Running head: MY IDEAL CLASSROOM RATIONALE 1

My Ideal Classroom Rationale

Dolores A. Collins

Brandman University

EDUU 676: Program and Strategies 1

Dr. Nicole Nicholson

November 16, 2018

My Ideal Classroom 2

My Ideal Classroom Rationale

If money were no object, my ideal classroom would begin by having a lot of open space

to arrange the classroom to meet the needs of all my students. I designed my classroom thinking

about the students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) I currently have in my classroom now.

I have a small class and have worked in resource classroom environments where there was not

more than 10 students to the one head teacher. I think that having the open space design would

also allow for areas of the classroom to have small enclosed spaces for students who need that

feelings of closeness intimacy and safety (Vogel, 2018). In order to do this, it would probably

take two classroom environments to be able to create my ideal classroom. I would want to make

sure I am meeting the sensory, emotional and learning needs of my students, as well as providing

them with the visual supports they need to feel safe, supported and secure in my classroom

environment.

Sensory Needs

The open design would present a non-distracting environment that is free of clutter to

assist with my students with sensory issues. There would not be a bunch of posters and

unnecessary pictures on the walls. There are cabinets to store their belongings and eliminate any

extra clutter in the classroom. For my students with sensory issues, I would also have installed

the lights that are able to be dimmed in various areas of the classroom. This would help provide

ideal lighting depending on what the students are doing during that time, for example, in the

sensory area of the classroom, the lights could be dimmed lower than in the instructional area of

the classroom. I have provided my students with a sensory room with various items and

furniture, one being a swing that is hooked to the ceiling area that allows for students with ASD
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to rock without having to go outside the classroom to swing. The weather does not always

permit, so this would be a way to support my students who need to do this throughout the day.

Emotional Needs

The classroom design would also meet the emotional needs of my students because the

furniture would be spaced out to allow for privacy and personal space. I would begin by having

the teacher’s office near the entrance of the classroom, so that it is away from the instructional

setting, but still there to provide privacy for the teacher to meet with parents as well as house the

important files of each students in a locked environment. The sensory area also meets the

emotional needs of the ASD students because it is located in the corner of the classroom, safely

away from any instructional areas. The sensory area provides the students with a resting area

with weighted vests, sensory cushions, bean bags and a variety of sensory toys to help the

students feel safe, relaxed and in control of their emotional needs. There is also a quiet area or

break area on the other side of the classroom in where the student can go into a tent or just in that

back room to recharge their batteries if they are getting too tired or to calm down if they are

feeling distressed (McAllister & Maguire, 2012). The teachers can also use this area to work

one-on-one with the student for other purposes, such as with academics, during speech, etc.

Learning Needs

My ideal classroom has a non-instructional feel to it in that it has the open environment

with break area, sensory area, computer area, centers and equipped with a kitchen, bathroom and

laundry facility. This environment creates an at home feeling, but allows for the students to still

be able to address their academic and learning needs. There are centers, a small instructional

area, and an independent work area to support the students learning how to be in a classroom

environment, because they will have to get used to this type of environment in order to be
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productive later on in life when they enter junior high, high school and hopefully college or

vocational schools. The classroom design allows for students with ASD to learn how to be more

independent and take care of their daily needs, including their hygiene needs. The design allows

for the students to be taught this in the classroom. The kitchen area would allow for students with

ASD to learn how to cook simple snacks and meals using both the stove and the microwave in

the classroom. There is a video screen mounted on the ceiling to allow for step by step videos or

instructions to play while the students do these tasks. The laundry area for student to learn to do

laundry, fold clothes and put them away in the appropriate places. All tasks will be supported

with visual step cards that can slowly be removed once the steps become permanent due to

consistent repetition.

Visual Supports

My classroom would be predictable and appeal to the visual needs of my students with

ASD because everything from the cabinets to the centers, to the kitchen equipment and storage

areas would be labeled. Everything would be labeled both in words and photograph in order to

help students understand behavioral expectations of the classroom and to allow the student to be

able to independently perform a skill or behavior within the classroom environment (The Iris

Center, 2016). The classroom would have boundaries set for certain areas and these would be

marked off with the use of colored masking tape. The colored masking tape would support my

students with ASD by creating visual boundaries and not just verbally telling the students where

they can and cannot go in the classroom. There would also be a lot of areas in the classroom for

storage to avoid creating visual distractions for the students. Each student has his or her own

cubbies that allows for storage of their belongings as well as houses their visual schedules and

visual reward charts that they will use throughout the day. The centers and instructional area will
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have timers to help students understand how long a certain learning task will take, this should

hopefully help with de-escalating some anxious or overwhelming feelings of completing an

academic task, knowing it will be broken down into smaller steps.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I have described as well as shown how my ideal classroom environment

design meets the sensory, emotional and learning needs of my students with ASD. The design

shows more than I stated how it can meet the needs of my students. This design also factors in

the social needs of my students with the ability to easily pair up in the instructional area as well

as at the computers. The time spent working on daily living tasks also supports their social needs

in that there is plenty of space for them to work with a group of their peers while engaging in

these tasks. I am sure my design is far from perfect, but what I have learned so far is that it is

important to find a balance and know that what I create for one student may not work for all my

students with ASD, so I need to remain flexible and open for constructive criticism and

feedback. “Teachers often arrange their classrooms prior to students’ attendance and find it

difficult to rearrange their rooms, even though doing so may be a simple solution to off-task

behavior problems” (Ganz, 2007, p. 251). With that said, most importantly, I should never forget

that in everything I do, I must always put my student’s needs first.

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References

Ganz, J. B. (2007). Classroom structuring methods and strategies for children and youth with

autism spectrum disorders. Exceptionality, 15(4), 249-260.

doi:10.1080/09362830701655816

McAllister, K., & Maguire, B. (2012). Design considerations for the autism spectrum disorder

friendly key stage 1 classroom. Support for Learning, 27(3), 103-112.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9604.2012.01525.x

The IRIS Center. (2016). Autism spectrum disorder (part 2): Evidence-based practices.

Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/asd2/

Vogel, C. L. (2008). Classroom design for diving and learning with autism. Autism

Asperger’s Digest, 1-8.