I remember once having this idea that I wanted to start the year with a totally empty classroom.

No furniture. No chairs. No desks. No displays.

Nothing.

With school set to go back in a few days in Australia, I've been busy preparing my classroom for the start of the school year.

It's also been interesting to read a few posts from others who have focused on how classroom design and layout impact on pedagogy.

My process for setting up my learning space at the start of the year begins by moving all of the furniture out or into the centre of the room and starts with cleaning: wiping away the dust that has settled over the holiday break, removing pieces of old blue tack, taking staples out from pin boards... so that I have a 'blank canvas' to begin with.