Classroom
Re-Design with No Money
by Sally
Kuhlenschmidt, Western Kentucky University
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Background
So you are an instructor
stuck in a classroom with no spirit, no architectural call to a higher plain
of thinking, a veritable dungeon of institutional green walls and formulaic
desks. What can you do?
You can complain and wait
for someone else to take action or you can take control of your room.
Following is a list of ideas
to improve (or at least change) the classroom environment without spending any
money. After all, you'll be spending about 45 hours in that room over the next
few months months, isn't it worth it to improve the environment, even if only
a bit?
Always begin by reflecting
on what you want the classroom to convey educationally on a particular day (open
discussion? deep reflection?) and let that be your primary guide.
No
Money?
- Set the tone you desire
from the first moment-- write a welcome message on the chalkboard each day,
or put a sign on the door.
Furniture & Space
- Rearrange the furniture
if that is possible-- consider a large circle, two or three concentric circles
or half circles, several small circles, in twos, push the chairs against the
wall and sit on the floor, lay on the floor and have folk put their legs up
the wall. (Be respectful of folk with disabilities and offer options for sitting
in a manner that allows them to not reveal their disability).
- Can't rearrange? Teach
from a different corner of the room-- break into the student's space and talk
from the back, side or center of the room (assuming chairs can be turned around,
or perhaps have students sit on the tables, not the seats for awhile or have
them stand.)
- Teach from a different
level of the room-- climb on the table (assuming it will hold your weight--don't
hurt yourself), bring in a step ladder and go up and down it illustrating
steps in an issue, bring in a small sturdy box or several boards piled on
top of each other and strongly taped together as a platform-- hop on it to
emphasize a point. (Be careful!)
- Escape and leave the
room-- go outside, to the student center, to the front steps, to a stairwell
(be courteous to those around and don't disturb them.) Bring education out
in front of everyone!
- Rearrange the students--
we all fall into the "church pew" effect (my space!)...call out
pineapple upside down cake and have everyone move over one row.
- Bring in new furniture
on occasion-- have students bring in pillows or blankets one day and sit on
them. Have them bring in camping chairs. Or just you bring in a collapsible
yard chair, preferably colorful, and use it yourself or just sit it to one
side to set a more casual tone.
- If your room has a bulletin
board crammed with announcements, take a moment to rearrange them more attractively
or to clean up the board of old posts and put something more attractive on
it.
Lighting
- Bring in candles (be
careful of fire hazards) to set an atmosphere for reflection.
- Try a camping light or
big flashlight. Turn out the lights and have a discussion in the dark. Pass
the light around to the speaker whose turn it is.
- Bring in a lamp from
home.
- (If you have a few bucks,
buy a neon light bulb that has the full spectrum. Sneak it into the light
fixture closest to your teaching area-- you'll have a mysterious glow about
you!).
- Bring in a mirror to
reflect the light from that window out in the hallway.
Sound & Media
- Bring in your boom box/CD
player and play reflective music at the start of class.
- If you have a TV/VCR
in the room, you can bring in a tape with natural beauty to play at the start
of class. If a DVD, you can pause it on an image and have a substitute "window."
- If you have an overhead
in the room, bring in a reflective quote or image to project. Perhaps an office
on your campus can provide you with colored transparencies-- make one of a
window scene. Similarily, if you own a laptop, display an attractive picture
on the laptop where all can appreciate it.
Decorate
- What do you have sitting
around at home that might brighten your classroom and be easy to carry in
and out? Bring in a globe or a plant to set on your desk, or a basket, maybe
with fruit. Award good students with a piece of fruit. Use the fruit to convey
a teaching point. ('You can't compare apples and oranges!'). Bring in something
different each day without explanation-- that will get students curious.
- Put up streamers or balloons
that you have left over from a home event.
- If you see a beautiful
leaf or bit of ivy on your way to work, bring it in and set it on your table.
- Involve the students.
Have them take turns bringing in something to make the room more pleasant
for the class period.
- "Paint" the
walls. Save up scrap paper, get some crayons or colored markers (okay, that
may cost) and have the students each decorate a "panel" with images
appropriate to the content. Artfully tape them to the walls, for example,
at chair rail height, or arranged in a pattern. See how long they stay up.
If it is as dreadful a room as you believe, they may make it the whole term.
(Maybe there are rules about taping things to the wall-- negotiate with housekeeping
before you do it-- after all, you need it for instruction and that is what
the school is supposed to support. Maybe there's another kind of fixative
you can use...or maybe use cardboard and hang them on strings from a suspended
ceiling.) If you can get the paper on the large roles (e.g., newsprint) then
you could make a floor to ceiling panel.
- If you don't use the
chalkboards/whiteboards often, draw a quick garden scene on one (or find a
student who could do a 5 minute sketch before each class.)
- If you can get permission
from the department head, and donations of old paint from other faculty...do
a mural. Perhaps only drawing in a few "bricks" and maybe drawing
in a potted plant sitting on the bricks. A small segment can make a visual
difference.
- If you have any talent
(or know someone who does) draw a segment of crown molding on a piece of paper
and photocopy enough to go around the room-- tape it in place.
Make Serendipity Work for
You.
- Next time you have to
buy an umbrella, buy one that could do double duty as a colorful bit of decoration
in a corner of the room (e.g., school colors).
- Wear an elaborate hat
and set it on the desk for variety.
- If the rooms are really
dreadful, consider teaching an on-line course and completely inventing your
space.
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