In terms of instruction, the teacher strategically placed students who need help managing their behavior upfront. She placed students who can manage their behavior and their work independently in the back or middle of the room. Overall, I agree with a setup of my mentor’s classroom. I don’t like the uneven groups. I prefer a four student group, however, due to the size of the classroom, I can understand why she set it up the way she did. As far as instruction, I think the organization of the classroom provides all students the potential to learn. As far as classroom management, this arrangement allows my mentor “eyes and ears” everywhere.
This 4th-grade teacher bought several yoga balls out of her own pocket. She provides them for students with several behavioral and academic challenges. A majority of these students have an IEP. She has extra for other students to earn it and use it. The desks are arranged in a way to provide a spacious atmosphere up front near the smartboard. Certain students do not work well with others or get easily distracted, therefore, this teacher strategically arranged the desks to minimize the number of neighbors surrounding those particular students. The room is quite colorful, with copious informative boards and