Inquiry in the classroom
It’s interesting to see how my inquiry plays out on a day-to-day basis in the classroom setting. My inquiry question looks at how the physical environment of the classroom impacts improved behavior and work ethic for the students. It specifically looks at seating arrangements, classroom structure, and organization for better class management. During my visit yesterday, I got to observe how students react when their environment has changed. In most classes, the students typically have a pre-set idea of where they are expected to sit before the instruction starts. However, yesterday was different, the students seating plan was changed and the students had autonomy in choosing where they would like to sit. Another change that was implemented was carpet pieces instead of having to sit on the floor. These changes may seem minor but with younger age groups the smallest details make the biggest differences. I was actually quite surprised to see the immediate changes in behavior. When the young children were given “too much” autonomy they tried to take advantage of the fact and began to act up within the classroom setting therefore, affecting the overall classroom management. Prior to this, I had suspected that giving students too much autonomy would result in negative effects but I did not think of the extent of these effects. The students were much louder, and more hyper than usual. Even after class had finished the students were still affected by this change, they were louder in the halls, running with their friends, and not paying any attention to the adults in the classroom. To target this, a quick change in the day plan had to be made to accommodate the energy in the classroom. Instead of moving on to a social studies activity, the class schedule had to be changed to calm the class by integrating silent reading. Silent reading was amazing, it immediately calmed the students down and they were able to carry on with their day! I love the fact that I get to see how different environments impact student learning and behavior directly in a classroom.
Hi Jasleen, I appreciate that you are making some connections between what you are observing and your assumptions. This is a very important aspect of inquiry! Your recognition that even the seemingly minor changes can have a snowball effect is something that will support you as you plan and facilitate the learning environment.
With respect to your assumption that when young children are given too much autonomy, they take advantage of it or there are negative effects, do you have some literature to ‘back this up’? It will be interesting to see you connect your observations with your research in your reflections. Question to consider: How can choice be presented and even scaffolded to support the learning environment?