Arranging Classroom Furniture for Best Learning Environment Header

Kids Smiling in Computer Lab

Probably the most important consideration when designing or maintaining a classroom is student and teacher comfort. Many teaching professionals have actually said that teachers do not teach; they motivate individuals to take the steps to learn. Thus making certain that both teacher and student are comfortable and equipped to learn is critical to the educator workspace. With the proper environment, a teacher is able to motivate and challenge students to assimilate information, and learn.

Importance of a Comfortable Learning Environment

When a learning environment is comfortable, students learn more. Students feel comfortable in the classroom when the teacher has laid out clear expectations, gives good feedback, encourages students, and is open to student ideas. Another part of creating a comfortable learning environment is to make sure the students feel safe. Students should feel safe engaging with other students and sharing ideas. They should not feel threatened, or intimidated, by students, teachers, or out-of-class situations.

Safety is critical at all levels of education from primary school through universities; students who are worried about their safety cannot pay attention to completing exercises. Further, students should feel safe about classroom equipment, and furniture, and the teacher should make sure everything is in working order and does not present a risk to individuals using these facilities.

 

Student Desks

Arranging student desks is also very important to constructing a comfortable environment to facilitate learning. Often the arrangement of student desks comes from the subject matter, or the age of the students. Language instruction often involves group work, so arranging desks in groups of 4 or more can help make the classroom conducive to language practice. Other types of instruction rely more on instruction by a teacher or profession so having all desks face the instructor can be more productive.

Some instruction can require using specialized desks. Typing is often taught using desks that can be adjusted to provide students a typewriter or keyboard. Similar desks can allow intermittent access to a computer. This is both comfortable, and practical. Instructors can give students tasks which require a keyboard or computer, but also know that students are not using this equipment at inappropriate times that might distract from theirs, or other students focus on lesson work.

Tables & Chairs

There are several uses for tables & chairs in a classroom environment. Sometimes tables are used to store equipment used during instruction, like overhead projectors, computers, televisions, and other instruction aids. They can also be used in place of student desks for group exercises. This can enable the instructor to monitor students during group activities both to make sure students are properly engaged in group tasks, and also to help clarify elements of tasks to specific groups.

Science Labs often use tables with 2 to 4 students working together to prove experiments. Many of these have both a laboratory area, as well as an adjacent area with traditional desks, which is used for traditional instruction. Computer labs often use tables & chairs rather than individual desks due to the size of PCs which students must use. In either case it is often useful to keep student workspaces modular so they can be adapted to different types of instruction, and activities.

Floor Seating

Sometimes sitting on the floor is more practical to instruction. Physical Education often requires students to stay seated while performing exercises, or while receiving instruction on activities. Many elementary schoolrooms use floor seating to create a more relaxed environment for students. Young students often feel more comfortable with floor seating than the rigidity of a traditional classroom. Classrooms which utilize floor seating often maintain small carpets for students to stay seated on rather than have students sit on floor space or carpet that is typically used for walking on.

Kids Gathered Around Teacher

Learning Materials and Aids

Another critical function of a comfortable classroom is providing students and instructors with easy access to learning materials, and instruction aids. Overhead projectors can be placed on rolling tables so that they can be moved to the center of the classroom when used. Rolling carts for televisions similarly, allow for televisions to be moved into and out of students�۪ field of attention.

Reference materials on the other hand, which are typically utilized more individually by students, or instructors, can be located on the perimeter or rear of classrooms as these are not frequently used during instruction. A classroom library should be organized by subject matter so that students can quickly find relevant reference materials.

Other materials can help aid in instruction. For mathematics there are several types of math manipulatives; tools that aid in clarifying a specific mathematical concept. These include geometric objects like cubes and spheres, or interlocking blocks and puzzles. These items can be stored in baskets and placed on shelves. Other subjects may require the use of photos, charts, or timelines to help students remember important information about history, or geography.


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