Are you ready to set up your High School Special Education classroom for student success? Here are my 10 setup tips for a High School self-contained classroom.
1. Focus on your “areas”
Be clear in your classroom setup planning regarding what areas are going where. Think about what you will need for your students and plan the spaces. You could include a whole-group area, a free-choice area, a life skills area, or a classroom kitchen. Will you be focusing on centers or rotations? Include an area for small groups. There are lots of great options for centers, which can be beneficial for your classroom in many ways.
2. Focus on function, forget the “cute”
A lot of those cute decor options from stores are really adorable, but too much can be overwhelming in a special education classroom. Instead of focusing on the cute decor, simply include the functional decor or items that you will need to utilize, like visuals or vocabulary that can be useful and fun at the same time. For example, I love this life skills word wall!
3. Have options for flexible seating
My high school students still love (and need) to move around! It’s still a good idea to have some flexible seating options in your classroom setup. We have the traditional plastic chairs, but we also have a swing, wiggle seats, sensory bands on chair legs, exercise balls, and bean bag chairs. There are many options out there! Check out Allison’s blog for the Ultimate Flexible Seating options!
4. Use your furniture to create spaces
Are you moving into a room without any dividing markers? Just four walls? That is how my classroom was for years! Use your furniture to create areas with visual boundaries and separate different areas. You can use shelves, rugs, tables, and other furniture to mark areas or cut off areas in your classroom.
5. Less is more – don’t go overboard
Too much of a good thing can be bad. Just like the “cute” decor can cause visual overstimulation, too much decoration can be overwhelming for some students. Utilize the functional decor in your classroom setup, but don’t go overboard. You can always switch out items by month or season.
6. Don’t feel bad using your students’ interests
Even though your students are in high school, they may still have special interests that differ from their peers. I’ve kept some Elmo decorations or Mickey Mouse items because they motivate my students, and I think that’s a good thing! Don’t feel bad about using interests in your classroom setup.
7. Don’t forget to leave space
When planning where everything will go, don’t overstuff. Remember to include some areas that are open for movement around the room or even for sitting on the floor for work.
8. Plan out and utilize your visuals
In our high school special education classroom, visuals are a big deal. We have visuals in many places! Plan out what you will use in different areas. Where will you need to have visuals at the ready? Think about communication boards and where they will be used. Include important environmental print too!
9. Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect at the beginning
You can adjust as you need! Adjusting can be difficult in special education classrooms, but you can do it slowly. Don’t worry if you aren’t totally perfect from the very beginning. You can make adjustments to your classroom setup as you figure out what your students need specifically.
10. Think about your why
It sounds cliche, but it is really good advice… think about why you are doing all of this! If your students are feeling safe and comfortable, you’ve got a good space. You’ve got this!
If you’re interested in an in-depth look into simple, fail-proof steps to setting up your self-contained classroom, look no further than the Simple Self-Contained Set Up 101.
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