A Morning with a Strong Teaching Team and Wonderful Students

I spent a morning with Christina Galambos and Leanne Fuller and their students, to learn the logic behind their classroom space organization, successful team teaching approach and use of technology.  The teachers have twenty two students in their 3rd grade ICT classroom; Sheila Eagan provides pull out ELL services to small groups of students at various times during the day.  The ladies use technology throughout the day in their center rotation schedule.  They rarely teach with whole class instruction.     

Student Teacher Conference

Their day started at 7am with a meeting between Christina, her student teacher and coordinating College Professor discussing next steps for the student teacher in her placement.  Leanne was busily setting up her teaching space and prepping the breakfast area for students.  The sun had yet to show itself.  

Students began arriving at 7:30am, greeted by Christina at the door with Leanne in the room to ensure students were getting ready for their day; starting with breakfast.  Steps for morning routines were clearly posted (words and pictures) on the SMARTboard:

1. Unpack backpacks
2. Eat breakfast
3. Sharpen pencils 
4. Use the bathroom
5. Visit with neighbor or read your book quietly

The first thing you notice upon entering the room is the lighting. Each of the fluorescent lights have been fitted with covers that not only dim the lighting, but illuminate scenes of the sky and clouds, flowers, and insects busily pollinating.  The blinds are drawn to minimize the glare on  SMARTboards, chromebooks, computers and laptop screens.

Entrance to the long closet.  Exit on the other side.

Classroom Management is seamless due to clear, simple rules posted and a teaching team that consistently communicates/references the expectations. The behaviour expectations are quickly established in the first two weeks of the school year and only need quick reminders at this point in the year.    

The closet has been organized with an entrance and exit to promote a safe and efficient flow of student movement from arrival to departure.  Students only return to the closet for lunches or backpack items if they ask their teacher. Furniture, including student and teachers tables/desk, cabinets, tables and banners are organized for efficient flow of students and teachers throughout the day. Teachers have opted for kidney shaped tables for desks/center work locations and have removed teacher desks to make room for a learning space that meets their needs, and most importantly the needs of their students.  When students are not in a center rotation with other students and a teacher, they are at their designated desk/table or carpet, working independently on computers/chromebooks.         

Layout of Classroom

Student and teacher voice volume in the room is a hum of student and teacher academic discussion.  Teachers ever so slightly raise their voices to move students between centers every 15-20 minutes.  The classroom does have an audio system with teacher microphone that is used sporadically to communicate whole class instructions.  The school uses a ticket reward system (Eagle Bucks) and each teacher occasionally rewards for on task, focused work or responsible interactions.  The teachers have opted not to use Class Dojo or other reward/ding systems. Eagle Buck tickets can be used for the upcoming Valentine Dance or other store purchases.   

The room is very organized with features that promote calm and easy access to teaching and learning tools. Technology is accessed independently by students when they need to use it for their learning.

Special seat cushion

Classroom Management is seamless due to clear, simple rules posted and a teaching team that consistently communicates/references the expectations.  The routine is quickly established in the first two weeks of the school year.  “Antonio I need to set up a meeting with you to review reading your book.”  Christina calmly communicates to Antonio, sitting at his table a different center from where Christina is working with a small group of students.  Antonio quickly redirects to reading instead of tapping his book as if it were a drum.

Technology use by students was mapped out before the year began.  Tech use is not back to back in center rotation and student bathroom use occurs only during technology use, not direct teacher lesson activities.  

Recess is available for all students and is not contingent on behaviour.  Most of the students choose interactive games to play with one another; games like Legos, Lincoln Logs, Uno.  Students venture outside during the good weather and get 30 minutes of free time before lunch to play.

“Students get what they need and move in this learning space.” Leanne shares as students move from her station to the next.  

See below for clips from the Eagan, Fuller and Galambos 3rd Grade Classroom.

Click here to view Christina reviewing the morning centers and students transitioning to their first center. Students desks are organized into three color groups. One group with Christina, one with Leanne and a third working independently on technology.

Click here to view Leanne using her laptop to develop schema while the SMARTboard is used in another center.

Click here to view Christina work with a small group of students on reading comprehension strategies while another group of students work with Leanne, and the third group works independently on computers and chromebooks with RCSD apps (Compass, Lexia, Raz-Kids).

Click here to view Leanne posting and reviewing learning targets with her students.

Click to view Leanne uses her laptop to project math concepts during small group instruction.

Click to view Christina efficiently transitions students from math centers to recess.