferences and that not everything they want to be catered for. The use of students work being apart of the display in the classroom is an effective way for students to show off their work to their parents and is a great tool for students to refer to.
Curriculum and pedagogy
"In 2013, Queensland schools will plan, teach, assess and report on the Australian Curriculum in English, Mathematics, Science and History across the year levels (QSA, 2013)." QLD teachers are currently using the ACARA (Australian Curriculum) to know what their students should be achieving throughout the year, also to understand what they already know and what they will need to know in the next year level. however for those subjects that are not available through ACARA teachers are accessing the QSA national standards to understand what is expected in those subjects. Within state schools teachers have access to a program by the name of C2C; "The Curriculum into the classroom (C2C) project is the strategy employed by Education Queensland to support its schools with the implementation of the Australian Curriculum and to assist them to meet its goal for state schooling of one vision, one curriculum, one platform, different ways (Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2013)." Teacher have these tools to use within the classroom and can be adapted to the classroom lessons. Teachers need to understand their students to be able to effectively tech to the curriculum.
Teachers and Students
Learning in the classroom is enhanced, "deepened and made more relevant when connected learning spaces provide opportunities for:
- Active and interactive participation
- Collaborative project work
- Information retrieval and sharing
- Discussion and presentation
- Production of new knowledge
- Teacher and student-led activities
- Connection with experts
- Local and global networks
- Personalised learning (MCEETYA, 2008)"
Teachers should take into consideration the students learning when designing and setting out the layout for the classroom, and should be prepared to alter the layout if needed for the students best interest. Students also need to consider others learning preferences and that not everything they want to be catered for. The use of students work being apart of the display in the classroom is an effective way for students to show off their work to their parents and is a great tool for students to refer to.
This particular classroom, is the my Prac classroom. It is designed with groups and lines. students have been given the opportunity to form groups or sit in a straight line. the classroom is decorated with with children's work samples. There is a large area for students to freely work in when given the opportunity.