I am currently enrolled in Practicum I and II and was placed in Mrs. Patti Stout's fourth grade gifted inclusion class at McArthur Elementary School. Mrs. Stout has been teaching for a little over twenty years and this is the first year she has not taught a class with only gifted children. There are twenty kids in the class and due to the fact that it is gifted inclusion their academic abilities have a very wide range. There are also numerous behaviors, psychological, and family related issues that effect the every day activities of the class. I feel that all of this background information is very pertinent to the way the class is set up and functions on a day-to-day basis.
             The physical layout of the classroom is very unusual due to the fact that McArthur was originally opened as a school without walls. As the times changed and no one at the school adopted the open-classroom philosophy temporary partitions we set in place to separate classes. The temporary partitions make the rooms awkward shaped and they do not completely enclose a room. This means that in one room you may hear the instruction of the class next door. (For further visuals on the physical layout of the room please see attached diagram.)
             The desks are in cooperative learning groups. It is my understanding that this is the best way to promote communication in the classroom. I think that due to the wide range of academic levels in the room that the grouping is appropriate. Also, the two round tables that are at opposite sides of the room are used every day for small group instruction or to review. This is another attempt at grouping in the classroom and it allows students to communicate with one another.
             Although there are extenuating circumstances that create difficulty in arranging the room there are several things that I would change. First, the most obvious change that needs to be made within, not only the classroom, but the school, as a wh...