You walk onto Charles Henderson High School's campus. You take a right and head towards building 200. Now, if you aren't familiar with the campus, you may find it difficult, as I did when I first came to Troy City Schools, to locate building 200.
But once you get there, you enter classrooms with unusual settings. There is coffee brewing, pitchers of water, smart televisions, and books (not textbooks) as you enter the classrooms. There are student stations, couches, and even antique tables and chairs in some of the classrooms. These flexible, or comfortable seating arrangements, gets rid of the old ways of teaching. Traditional classrooms are normally designed in rows. The following teachers, explain why they decided to change their classrooms from traditional to a more flexible, "comfortable" setting.
"Have you sat in a desk for over 30 minutes? I want them to feel comfortable in my classroom. Lots of times, we may have conversations where Ss need to be in a place where they feel comfortable expressing themselves. I want them to feel like they can talk to me and/or their classmates. They have to learn to articulate their thoughts and how to be good communicators to people they work with and their bosses in the future. I'm just trying to foster the environment. Also some students can get too uptight and too stressed about school. I want education to be fun, and I want school to be a place where they feel relaxed and laid back....somewhere they look forward to going. Selfishly, I teach best when I feel comfortable... I am sure they learn best when they feel comfortable!! I really did it for everybody! So far, so good. -Mrs. Allie Singleton, English
"I want my classroom to inspire confidence and creativity. I want students to feel excited to come into my room and I want them to feel like it's their space as much as it's mine. I want them to feel like they have some freedom and choice when it comes to where they sit, read, rehearse, or record videos. The tall tables in our Learning Lounge simulate a cafe at a bookstore. The couch, coffee maker, and dim lighting in our Green Room allows students to feel relaxed and open to reading or rehearsing their lines in peace. My new wall of mirrors gives my room a professional feel that inspires my performers take class more seriously when it's time to polish pieces. Overall, I want them to enjoy and look forward to theatre class and I think the new design helps with that." -
Judith Park, Theatre Teacher
"In a more student-centered classroom, the students feel valued; they know that they matter and that we want them to feel comfortable in their surroundings. I, also, like that the students feel comfortable taking control in the classroom and co-teaching." -
Casey Moore, AP English
But once you get there, you enter classrooms with unusual settings. There is coffee brewing, pitchers of water, smart televisions, and books (not textbooks) as you enter the classrooms. There are student stations, couches, and even antique tables and chairs in some of the classrooms. These flexible, or comfortable seating arrangements, gets rid of the old ways of teaching. Traditional classrooms are normally designed in rows. The following teachers, explain why they decided to change their classrooms from traditional to a more flexible, "comfortable" setting.
"In a more student-centered classroom, the students feel valued; they know that they matter and that we want them to feel comfortable in their surroundings. I, also, like that the students feel comfortable taking control in the classroom and co-teaching." -Casey Moore, AP English
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