Holistic Element 3- Classroom Color Therapy

In my opinion, color & light are so prominent that I think I could probably write and entire book about all the ways they could be applied to the educational field alone! I never understood, although I can fathom it has something to do with cost and efficiency, why schools always seem to have that horrible overhead fluorescent lighting which is known to cause stress and anxiety. I also will never understand why they don’t build all classrooms with windows. But again, it probably comes down to money and some would probably say that the people who design the buildings don’t really know anything about creating an ideal environment for learning, which is why teachers have to work so hard to create one :)
There are multiple theories about colors, but when I worked in the holistic health field, I was predominantly interested in color as it relates to the stages of development and life force. For the new age familiar, the foundation for this was the chakra system. In this system, color was tied to specific states of beings which people naturally pass through and revisit at certain points in their life and in ideal circumstances, all these elements would be functioning simultaneously and completely in balance- but we don’t live in these ideal circumstances. Behind this theory is the idea that with a trained eye (and maybe a certain intuitive sense) that one could find where the imbalance is and certain various techniques can help bring balance back to that aspect. One of the methods of bringing balance back involves the use of the color associated with that state of being. Here is a brief explanation of what each color relates to and an example of how I think it could apply to the classroom:

• Red- relates to our basic, primal instincts related to survival. Depending on the stage in ones life, these instincts have a tendency to change- something to be considered when using this color in the classroom. The younger the child, the more dependent they are on adults to fulfill basic needs, so this color, for young children, could represent a fulfillment of those needs and provide them with a sense of security and comfort where with older kids, say middle- high school, this color could evoke more aggressive behavior.
  
• Orange- relates to the primary social group- family. The color orange can create a real sense of belonging, but again, age is a factor- too much orange with high school kids, because of their maturity level, could induce a natural instinct to procreate.
  
• Yellow- relates to expanding out into secondary social groups, the confidence to become more independent. This is something positive that I would want to bring into a classroom environment, but too much yellow could make the environment too socially oriented. This is where color usage can get specific. For instance, during a group discussion, having a solid yellow screen saver projecting behind you or using yellow paper for a group activity can help set the mood for class participation and sharing of ideas.
  
• Green- relates to qualities associated with the heart- the capacity to care deeply and feel love and compassion. Green is a good color to use if you have a special area of the classroom designated for children to go and settle disputes. If you have a “time-out” desk, it might be helpful to have a painting or picture taped to the desk that has a lot of greens (and blues which I explain next) for the child to look at while they are taking the time out as these colors calm emotions and encourage healthy communication.
  
• Blue- relates to communication. Blue is a good color to have regardless of the group age since communication is so vital to just about anything.
  
• Indigo (basically a deep purplish blue)- relates to understanding and encourages those “aahaa!” moments where you really “get” the meaning. This color would make a good background for educational bulletin boards, construction paper cutouts to use for math to demonstrate concepts, carpet, or pillow colors for a reading area- to name some ideas I have had.
  
• Violet- relates to wisdom and the acquisition of knowledge. Every classroom should have a generous amount of violet throughout (in my belief).

The possibilities using this system of belief are really only limited by ones own imagination. There are so many ways to apply this, even the color the teacher chooses to wear that day could have a profound effect and the way a certain child reacts on that particular day, or on the group’s ability to concentrate and how well they absorb the lessons. It would be interesting to experiment with this!

Holistic Element 1: How's the Classroom Chi?

When considering the elements of the environment one should think about the placement of objects and movement of the room and how that effects concentration for a child. Teachers already struggle with using their space in the most effective manner, but applying some of the concepts of Feng Shui could help by maximizing the effects that special arrangement has on the demeanor of its occupants. Traditional Feng Shui could be practiced if you’re a purist, but there are ways to pull some of the main concepts without knowing very much about the traditional practice. There is as much value in the idea as the practice. The idea I am focused on has to do with appealing to the senses and creating ease of movement within a room. One of the first thing a student, parent, administrator or another teacher experiences upon entering your classroom is likely to be visual. I like to imagine standing at the threshold of a classroom and seeing it as a whole, much like viewing a painting, we first look at the collectiveness and then allow the eye to be drawn to certain specific elements. In designing a room, we should consider what it looks like as a whole and where the eye is naturally drawn. Is it a pleasing experience, or does it feel forced or disturbing in some way? Do I sense obstacles, imbalance or obstruction or does my eye flow naturally from one location to the next with ease? This is a small detail that can have a giant impact.
It is well acknowledged by most that a clean and orderly space allows for mental clarity as well. I personally can not think clearly or function smoothly when my own home is in shambles, but when it is clean and organized I am able to carry out other tasks with ease. Cleaning and organizing can be somewhat of a spiritual experience. Students also need a clean and organized environment in order to focus on the task at hand.
Creating a compositionally balanced space, it helps to think in terms of that space, regardless of shape, as a circle; because that is how you want the visual elements and the energy of the room to move. Take it a step further and you could arrange your activities of the day to follow that same circular pattern, giving students a sense of “coming full circle” by the end of the day. As with all circular patterns, the circle has a center point off which everything else is based. What would you want the center point of your classroom community to be? In my own classroom (someday) I would want the center point (inner circle) of my community to be its people- myself and the students, the medial ring to be our individual work areas, arranged according to when and how they will be used, and the outer ring being the culmination of all our work (bulletin boards and decorations). I would probably organize my displays so that the work displayed behind a work area is representative of what was accomplished in that area, and the most important general community information located in the front, behind the central point. My hypothetical room might be arranged something like this:



