When we look at our classrooms and how to put together a classroom management system that works, there are several things about the classroom that we may want to change. In this post, we will talk about different aspects of the classroom and how easy or difficult it can be to change those things.

Why Is This Important?

Anytime we want to change aspects of our classroom, whether it is the room arrangement or the atmosphere of the classroom as a whole, there are things that are easier for us to change and things that are harder for us to change. The better understanding of those things we have, the easier it will be for us to identify what area to focus on changing in order to have the biggest impact on our classroom.

The Hierarchy

The Hierarchy of Change is illustrated by a tipped-over square. The items listed toward the top of the square are the easiest for us to change, and the ones listed at the bottom are the hardest for us to change. However, all of these items have a place on the same square because a change to one almost inevitably results in a change in the other areas.

Change of Our Self

The easiest thing to change is ourselves. This is what we have the most control over. Changing our selves could mean a change in mindset, viewpoint, or how we interact or react to things in our classroom. Because our selves are the easiest to change, a lot of the posts in this blog will be about mindset shifts that will lead to big changes in the other areas of the square. Also keep in mind that changes in viewpoint or mindset are the ones that will give you the biggest bang for your buck in the classroom.

Changes of Lesson Plans or Curriculum

You probably don't have a whole lot of control over the curriculum that you use in the classroom. What you do have control over are the types of activities, how they are implemented, and how many activities you do in a day. Activities challenge the kids and keep them engaged, so while you may not have control over the overarching curriculum, keep in mind that you do have control over the day-to-day implementation of that curriculum.

Changes of Classroom Environment

Once again, you may not have a whole lot of control over the room arrangement as a whole. With state regulations in place regarding how classroom centers are set up and arranged, it can be difficult to make changes to the classroom environment without unwittingly breaking a regulation. However, you do have some control when it comes to the types of materials that are available in the classrooms. As long as you are following state guidelines as far as the types and amounts of materials that are available, you can add to that in whatever way you wish. Some types of materials lend themselves more readily to creative and imaginative uses than others, which can help keep children busy, challenged, and engaged for longer periods of time. There are also other aspects of the environment you have a certain amount of control over, such as what you put on the walls and how you decorate a certain center. These elements of environment can add an atmosphere of creativity and whimsy to a classroom environment.

The Child

Have you ever tried to change another person? Have you tried to help a person stop smoking? Have you ever succeeded in truly changing someone else? Likely, your answer to this question is "no." It is very hard, if not impossible, to change another person, which is why the child is at the bottom of the square. Keep in mind that it is not hard to change the behavior of a child if we focus on the other areas of the square, but to focus on the child without taking the other areas into consideration - we are asking for a world of frustration and heartbreak.

It can seem counterintuitive to not focus on the child when that child is showing challenging behaviors. And I'm not saying to never focus on the child. We should always focus on the child if we have tried to focus on these other areas first. And there is a specific way we should bring focus to that child that we will get to at a later blog post. But if we truly want to help a child be successful - and as early educators that should always be our overarching goal - we have to be flexible enough in our thinking that we are able to look around us and see if there are changes to be made that would help the child out.

The Flower Metaphor

I've heard this metaphor used before and I love it because it very succinctly shows the Hierarchy of Change in a different context. As Michelle Salcedo says in her book Uncover the Roots of Challenging Behavior: Create Responsive Environments Where Young Children Thrive:

"When faced with a plant that is not thriving, the dedicated gardener will, quite literally, leave no stone unturned in the quest to discover why: Does it need more (or less) water? Is it receiving enough sun? Is the soil providing the right nutrients? Does it require stakes or supports? All these factors may be affecting the plant's development. Rarely does a gardener throw up her hands and declare the plant unfit. Similarly, when a child exhibits challenging behaviors, what if instead of blaming the child, we first looked at the environment? What if we shifted our focus from "fixing" the child to adapting the conditions in which she spends many hours each day so that she can be successful?" (pg 5)

Fixing the child has been the lens of so many of the early childhood professionals that I have worked with over the years. It can be hard for us to shift our focus to outside of the challenging behaviors, especially if those challenging behaviors "speak" so loudly and require so much of our attention. But because fixing someone else is a nearly impossible feat no matter what their age, we need to be willing to shift our focus to other areas in order to help the child be successful. The ideas in this blog will help you do that, if you are willing to experiment with that shift in focus in yourself.