CLASSROOM DISPLAYS
Classroom displays are extremely important and can be very purposeful when utilised well. Preparing for my new classroom, I have taken the time to research the purpose of classroom displays and how this might differ in Primary and Secondary Education. I am a great believer in 'catching the wandering eye' meaning so that as a pupil gazes around the classroom, due to either boredom, distraction, tiredness, etc, that they reconnect with material in the eye-line that captures the lost willingness to learn or centralises their previous distraction to continue to learn.
The pictures to the right are images I found on an educational Twitter feed, which I have chosen to print and display in my new classroom. With a recent rise and emphasis being placed on pupils' mental health, the 'success iceberg' promised to symbolise a fantastic learning opportunity promoting something that I want all of my pupils to reflect upon and understand. It seems so often that pupils feel like failures, whether that is not achieving a 'high-enough' grade, or not being 'academic enough' or not being 'a team player' even though they exceed greatly in invididual tasks. It seems that we are all too quick to tick boxes rather than see the individual for who they are, and what they are fantastic and talented at. I really believe the lessons and thoughts this poster provokes is applicable in all classrooms - English to Science, MFL to Geography, and Drama to History. Why can't we be honest with pupils, telling them that most success derives from hard work, and encourge them to feel proud even in the lowest moments. Showing them this poster can help them to visualise the 'light at the end of the tunnel' and that the troughs are indeed normal and part of the challenge to rise stronger.
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Alongside this, I have printed a range of motivational quotes and phrases to display, in the hope to create positivty, support of one another and ourselves, and care withn the classroom. These are images simply collected from google, which I have then prepared. As well as displaying the units they will study, the academic theories and hypotheses, should we not also display support in other forms. Reminding them to believe in themselves, appreciate their education, care for one another, and have aspriations to contribute positively to the world around them.
When designing displays, combining the design and 'nice-looking' qualities with the purposeufl academic qualities can be challenging. As well as creating displays, I have also used the following sites to make interactive and interesting resources. They are fantastic for FREE, and themed display text and offer an easy download saving our much-need time. Look up:
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https://www.sparklebox.co.uk for more primary based but also varied resources and https://www.instantdisplay.co.uk/alphabetsets.htm for more wonderful display materials!
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As my page continues to grow, I look forward to creating, sourcing and sharing more recources with you. Please feel free to send an email (MissBBlogs@gmail.com) should you want any of the recources above, or to share any you feel would impact other people's classroom's also
Following a fantastic two days at the National Theatre's Drama Teacher Conference, I have created some new classroom displays. From my sessions of Set Design and Building An Ensemble, these resources have been invaluable in my classroom so I want to share them with you! The 6 Princples of Set Design, it particularly useful for design GCSE Students, encouraging them to think about the key apsects of their work. What makes a successful set design? What are you trying to communicate to your audience? The second resource comes from an outstanding workshop with Kane Husbands, the artistic director of The Pappy Show, teaching us how to create effective and imaginative ensemble performance. I have developed his main points, some of which taken from Anne Bogart and Tina Landou's ViewPoints, and created a easy-to-follow student and teacher resource. By following the nine steps, you can create some fantastic choreography and it is applicable to all years of study with key definitions and learning questions included!
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Take a look at the wonderful Pappy Show on Twitter - @pappy_show
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Find the Word Document's of these below!
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