Y’all. That is a picture of my TEAM TOO MUCH classroom. I had happy kids that I believe learned a lot AND I wonder if their brains were on overload. I often think how much more they would have absorbed had my classroom been less cluttered, less busy, and designed for more them. I knew better, but I made the classroom the way I wanted them to engage in it rather than what they needed—what their brains needed.

I had my student teaching in a brain-based school over 20 years ago 🤯, and some of the research still stands.

Here are some tips in creating a classroom where students can thrive:

🧠 Let natural light in

🧠 Avoid clutter

🧠 Balance the wall colors

🧠 Co-created Visual aids are OK—remove them if not needed anymore

🧠 Put up student work

🧠 Add live plants 🪴 to the space

🧠 Create flow—think of ways students can flow throughout the learning environment easily

🧠 Set up a space for learning collaboration

What else would you add?

#brainbasedlearning #instructionalcoach #learning #backtoschool #classroom #classroomdecor #teaching #teach