Classroom Environment & Family Engagement Plan (CEFE)

Classroom Design Layout

Colorado Teacher Quality Standards: 5.02(1) and 5.02(2)

Elementary Education Endorsement Standards: 4.02(3)(a), 4.02(3)(b), and 4.02(3)(c)

Narrative & Research-Based Practices

1. What you included in your ideal classroom visual layout.

In my classroom layout I included the view from three angels of my classroom, as well as the cozy corner and additional workspace.

2. Why you included the different items and/or areas in your ideal classroom layout.

I included these views of my classroom because they show the flexibility of the space. There are four large single tables (red, orange, yellow, green) where students work individually or together as teams. The purple and blue tables are a giant work space where we can all come together as a class (especially older classes) for demonstrations, large projects, or big group work. The small brown tables are a flex space where students can sit on cushions and work independently in larger groups, or if a student wants to work alone they can use those tables. Finally, next to the small brown table is the cozy corner. Students are encouraged to go there when they feel sad, angry, overwhelmed, too excited, tired, etc. Students are praised for advocating for themselves and taking the space they need, and the cozy corner is by my desk because that is usually the calmest place.

Additionally, the stools block the view but there are large countertops wrapping around two walls of the room. The counter tops are clear of materials and clutter. The only materials on the counter tops are the ones we are using in that specific class. On the walls there are prints of art throughout history and time. They are aesthetically pleasing and create a color scheme of warms to cools. They are great tools to reference as we learn new concepts.

3. Available research supporting your use of the items and/or areas in your ideal classroom layout.

As explained above, the rationale for creating this layout was to make a dynamic and flexible space that serves the needs of all students. The art room is a place for creativity and freedom, where students can have control over their environment in terms of how they interact with the space. Research from 12 Ways to Upgrade Your Classroom Design (All), supports many of the choices made in the design and layout of my classroom. Several decisions are informed from the following research:

Create spaces for collaboration

Create spaces for quiet

Mix up seating options

Consider the perimeter

Remove clutter

Discipline Policy

My classroom is a space that focuses on restoration, accountability, and conscious discipline. The layout of the room is flexible to fit the diverse needs of my students. We begin our classes together on the large carpet to share and discuss our days. The students then are asked to go to a specific color table to do their work (the tables change everytime and I consciously pair new students together in a mix of abilities and language levels). If students are cohesively working together at their color table I leave them alone, if not, I ask the student where in the room they would work best.

Of course, we all have emotions and hard days. Sometimes flex seating and conscious choices are not working, and I will ask the student what they need to be successful as an artist at that moment? We talk through options and ideas and if that's still not working, I ask them to take some space in the cozy corner. I ask them if they need space from me or if we can keep talking. Depending on their answer I either give them space or we talk more about how they are feeling and what they need.

The flow above is my typical approach to classroom management and it takes some time for students to trust that I will continually trust them and be there to help them restore their bad choices.

Lesson 1 & Lesson 2

Family & Community Engagement

Artifact 1: Art Exhibition

Descriptions: Host an art exhibition and invite all families to come view their children's art. Host an interactive scavenger hunt where families have to work together with their children to answer questions about the school, artwork, and community. The scavenger hunt will be available in English and Spanish and include all families and children at the school.

Purposes: To engage families and children together in a fun and exciting way that makes families feel welcome in the school and connected to their child's curriculum.

Culturally Responsive Implementation Strategies:

Build relationships: Teachers should focus on building relationships with parents to establish trust and foster those relationships throughout the year. Schools should also ensure that parents have opportunities to build rapport with their child’s support network, which can include a whole team of people, including learning specialists.

Artifact 2: Welcome Back Open Communication Letter

Descriptions: Set the tone at the beginning of the year with parents and let them know how to communicate with me, share ideas about their children, and be involved in art curriculum. Continue these emails to provide brief information that is applicable to all parents that gives positive updates on their children's learning. Also use email as a communication channel to share individual feedback for students. All messages will be translated into Spanish and English.

Purposes: Provide a clear and open channel of communication that is frequent, brief, and applicable to parents.

Culturally Responsive Implementation Strategies:

Share the positive: Often, communication will focus on the basics such as daily schedules, homework assignments, upcoming events and in some cases behavioral updates. Parents may dread the rare phone call home, so it’s important to find opportunities to communicate good news, as well.

Set the tone: Encourage teachers to share a bit of information about themselves at the start of the year, perhaps at parent night, to set the tone for an open exchange with students’ parents and caregivers. They should develop and communicate a process for regular, ongoing communication throughout the year so parents know what to expect.

Issue shorter, more frequent communications: Don’t kick off the year with one long communication or wait until the end of the term to reach out with an extensive recap. Just as schools have moved to more frequent assessments of students, school communications should also be concise and frequent to keep parents in the loop on an ongoing basis.

Artifact 3: Family Create Night

Descriptions: Host multiple “Family Create Nights” where families are invited into the school one grade level at a time to work on an art project with their children.

Ex: Third grade family create night, students work with their parents to make and decorate a cultural shield that expresses their heritage culture.

