Back to School: Setting Up A
Functional Classroom
Functional Classroom
Articulate Rise | 2025
Articulate Rise | 2025
Audience: Elementary school teachers
Responsibilities: Instructional Design & Action Mapping, eLearning Development, Content Planning & Sequencing, Graphic Design & Visual Layout, Interactive Activity & Assessment Design
Tools Used: Articulate Rise, Canva, Google Docs, Miro
THE PROBLEM
New and early-career teachers often struggle to set up classrooms that support learning from day one. Without clear guidance, it can be overwhelming to figure out how to organize the physical space, establish routines, and align design choices with instructional goals. Poor classroom setup can lead to increased distractions, inefficient transitions, and difficulty maintaining student engagement. Teachers need practical strategies to create functional, purposeful classroom environments that support focused learning.
THE SOLUTION
This self-paced Rise 360 course helps teachers create functional, organized classrooms through practical strategies, real classroom examples, and guided reflection. The course is structured around three modules that scaffold learning from awareness to application: understanding how layout impacts learning, organizing spaces by function, and establishing consistent routines.
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to scaffold learning and an action map in Miro to keep goals focused, the course guided teachers from awareness to application in a practical, engaging way. Learners interact with flip-card activities, view real classroom photos, and complete reflection prompts that help them connect strategies to their own teaching contexts.
THE PROCESS
I used a structured design process that combined classroom expertise with instructional design principles to ensure the course was clear and directly applicable. During the analysis phase, I identified that new teachers understood the importance of classroom setup but lacked concrete strategies for making intentional design decisions. Using action mapping in Miro, I focused on what teachers needed to do (organize zones, establish routines, and align layout with instructional goals) rather than just what they needed to know.
Action Map (Miro)
I identified the key teacher behaviors needed for a functional classroom: zoning spaces by purpose, establishing routines, and setting clear expectations. Using action mapping, I emphasized what learners needed to do rather than just what they needed to know, ensuring the course remained focused on practical application.
Content Planning
(Google Docs)
I sequenced lessons with clear objectives, reflection prompts, and scaffolded activities using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Each module moved learners from understanding concepts to applying strategies in their own classrooms.
Course Development (Articulate Rise + Canva)
I built modules with consistent visual language, branded graphics, interactive activities, and real classroom examples to keep learning engaging and relevant.
Key Design Features:
Consistent Visual Language → reduces cognitive load
Blue backgrounds highlighted instructional content
Yellow emphasized lesson objectives
Green drew attention to learner tasks and actions
Interactive Learning Activities → promotes active engagement
Flip-card flashcards encouraged active exploration of classroom routines
Tabbed sections combined explanatory text with real classroom photos to ground learning in practice
Matching activities provided immediate feedback, helping learners apply and self-correct
Real Classroom Examples → demonstrates practical application
Photographs of actual classroom setups showed strategies in action
Callouts and tips reinforced key points in learner-friendly ways
Variable-Based Scoring → intentional flow
Each lesson moved from objective to exploration to interaction to reflection/assessment
Progressive structure helped teachers build confidence before applying strategies independently