Living Colour

About Colour

First, yes, I am Canadian, so I spell colour with a u in it. Second, when it comes to my classroom vision, I don't believe in colour for colour's sake. Third, I am really inconsistent in that last statement.

I have not terribly conscious of my classroom decor in the past. Furniture arrangement I strategized a good deal but not decor too much. And when I did it wasn't very good. One year I tried to create different zones on my bulletin boards. Red was for math. Yellow was for language arts. Green for science. I think I may even have tried to match my duotangs colours with my bulletin board colours. It turned out to be bad for a number of reasons. I'm not disciplined enough to change my bulletin boards very often so the colours became pretty arbitrary especially when art would span over 3 or more coloured subject zones. There was too much colour. First there were the many multicoloured zones and then there were multicoloured borders then there were the multicoloured posters and the multicoloured pictures I put up. It was pretty much a multicoloured mess. Don't even mention the multistained carpet.

In my district they are really rethinking kindergarten and ones of the things we
are really paying attention to is decor and colour. My district wants a more organic and more flexible approach to classroom decor. Of course I could not be happier about this because that is exactly what I'm going for in my own classroom. The downside is that I don't teach kindergarten so I don't have access to the great furniture they are ordering for the new k classrooms. Check it out at http://www.naturalpod.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3
One message my district is giving is Back off on colour! And I get that. I have in the past bombarded kids with colour. It can be sensory overload. Remember that this whole project began when I saw the effect that subdued lighting and an inviting ambience had on my staff (they hung out a lot and didn't go home). Kids are probably more attacked by stimulation and yet we throw more at them regardless. I definitely found that my students seemed a little more subdued after the changes. The amount they could read independently definitely lengthened noticeably.

This year I greatly reduced colour overall. I got rid of borders, banners, posters, and even student work that was not framed. I also got rid of the 3 different shades of blue desks. I brought in the neutral or organic tone risers and area rug. I filtered the light through some white mesh. I did have some accent splashes of colour here and there: some jewel tone curtains, a large hanging of a kimono, the beaded door curtain, and some cool blue or white led lights. The only real mistake I made in terms of colour was the huge blue feature wall with the squashed sheep/cloud finish.

I learned my lesson. When it comes to colour, less is more. And I do faux finishes as well as I can do a triple back flip. Leave it to the professionals.


Written (badly) on my iPod.

Recommendations and Issues When Using Risers Instead of Desks

We Love Our Risers

 

During one of our final classroom meetings, I asked my students for advice about the risers and whether or not they thought I should use them again next year.  The message was clear and unanimous on two counts: definitely use risers again next year, but start SLOWLY.

 

My students loved the risers for these reasons:

• The risers gave lots of choice in seating (i.e. stretched out, standing, sitting behind them, kneeling on the floor, cozying up underneath them, etc.).
• The risers looked good.  (I actually disagree with this.  By the end of the year, the plywood covered risers looked like scuffed shipping crates.  I'll cover those ones with some left over laminate flooring, like I did with one other one.  The laminate holds up well, and cleans up nicely from food or art spills.
• Everyone could see.  Because of the multi-tiered orientation, everyone could see the Smartboard, me, and pretty well everyone else.  
• There seemed to be more room.  The risers were extremely efficient in terms of footprint.  I tended to have them in a horseshoe a bit in from the perimeter, so there was usually a big space in the middle where we could gather if necessary.  Desks tend to be more sprawling and they were always in the way when I was trying to get to someone.
• The risers were more "friendly".   The students liked that they could sit side by side with their classmates with no barriers (desks) between them.  By the way, the students who recognized that they needed personal space would sometimes retreat to a desk, but mostly periodically.

All in all, students thought they could learn better because they felt happier and could see more.  Some students liked also that they had had a hand in assembling the risers.  I build the components in my garage, and then students would sometimes help me assemble the risers when I brought the parts to school.  They had also helped to sand the risers so that they were smooth as a baby's bum.  Most of my kids have never had the tactile pleasure of using tools or sanding, and they loved the experience.  It also created built in ownership.  Looking back, my students took REALLY good care of the risers (way better than the care they took of their desks).  Maybe that is a result of introducing them slowly as prescribed by my students.

