Classroom Design Essentials: Smart Furniture Choices
Did you know the design and the organization of the classroom plays a huge role in the student’s concentration and their ability to remember lessons and information taught in the classroom? There is evidence that shows that conditions in the physical environment around them can control feelings, actions, and efficiency. Classroom arrangement is a powerful way of creating and enabling favorable conditions that enhance learning. Here are some simple yet effective ideas on how you can make some changes to ensure your classroom is both stylish and comfortable.
Right Seating Options
Unlike the traditional approach where the teacher is the focus, modern-day grade school education is slowly moving towards the student-centered approach. It has influenced even the seating part; students don’t need to face the teacher in one line, as we all got used to that. Now, there are classrooms where students are placed in groups, whether in a circle, square, etc. That is why it is important to have functional furniture for schools where you can order different kinds of chairs, tables, and much more so that you can arrange your classroom in the best possible way. This is much more effective, as many students understand the concepts better when they can move around, stand, or turn around to face the class instead of just sitting on a chair facing toward the blackboard the entire lesson.
Minimize Space
As we all know, everyone wants to be as effective as possible. Be careful with your classrooms, as you should try to avoid overdoing them at the expense of students’ performance. Try to design your class as simply as possible and discuss with your students what they like and don’t like. As another way to determine whether you can teach without an element or any physical object in the classroom, you should get rid of them. Devote the most attention to innovative organizing ideas with the goal of freeing the space of the things that you don’t need and that are influencing a student’s concentration in a bad way.
Collaboration Space
To summarize, if the objective of the learning-teaching process is simply to pass knowledge to pupils and have them recall the received information, rows of desks are appropriate. But education in the twenty-first century holds higher demands for us. Today, students do not want merely knowledge, they also need skills to work in groups, solve problems, and convey information. That is what is needed in today’s classrooms. In that case, when redesigning your classroom, you should take into consideration how to come up with more collaborative zones, whether it is with some smart desks, chairs, seating orders, or similar.
Floorplan
If you know the dimensions of your classroom, then making a floor plan will help you to become even more organized, as you can get a kind of 3D walk-through classroom. Because it is mostly designed for house planning, not for the classroom, it can be quite troublesome at certain moments. If you want to give it a shot, there are some sites on the internet where you can look for some good ideas. This will definitely change the look of your classroom and give it some new energy.
Library
Fun should always be the goal that you have in mind as you teach your students how to read, count, and much more. Reading is a student’s key to revealing one’s true potential as well as developing a love for learning all through his lifetime. Therefore, it is advisable to start a classroom with a library in it, no matter what subject you are teaching. Students will be able to grab books to read at any time during their school activities. Also, establish a reading corner near your library to provide children with something they can do if they are bored.
Entry and Exit Points
While designing your classroom’s points, safety is the number one priority. Despite the fact you would like to get a warm feeling for the space, doors should never be obstructed. Reflect on your entry point as the source of the flow in your classroom. When it comes to the part where a teacher meets students, they should try different methods and decorate things to implement in the classroom so that the students can get a sense of being welcomed. That way, they can become more interested in and motivated for their lessons.
Walls
This is one of the most daunting decisions that have to be made when it comes to the layout of the classrooms. This design challenge can easily be solved. Some people prefer having one bare wall to hang up other items. Although classrooms are not very exciting, it is possible to provide some real data on why it would be rather effective if at least one wall in the class was left bare. Silent pauses are needed to enable the internal working space for the human brain to take in and sort out information.
First Place Front of the Classroom
Consider what you want your students to concentrate on. What do you want them to take with them as their strongest impression of the day? Place all those items at the front of the class.
Pay attention to the posters and the learning material you choose to display at the front of the class. Ensure that they are carefully selected, as the topics covered are incredibly important. It is only logical to expect a teacher’s desk to be placed where the teacher sits, at the front of the classroom, but take into account the different activities that will take place in the classroom first.
As often as your students visit you at your desk, it may warrant shifting that desk to a different location if it is more appropriate.
Your classroom is where you get to see your ideas translated into reality and create a class that is a representation of you and your students. Since you have professed your intentional classroom plan that is founded on research and informed by beauty, your classroom will transform into a happier and more productive place to learn.