Third grade teacher Robin Huddlestone is in a tiny portable classroom with little room to spread out her desks. She likes her current arrangement, but had a huge problem with kids copying each other’s answers and being unfocused during independent work times. She collected some old science fair displays that were hanging around the teacher’s lounge and used them to create mini-dividers between the kids’ desks. “It gives students the perfect amount of privacy without isolating them,” she says. “They can still work cooperatively when needed, and for major projects, the boards can easily be lifted away.”
Do you have an idea to submit for Works-For-Me Wednesday? Take a photo of something that’s working in YOUR classroom (anything you’ve done to help organize or manage your classroom and/or improve instruction) and email it to angela [at] thecornerstoneforteachers [dot] com. I’d love to feature your idea here on an upcoming Wednesday!
UPDATE: Check out the classroom seating arrangements page!
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the topic idea of "what works for me." I'm interested in what people submit.
I like that the dividers go down to the floor so the kids can't kick each other too!
love the idea!
Thanks, Cooper!
You can also sometimes use the cardboard boxes that posters come in – open them up, paint them fun colors, and voila…dividers!
What a great idea for any age!
I use cubbies in the classroom all the time! I take any boxes that are big enough (deliveries to the main office yield these – especially in Sept. when orders come in!) and cut them to make cubbies. I have a cubby area in my room where they are stored.
Great idea, especially for students who have difficulty keeping their own items within the confines of their desk boundaries. Made me think of this desk drawer that worked for a first grader who had difficulty locating things in the desk “cave.” Karen
http://otinpublicschools.blogspot.com/2012/01/pull-out-drawer-for-elementary-student.html
Hi, Karen! That’s so funny that you mentioned the pull out drawer–I just saw that on Pinterest yesterday (with a plastic bin) and repinned! I love it!