Zones of Learning for School Counselors

A recent blog post of ours talked about Kim’s room renovation and how she has organized her classroom. Zones of learning for school counselors are vital in organizing the classroom or office space. There are so many benefits to using zones in a classroom, and as this article points out, limited space doesn’t have to limit you from using zones! These zones, even in a small space, will contribute to an overall feeling of organization, which helps with classroom management!

So what are my zones of learning? When choosing my zones I started thinking about the important parts of my job and day to day classroom life. The most important thing I do is teach my classes, so I have a Learning Zone for that purpose. Next, I needed an area for my small groups. I call this my Community Zone because I am trying to build community within my small groups. Next, I have my Meeting Zone for parent meetings or monthly data meetings. I also have a Storage Zone to help keep me organized, and an Office Zone which contains my desk and sometimes doubles as my place of refuge!

The Storage Zone

Let’s start with the storage zone. This feels like the crux of my classroom organization mission. As you can see the microwave, Keurig and sink are here.  Along this wall is a storage closet.  Crates in this section are divided into student interests: stuffed animals, sports, legos/blocks/pick up sticks, independent play and games. I labeled these crates so that I will know exactly where to go if I need to grab something for an individual session or a small group intervention. Here is a link if you’d like to purchase the ones I ordered from Amazon.

Entering the Learning Zone

This is where the magic happens!  To continue the adventure theme that I mentioned in this post, I covered part of my white board with the trees and mountain that I easily cut from bulletin board paper.  To the right on the white board I have my “UP” Rules: Sit UP, Look UP, Listen UP, Hand UP, and Zip UP.

My large screen is great for my visuals, lessons, games, videos, and more.  The white bench came out of a local church, and I cut it in half. (I really hope I don’t have to answer for that in Heaven one day!)  My sweet mother made these cushions, and the chair has followed me around for years.  I love the way it looks, but I rarely sit in it.  This area transforms to match my lesson theme each time I teach a whole group lesson. This may be a teaser for a future post!

Meet me in the Zone- the Meeting Zone

This is where I meet with parents, other teachers, host data meetings, and more. In the small turquoise baskets (a Walmart find) I keep supplies that I need. Treasures such as a hole punch, pens, pencils, and a stapler.  The wood filing cabinet was a castoff from someone else’s classroom, and I added my old typewriter to give it a vintage feel. Sidenote: That typewriter fascinates my students!
Spoiler alert: This is also where we record our podcasts!

Building a Community- the Community Zone

I call this area my small group zone, but it serves as so much more.    The decor started out simple. I picked a carpet remnant from a carpet store and used it as a large rug.  Next, I painted my thematic trees and mountain above my bookshelf. This was easy to paint and it went great with my “Let the Adventure Begin” vinyl sticker on the wall.  This is where my book baskets and bins are kept. 

The baskets in the shelves contain books that are organized by events that happen monthly such as Thanksgiving or summer break. They are also organized by authors I love or the types of books they are such as chapter books or silly books.  The stackable storage bins hold my go-to books that I use throughout the year, and they are organized by topics: self esteem, determination, honesty, friendship, communication, careers, grief, bullying, anxiety, kindness, attitude, gratitude, and manners. 

The table is a small table that my small groups can gather round.  In the cabinets underneath I have supplies I need for small groups, including individual school boxes with glue sticks, scissors, markers and crayons for activities in small group.

The Office Zone

Just like a mullet haircut, business in the front and party in the back, the business part of my room is the Office Zone, and it’s located in the back.  I spend a lot of time in this area.  This is where I meet my students individually, work on lessons, answer phone calls, and do general office “stuff.”  My desk, like a stray cat, has followed me around for several years now.  I bought my turquoise chairs several years ago and I still absolutely love them. It is important to feel comfortable and “at home” in this space since this is where the inspiration occurs!

My Favorite find this year are these squares of carpet.  I use the term “carpet” very loosely here, but I really wanted something comfortable for my students since they sit on the floor when they come in to my room for whole group lessons; however, I could not afford real carpet squares (I am still saving for them!), so I purchased these inexpensive carpet/foam squares from Amazon. I’ve told everyone that would listen about these carpet squares. Isn’t it funny how we in education can get so excited about finds like this?!

I hope that these tips inspire you! Please let us know what zones have helped you the most. Tag us in your pictures on Instagram or Facebook. We would love to learn from you, too!