Classroom Design

My first design I wanted to go all out, thinking of the max amount of students I could have in a 25 x 25 space. The first thing I want my students to do in the morning is come through the door and hang up their coats on the stand. Then they will go straight to the rug and be ready for "circle time" where we could go over the days' agenda, the calendar, weather, and maybe have some story time. From there I would want them to go to their seats where we could do a lesson plan/activity. During that time I could pull up the projector or television to use to integrate technology.  I would teach where the projector is currently sitting and use the whiteboard on the wall. Teaching there I would be able to walk back and forth in the front and all of the students are facing my direction and don't have their backs to me. Moving through our day I could use the kidney table to do activities with up to five students at a time, while the rest worked on academic work, reading in the reading nook with bean bag chairs, working together on the computer, or any group activity I create for the day. I would also use the kidney table when someone needs one on one help or a place for students to sit that need to make up a test. One activity I could do at the kidney table is use the iPads I plan to store in the storage room. Finally, I just have my desk facing the class. That way I am open to anyone who wants to come up, I also have a ton of storage space behind me where I could keep supplies, books, or my stuff as well. I always picture windows lining that back wall so I have a ton of light streaming into my classroom. I think this set up with keep my students focused in each area. Everyone will be focused on me at the rug, everyone will be focused on me while I teach because I will be able to see the face of everyone and finally the kidney table will keep the children focused on the activity. The classroom is set up to where I can move about in a circle and see the students from all over, making me easily accessible. 

But besides my all-out fancy classroom I wanted to take this activity in another direction. I wanted to create a smaller classroom. I do not know what school I will end up teaching in. I could be in a small town where there are not many children, or a private school with only a certain number of students in my classroom, or I could even be in an area where a lot of kids do not get to go to school. I wanted to do this because I am good at getting everything I want and making it fit in the best way possible, but I am also a minimalist when there is not much to work with I use it in the best way. So similar to my first work I would have the students enter and hang up their coats. I would then have circle time and then head to their desks for a lesson. I also incorporated a kidney table for small group time and still kept my desk facing the class. I put in a storage room where I could keep a tv on a cart, a projector, and some iPads. I would teach the students where the easel is so they are all facing me. So essentially I was able to create a very similar classroom like the first one, but I was able to create it for a smaller group of students. This room is only 375 square feet, almost half of the other one.