(Re)Imagined Classroom

(Images Courtesy of Google)

I would use a Senatorial setup with the desks.  This way, it encourages discussion, and there really isn't a "back of the class" for students to hide in or get shunted to.

I would hang up historical memes around the classroom.

There would be a row of computers for students to use in their research and projects.

 

I would also hang up historical quotes around the classroom.  I would try to include quotes from various leaders from multiple ethnicities and genders, instead of just a bunch of "dead white guys".  I get the feeling from a lot of students that this is how they see history, and I want to do something to change that, and to have as much representation in the classroom as possible.

I would also use a bookshelf with historical novels and books students could use to do research that the school library might not have.

You are preparing to be a teacher. Imagine a typical lesson that you might teach in the future. Below, create a sketch or a description of a typical lesson in your future classroom. 
We would open up with a Bell Ringer, a person of the day (they will later be tested on these people, or I will use them as bonus questions on tests at the very least), and then an activity to act as a hook to get the students engaged.  Then we would go through the lesson using a mix of lecture and activities to keep the students engaged.  I would make sure that the lesson includes an explanation of the ways that this historical event has influenced them today.  The lesson would end with some kind of formative assessment to make sure the students retained the information.

Imagine the students in the classroom and describe them in more detail. Who are the typical students? What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? Where are they during the lesson?
If I was teaching back in Florida, most of the students would probably be from a rural background.  There would probably be about an even mix of white and black students.  Most kids in secondary education I've found would be more interested in the blood and gore aspects of history, rather than the bills and laws part.  They will probably also be interested in how various events in history affected their ancestors, their cultures, and their lives today.  Most of the students are probably in their desks or sitting in groups, depending on the activity.

Imagine the surroundings in the classroom and describe them in more detail. What does the room look like? What resources are available to the students? How are those resources used during this lesson?

The room has a wall of windows to help the students feel less like they're "in prison", and to give the room a lighter atmosphere.  The desks are arranged in a way that makes it easier to walk around as I teach, but also encourages class discussion.  There's computers and a projector for presentations, and for students to use to do research.  There's also a bookshelf that students can use to do research.

Imagine the lesson and describe the topic in more detail. What are you teaching? What is the main thing you would want students to learn during this lesson? Why are you teaching this lesson?

I am teaching the students about why we learn about history.  I want students to understand the overall objective that I want them to learn over the course of the year, and that it's important, but I want them to come to that conclusion relatively on their own and with little nudging.  I feel like a lot of students feel like history is extremely boring and unimportant, and something that they can overlook, or that it's just a bunch of dead white guys, but it's not.  I want to show them the influence that many cultures have had on world history, and why it's important that we know them.

Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson and describe it in more detail. What are you doing during the lesson? Where are you in during the lesson? 

I start off at the front of the classroom, but as the discussion goes on, I'll start walking among them.  I'll have a ball or some kind of stuffed animal that I can toss to different students as a way to "cold call" on them.  This makes sure everyone is paying attention and is contributing.  I want students to present their ideas and opinions on whether or not history is important.

Imagine the various lesson activities and describe them in more detail. What are the students doing during the lesson? Why have you chosen these activities?

For this particular lesson, students are discussing why they study history.  This would probably be the first lesson of the year, and it helps give purpose to what they're studying.  I would also probably have them toss the ball or the stuffed animal (probably the mascot of the school) around to each other.  It would help the students get to know who's in the class, and I've found that students are pretty good at calling on people who need to be kept alert.

Reflection

I noticed that I lot of the changes that I made to this Imagined classroom had to do with representation.  A lot of students that I have talked to criticize the fact that history classes tend to focus more on what the "rich white guys" did, and that they don't even look at how African Americans, or any other culture for that matter, had an influence on history until they get to the Civil Rights movement, after which they promptly fade into the background again.  I want to do something to change that.  I want to show these students that they have role models, and heroes in history, which is part of the reason why I want to do the Person of the Day activity.  This way, students can learn how people from different cultures, backgrounds, and genders had an influence on history.  I want girls to be able to see that women played a hand in history before the suffrage movement, and after, too.  I want African American girls to have more heroes than Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks.  I want the Asian students to know that they existed outside of the Transcontinental Railroad, or the Internment Camps.  And Hispanics outside of the Mexican Revolution and Pancho Villa.  These students are more than what they see in the media, and I want them to know that.

I kept my classroom setup the same for a variety of reasons.  These are reasons that I hadn't thought of when I originally included it.  Before, I just liked that I could keep an eye on students easier, and that it would be good for class discussions.  But now, I've thought up several other reasons why this setup would be beneficial for my students.  The Senatorial setup operates in a way similar to the Round Robin.  It creates equality.  There's no front of the class students, or back of the class students because it's basically one big circle.  Kids who would normally hide in the back and not participate are drawn into the discussion and lesson.  It's more open, and less crowded.  Hopefully, I will get a classroom with the space to permit this setup.