By Mary Bigelow
Posted on 2016-08-07
I just took a fifth-grade position, and the principal showed me the classroom I’ll have. It’s a brand-new building, and there’s nothing in the classroom—just the student tables, bare bulletin boards, a few empty bookshelves, and a teacher desk. When I was student teaching, the classrooms had lots of interesting bulletin boards and centers, but this is really barren. What can I do in a short time and with a small budget? —A., California
New teachers should realize the classroom displays and bulletin boards in the classrooms of veteran teachers are the result of many years of experience and collecting. But starting with a blank space can be good—you won’t have to go through someone else’s “stuff.”
Imagine how you want the room to look and feel. Remember that less is more and avoid covering every available space and filling every nook and cranny. Students should be able to focus on their work, and some classrooms are so cluttered it’s distracting.
I can’t speak for the other subjects you’ll teach, but for science there are a few quick things you can do to make the classroom attractive and conducive to learning:
In terms of bulletin boards…
You can spend lots of time and money on elaborate bulletin ones, but that is not really necessary! I found that the most effective bulletin boards were those created with student materials (or by the students themselves) and whose content served an instructional purpose:
I know experienced teachers who deliberately start each year with blank walls or bulletin boards. As the year progresses, students add their own artifacts to the classroom.
As a beginning teacher, you’ll have to prioritize your time. The bottom line is that the learning activities you and the students do are more important than elaborate teacher-created bulletin boards and other decorations.
For more ideas:
Photo: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2942099404_1a7248a39a.jpg
I just took a fifth-grade position, and the principal showed me the classroom I’ll have. It’s a brand-new building, and there’s nothing in the classroom—just the student tables, bare bulletin boards, a few empty bookshelves, and a teacher desk. When I was student teaching, the classrooms had lots of interesting bulletin boards and centers, but this is really barren. What can I do in a short time and with a small budget?