Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2016 | Page 38

Classroom Design
thinks that “the most awesome classroom
would have everything on wheels”.
With this arrangement, reorganizing
the space as the need arises is quick
and easy. This allows for flexibility at all
times, so students can even re-arrange
their own learning clusters throughout
the day. It’s not just about desks and
chairs either. With mobile boards, bookcases, and teacher’s desks, educators
can experiment with different teaching models and room configurations
throughout the year, join and work with
groups of students, and renew the look
of the space on a regular basis.
“The ideal classroom should be
adaptable to learning needs — moveable
walls and desks, work spaces that can
accommodate different learning styles,
integrated technology throughout the
room, bulletin boards and display walls,
and plenty of storage units,” said E. John
Fredrich, Principal of Grace Lutheran
Church and School from Glendale, AZ.
With the right amount of space and a
clever layout, all of these things can be
integrated into a classroom, while maintaining an aesthetic appeal. It seems that
other educators agree as well, saying they
would like to see inspirational messages
on classroom walls as well as 4D immersive teaching and learning technology.
Based on the responses, there appears
to be a consensus regarding flexibility in
the classroom. Today’s educators don’t
want to be limited when it comes to
teaching and learning styles, or classroom
arrangement. When we asked participants
what kind of furniture should be included in the ideal classroom, flexible and
movable furniture came out on top, with
comfortable furniture as the second most
popular choice. The good thing is, flexibility and comfort go together. Most modern
school desks and chairs are designed with
ergonomics and comfort in mind, so the
comfort factor is already integrated.

Color Choices
A creative, fun and welcoming
classroom environment starts with
an enthusiastic educator, but a little
help from an inviting design and color
scheme can go a long way. Our survey
respondents thought that ‘natural and
38 essentials | fall 2016

warm’ colors were ideal, with ‘bright
and bold’, and ‘rainbow color’ schemes
tied for second. Thinking about colors
in individual classrooms is important.
Too many divergent color schemes
vying for your students’ attention can
make it difficult for them to focus. It’s
better to commit to one family of colors
and make sure everything in the room
fits in harmoniously. Warm, natural hues
make a learning space both inviting and
relaxing, encouraging students to come
right in and get to work.

Out With The Old
In addition to asking our survey

participants what would be found in
the best classroom, we also asked them
what they would never want to see in
their ideal classroom. Not surprisingly, a
traditional setup where desks and chairs
can’t be moved around was the least
desirable. Clutter, punishment areas,
closed and barred windows, textbooks,
and dull colors were also mentioned.
Some of these things might seem
obvious when thinking in abstract terms,
but it’s also important to consciously keep
in mind what teachers don’t want during
the school year. If they find that the room
setup has been the same for a while, encourage them to mix things up. When it
suddenly seems that papers are piling up