From a Dining Room Classroom Ambiance to a Coffee House Vibe (6)

My classroom has always been a place of conversation, interaction- a dining room style setting. Tables set up in long dining room table configurations. In the fall, it is a great way to spark discussions- a "pass the potato's" feel. But now after the holiday break I want students to come back to a different set up. A different atmosphere, mood, tactility. Today is a teacher work day. So I rearranged my room, took posters off the wall and added new focal points.

Now my classroom is more of a "stay awhile and have a cuppa joe" or "get comfortable my refill will be here soon" So now there are a few tables coming out from the wall, individual tables scattered about the room. It definitely feels more like a cafe now than a family dinner spot. It is a dramatic difference and I know when my students enter tomorrow, they are going to sense the alteration in spirit and aura. This should set the tone for the next semester.

Rather than having students pick up papers off the table, family style- I now have baskets on each table and the papers are in there. Almost like table tents, menus. This will get students to their seats much quicker and get them settled into learning.

I always have warm-ups but now, we will have a mindfulness prompt, a quick discussion and then our science probe will be displayed on the Smartboard- the menu board per se. This way they are reminded of the calm and focus that is appreciated before we begin our day. This should take no more than 5 minutes.

I have been doing this for awhile but I also had my science prompt displayed up at the beginning of class, for those who finish early. But they need to be brought in incrementally. Keeping them mindful with personal awareness and patience is so important and now I am going to focus just on mindfulness- no papers, no science for 5 minutes.

STOMP- stand, think, optimize, mindful, presence. It is my strategy (see earlier blog post) and it has worked great all year but it needs a little tweak. An update.

So every day will be a different letter focus, at the end of the prompt. A quick reminder. Then once a week we will do a ten minute step (one of the 5) more in-depth. This way when students are settling into the flow of daily classroom life and I am taking attendance they are focused on just one thing- mindfulness. Then once per week we can do a sum up and a bit more practice. I know I need a refresher and a reminder after the holidays, but not all at once. It is good to do brief, lessons, it gets overwhelming if it is all at once. So my plan, ease in to daily, classroom discussions.

I am hoping the new classroom design will help my students stay on track. Refocus their energy on a small group mentality, rather than a family dinner. Winter is the time we all get antsy and distracted because we have a long time until our Spring Break. The lull often causes boredom and misbehavior. Our next break is not until mid-March. So this is phase one of from dining room ambiance to a coffee house vibe. Phase one to stir things up and keep students and myself on collaboration, personal responsibility and purposeful, intentional conversation. More to come.

Before (Dining Room Ambiance) "Pass the potato's"

After (Coffee House Vibe) "Waiting for my cuppa joe"