One aspect about traveling from one school to the next that I absolutely love is that every day I see or learn something new. It could be a new activity, a style of interaction or just something that leaves me thinking, "I never thought of explaining that concept in that way before..." I also get the opportunity to see some great layouts or decor that really help build a positive classroom culture, so much so, that I felt the desire to share some of those fantastic ideas for others to see (with permission of the teachers, of course). Check them out below!
The moment you walk into Ms. Battcher's room at Bullitt East H.S., you can't help but notice the room's layout. I haven't seen its equal in any Bullitt County school (and at this juncture, I've toured all the high schools and over half of the middle and elementary schools). Students arranged in sets of four around storage towers have every imaginable supply at their fingertips. The top drawer contains supplies specific to the lessons/activities for that day; the second drawer contains materials for the group for use on any day (calculators, markers, et al.); the third drawer: cleaning materials; the fourth drawer: notebook and graphing paper; the bottom drawer: textbooks; on top is a container with pencils and a pencil sharpener. Every desk is numbered with an Uno card and miniature Uno cards on popsicle sticks allow for easy, randomized student selection. (Thanks, Ms. Battcher!)
Some of the most polite students you will encounter in BCPS can be found at the Bullitt Alternative Center. One might be surprised by this at first, but after you walk into Ms. Humphrey's room, it all makes sense. Ms. Humphrey's system of positive reinforcement is simple, but tremendously effective. On her wall are what she refers to as "Ma'am" charts - one for each currently enrolled student. Each time a student uses "ma'am" in a polite format (ex: "May I please go to the restroom, ma'am?" or "Thank you very much ma'am") the student receives a checkmark. The maximum for each day's class period is seven checkmarks. When a student reaches thirty-five, his/her card is added to the "Ma'am All Stars!" wall and, subsequently, receives the privilege of a free soda in class for that day. While the students have the reward in mind when they first begin use of the word, it soon becomes innate, creating a positive and respectful atmosphere that extends to classes across the facility. Photo credit: Ms. Humphrey. (Thanks, Ms. Humphrey!)
When it comes to delegating duties, Ms. Wilson at North Bullitt H.S. is able to do so with ease. Students seated in quads have numbered desks, and dependent on the date, the role that the student serves within his/her group changes. It decreases confusion and increases efficiency in assigning tasks (ex: "I need all fours to turn in papers for your group," "Can every three please collect the trash for your group?" "Twos: come pick up the art supplies for your group."). On lab dates, it's incredibly useful in assisting with distribution of materials and/or cleanup (as seen in the top, center photograph). Also pictured is a poster within Ms. Wilson's room that establishes numbers for student self-assessment when it comes to comprehension checks regarding the learning focus for the day (while I've seen similar systems to the latter, this is the first room I've seen thus far where the system is so prominently displayed). (Thanks, Ms. Wilson!)
A reward system to encourage students to not get behind in their work is seen as soon as you walk into Ms. Rector's room at North Bullitt H.S. The system energizes students using "star power" - not unlike Super Mario. Every student has an assigned ID that keeps his/her information "secret" and that number is posted on a chart that runs the duration of a quarter. At the end of every week, if the student has turned in every assignment on time, he/she receives a star stamp next to his/her assigned ID on the chart. At the end of the quarter, a new chart is posted, and at the end of the semester, the total number of stars the student accrued is converted to "bonus points" - one point per star. Those points are then added to the semester final exam. Talk about an incentive program that really drives students to stay on top of their work every week! (Thanks, Ms. Rector!)
More fantastic classrooms coming soon!