When it comes to designing a classroom there are many factors a teacher must consider: the size of space/furniture, number of students, how each student learns, teaching style, light, colors, and so on. There is no tried and true method either. An educator just has to find what works best for them and their students. However, there are certain factors that should be considered when designing because they can impact student learning.
Before spending some time exploring what design elements significantly impact student learning my classroom was arranged like that is depicted in the image below. Students desks were arranged in groups ranging from three to five in each group, there was a space at the front and back of the room for “carpet-time” (even though there was a lack of carpet), I had a couple of tables for small group work and a couple of individual desks.
After exploring what factors impact student learning and how “classroom space always influences the implementation of student learning” (Murphy et al., 2019, para. 6). I decided I needed to take a deeper look into my classroom to see what improvements I could make to better help my students. During my research, I discovered that for my third grade classroom my color pattern should be geared towards cool and/or bright colors (Master of Arts in Educational Technology, 2020). I have never been a person who was all about bright neon colors so I decided to go more along the cool tone route with color choices. One of the main changes related to colors that can be seen is in the addition of my rugs at the front and back of the room. I also plan to incorporate these color patterns on my bulletin boards and other wall hangings I see fit.
Another significant impact on student learning is lighting or the “amount of natural light [that enters a] classroom, as well as the teacher’s ability to manually control the level of lighting” (Vanhemert, 2013). Unfortunately, due to my classroom being built within my school I do not have any windows that have access to natural lighting, so my students have had to deal with the overbearing fluorescent lights that are overhead. The one window that is signified in my classroom leads into a small group room. Since I do not have control over the natural lighting I hope to supplement/eliminate the fluorescent by including multiple lamps throughout my redesigned classroom. This way my classroom can have more warm lighting that I can have greater control over.
One other big redesign that was created in my new classroom is I completely eliminated one of my table groups and replaced it with more flexible seating options. I did this because according to The Third Teacher+ if I “allow students time and space to choose what they want to - their choices will illuminate their individual strengths” (2010). In my before classroom, my seating options were limited: standard chairs, sitting on the floor, or standing at their desk. In my new classroom, I wanted to increase their options for seating choice so that I could pull out their individual strengths. In order to do this, I included the use of floor pillows for students to sit on, ball chairs, and even though they are not seen students will have access to wobble chairs or sensory seats.
Overall, there may not look like there are many major changes to my redesigned classroom the changes that I have made I believe will make a significant impact on my students’ learning. Remember this is not the tried and true method and that as an educator you need to find what will work best for you and your students.
Resources
Jansen C. (2020). Current Classroom. [Image]. Floorplanner
Jansen C. (2020). Reimagined Classroom. [Image]. Floorplanner
Murphy D., Gardner G. (2019). Function Follows Form: How Two Colleges Redesigned the Classroom for Active Learning. Edsurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-01-05-function-follows-form-how-two-colleges-redesigned-the-classroom-for-active-learning?utm_source=EdSurgeEdsChoice&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=02-05-2018&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpJeVlqQTFaV0ZqTURJeiIsInQiOiJSR250ZDhXRDNOZDF5T0VJNlh6OUZRbmFINFhReDE0XC9ibVhrWHlRWDlnXC9QOG5QXC9KYUR6NGQ4cnpiRlwvWlhTZGlWR0pVMjNlQktXSUZtelBIS0FkYllQU3pwQWdZbjRRa2s4Y09wdkJWTk05S2VOWWltNUxYaGQ5c3pZQjlGSXMifQ%3d%3d
OWL/P Architects, VS Furtniture, Bruce Mau Design. (2010). Minds at Work. The Third Teacher. (pg. 53-58). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/509c0d15e4b058edb8f35a86/t/50f495b3e4b0c7661ad2ec2e/1358206387728/Ch2+TTT+for+Web.pdf
Vanhemert K. (2013). Study Shows How Classroom Design Affects Student Learning. https://www.fastcompany.com/1671627/study-shows-how-classroom-design-affects-student-learning