 

Except for One Thing
The students also gave one piece of negative feedback.  The risers, especially at first, were uncomfortable.  The risers are long, flat pieces of plywood.  There are no scooped out places for little backsides like their blue plastic chairs had.  This didn't bother most students, but for the ones that it did bother, those students brought their own cushions or used some of the ones I had.  Some students also did not like the lack of back support ("bleacher back") and found their backs sore from not leaning back on their chairs or not getting elbow support from their desks.  Coincidentally, I found those complaints coming from students with the worst posture and muscle tone.  Also, this was only an issue when we all had to stay in one place, and I generally try to keep my teacher talk time down to no more than 15 minutes at a time.  When my students are working, they can choose a number of different body positions.

 

And Despite Initial Fears    

 

I have to say that using risers was a major success.  When I first envisioned using risers, I almost didn't do it because of the number of fears that I had.  But looking back, those fears turned out to be non-issues.  Here are some of the fears I had and what the actual resultant was:

• Chaos.  Without desks, I feared there would be pandemonium and that everything would be a total mess.  The exact opposite is true.  Because everyone could see and hear properly, it actually cut down on off task behaviour.  Because there were no desks, students couldn't just mindlessly stuff materials in the back of their desks, and if they left things on the floor or the risers, it was highly visible so they'd have to take care of it.  Mind you, the little storage in their lapdesks and giving them alternate storage on a rolling trolley were essential too.
• What would my principal think?  When I brought in the first set of risers, I didn't actually ask permission.  I just did it.  I wasn't sure if I was eventually going to go whole hog anyway, so I didn't want to scare anyone.  My fears were totally unfounded because my principal was so great about it.  She understands the educational value, and she supports me 100%.
• What would the other teachers on my staff think?  Actually, they are pretty used to some of my weird ideas.  None of them have gone all the way and started building their own furniture, but some of them have really started to think long and hard about how their classrooms look and function.
• Is this bad for kids' bodies and muscle development?  According to our great occupational therapist, no.  In fact, she praised the number of alternate body positions that out set up affords.  I was worried about bleacher back, but she said it was akin to having children sit on those big yoga balls.  As long as they kept both feet planted on the ground, it was good for muscle development.  (Linda also recommended taping paper to walls so child could work upright or having them work on their bellies).
• What would the parents think?  By the time parents saw the risers, we had already had the full set up going.  The students had slowly gotten used to the risers as I only brought them in as fast as I could make them.  We experimented at the beginning about who got to be on the risers to see how each student responded to them.  In doing so, students saw that being on the risers was a privilege, and saw them as something special.  When the parents saw the risers, the students had already provided them with the hype, and our bulletin board outside provided the educational reasoning.  All of the feedback that I received from our parents was very positive.
• Can I afford all this?  Because this was coming out of pocket, and I am cheap, budget became an issue.  The risers and lapdesks were going to cost me about $400 I thought.  The actual cost for them was really closer to $200.  I got some plywood from a parent, I used some Ikea doors, I had some 2x4s in my garage, I also had a bit of money left in a slush account, and one of my students gave me a giftcard to where I bought the lapdesks.  Sometimes being cheap also make you creative.  I can also justify the money in that because I no longer buy commercial posters or borders, I can now spend that money on my new vision.  Of course, that does not take into account the other items I bought to give a new atmosphere to my classroom.  (See the previous blog entry). 

Going Slowly Next Year
In an email to my friend Kyme, who is currently and enthusiastically exploring classroom atmosphere, I talked about some of the reasons why my students recommended implementing the risers slowly.  I'll list them here:

• Going slowly gives kids a chance to process the changes.
• The teacher gets a chance to see what is working and what doesn't. If you make all the changes at once, it is hard to pinpoint what made the difference or what the problem was.
• Going slowly and introducing a few changes at a time prolongs novelty factor. Kids and their brains like novelty.
• It is easier to handle financially.  Instead of spending $500 in one shot, it was gentler to spend over the course of three months.
• By going slowly, your kids get to buy into the process with you, which they can't do if you've made all the changes before they got there.

Here is my new fear: can I sustain this?  I'll try to answer this in my next blog entry.

Who Are You?

I know it's an odd question, given that I don't give my name on this blog.

