Setting up your Classroom for Success

Teaching with CLASS®

Setting up a classroom for a new school year can be exciting! It’s hard not to get excited at the prospect of a fresh start. But that doesn’t mean you always know what’s best to do. How do you set up the classroom to facilitate a successful year?

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Alisha Saunders-Wilson, a Teachstone CLASS® Specialist who has experience coaching other teachers in many things, including setting up classrooms. Listen in as she and Kate discuss classroom organization, behavior management, what materials to put out and when to rotate them, and what to do when materials are sparse.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• [00:01:20] Introducing Alisha
• [00:02:14] What excites Alisha about setting up a new classroom in a new school year
• [00:02:46] How Alisha came to the ECE field and what she does with teachers these days
• [00:04:04] What to keep in mind when it comes to classroom organization
• [00:06:07] Questions teachers should ask themselves about behavior management
• [00:07:29] What and how many materials to put out
• [00:08:40] What to do if the children aren’t engaging with a particular set of materials
• [00:10:27] Setting up the classroom with emotional support in mind
• [00:12:53] What to do when you notice negativity popping up in a space
• [00:15:07] What to do when materials are sparse
• [00:17:24] Rotating materials
• [00:19:03] How classroom setup supports things like language development and problem-solving
• [00:22:09] Three major takeaways from the conversation
• [00:23:48] Encouragement for classroom teachers

Resources

Kate Cline

Alisha Saunders-Wilson