Ms. B's Inquiry Topic

I have done a lot of work over the past couple of weeks! A great deal of my time has been spent on assignments such as the over the shoulder miscue analysis (OTSMA), think-aloud and recently, my Inquiry Topic (or territory). Even though these particular tasks have taken a lot of time and effort, they have helped me positively grow as a pre-service elementary teacher. As I move on to my new task at hand, I cannot wait to see what else I learn!

While I am waiting for spring to arrive, (which I am begging for it to be soon) I am spending some time focusing on my inquiry topic, which is about effective classroom learning spaces/setups. This personal interest of mine has been building up ever since I stepped foot into my first classroom as a novice educator. I have seen various classroom layouts/designs and I wonder, according to research and studies, which ones were truly effective and designed for optimal student learning and which ones needed more work. I also have further questions in mind such as;

 “How much do classrooms differ from grades K-6?”

“Are there common errors that teacher’s tend to make when they setup their learning environments?”

 “What are some ‘must-haves’ that one should see when they step foot into a room?”

 The combination of further readings, class discussions and my pins on Pinterest will help me discover the correct answers to my questions and more.

I am still in the process of researching, but I have already found helpful published texts, journals and articles around my inquiry topic. Some of the authors of interest include Carol Bradford Cummings, Debbie Miller, Joyce McLeod, Jan Fisher, Ginny Hoover and James H. Stronge, Pamela D. Tucker and Jennifer L. Hindman. These are only authors that I have selected as of right now, but there will be more to come in the next few weeks. I am sure that I will find these readings to be useful and fascinating. I also think it will be interesting to consider my practicum classroom once I am further into my readings. As of right now, I believe that my classroom teacher has her room purposefully setup to benefit all of her learners. Even though my C.T.’s room is a lot smaller than one would hope, she makes the best of it and has everything setup with a purpose.

As the semester progresses, I will continue to provide my classmates and followers with important findings from my resources. If you are also on Pinterest, please feel free to follow me and witness my board grow as I find more sources on my inquiry topic. It is great to see how my research ties into some of the topics we have discussed and read in my literacy III class. For example, one of my previous blogs focuses on the classroom and its arrangement. The more that I explore around this topic, the more abled I will be to connect my research and practice!

Thanks!

Ms. B