But I've been hearing from a number of different people who have been reading this blog. It is pleasantly surprising to me as I intended for this blog to be just a written account for me to keep track of my own learning journey. Sure, I pass along the web address to anyone who I think might find it interesting, but that number of people I think stands at 6. You'll also see that nowhere on this blog do I intentionally give my full name or where I teach, nor is this blog in blogspot's list of blogs.  I am really curious about who is reading this blog and what brought you here.

So I am asking you to do me a favour.  Please either email me at my district mail (if you know who I am) or leave a comment here (if you don't know who I am).  If you could tell me how you learned about this blog, I'd really appreciate it.  If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear them too.  Okay, some of you would like to send me money, but if you are reading this blog (i.e. you are a teacher), then you might want to save your money for your own classroom enhancement.  If you still feel moved, send me a gift.  No mugs.

Thanks,
 
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Do It Yourself? The Why, the How, and the Cost.

Someone asked me for some suggestions about how one might start "revisioning" their own classroom.

The Recipe

Basically, there are 2 parts.

1. Remove anything that works against whatever vision or atmosphere you are hoping to achieve.
2. Bring in anything that will enhance your vision.

I know this is brutally simplistic, but sometimes we need some cut and dried guidelines to keep things clear.

What I Cut
When I created The Space, the teachers' lounge, (see Origin blog entry), I cut out anything that reminded us of kids or school, and I brought in anything that was calming (e.g. soft mood lighting, draping fabrics, couches, herb teas and cappuccino, old jazz music playing on the CD player). 

When I started this same process in my classroom, my idea was to make it less industrial looking.  I started by removing anything "schooly": commercial posters, display borders, desks, pocket charts, etc.  That also included removing anything that looked institutional, but that proved difficult or impossible.  For instance, some of the institutional elements included: the ugly wall brackets, the ugly walls themselves, and the life-sucking fluorescent overhead lighting.  So I got rid of the shelf brackets, covered one feature wall with blue borderless paper (though the cloud sponge painting was a mistake I won't repeat), and draped sheer netting along the ceiling to soften the space and the lighting.  I was still stuck with the ugly carpet, the window, the sink, the beige counters, the beige cupboard, the blue doors, the digital clock with built-in p.a. speaker, the cloakroom, and the white drop ceiling.  The rest, as far as I was concerned was mutatable.

I did keep a number of schooly things:

• tubs for my books (until I can afford wicker baskets).
• some class-made reading posters.
• a teacher desk and a filing cabinet (my teaching partner could not live without them, though I will turf them next year.  My desk takes up a lot of space and I never sit there, but do manage to pile up a whole lot of detritus on it).
• my Smartboard and whiteboard.
• a few desks (for those students who liked or needed them).
• a few school tables (you know the ones; metal with coloured enamel top).
• two trolleys with the pull out tubs (for student supplies, seeing as I removed their desks).

I kept these things out of necessity or because I couldn't find a more organic replacement for them (yet).

What to Bring In
Here are the things I bought: 

• 3 tall risers and 3 short risers ($100. Built by me and materials from Rona. These were a replacement for the desks, and to me were essential for de-schooling my classroom).
• sheers.  ($7. Lill by Ikea.  I draped these along the ceiling to diffuse the lights).
• indoor/outdoor carpet ($30.  Walmart.  These hid the ugly industrial carpet and defined a group area.  I don't recommend this particular carpet because it snagged a lot).
• drapery panels ($12. Jysk These replaced the 20 year-old drapes that were there).
• led lights ($6 ebay.  Blue, low energy, and programmable.  They gave a calming, happy feeling).
• doc holders ($50.  Daiso.  These acted as lapdesks.  Pieces of plywood or clipboards would work well too).
• frames for each child (Made from $30 of crown molding.  My dad and I actually made these 6 years ago.  They make for an attractive, but authentic way for the students to display work or art.  My students changed what they displayed as often as they wanted).
• pneumatic shop stool ($25.  Canadian Tire.  A backsaver.  I can wheel around the classroom and be at the student's level.  The stool is small so it takes up little space, and it is pneumatic, so I can be at a number of heights). 

 Here are the things I brought from home:

• some floor and clamp lamps to replace the overhead lights.
• cushions to make the risers more comfortable.  Students brought some in too.
• a wire 45 record rack from a garage sale.  This was used to display books students published.

