Blog #6 - What to Look for in a Classroom by Alfie Kohn

 Using the chart provided by Kohn on this website is helpful and will continue to be helpful when I visit classrooms for observation. The chart contains two columns of criteria called "Good Signs" and "Possible Reasons to Worry" and rows of descriptions of what to look for to categorize them, like "Around the School," "Students' Faces," and "Furniture." When I first saw this chart, it made me realize how the classrooms I have visited vary greatly in how they are set up, how the teachers treat the students, and so on... Children deserve to have classrooms that meet the full criteria from the Good Signs section of the chart because if, for example, students are not engaged in a classroom that represents art and work they have created, they will not have a memorable and enjoyable time during their educational career. 

The classroom that I work with students in, as I mentioned in my previous blog, met a lot of the criteria from the Possible Reasons to Worry section of the chart by Kohn. This makes me sad to see, but I figure that since my teacher has been teaching for 15+ years, she knows what teaching styles work best for her students, but I would say otherwise.

Continuing on, I reviewed a YouTube video by Megan Forbes, which showcases her middle school English classroom. Her classroom tables are set up in groups of four, with 12 chairs at each table as six tables are pushed together. She has posters with different historical figures and little charts she made with four rules each for Chromebook use and four rules about respect. She has "All About Me" flags lining the windows of each of her three classes. Even having a tech support group of students for each class. She also has a bulletin board for her students' history project. Megan's classroom is very organized, in my opinion, even though she said it was very messy throughout the video. I think it was easy to find things, and she is definitely doing a great job.



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