EDSS 468

Melissa Binks

S00142914

How would you design your dream classroom to best facilitate the teaching of humanities and
related areas in a primary context?
While the environment children learn in has always been important, it has become a major factor
recently. Since students in Primary School spend most of their time in one classroom, it is important
that the room engages the children, whilst also providing necessary information and a space where
children can work both collaboratively and individually. The classroom teaching and environment
need to assist children in making strong connections between the things they learn in school and
situations they face in life. The classroom provides the perfect area for children to explore their
ideas, question what they already know and form new understandings. In considering my dream
classroom I chose to look at how I would design a space for a grade 1 class, in order to create a
productive and engaging environment that could facilitate childrens learning. My classroom
embodies a culturally relevant pedagogy, where students are empowered intellectually, socially,
emotionally and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge skills and attitudes
(Landson-Billings as cited in Oyler, 2012, p.65). In the next few paragraphs I will discuss the physical
layout of the room, the decorative and stimulative elements, as well as how I would use technology
and other resources such as culturally relevant material to teach children the content areas relevant
to the curriculum.
The basic layout of my classroom (appendix 1) includes areas specifically for group learning,
individual learning, learning through technology and creative projects. The design allows children to
have a choice in the type of work they are undertaking and collaborate with peers who are working
in the same way. The tables in the main area are squares, designed so that four children can fit at
each table with plenty of space, as well as allowing them to work in groups and discuss the work
collaboratively. By working collaboratively in the classroom children are able to develop cognitive
skills involved in completing a task or activity set, and social skills required to be a productive
member of a team(Lyle, 1996, p.14). Working All of the furniture that is used has wheel fixtures, that
allow the elements to be moved around by the children to suit their purposes. In this way children
are able to have an influence on who they work with and decide how they best learn. For large group
projects all of the square tables can be pushed together and locked in a position that allows children
to create a large mural, where all children have equal access to the project and can all work together

in the one space. Located along one of the walls is a long desk, which allows children to stand while
they complete work and overlooks the garden outside the window. Standing desks are becoming
more common around the world as they are breaking up their bouts of sitting, and allowing the
blood and oxygen to flow through the body better ("Study aims to explore benefits of standing desks
in Leicestershire hospitals," 2014, p.1), giving children more energy and increasing their
concentration. The standing desk is strategically pushed up against a large window that overlooks
the garden that the children are responsible for maintaining. It is shown that children will be happier,
healthier, smarter, more cooperative, better problem solvers and more creative if they have frequent
opportunities for learning in the outdoors (Senaur as cited in Charles, 2009, p.163) such as through
their maintenance and exploration of the garden. The other windows in the room are at varying
heights so the students have multiple perspectives on the outside environment. The flooring in the
classroom is predominantly vinyl with a couple of rugs in certain areas. The vinyl floors allow
children to engage in messy activities without having to worry about cleaning up, meaning that the
childrens experimenting and creativity are not limited. It also allows the tables in the classroom to be
easily maneuvered around the classroom, creating a flexible learning space where the children can
help dictate what is happening.

An important aspect of a classroom is the method in which the classroom is decorated. In my

classroom I would choose to have a neutral wall colour and use posters, visual displays and
childrens work to decorate the room. Having a neutral coloured wall creates negative space to
break up the flow of information from other visual stimulants on the walls. The posters displayed on
the wall also need to contain negative space as overcrowded slides and posters are taxing to
comprehend (Bang, 2011, p.1) and the point of the visual gets lost in the design. Posters and visual
displays should be strategically placed to assist learning and a focus on the spacing of elements
can help us create layouts with meaningful structure (Bang, 2011, p.1) which will benefit the
students. While posters need to be beneficial they also need to be relevant to what the children are
currently studying. For humanities in particular, posters should promote inquiry through the use of
questions rather then simply providing information to students. The posters should motivate children
to not just answer teacher-posed questions, but to also seek through inquiry, ask their own questions
and to extend their learning beyond the classroom walls (Oyler, 2012). As well as displaying
challenging posters my dream classroom would also incorporate children s own posters and

