First thing's First

The first decision and action:

To achieve the desired outcome from this teaching approach, one where students are not afraid to take risks, are willing to try new things, to think outside their box, to accept and value other’s opinions and strategies and most importantly, to foster and encourage communication, my classroom needs to reflect certain qualities. That being said, many changes are going to have to be made. I want my classroom to be visually appealing, one where students are going to feel comfortable and to want to be there. I have chosen to not have individual student desks, but to have long tables in my classroom where students will sit facing one another, or at least in a collaborative type of arrangement. I have acquired plastic milk crates where they will store their personal items and have their text books altogether in a bookcase where they get them when they need them. This creates a lot of extra space in my classroom where students are free to move around, when needed, either during instructional time for group work or to explain an answer, or when they feel the need to move. My desk is at the back of the classroom, along with all of my personal things. I have many different posters on my walls encouraging thinking, math vocabulary and math superhero posters that are visually appealing and encourage mathematical processes and thinking.