Nature+of+the+Classroom

=The Elementary Classroom=

Six Qualities of the Elementary Classroom (as described by Weinstein and Mignano, 2007, pp. 3-4)
 * 1) Elementary classrooms are //multidimensional//: Not only is the elementary classroom a place where instruction occurs, but it is also a place where milk money is collected, birthdays are celebrated, fights occur, and parents meet with the teacher to discuss the progress of the child.
 * 2) Activities take place //simultaneously//. In the elementary classroom, you might see a group of students writing a story, working with the teacher, playing games, or looking at the bug that crossed the counter by the sink. All happening at once, independent and dependent of the teacher.
 * 3) Elementary classrooms tend to act //immediately//. Teachers in the classroom prepare for situations but cannot anticipate all that will occur and must respond to events (ranging from threatening to praiseworthy) in a matter of seconds.
 * 4) Coupled with the immediateness of the classroom is the //unpredictability// of the classroom.
 * 5) Elementary classrooms are //public spaces//. There is limited private space, even among the teacher's things. Students are in a place to see the teacher's desk and the teacher is in a space to see the students' things and desk.
 * 6) Finally, the elementary classroom provides a space for a joint //history//. Events happen throughout the cycle of the year that help to establish friends and enemies, learning opportunities and learning failures. This is a part of the constructs of memories in the classroom.

Resource: Weinstein, C. S., and Mignano, A. J. (2007). //Elementary classroom management: Lessons from research and practice// (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies.