Just lately, I offered why it is smart for Ok-12 leaders to create a unified imaginative and prescient for what the studying areas of their district ought to appear like. Establishing a district-wide customary simplifies the design course of for brand spanking new studying areas, ensures constant top quality, retains initiatives inside an outlined funds, and helps obtain fairness for college kids and academics—whereas guaranteeing that each area the place studying happens is furnished and outfitted to help efficient instruction.
How ought to Ok-12 leaders craft a typical for studying area design? The method begins with understanding your tutorial imaginative and prescient and what you need educating and studying to appear like to supply the kind of graduate you want. The way you design your studying areas performs a key position in supporting and enabling the kind of instruction you’re seeking to promote.
In endeavor this course of, listed here are six key elements to think about.
CHOICE
Giving college students decisions will get them extra invested of their schooling. It permits them to take possession of their studying, which ends up in deeper engagement. Alternative additionally makes school rooms extra inclusive: One thing so simple as having a number of seating kinds to select from can help totally different preferences and helps college students really feel welcome.
Versatile studying environments are most conducive to scholar engagement, possession, and achievement. Any time a scholar is ready to make decisions because it pertains to their studying, they’re innately extra engaged and assume possession.1
For these causes, studying areas ought to give college students loads of decisions in the place and easy methods to full their work, with a wide range of seating choices, instruments, and supplies. Lecture rooms that embody a number of seating choices assist college students make their very own decisions to help how they study greatest.
Apart from conventional desks and chairs, contemplate together with:
COMFORT
College students study greatest once they’re snug. To verify college students can work comfortably, tables, desks, and chairs ought to be ergonomically designed and age applicable. As a result of some college students are delicate to sure forms of supplies, studying areas ought to supply seating choices with totally different materials and floor sorts. What’s extra, environmental elements comparable to lighting, acoustics, temperature, and air high quality ought to be at optimum ranges for studying. These 4 elements may be retrofit into an area to make it extra snug.
We all know from latest analysis that studying area design “is pivotal for college kids to take part in lively studying,”2 so we wish to pay particular consideration to scholar consolation. To verify all college students will likely be snug, listed here are some design options to think about:
- Top-adjustable seating, desks, and tables
- Exhausting and comfortable seating choices and seats which have motion
- Shades to melt overhead fluorescent lighting
- Sound-absorbing panels that decrease ambient noise and reverberation
Versatility
Trendy studying environments should have the ability to help a wide selection of tutorial strategies, curriculum, provides, and studying actions. There may be instances when the trainer is offering direct instruction to the complete class or to a subgroup of scholars, whereas at different instances college students are having a category dialogue, working in small teams, or working individually. The design of the training area ought to facilitate every of those actions.
A technique this may be carried out is thru using studying zones, or separate areas for supporting numerous tutorial methods. As an illustration, a studying area might need one space that’s used for small-group collaboration, one other part for college kids to learn or work individually, and so forth. Every zone can be outfitted with furnishings and supplies which might be applicable for that individual type of studying.
Not all studying areas are giant sufficient to include separate studying zones. In that case, educators can create versatile, multiuse areas by utilizing moveable, modular furnishings that may be configured in several methods. As an illustration, college students may sit at particular person desks or in small teams for direct instruction and rearrange into bigger teams to work on initiatives or into a big circle for a Socratic seminar.
One other facet of versatility is having furnishings that may serve a number of functions concurrently. Selecting furnishings that may serve a number of functions means that you can maximize your use of the area.
As you consider easy methods to create versatile and versatile studying environments that may help a wide range of wants, listed here are some parts to think about:
- Massive, open, multiuse areas
- Cellular, light-weight furnishings on lockable casters
- Cellular whiteboards, AV carts, and different presentation instruments
- Writeable desktop and tabletop surfaces
- Cellular storage models that simply may be modified or changed as storage wants evolve (in contrast to mounted casework)
- Shelving and storage models on casters that can be utilized as room dividers to create smaller teaming areas inside a bigger area
- Seating with built-in storage for private belongings
- STEAM or makerspace tables with built-in storage for supplies
- Corridors and outside areas that can be utilized as extensions of the classroom
CONNECTION
Schooling is essentially a social exercise and studying areas ought to be designed to help applicable interplay between college students, their trainer, and their friends.
When college students talk about concepts with others, they’re uncovered to new views they hadn’t thought of earlier than. Working collaboratively, college students can co-construct new data and arrive at a deeper degree of understanding than they may have on their very own. Collaboration additionally teaches college students an important ability for achievement within the trendy office. The World Financial Discussion board has proven this as certainly one of many wanted expertise for transition into the workforce.
To facilitate connections between and amongst academics and college students, contemplate these design parts:
- Cellular desks and tables that may simply be organized into versatile group sizes
- Broad, clear walkways for academics and college students to maneuver across the room, take heed to conversations, be a part of a dialogue, and supply help as wanted
- Instruments for sharing and presenting data each in particular person and on-line
STIMULATION
Studying areas ought to be designed in a approach that’s stimulating and interesting for college kids. Colleges might help foster a tradition of steady studying by making each formal and casual studying areas intellectually participating and stimulating, with objects, art work, and shows that encourage college students to repeatedly suppose, replicate, and discover. Displaying their very own work provides college students a sense of possession, which helps to extend self-efficacy.
There ought to be alternatives for college kids to maneuver round as properly: “Studying area design is pivotal for college kids to take part in lively studying.”3
Motion will increase college students’ blood stream, which awakens their cells and stimulates their brains. In flip, college students really feel extra alert and may focus extra successfully on their studying.
To advertise stimulation, contemplate design parts comparable to:
- Stools and chairs that swivel, rock, and permit for motion
- Calming objects comparable to soothing lights, sounds, and sights
TECHNOLOGY
Trendy studying areas should additionally help a faculty district’s imaginative and prescient for utilizing expertise to reinforce instruction. This consists of not simply the applied sciences that will likely be used within the area but additionally the infrastructure these gadgets would require, comparable to energy and connectivity.
To verify studying areas successfully help expertise use, take into consideration parts comparable to…
- Energy provides which might be simply accessible wherever college students may be working—comparable to cell charging stations or built-in electrical shops inside desks, tabletop surfaces, and comfortable seating
- Wire administration options that disguise energy cords or stow them out of the best way
- “Huddle areas” with screens and connectivity to help small group collaboration
HOW SCHOOL SPECIALTY CAN HELP
Whereas Ok-12 leaders can create their very own strategic imaginative and prescient for studying area design, partnering with a trusted service supplier gives skilled perception that district leaders won’t have by themselves.
Via a brand new service referred to as Innovate360TM, College Specialty might help districts create a personalized imaginative and prescient for studying area design that meets their distinctive wants and assemble a catalog of furnishings and tools that may set up a district-wide customary.
1 – Cole, Ok., Schroeder, Ok, et al. Versatile seating influence on classroom setting. TOJET: The Turkish On-line Journal of Academic Expertise. Quantity 20, concern 2, April 2021.
2 – (Basdogan, M and Morrone, A, 2021. Journal of Studying Areas, 10(3), 2021).
3 – (Basdogan, M and Morrone, A, 2021. Journal of Studying Areas, 10(3), 2021).
Dr. Sue Ann Highland
Sue Ann Highland, PhD, is the Nationwide Schooling Strategist for College Specialty. She has greater than 25 years of expertise as an educator, administrator, and advisor with faculty methods throughout the USA, with broad experience in designing and creating extremely efficient studying environments.
Learn extra by Dr. Sue Ann Highland–>