Purposes: It provides an opportunity for parents to engage with their children and feel a part of the learning process, as well as an opportunity for me as a teacher to get to know the families better.

Culturally Responsive Implementation Strategies:

Provide actionable information: Providing information for the sake of keeping parents up-to-date is recommended, but schools also need to make sure they are sharing information that parents can act on. This can include opportunities for parents to support or prepare their child for classroom assignments, or information about upcoming extracurricular activities and special events.

Artifact 4: Parent - Student - Teacher Conferences

Descriptions: Extend a clear expectation and communication that as an art teacher I will be available for conferences and am easily accessible to meet when it is best for the parents. Typically parents expect to only meet with classroom teachers, and do not expect specials teachers to be accessible during conference week.

Purposes: As a step towards working in a partnership with parents, offering an open invitation to communicate about their child holistically around all aspects of their education.

Culturally Responsive Implementation Strategies:

Share accountability: Make it clear that all faculty members are expected to participate in the school’s communications efforts. By providing clear guidance on this expectation, along with the proper tools and protocols to make it actionable, leaders can make it a reality. Administrators should also lead by example, demonstrating that they are equally accountable for executing the plan.

Invite parents to be partners: If educators don’t already know the school’s parent body, they should be sure to reach out and learn more about them. Teachers should invite parents to share information about their child’s strengths and weaknesses, what type of support system they have at home, and whether anything going on in the child’s life may impact classroom behavior. Information like this can be essential in equipping teachers to meet students’ needs.

Artifact 5: Zoom Meetings

Descriptions: Zoom meetings with parents and students.

Purposes: Conferences are great for check ins once a trimester, but zoom meetings are an amazing opportunity to share success and manage difficulties with parents as a partnership. All of our students have access to computers and internet at home so this form of communication is accessible, personable, and flexible.

Culturally Responsive Implementation Strategies:

Access: All of our students have computers and the district helps families who aren't able to afford internet get access to the internet at home. For families the don't have home computers, they can use their child's computers because students bring their computers home everyday.

Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices

Standards:

Colorado Teacher Quality Standards: 5.02(2) and 5.02(3)

English Language Learner Educator Preparation Standards: 5.13(1) and 5.13(2)

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education Standards: 4.22(4)(c) and 4.22(4)(e)

Goal: outline personal perspective on culturally responsive classroom practices, traditions, and approaches that align with personal pedagogy.

Perspective and Beliefs

What is a culturally responsive classroom?

A culturally responsive classroom is a classroom that is built around connecting students' languages, cultures, and life experiences thus far into what and how they learn in the classroom. A culturally responsive classroom values the diversity of all students as an asset. In addition, a CRT reflects that students' unique upbringings impact their perspective and that their unique perspectives impact the way they learn and process information.

What are your beliefs and values about teaching in a culturally responsive classroom?

Personally I feel very passionate about teaching in a culturally responsive classroom. As an educator and individual I recognize that we thrive as a community when we value different perspectives, cultures, and beliefs. I have the privilege of working with a very diverse group of students and teachers at a dual language school. Language is a huge part of equity in our school. Our community in Summit County is primarily Hispanic and white, but our schools typically cater to white middle class families in their culture and language. I see so much value in honoring both languages, and how our students are able to gain so much more in their education from being immersed in languages and cultures different than their own.

What are the keys or pillars to your core values regarding culturally responsive learning environments?

“Empowering students to take ownership of not just their learning but the environment itself is another critical component of CRT. One strategy for fostering a student-centered environment is having students create a classroom agreement that answers the question: “How will we be together?” Allowing students to answer this question will give you a window into how their cultures dictate the ways in which they want to feel respected, heard, safe, and included in the classroom and in their interactions with one another and with you. This reinforces the idea not only that they belong but that the way they show up at school every day, with all of their outside experiences in tow, has value.”

My core values around culturally responsive learning environments are centered around student empowerment. It is very important to me that students understand that they are a part of a classroom community, home community, neighborhood community, and global community. Asking them to collaborate on a classroom agreement that helps them identify respect, safety, and inclusion in their space helps them feel ownership. That ownership and empowerment connects them to other students and their space. It creates an inclusive environment where students feel free to share who they are, their values, and their culture.

Strategies

What strategies will you incorporate into your culturally responsive classroom? (Which will be your primary focus?)

Understanding my own biases first
How do these biases impact my lesson plans?
How does my culture impact my worldview?
How does my upbringing impact my perspective?
Student driven agreement centered around empowerment
Have an open discussion with students on what makes them feel seen, safe, heard, and respected
Ask students what they want and expect from our classroom community
Ask students to define how we can respectfully share and celebrate everyone's culture

Measurement

How will you know when you are more culturally responsive as a teacher?

Ask students!
How do you feel in our classroom?
Do you feel free to use your voice?
Is your culture represented in our classroom?
Do you feel comfortable speaking your language?
Do you feel comfortable asking questions?
If you could change anything in our classroom, what would it be?

Resources
https://www.edutopia.org/article/getting-started-culturally-responsive-teaching

https://www.theedadvocate.org/3-ways-to-become-a-culturally-responsive-teacher/