Sunday School teaching techniques: Classroom Setup

 

Classroom Set-up:

Classroom, what comes to mind when you consider this word? Well, in my mind, I think of desks, chairs, charts on the wall, colourful decorations around the class, stationery, a few books on a book shelf, a broad window that lets the sun in, and happy learners and teachers.

In our previous blogs, we spoke about the importance of planning for our lessons as teachers. Now we consider the importance of preparing or setting up the classroom for our learners'

Imagine, imagine you have been saving money for months to go to an expensive restaurant just to treat yourself. You’ve heard how amazing the food there is and that the atmosphere there is out of this world. The waiters serve you as though you were the only customer in the restaurant. Now, finally, you can experience this wonder; you can finally go to this restaurant. When you get there, all your expectations are crushed; their customer service is not as excellent as you heard; they mix up your orders; the floors are dirty; the glassware and cutlery are far from clean; and the ambiance is pitiable.

The regret, I would imagine, would not be “why did I save up money to go there?” Instead, it would be “Why did I go there?” You would feel extremely let down because of the expectations you had. You had a certain expectation, and for months you had prepared your mind and finances for this expectation.

• Why is classroom setup important?

One thing we must understand as teachers is that our learners look forward to attending class or Sunday school every Sunday. I have had the privilege of speaking at two Sunday school teacher workshops, and I have expressed to teachers that the classroom does not belong to the teacher, but the classroom belongs to our learners. They should and must feel comfortable and loved, and unlike the experience we imagined above, they must experience the joys of Sunday school.

Setting up the classroom entices the learner to attend class, enhances learner participation in classroom activities, and assists with behavioural adjustment as well. Classroom setup enhances learner engagement, which improves learning abilities and, in turn, promotes absolute attendance, participation, and happy learners overall.

Classroom setup, in layman's terms, is the restaurateur going out of his way to ensure that the restaurant is all prepared because he or she knew you were coming to dine there this evening: ambiance, cutlery, table setting, glassware, menu, and the works.

• How to set up the classroom?
• Consider your age group:

Before setting up the classroom, we need to consider the age group of the particular class. We cannot decorate a toddler class as though it were a pre-teen class, and we cannot decorate a pre-teen class as though it were a pre-teen class.

 

• What does your age group like?

Try to figure out what your age group likes or what they are drawn to. I know boys between the ages of 4 and 5 like dinosaurs, and girls between the ages of 4 and 5 like butterflies, flowers, and lots and lots of colour. You consider an animal-like theme or garden vibe going on.

 

• Attendance sheet:

I love using attendance sheets with my learners. An attendance sheet is a register sheet that relates to the theme of the classroom. Each learner will colour it in and will be given a sticker to stick onto the attendance sheet if they have attended class every Sunday. We then stick these on the attendance wall, which enhances their anticipation of attending class.

• Consider your learners:

Ask your learners how they would like their classroom to look, and decorate the classroom together. Consider their ideas and explain why we cannot have Spiderman, Superman, or Brats dolls on the walls because we need to have something neutral since this is a collective classroom.

At this point, have them set the rules of the classroom, and this will make them realise that the class is indeed theirs. Another thing is that this will, in the long run, help you with discipline problems. Whenever they break their OWN rules, you remind them that these are their rules and they have broken them. Once they have broken their rules, you have them decide what needs to be done.

• Setting the atmosphere:

The atmosphere of the classroom is created by the teacher, yes. Your learners’ need to find you in class at all times, like ALWAYS. You need to be punctual so that when they come in, you are there waiting for them and give them a warm welcome into class, giving each of them a big, warm bear hug. This makes them feel wanted, loved, and appreciated by you, and this encourages attendance.

Depending on the lesson, you can pack away the desks and chairs and have them sit on the floor; this enhances closeness and unifies the classroom. Bring out the desks and chairs when it is time to color and do crafts. Crafts, worksheets, visual aids, and stationery need to be ready and set up for use.

• Pre-lesson:

Before teaching the lesson, have icebreakers. I like to have my kids’ smiles exercised before we get into the proceedings of the day. Soon after, we sing an exciting song with actions and all, and then I have them sing a calming, cool song to settle them down. Finally,  we have the lesson of the day.

If you do not have a proper classroom, maybe you teach under a tree, like I did a few years ago. All you can do is have clipboards and stools; you create the classroom atmosphere. Do not worry about what you do not have; work with what you have and run with it. If you do not have clipboards or even stools, it is okay to teach and bring the lesson to life; show up, show love, and have fun; it makes all the difference.

I constantly remind myself, “My kids’ can not be stressed out about attending class.” My mantra is that they need to be stressed about not being able to attend class. The aim is that class needs to be fun every time, all the time. I push myself to improve, find new games, find new songs, and find fun ways of welcoming them. We need to constantly grow as teachers in order for our learners to grow.