projects in order to further other childrens learning and also cement their own learned knowledge
through visible symbols and indicators of students accomplishments and progress(Brucato, 2005,
p. 14). Another important aspect of the classroom is the resources that are available for the children
to use in their inquiry, both in and outside the classroom. One of the most beneficial resources is
technology, which enables children to find their own answers through multiple means and sources.
Using technology regularly to engage students in high-quality learning experiences motivates
students to actively participate in the learning process (Hamilton, 2007, p. 169) and allows them to
become change agents in their own learning. Technology can also be used to provide information,
which children cannot search for on their own, through teacher led activities such as web casts,
presentations and interactions with other students using blogs, crowd sourcing and educational
forums. Another way of providing children with information is to engage with experts. This is
especially relevant to the humanities and science as children are able to gain specialist information,
which they would not find in a textbook. Providing children with personalised knowledge through
visits from community members, interviews with professionals or historical artifacts engages children
with the topic and allows them to become responsible for their own learning. Particularly within grade
1, children are able to learn through family members past experiences to answer key inquiry
questions for History such as How has family life changed or remained the same over time?
(Victorian curriculum and assessment authority, 2014, p. 10) this allows the teacher to forge strong
relationships with families and students (Oyler, 2012). By taking children on excursions or bringing
incursions into the classroom children are given the opportunity to engage on a whole new level
where they can discover something that is of interest and can connect information back to their own
lives. By incorporating these elements the curriculum is not static or received, but is dynamic and
continually enriched by the gifts that people bring from outside the four walls of school (Oyler, 2012,
p.97) connecting children to their communities and wider surroundings.

While the physical learning environment is crucial, the way in which curriculum is taught and the
forms of assessment that are used have a greater impact on what children will remember and in
turn learn. In grade 1 the curriculum in History allows children to do group projects and research on
topics such as changes in family structure and means of conveying time. In Civics and Citizenship
children are working towards identifying the range of groups to which they, their family members
and their class belong (VCCA, 2014, p. 7) and explore the roles, rights and responsibilities of

various family and community members (VCCA, 2014, p.7) providing lots of opportunities for
children to work collaboratively and to engage with members of their community in the classroom
and outside of it. The AusVELS curriculum for Geography for foundation to level 4 focuses on
developing students spatial awareness through a consideration of the local community, the different
groups in society and their place in one or more groups (VCCA, 2014, p.3). The design of my
classroom allows children to become familiar with the environment and the spacious layout means
that the students are able to participate in large scale mapping and could be able to make a large
group map of their local community. Economics from foundation to level 4 focuses on how a
communities needs and wants are met as well as what resources are used at home, school and in
the community (VCCA, 2014). All of the humanities can be intertwined and combined in grade 1 as
they are all based around research of personal and family histories and connections to the
community. In my classroom the humanities would be a group of subjects, which would be taught
strongly through inquiry methods. As the teacher in the classroom it is my job to help students to
see their communities as filled with resources, with visionaries, and with people who understand
oppression and who struggle for a better world (Oyler, 2012, p.69). Through the humanities I would
encourage children to ask questions, discuss with peers and to think of ways in which they could
make a difference. My teaching of humanities in the grade 1 classroom would link strongly with
values education because it is at the core of what the children are exploring through their research
into the local community. In the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools
(2006) it is recognised that values based education can strengthen students self-esteem, optimism
and commitment to personal fulfillment; and help students exercise ethical judgment and social
responsibility (p.1). Values Education not only assists children in discovering what they value but it
also encourages them to keep learning and motivates them to do well. In grade 1 there are not
many opportunities to address the cross curriculum priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
histories and cultures or Asia and Australias engagement with Asia, however through learning about
communities and what they need and want, there is an opportunity to introduce children to
sustainability and the idea that we need to be careful with resources the community needs
otherwise one day they may run out. When it comes to assessments and understanding what
children have learned, I would mainly implement formative assessment so children received
ongoing feedback and were able to improve throughout the year. I am a strong believer that
assessment should not only show what information children can recall, but also what they

understand. I believe that well-designed assessments are a critical part of the teaching-learning
cycle and do more than just help determine grades (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2010, p. 161).

In designing my dream classroom I have tried to consider what would be the most beneficial to
children in grade 1. The learning environment and method of teaching play an important role in
how much a child understands and can have an immense impact on their future. As teachers,
we need to consider what is best for each child and allow flexibility in the activities we provide to
assist childrens learning.