I believe in a very colorful classroom with posters, functional bulletin boards, and other 'interesting' items to enhance the environment, such as a small refrigerator, TV, and a stereo system with a CD player. Reggio Emilia educators stress the need for a classroom environment that informs and engages the child. And in the sense that it can motivate children, enhance learning, and reduce behavior problems, environment really is an extra teacher. Author and educator Mike Hopkins points out that personal teaching style and specific educational needs should largely determine how you design your classroom space. Hopkins urges teachers to forget about the way things have always been done and to visit museums, libraries, other schools, and colleagues' classrooms to identify different ways of organizing learning space.
Many teachers prefer to create different areas within the classroom.
Easily accessible materials and supplies can eliminate delays, disruptions, and confusion as students prepare for activities. To eliminate some waiting, store frequently used items such as scissors and paste in several different areas. In many classrooms, the largest amount of space is devoted to the arrangement of individual student desks. Teachers vary greatly on their preferred arrangements, but most agree that the days of 30 desks lined in neat rows and facing the teacher's desk up front are long gone. Instead, some teachers like to arrange desks in cooperative groups of four, while many others prefer a U-shaped configuration, where everyone has a front row seat.