Using a Classroom Environment Checklist

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I recently asked a friend of mine what sort of issues they're currently facing in the classroom that we might be able to discuss strategies for on this podcast. Their response was around undiagnosed special educational needs and the impact that that has on learning and the classroom environment as a whole.

Episode Transcript

Penelope Webb (00:00):
Welcome to The Exceptional Humans Podcast,
where we discuss questionsrelated to language, identity,
education, and behavior.
I'm your host, Penelope and Ihave a background in education,
linguistics, and behavioralscience.
I recently asked a friend ofmine what sort of issues they're
currently facing in theclassroom that we might be able
to discuss strategies for onthis podcast.

(00:24):
Their response was aroundundiagnosed special educational
needs and the impact that thathas on learning and the
classroom environment as awhole.
It is a huge concern forteachers regardless of the year
level they are teaching, whetherthat is early childhood, primary
school, or high school.

(00:46):
It's a very complex issue, andthere are many factors that go
into why a student may not havea diagnosis for the issues
impacting their learning, aswell as issues impacting their
behavior.
Some of those issues have to dowith funding.
Some of them have to do withtheir ability to access those

(01:07):
assessments in order to get adiagnosis, and some of them are
also surrounding the taboos andconversations around various
diagnoses.
What we need to remember as partof this discussion is that our
students in our classroomsreflect broader society.
We are going to get studentswith a range of experiences and

(01:30):
diagnoses that impact theirlearning and their ability to
function within a schoolenvironment.
These issues are not simplylimited to diagnoses around
special educational needs.
They can also include thingssuch as mental health, having a
significant trauma history andexposure to unfavorable

(01:52):
environments.
For some students they may be inunsafe living environments,
which can include things likedomestic violence, neglect, and
abuse, as well as familiesfacing unstable housing and
homelessness.
And with the cost of living andhousing crisis that is occurring

(02:15):
in Australia at the moment, thelast one is on the rise.
Another thing that falls withinthe special educational needs
category, but is oftenoverlooked is that of
giftedness.
When identifying students asgifted, we look at an IQ test
and identify individuals with anIQ over 110.

(02:39):
Whilst it is acknowledged thatIQ has historically been
incredibly problematic, thereare specific barriers to
learning that come into play forindividuals that are gifted.
Sadly, they're actually the mostat risk of failing within the
school system because the schoolsystem is not designed for

(03:01):
gifted individuals.
Ultimately, there are manyfactors that go into why a
student may not have a diagnosisor why a student and their
family may not be open aboutthat diagnosis being shared.
There are things, however, thatteachers can do regardless of

(03:22):
whether or not students haveappropriate diagnoses and
whether those diagnoses areknown.
One of the biggest factors thatinfluence learning behavior and
people's ability to functionwithin a learning environment is
the environment itself.
The particular strategy we willbe discussing today is the use

(03:43):
of a classroom environmentchecklist.
This inclusive strategy isdesigned to assist students
regardless of diagnostic status.
To implement this strategy, youare going to create a checklist
for your own reference until itbecomes routine.
The first thing I suggest thatyou add to your checklist is an

(04:07):
item regarding temperature.
Humans have quite a narrowtolerance for what is considered
a comfortable temperature.
In fact, many schools have apolicy that classroom
temperatures for air conditionedclassrooms are set at 24 degrees
Celsius.
I would also recommend that airconditioning units have the fan

(04:33):
set to automatic to ensure thatrooms do not become too cold or
too hot as you have given theair conditioning unit and its
in-built sensors control overmanaging the classroom
temperature.
For classrooms reliant onnatural ventilation, you are

(04:57):
considering opening and closingwindows to create cross
ventilation.
This is the creation of airflowthrough the room, using
aerodynamics.
Obviously in winter you may needto close windows down and reduce

(05:20):
the airflow within the room toensure that everybody remains
warm.
In summer you would ideally havethe windows open as wide as they
can go to try and ensure crossventilation and air movement
within the classroom.

(05:42):
The use of ceiling fans, inaddition to windows, can be
incredibly helpful in classroomsthat do not have air
conditioning.
However, you should consider theimpacts of downdrafts and the
noise of the ceiling fan whenconsidering fan settings.

