[Teacher's Choice] How much should you post on classroom walls? - Subtracting wall information and universal design

"I want to leave behind footprints of the children's hard work."
"I want to make sure they can look back at the summary of the lesson."
"I want to post photos of the children's activities."

While thinking like that,
before you know it, every wall in the classroom is covered.

・Children's artwork
・Lesson summaries
・Introduction to class duties
・Committee posters
・Class goals
・Photos from field trips

Postings, of course, have an important role.
・Leaving behind footprints of learning

・Encountering friends' ideas
・Reflecting on our own activities
・Creating a sense of belonging that "this is my classroom."
Therefore, the postings themselves are not bad.

However, I think it is worth considering once whether "posting" itself has become the goal.
Postings do not necessarily increase in educational value the more you add them.

The classroom wall is also a "learning environment" where children spend every day.
That is precisely why we should think not only about "what to post," but also "why we are posting it."



[Choice 1] Post only the bare minimum




"Are we using this now?"


This is a method of leaving only what is necessary based on this criterion.

For example,・Today's schedule and daily routine・Living information such as cleaning locations

・Important points of the unit currently being studied・Class promises currently being worked onetc.

Place the information that children need right now in the places where they need it.

On the other hand,

・Summaries of units that have already ended
・Past class goals
・Records of previous activities
・Posters that no one is referencing

etc., should be removed when they have finished their role.

What is important here is the mindset of "letting go because it has finished its role," rather than "peeling it off because it has become old."


letting go because it has finished its role


Once classroom postings are put up, they tend to remain because "I went to the trouble of making them," "they are still clean," or "it's a waste to peel them off."
But letting go of things that have finished their role is also a teacher's job.
It means "subtracting things that have finished their role" in order to "make what is important now stand out."

There is no need to keep adding to the classroom walls forever. Keep the classroom walls in a state that is always up to date.
By doing so, it becomes easier for truly necessary information to catch the eye.



[Choice 2] Post almost no learning materials
The second is a method of further subtraction.Intentionally not leaving lesson summaries or learning posters on the walls.Leave only the information necessary for daily life and keep the classroom as simple as possible.If there is little information on the walls, it becomes easier to focus on what the teacher is conveying now or what the children themselves are thinking.

You might think, "Won't the classroom feel lonely?" if you reduce the number of postings.

But having blank space is different from having no learning.
It is precisely because there is a wall with nothing posted on it that the one piece of information needed now stands out.

It is precisely because the postings are carefully selected that eyes are drawn to the children's work.
It is precisely because the area around the blackboard is uncluttered that one can concentrate on the writing on the board and the teacher's explanation.

In other words, blank space itself has educational value.
Adding something is not the only way to enrich the environment.

Sometimes, by subtracting something, important things come into view.


[Choice 3] Fill the classroom


The third is a method of continuously leaving children's work and records of activities in the classroom.
The entire classroom is filled with the children's activities.

There is also meaning in coloring the classroom.
However, the more information there is on the walls, the more likely it is that each piece of information will become less noticeable.

Therefore, "lots of postings = good postings" is not necessarily true.


It's not about "to post or not to post"What is important is "Why am I posting this?"

The classroom wall is not just "empty space."
It is a place where children spend every day looking and thinking.

That is precisely why we should design the walls just like we design lessons.
・Add

・Leave
・Move

And when they are no longer needed, let them go.

"Having a lot posted on the classroom walls" is not a condition for a good classroom.
Having what is necessary for the children, in the place where it is needed, as much as is needed.

I think that is what it means to organize the classroom environment.

Before posting something, try thinking, "What is this for?"
And try reviewing it periodically, asking, "Has it finished its role yet?"

Instead of filling the classroom walls, create "blank space" for children to think.I think that is also an important environmental design that teachers can do.Click here for the related note