Classroom set-up

There's been a lot of talk on Twitter over the summer about classroom displays, and whether they are worth the effort that goes into making them / distract students from their work etc.

From my perspective, I spend my working life in my classroom, spending upwards of 8 or 9 hours a day with occasional trips to other classrooms, the staffroom etc., and I quite like working somewhere that looks nice, and has some attractive displays and interesting objects to pick up, point to, and update. 
So the displays are for my personal inspiration and use as much as anything. 
I'm also the first room that people see when they come into the block, and we get a lot of visitors as we are always marketing the benefits of joining the school community, so it needs to look attractive and engaging, and celebrate what the students have been up to.

I've been in school for a couple of days this week as well as the 2 INSET days, which were fairly full on. I've spent a lot of time, mostly sorting out thousands of items and relocating them (mostly they're in boxes in the office as I ran out of time, but I've found so many sheets I may not need to do much photocopying this year...) Also a new installation of storage lockers for students has freed up loads of extra space which used to be occupied by crates and boxes for their bags and books.

From left to right, a few notes....

1. Departmental office (full to bursting with resources and books...will spend the next term trying to get that organised when I get a moment.
2. Filing cabinet of resources: I have two other colleagues who teach Geography in my section of the school, and I always have their materials ready for them as they have to travel from another area of the school, teach their lessons, then shoot off somewhere else, so I get everything ready.
3. New bookcase - note the copies of Factfulness for my Year 8 unit, which is taking shape 
4. Jen Monk's command word display - thanks :)
5. Jo Coles "..... like a geographer" wheel - thanks :)
6. Space for student work to go up in first few weeks
7. Simon Jones' posters - thanks :)
8. Sustainable Development Goals poster - a focus for some of my work this year (more to come on that)
9. Shower curtain, and whiteboards
10. Clock - "What time is it? Time for Geography"
11. Desk - exciting times, as I have moved this round to face the door and open up access to the shelves, which have all been cleared of five years accumulation of stuff. Bunting and Geography lights, plus light-box for word of the day etc.
12. HotBoard - this is an interactive display which is very easy to change and update by slotting work into the perspex folders - I inherited this from my colleague Claire, and a lot of other colleagues want one - but they can't have it :) - includes some of Richard Allaway's posters.
13. The Earth from space, as enlarged using the Rasterbator website (an old favourite) - a backdrop for some student work to go up in the first few weeks
14. Cupboards covered with one of my many flags

Click for bigger, or see it here.

Have a good year everyone!