- Classroom Displays - mconnors
Students enjoy walking into classrooms that are inviting and motivating. Whenever teachers organize the wall space and create specific areas for learning, the students are surrounded by visual reminders which can help them remember information that has been taught each day.
It is significant that teachers insure that the displays are organized and are easily used during lessons and the students' independent work times. Whenever classrooms become distracting, student attention can be diverted and visuals become less applicable to learning.
Organize Wall and Chalkboard Spaces
There can be a great deal of learning space found on walls and chalkboards. These areas can easily be divided into learning areas by using a bright colored tape. Bright colors like yellow usually work quite well since they highlight the different areas and can easily be seen on the colored chalkboards. The tape also can be removed so that new learning areas are created.
One particular use for the classroom wall or chalkboard is the word wall. Many teachers have used the Word Wall as a large graphic organizer for new vocabulary words. Students refer to the Word Wall whenever they are writing so that they may spell words correctly and may use the words they are learning each day. The Word Wall allows for vocabulary application and reinforces various skills related to reading as well as spelling.
Create Interactive Bulletin Boards
Some classrooms can have many bulletin board spaces. Teachers can become very overwhelmed whenever they believe they have to change the bulletin boards every few weeks. The best plan is to plan bulletin boards that will be used during lessons and units of study. They should also be used as a showcase for student selected work.
Teachers should think about what types of information they are planning to present on a daily basis throughout the school year. That information can then be displayed on the bulletin board and used with the students each day. Examples would include the calendar, the list of jobs and responsibilities for students each week, monthly activities and school related information the students need to know.
Visuals within a classroom are excellent teaching tools whenever they are organized and easily understood by students. Students can retain information better whenever they have opportunities to actively use the information. Walls, chalkboards, and bulletin boards should include displays that can be used as learning references and that will motivate students to apply what they have learned each day.
Donna Hupe - I am a retired teacher with 31 years of experience including teaching in a private school for special needs children, directing and ...
