5 ways to rethink classroom design for an engaging, collaborative space

Table Of Content

• Philosophy Behind Classroom Layout
• Creating The Best Classroom Design For Learning: Ideas, Setups, & Color Palettes
• Creating active learning environments
• Thoughtful and Affordable Ways to Say “Thank You” During Teacher Appreciation Week & Beyond
• The Science of Classroom Design
• Step 3: Toggle Between 2D and 3D Views

Still common in high schools and exam halls, this format emphasizes individualistic working conditions and maximum teacher control. Students have clear views of the front of the classroom which is beneficial for teacher instruction. Creating a classroom design that is conducive to learning can be difficult. However, with the right ideas and setup, you can create an inviting atmosphere that encourages creativity, collaboration, and student engagement. One of the benefits to using a design tool from an education company is that it can pull real classroom products directly into the design. So you can build a classroom list, drag and drop the items into the room layout, and see if everything fits.

Philosophy Behind Classroom Layout

All students face forward at the front of the classroom allowing all students clear vision of the front of the classroom. Students can see one another when speaking up, encouraging face-to-face dialogue. This makes the horseshoe the ideal college classroom layout (especially for college seminars). Constructivism in the classroom emphasizes discovery learning, project-based tasks and exploration for learning. For constructivists like Jean Piaget, the most important task a student can engage in is hands-on experimentation. With workstations, students can do plenty of experimentation and exploration on a variety of tasks throughout the day.

Creating The Best Classroom Design For Learning: Ideas, Setups, & Color Palettes

This also promoted a sense of pride among students, who felt they were co-creators of knowledge. Interestingly, the semi-circle was more likely to produce engagement than the rows and columns layout. When teachers used a semi-circle layout, it was more likely that they would get a direct view of those in their classroom. Students got a better view of their teacher and had more opportunities to be addressed and participate.

Creating active learning environments

When designing a classroom, teachers should consider every angle at which students will be seated. A factor that is often beyond the ability of teachers to control, but that school administrators may want to consider, is the nature of the décor they choose for a classroom. The level of comfort students experience while learning may make it easier for them to learn.

With all students facing one another, it is easy to facilitate discussions in this space. Have students face one another, chat, and share resources at the conference table. The Double-U method is best for a teacher-centered passive learning classrooms. Students are all facing directly at a singular ‘action zone’ in the front center of the classroom. The great open space in the middle of the classroom gives all students a front-row seat for observing what’s going on. Observational learning (as promoted by Bandura) is therefore ideal in this situation.

This semi-circular arrangement aids in good board visibility and maintaining a quick check on every student. The teacher's desk is placed at one side so that it does not block the front view of the board. The layout seems comfortable and ideal for even a large group of students. When it comes to effective classroom learning, a teacher tries to employ all sorts of tricks and teaching methods.

Thoughtful and Affordable Ways to Say “Thank You” During Teacher Appreciation Week & Beyond

Some teachers may want ask students to be silent and work along, mimicking a rows and columns format (see above). This layout is designed to separate all students as much as possible so they cannot see or communicate with one another. It may help facilitate engaged learning as distractions are minimized.

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With more students bringing their own laptops to class, the desks had fallen out of style and functionality pretty quickly. I find the pivot of the desks frees up a little bit of space at the front center of the class. With younger students, I get them to sit at the front of the class for more intimate discussions.

Step 3: Toggle Between 2D and 3D Views

Ensure all computer cables are tucked under the desks to prevent hazards. This method is most commonly used because there is a very short distance from computers to the wall plugs, preventing chances for injury from cables. To create groups of four, have students turn around and work with the pair behind them. The teacher can also stand in the middle of the circle and very easily move from student-to-student or give science demonstrations. It is also a good layout for show-and-tell sessions where students can show-off the props they bring into class.

Available in 6 sizes and 11 colours, this one-piece chair is 100% recyclable and specifically designed to use less plastic. After you create a class, you can change the default image or color pattern that's displayed at the top of the class stream. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. We cite peer reviewed academic articles wherever possible and reference our sources at the end of our articles. Students each face their computer and away from others to help them to remain focused on the content. There are few opportunities for students to be distracted by other computer screens aside from those to their direct left and right.

Sometimes smaller children find it hard to communicate across large desks. Similarly, they may not be able to reach the resources in the middle of the table. Double-U classrooms layouts retain some of the benefits of horseshoe models.

Jo Earp notes that how a classroom is laid out should reflect a teacher’s own educational philosophy. If they’re heavily group oriented, then classes should be laid out in such a way that they facilitate group learning. Desks should be arranged to allow students to easily interact with each other and cooperatively complete group tasks.