Room to Learn: Elementary Classrooms Designed for Interactive Explorations

You may know classroom environments are a complex interaction of physical elements, including sensory components, design and organization, aesthetics, nurturing attributes, and pedagogical resources. Did you know these elements are proven to work together to improve early learning, self-efficacy and higher-order thinking skills, and ultimately to achieve better child outcomes? Room to Learn presents the Assessing the Pillars of the Physical Environment for Academic Learning (APPEAL) environmental rating scale, a valid and reliable tool developed by Pamela Evanshen, EdD and Janet Faulk, EdD, to show you how to get the most out of your classroom environment.

Pamela Evanshen, EdD, holds a doctorate of education in educational leadership and policy analysis and is currently chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, where she teaches at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. She has published extensively and presents at national and international conferences. Janet Faulk, EdD, is an experienced administrator, serving as a supervisor of special education and as an elementary-school principal. She retired as an associate professor from Milligan College in Elizabethton, TN, where she taught courses in literacy and special education. An author of many books and articles, Dr. Faulk continues to consult with educators about designing classroom environments to support student engagement.