- Change the lighting
- Declutter
For instance, take a look at the picture on the left; there's stuff hanging on the walls, off the ceiling, a variety of bright colours and...clutter. The classroom on the left still has colour, but the tones are more calming. Additionally, there are minimal posters on the walls and nothing (but the SMARTboard projector) hanging from the ceiling.
Don't get me wrong - visuals are important. However, we must determine which visuals are meaningful for our students and do not overwhelm them and their senses.
- Classroom Colours
Red – engaging & emotive; increases blood pressure, breathing, appetite, & sense of smell
Yellow – first color humans can distinguishe; stimulates overall sense of optimism, hope, & balance
Orange – characteristics halfway between red & yellow
Blue – Most calming color; causes brain to release 11 neurotransmitters that relax the body, to calming for most learning environments
Green – calming color, increase in blood histamine levels resulting in reduced sensitivity to food allergies; antigens stimulated for overall better immune system healing
Brown – sense of security, relaxation, & reduces fatigue
Gray – most neutral color
Dark Colours – lower stress & increase feelings of peacefulness
Bright Colours – spark energy & creativity; can increase aggressive & nervous behavior
- Provide flexible seating options
Introducing these seating options in your classroom may be a nightmare at first - students might fight over who gets to sit on the wobble stool, like in my class for example. However, it is still important to provide these options for students and to remind them that it is a tool for their learning. Eventually, the excitement will fade and you will find that only students who need these seating options will use them.
- Fidgets
Like with flexible seating, introducing fidgets in your classroom may be overwhelming. It is important to continue to remind students that fidgets are tools - not toys. Additionally, the more you remind your students that fidgets are intended to help them focus and maximize their learning, the more they will internalize this information. When students leave your classroom at the end of the year, they will have a better understanding of who they are as learners and what they need to succeed. In other words, they will be able to self-advocate for their individual learning needs.
Here is a video that you can play for your students when you introduce fidgets in your classroom!
The Fidget Rules by Karen Braun | |
File Size: | 1573 kb |
File Type: | doc |
- Oral input