“The Importance of Display in the Primary Classroom” by Tessa Thorn

“The Importance of Display in the Primary Classroom”

can be used to record pupil and class progress, topics covered

might also record student awards

a stimulating environment makes for a stimulated child

cannot be emphasised enough

environment can have a large impact on children's learning

children who feel engaged in their classroom are more receptive

a well thought-out learning space makes children more likely to want to learn

an exciting environment makes for an excited child

children should feel loved, and felt loved by, the place in which they learn

locate displays meant for children at their eye level wherever possible

this gives the child a sense of ownership, especially if it is their work that is on display

show an awareness of the difference between a good display and a poor one

highlight the importance of creating a lively learning environment and of highlighting children’s achievements

include examples of display work

should be referred to in text

science display made interactive- good for kineasthetic learners - children were very interested

the value of a display lies in its ability to convey ideas and concepts in an attractive, effective and economical way

display as a learning tool

another key to making displays meaningful for children is to use them as learning tools, not just in their content but in their creation

child involvement in the process of creating a display

refer to displays during lessons

involving children in the process of making a display that ties into the lesson helps to enliven the classroom with the subjects being studied

can add to displays

this can reinforce the lesson and keep the display current and interesting

opportunity for colloaborative work

older children can be involved in putting up displays themselves

but need to be taught how to do this well and some supervision will be necessary

can increase children's sense of ownership and pride in the display

pupils should be given the opportunity to contribute their own ideas to making a creative and stimulating display

we live in a very visual culture

we can borrow some of these design strategies to make school displays more effective

all day long we are surrounded by advertisements and other images that are designed to catch and keep our attention

design guidelines

it is about clarity, defined intentions and about putting yourself in the position of the students

when you design a display you need to be clear what you want viewers to get from it

when designs are not well thought out, even though it may all look good from our point of view, pupils get frustrated, confused, or even angry

What is the purpose of display in the primary classroom?

to extend children's learning

celebrates

stimulates

informs

encourage children to interact with their environment

to be used as a learning resource for children

What considerations should govern the selection of topics and materials for display?

relevance of topic

does the topic capture children's interest?

does it relate to previous work?

can the topic be made cross curricular? - are there any cross-curricular links?

appropriateness of materials

does the display reinforce what the children have been learning?

the current focus of learning

children's interestes can be a topic for display

use of contrasting colours to catch children's eyes

How far should the teacher actually be involved in the creation of displays?

the teacher should be involved to a certain extent

the teacher should play a significant role in initiating and instigating the children's work

the teacher should inform the TA how they wish for the display to be displayed in the classroom and/or discuss this with the TA

What are the rules for creating visually satisfying displays?

colourful

attractive

visually stimulating

appropriate space

appropriate arrangement

engaging

Should work be created specially for display?

I argue that work should not be created specifically for displays

the proces that children go through when forming their pieces of work should benefit them in relation to gaining subject knowledge and understanding

needs to be a learning process for the children not just something they have to do to make the classroom look pretty

children need to recognise the purpose of the work

although forming work to create a display can encourage children to do their best work and concentrate on their presentation

however, it is important to note that the focus should not just be on the presentation, it should be mainly the content the children are producing

Should poorer or less visual work be included?

poor work should be included

should not exclude children's work if they have made the effort

could lower children's self-esteem if their work is never included

the display of children's work is an aspect of display that is so important that it deserves special consideration - requires careful consideration

it is a powerful way of showing children that their work is valued, it creates a sense of achievement, it can vastly enhance pupil motivation

the display of pupil's work needs to be approached sensitively

it is important that some students do not feel excluded or failures because their work has not been displayed, it should be a target to ensure that all students have a piece of their work on display somewhere, can be achieved by having an 'all class' display that includes one piece of work from each student OR a space for each student to display his or her BEST piece of work

displays should celebrate effort as well as perfect work

displaying pupil's work can help pupils to appreciate their own work and the work of others

whilst some children's work will be more visually pleasing than others..

teachers should create displays and use them effectively for educational, management, and other purposes

classroom display can be used to promote active learning

reasons for making displays

displays can be decorative

they can make the classroom brighter and a more interesting and stimulating place, this, itself can have a direct impact on pupil motivation and thus on pupil learning

display materials can include useful direct teaching aids

can help to make the teacher more effective

display materials can include supplementary teaching aids that simply enrich or reinforce what is being taught

helping to bring the subject "to life"

displays can take the form of useful reference material to support pupil learning

e.g. letters of the alphabet and number lines

display material can include information that is important for children to memorise

such as number tables, spellings and other important factual information, children also tend to learn the material simply because it is displayed and there for them to look at

displays can be used to 'set the scene' for a new teaching topic

an effective way to introduce a new topic, with the idea to promote pupil interest in the topic that is going to be taught and get them thinking about the topic, might be displayed before the teaching begins

can be a means of reporting on, and recording, the work that has been undertaken

used to form the central basis of a piece of class work or a topic

displays can be part of some ongoing work e.g. an investigation

displays can be used to stimulate and create pupil interest

also to enhance pupil interest

can be used to communicate to others what the class have been doing

other teachers, official school visitors, headteacher, paremts, etc

http://www.davidsmawfield.com/assets/img/classroom-display-handbook.pdf

displays can be used to promote classroom managment

e.g. routines, responsibilities, tasks and rules

displays can form part of record keeping

http://www.davidsmawfield.com/assets/img/classroom-display-handbook.pdf