(06:04):
The next consideration islighting.
Very few people respondpositively to incredibly bright
artificial lighting, so it isimportant to adjust artificial
lighting in response to naturallighting.
If you've got sufficient lightcoming from windows, skylights,
and other natural sources youcan turn off classroom lights.

(06:28):
Having an overly brightclassroom is going to present a
barrier to learning,particularly for those people
who are neurodivergent as it canbe Hyperstimulating.
When it is more overcast we wantto ensure that lights are on.
Providing sufficient lightingfor us to engage in our learning

(06:52):
Lighting is very important forenergy levels, particularly
during the colder months.
Insufficient lighting can sendour body the message that is
time to start winding down andstudents may start feeling

(07:12):
sleepy and start disengaging.
It is important to adjustclassroom lighting throughout
the day in response to naturallighting and weather conditions
occurring outside of theclassroom environment.
Next I would suggest including areminder to check for and remove
rubbish from desks, floors andother classroom spaces

(07:38):
throughout the day.
Whether you do this or you areasking your students to assist
with this is up to you.
However, removing rubbish froman environment is incredibly
important because if you spend asignificant amount of time in an
environment that is litteredwith discarded items it is not a

(08:02):
pleasant experience.
Whilst doing this, you shouldalso consider returning
classroom resources and othermaterials to their designated
spot within the classroom.
Items stationary should bereturned to trays, pencil

(08:24):
holders, or student desks.
Student's books should bereturned to their desks or
cupboards and studentworksheets, and any materials
that require marking should beneatly placed in piles or in

(08:45):
trays for later attention.
Doing this helps reduce thevisual clutter in your
classroom, which assists yourstudents that are more anxious
to feel safe and calm in thatenvironment.

(09:08):
Additionally, you want to ensurethat after each activity desks
are clean and tidy.
And for this, wet wipes are agreat option.
The same goes for the classroomwhiteboard, the use of
whiteboard erases, wet wipes,and whiteboard spray to remove

(09:35):
marker residue assist inremoving visual interference.
It is not uncommon to havestudents with some level of
visual impairment in ourclassrooms.
Whether that's requiring glassesor wearing glasses, or students

(09:57):
that have vision loss, ensuringthat residue from whiteboard
markers is removed assists ourstudents in being able to access
what is being presented on thatboard later on.

(10:18):
Those boards are white for areason.
They're high contrast, and allowstudents to clearly discern
information.
Not having a clean whiteboardintroduces visual interference

(10:43):
and can create a barrier tolearning.
Whilst that concludes the coreof what I would include in a
classroom environment checklist,there are a couple of other
considerations that I would liketo address.
These particularly apply toearly childhood and primary

(11:07):
school classrooms and centeraround classroom aesthetics.
Some of you may be a fan ofteachertok, where teachers
around the world present contenton their classrooms, their
students and the experience ofbeing a teacher.

(11:32):
This content tends to beincredibly aesthetic.
Having an aesthetic classroom isnot an issue, however, having a
Hyperstimulating classroomwithin an early childhood or
primary school setting is.
The displays and wall-mountedvisual resources can become

(11:55):
overwhelming, particularly forstudents who are neurodivergent
or have a significant history oftrauma.
It creates a lot of visualclutter and can produce
significant anxiety for some ofthese students.
Whilst I think there is value inhaving visual resources on

(12:17):
display in your classroom,particularly those related to
the concepts you are learning.
I think that sometimes theteachers have a tendency not to
review the displays they have upon a regular enough basis.

(12:42):
When this occurs, we get anaccumulation of displays and
resources over an academic year.
I hope that you have found thisstrategy useful, and I would be
interested in hearing whether ornot you would consider using
this in your classroom as aninclusive strategy to try and

(13:04):
reduce some of thoseenvironmental barriers to
learning.
The Exceptional Humans Podcastis written and recorded on Kabi
Kabi and Jinibara lands.
We would like to pay ourrespects to their elders past,
present, and emerging, and payour respects to all Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanderpeoples listening today.