Classroom Organization

The goals of classroom organization are:

• maximizing the amount of learning
• minimizing the frequency of behaviour problems
• creating a positive and safe environment

Classroom arrangement suggestions:

• students should be seated so that their attention is directed towards the teacher
• students should be able to clearly see chalkboards, screens, presentations and displays
• students should face the front of the room and away from windows
• high traffic areas should be free of congestion
• students should be seated so that teachers can see all students at all times. Adults in the classroom provide monitoring and attention to students. It is important that all students are within the view of teacher at all times
• students should be seated so that teachers can easily move among students to monitor work and behaviour
• classroom rules should be clearly posted

• the teacher should have a place near the front of the room so that learning materials can be organized and available prior to the lesson
• areas should be established to display students work
• students should be able to quickly and easily find their work and begin working
• students should have easy access to frequently used materials
• separate students materials from teachers materials.

Classroom Arrangement Styles

Students Materials

The following examples provide some ideas for organizing student materials. Student work may be stored and organized in various ways. It is important to teach students early the importance of organization and make them responsible for as much of their organization as possible. Granted, no matter how hard teachers may try, some students are not good organizers. Ideas to help students may include:

• tubs or containers labeled with student names for them to store their work in when it is in progress
• trays for turning work in to the teacher are important for students to use when an assignment has been completed
• supplies such as scissors, glue, crayons, etc. can be kept in labeled bins. Storing materials in these bins keeps them organized for when you need to use them.

Manage Materials Effectively

The handling and distribution of materials in the classroom can take a significant amount of time. The following are suggestions for establishing strategies for making the distribution of materials more efficient:

• prepare materials ahead of time
• develop places for convenient storage of frequently used materials
• establish and practice procedures for handling out and picking up learning materials and student papers. For example, one student from each row might be assigned to pick up materials and distribute them to the other students in the row. This causes less traffic and confusion than all students going at once to pick up material and uses less time than having the teacher distribute all materials. It is important the student be taught to follow this procedure and have ample opportunity to practice carrying it out correctly.