Wall+Art


 * "You have more control over the environment for learning than you think. No one will prevent you from bringing a plant into your classroom; no one will stop you from putting maps on walls or books on the shelves. __What do you want the environment to do or say__?" (New Teacher Book, p. 24)**


 * "Wall Art," ** what our group is using to refer to what is hung on the walls of a classroom __can be highly influential on the classroom environment__. Hanging up student work __can encourage students to have a sense of pride__ in themselves and in their work. It shows students that their teachers __value__ what they do and that their __work has meaning__. Hanging up maps, newspaper articles, posters, pictures, or other items relevant to the curriculum can __show students that what they are studying has real world significance__. This can also help students have a __visual aid__ to accompany reading material, or can help in brainstorming for the student with writer's block or the group trying to come up with a presentation idea. Finally, other items, such as rules and expectations, can hang as __reminders to help students remember what's wrong and what's right, and encourage positive interaction in the classroom__.


 * __Below are some examples of "wall art"__ **

This example lets students explicitly know the teacher's expectations.

This is an example of a colorful classroom. The teacher has created a visually appealing section of wall art to provide students with helpful reminders and tips that relate to their work in this classroom.

Most of these rules just encourage respect for classmates. Though they may seem obvious, posting them mgiht help remind a student who is tempted to make a bad decision, or can serve as something for teachers to point at to remind students of the rules without having to yell at them or constantly repeat the same warnings.

There are different kinds of rules that can be made. Rules don't have to be the classic ones, like "No talking over classmates," or "Keep hands to yourself." Rules like these show respect for the students because they are rules that apply to a more mature environment. "Be open to new ideas" and "Participate fully-take risks" are examples of "rules" that are made to encourage students to be the best students that they can be.

This poster is great because it doesn't start off by throwing rules at students in the style of "Don't --." Instead, this poster makes students aware of a serious social problem in schools, bullying, by clearly defining it. Then it makes four rules worded very positively. Instead of telling an individual student what not to do, it says what the class as a whole will do together.

__** Article: "The Maps of Madison High: On Separation and Invisibility" **__ __** Author: Laurie Olsen **__

From the second and third paragraphs of the article: "Stern's social studies classroom was housed in a temporary bungalow on the far edge of campus. She taught one period a day of "sheltered" history for limited English proficient immigrant students, and two periods a day of "regular" history. Thus, through her door flowed alternatively a wave of immigrant students, then a wave of "regular" students. __She tried, through the materials she hung on her walls and through her telling each of her classes what the "other" class discussed and did, to be a conduit of a communication between the two worlds.__ The "rules" developed by each class were posted side by side. The sheltered class rules read: "No mean racism. No making fun of people's dress. Don't make fun of culture. No laughing at English mistakes. Try to learn about each other." The "regular" class rules read: "No put-downs. No personal attacks. Respect yourself and others. Don't talk when others are talking. Be good listeners. Keep an open mind. Say what you think." __Handwritten definitions for "racism," "xenophobia," "prejudice," "stereotype," and "discrimination" hung on the walls."__

__Rules__
No mean racism. No put-downs. No making fun of people's dress. No personal attacks. Don't make fun of culture. Respect yourself and others. No laughing at English mistakes. Don't talk when others are talking. Try to learn about each other. Be good listeners. Keep an open mind. Say what you think.

__Rules__ No put-downs.  No personal attacks.  Respect yourself and others.  Don't talk when others are talking.  Be good listeners.  Keep an open mind.  Say what you think.

This poster is nice because it's simple and has one main expectation - respect, with three sub-categories. It lists examples of expectations within these sub-categories.

This one is a bit long and wordy, but it still serves as good example of explicitly setting rules for students.

**More Ideas...**

"Bulletin boards and display space can be a collaborative effort with your students. Be sure that your images reflect the students and their families" (New Teacher Book, pg. 30).

__See "Displaying Materials" section in New Teachers Book, pgs. 28-29__
 * "The display of educational materials is also central to a successful classroom."
 * story starters on the wall
 * "poster of the week"
 * agenda, announcements
 * Expand display space by hanging a strong cord across the room
 * "Teachers need to strike a balance between displaying student work and putting up challenging questions, posters, maps, and displays. __As you strive to strike a balance, remember that care should be taken to ensure that the students 'see themselves on the walls,' both literally - the walls have pictures of students and their work - and figuratively, so the people students see in posters reflect the nationalities of the classroom and the broader world."__