The purpose of the present study is to describe the design of four physical mathematical classroom environments focusing on grades 1-3, their function during a mathematic lesson and the teachers' purposes with the design. The study is based on three data collection methods, which are: photography, observations and teacher interviews. The different methods for data collection made it possible to set teachers' visions in relation to practice. The result of the study indicates that the teacher's purposes and the practical function are not always in accordance with previous research, in that communicative function in connection with table furnishing does not have to assume that tables are placed in groups. Furthermore, the study shows that tables placed in rows can create opportunities for students to interact and collaborate, depending on the teacher's leadership. The result of the study also indicates that mathematical posters has proved to be used most in the classrooms with a lot of posters, even though research shows that the students' concentration deteriorates in an environment with a lot of impressions. Based on those facts and the results of the study, we make the cunclusion that mathematical posters fulfill a larger function if students are allowed to participate in their design, and whether they are used in connection with introduction of new work areas in mathematics. The aim of the study is to contribute to a richer description of how physical classrom environments can be organized and designed in mathematics classroom in grades 1-3.

The specific goal of this study was to determine the use of the physical classroom environment as a teaching and learning tool in an era of the implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI). This qualitative multi-case study focused on the learning principles and epistemological beliefs of primary teachers with reference to the physical classroom environment and the teaching process in regard to meeting the expectations set forth by the CCSSI. The researcher sought participation from a city school district in Northeast Tennessee which included a total of 8 participating teachers consisting of 2 each of grades kindergarten, first, second, and third. The Teacher Beliefs Survey (Woolley, Benjamin, & Woolley, 2004) was administered to determine teachers’ philosophical position regarding constructivist and traditional beliefs. Based upon responses, 8 teachers representing the most constructivist and most traditional teachers in each grade were selected for further participation. Teachers’ practices and perceptions of the role of the physical environment in the teaching and learning process including consideration of the CCSSI were further explored through interview. Each physical classroom environment was evaluated using the Primary Educators Environment Rating Scale (PEERS), a rubric designed to assess the use of the physical classroom environment on a continuum from traditional to constructivist practices (Evanshen & Faulk, under review). Observational field notes and photographs were collected in order to document environmental components of the physical classroom environment of each participant. Data was collected and triangulated through the use of the aforementioned methods. Through the data analysis process, the researcher found all participants to demonstrate support for the role of the physical environment in the teaching and learning process which was determined based on results of the interview in conjunction with findings of the PEERS and supporting photographic evidence. Each teacher’s personal experiences and philosophy of education was found to guide the physical classroom environment design and layout in various ways. While most teachers felt the CCSSI had little or no impact on their physical classroom environment, all shared in varying degrees the use of the physical environment as a tool to support students in developing 21st century skills.

Föreliggande empiriska studie syftar till att bidra med kunskap om hur lärares didaktiska val tillsammans med klassrumsmiljön kan ge tystlåtna elever i de tidiga skolåren förutsättningar att delta under samtal i svenskämnet. Med utgångspunkt i det sociokulturella perspektivet genomfördes sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med lärare verksamma i årskurs 1–3. Centrala begrepp för studien är tystlåtna elever, samtal och klassrumsmiljö. Resultaten visar att lärare arbetar medvetet med stöttning av enskilda elever på individnivå i form av makro-, meso- och mikrostöttning. Lärarna använder sig även av instrumentellt och emotionellt stöd på gruppnivå. Resultatet visar att lärare är väl medvetna om hur de nyttjar den fysiska klassrumsmiljön för att ge elever möjlighet att delta i samtal. Samtliga lärare är noga med att understryka vikten av ett gott klassrumsklimat för att tystlåtna elever ska våga tala. De intervjuade lärarna berättar om gynnsamma metoder för att inkludera tystlåtna elever i klassrumssamtal. Studien visar att lärare behöver ge elever tid att utveckla sin muntlighet i mindre och större sammanhang. Lärare behöver även variera sin undervisning för att låta tystlåtna elever göra sina röster hörda genom andra uttryckssätt än verbalt.