Setting up your ESL class for the new school year
My first year of teaching I had a lot of random items all over my room. Posters in my room were not hung, and the who area was in a disarray. I tried “decorating” my room, but I was told by veteran teacher in what’s the point of doing that when you have more important things to be doing. However that view took a drastic turn when my teacher mentor came in and explained to me why the thinking and statement of that teacher was incorrect. My mentor teacher explained that students see the classroom as a safe space. If a teacher has a disorganized classroom and items have no space that is sending a negative message to the students. When I heard that I immediately started organizing my room that same day! Here are some tips on how you can setup your ESL classroom for the new school year.
First decide on what structure you will be having in your classroom for the school year.
For example, will you be sharing a room this year. Will you have your own classroom? If you are sharing a classroom, then have a discussion with the teacher you will be sharing to discuss their vision. If you have your own classroom, what is your vision of the classroom. Do you want a space where students can work in groups? Do you want a classroom space where students can move from station to station? Decide on this before the school year starts and setup your class based on this vision. I love writing/doodling mine out. I even collect pictures on a vision board such as Pinterest.
Determine the spaces in your room where student needs will be addressed.
During the school year students are going to have to do activities such as blow their nose, sharpen a pencil, and turn in papers. The goal is to put them in places where they will not distract from your teaching and disrupt the other students. For example, in my classroom I have the tissue box by the door so if they need to step outside to blow their nose they can easily do so.
Decide where in the room are you going to put supports for your English Language Learners.
This may be an area where items are overlooked, but you want a consistent place for your word wall, anchor charts, daily agenda, etc. So be thinking about where are you going to put the classroom rules. Where are you going to have the daily agenda? You want these items to be in easy eyesight for your students. Remember less is better! Having all those posters might be tempting, but can be overwhelming for your students. Only have the essentials that you need on the walls.
If you haven’t heard it from anyone else, I want you to know that having a warm and welcoming environment is important.
Don’t ever let anyone make you feel as if it is not important to put thought and effort into decorating your classroom. Take the time to setup up your classroom flow. Every since I have taken the time to prepare my class based on the needs of the students my classroom become a safe and happy place for my English Language Learners. Want some FREE genre posters to add to your classroom decor? Click here to download free genre posters from my TPT store today.
