Displays for the primary school classroom

Abstract

While traditionally, Irish classrooms have displayed examples of published posters and teacher-generated charts on the walls, with changing constructivist methodologies which value the involvement of pupils, further learning and integration of subjects, interactive displays are becoming more commonplace in Irish classrooms today. With interactive displays, pupils are much more likely to pay attention to the display if they have to do something with it, rather than just looking passively at it (Moon, 2005, p.146). The level of interaction can range from simply involving pupils in displaying their own work, to writing/recording open-ended questions and answers, to creating a game or competition based on the display or using the display as a summary to reinforce learning on a chosen theme. By creating a multi-sensory approach to displays, the learning generated can involve visual, auditory and kinaesthetic activities where pupils look, read, discuss, record, think, touch and taste. This print-rich environment not only supports content and language learning, but encourages pupils to appreciate a physically attractive learning environment and learn beyond their class textbooks.