Here are some things I still need:

• more cushions.
• I would love to have more or only organic materials in my classroom, but that may not be practical or financially possible. 
• some of those reusable shopping bags.  The students could keep their lapdesks in them.  I had bought those cardboard magazine holders so students could keep their reading books in them.  The magazine holders are not terribly robust, but the fabric bags would be tougher.  I think I'll hang them from hooks along the wall so there is easy access to them.  Also, it would be easier for students to take their learning with them wherever they went.

Your Mileage May Vary
Do you need all of these things?  NO!  These were things that fit my vision.  They may not fit yours.  If I was to recommend the essential items for my vision, they would be: the risers and some kind of lapdesks (to be rid of commercial desks) and the sheers (because of soft halo effect it had on the lighting).

What is important is what is important to you.  When you think of your idea or ideal of education, what does that look like in your head?  When you get that concept, then make your classroom a place that reflects your vision.  If you want an active classroom, then create a place that has an open floor plan.  If you want independence, then create a number of different places where students can go.  If you want lots of hands-on, then create large work spaces.  If literacy is your cornerstone, then make your library your focus and have easy access to writing materials.  If you want lots of social interaction, then have meeting spots, couches and a communal space.  If technology is your focus, then get a bunch of power bars.  If you want peace and serenity, you might not want the classroom next to mine.

Who? Where?

Organic Learning
I am inspired by what Ken Robinson said about education that it should be an agricultural model instead of an industrial one.  When did learning get so institutionalized?  No wonder students can't see the connection between school and the outside world.  We've created an isolated micro-world that does not resemble what students see as reality.  I get that schools need certain structures to function because of certain parameters, but when did those structures start taking over the very nature of learning? 

from http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/LIFPOD/5556375.jpg

(Apart from the fashion and technology, is this really that different from classrooms today? 

It probably even has the same effect and effectiveness).

Special Tactics and Weapons of Mass Instruction
Don't get me wrong.  I've done all those school things: put kids in rows so they'll stop yacking at each other and pay more attention to me, used grades as carrots and the goal of learning, stepped in and solved kids' problems just so I can get on with my lesson, etc.  And I'll probably use those tactics again in the future.  But that's all they are: tactics, a short term technique to solve a short term problem when I have nothing else to fall back on.  I don't try to base my philosophy or way of teaching on my tactics, but sometimes I wonder.

It's Not WHAT You Know
In Parker J. Palmer's The Courage to Teach, he talks about how we ask ourselves about the how and the why  and the what of teaching, but we rarely ask ourselves about the who of teaching.  We have strategies, reasons, and curriculum to help us teach, but we don't really look at what is it about ourselves that makes us teach or teach the way we do.  So when I use power or traditional tactics in my teaching, I now ask myself, am I using these things because that is who I am, or am I using these things in spite of who I am.  Either way, it is not very pleasant for my ego.  Am I so shallow that I have to rely on cheap tactics to manipulate kids into doing what I want them to do?  Or am I falling back on these things because that's all I have and am doing it despite knowing better?  Sometimes it is tough to be mortal.

My intent with the whole transformation in design was to give kids an alternative.  It is not what they think of as school, so hopefully they will have to rethink "school."  But in reality, my present classroom is not a place that reflects my students' reality.  Some of them come from some tough backgrounds, so I did not necessarily want to duplicate that.  Perhaps my classroom is becoming more of a vision of what we'd like our school and world to become: a place of peace, choices, learning, and possibilities.

Palmer and More
Hmmm.  Maybe Palmer is right.  My teaching is more about who I am than I thought and my vision for my classroom says more about me than I thought.  I am creating my own utopia with my students. Whew, talk about ego!  But I don't think there's anything wrong with teaching kids:

You can learn all the time.
You can learn from anyone.
You can learn anywhere.

So I'd like to add to Palmer's treatise that sure we need to ask ourselves about the who of teaching, but also the where of learning.  In my vision of real learning, kids learn from themselves as well as through their experiences.  And if they happen to be learning at school, then the atmosphere that each teacher creates is a reflection of who they are as people.  Hopefully, as Ken Robinson puts it, those teachers are creating the right conditions for learning, just as a farmer creates the right conditions for growing.