Depending on how much time and interest you have in creating an energetically appropriate space, you could include some of the traditional elements, including having certain relics in the room, placed strategically, having certain areas face in specific directions, hanging mirrors to create openness. A book on this topic might be good summer break reading! The point is, by setting up the environment with these unseen forces in mind, whether you believe in them or not, could help set a calm and peaceful atmosphere in the classroom that has an unexplainable effect on the students. It’s worth trying!

A Holistic Approach to Teaching

So much emphasis is placed on method and classroom management that it didn’t occur to me to view teaching from a holistic perspective. What triggered this train of though was something I read in The New Teacher Toolbox : Proven Tips and Strategies for a Great First Year by Scott M. Mandel (which incidentally is an excellent book- well organized, with simple tips and strategies that can easily be integrated into your own personal style of teaching.) It was a section about grading papers using red ink pens and the negative association we have, as a society, for certain colors and symbols. Also, the cultural considerations regarding colors and symbols, which need to be considered as classrooms become more culturally diverse. This information added an entirely new layer of considerations to be made when creating a classroom community.
From a previous career of mine in massage therapy, I have a tendency to consider the many unobvious forces which have an effect on people. Put aside for the moment those we can not alter too much such as the constant bombardment of invisible electrical stimulation from our wireless world, or the toxic fumes that have permeated the air we breath (those things have to have some effect on our physiological functioning, and concentration!) There are those that we can control in the classroom environment though. After a bit of contemplation, I realize that the same considerations I made when manufacturing an environment conducive to physical and emotional healing with massage and bodywork can also be the foundation for creating an environment conducive to learning- the five elements of a holistic classroom:

1. Arrangement of elements in the environment (Feng Shui)
2. Smells (Aromatherapy)
3. Light & Color (Aura)
4. Sound (Vibration)
5. Tone (Emotional Atmosphere)

I think the ultimate goal of most teachers each year is to have a classroom full of engaged students, who are happy to be a part of the community and eager to participate and learn. I hear teachers constantly looking within themselves wondering if they have done all they can to create this environment- “Are the lessons interesting and engaging?, Do I have the necessary materials?, Do I have the appropriate knowledge? Have I planned carefully? Do I model the behaviors I expect? Do the students respect me?” But sometimes there are other elements that are not obvious and not considered that effect the way a person feels. I want to explore this topic a bit more. I already know from previous experience that the application of these elements is more extensive than you would think, so I have decided to write a separate in-depth post about each element- a holistic classroom series.

More Great Ideas

Another great idea came from this blogger. To help first graders get in the reading mode, she is taking photocopies of the covers of all the books she reads to them as a group (and has multiple copies of each book in the class library) and hanging the pictures up so that the kids can identify which book it was that they remember and want to try to read on their own. I really loved this idea because children are so visual. They are much more likely to make the connection that “hey, that is that book the teacher read that I like” and then pick up the book themselves.
I also think that this concept can grow with students into a visual card catalogue. The photo copies of the covers can be stored in a binder by author and then have a simple color and or number coding system on the classroom shelf to help students make a visual connection with identifying books by author and title as they will encounter in the real world- libraries and bookstores. Plus it’s a great way to organize a classroom library and keep an inventory of what books have been collected over the years and which are student favorites. A check out system can also be created. Some organizational methods that can be built from this idea:

• Colored dots can be used to indicate reading level, then secondary to the color dot can be a letter/ number system similar to the dewy decimal system.
• A sign out sheet can be used, possibly a simple paper with columns for the week kept in a child’s work folder. Bingo daubers that match the color codes can be used and the number of the book to indicate what the child is taking home for the week.
• Items checked out can also be interwoven with writing lesson plans- ie, children must write an entry in their journal citing their thoughts on a book taken out that week.

There are a lot of benefits in creating a simplified mock library within the classroom other than just encouraging kids to read. It can also serve as an introduction to library skills and as a platform for writing.
There is also a great opportunity for teachers to collaborate on this so that the skills are built upon each year (of course this may once again be my perfect world in my student mind, do most teachers really even have the opportunity [or in some cases probably open mind would be more likely!] to collaborate?) I read about some schools where the teachers seem to work really well to make the transition from each grade smooth, but I imagine that many schools are also not that collaborative in nature. Hmmm, maybe something to consider when I am looking for a job someday.