August is a busy, yet exciting, month for teachers. Before the new school year begins, teachers put in a lot of time and effort in designing and decorating learning spaces for students. We do this not only because we want our classrooms to look colorful and fun but also because classroom design affects students’ learning. The study of Barett, Zhang, Moffat, and Kobbacy (2013) reveals a 25% impact of school design on 751 pupils’ learning rates. It was also written in The Third Teacher - Chapter 2: Minds at Work that Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human resources, said "to meet the challenges ahead, we must redesign schools to nurture the creative capacity in all of us" (p. 4). Using Floor Planner, I created a 3D model of my classroom last school year. Although the program was user-friendly, I was not able to create an exact replica for a few reasons. Whiteboard and air conditioner were not included in the furniture/appliances options. Also, I could not find desks and chairs that had the same color as the ones in my classroom. Lastly, I had difficulty changing the color of the walls and floor. As shown in the picture above, I teach a small group of students. They are all English Language Learners (ELL), and they come to my class to receive extra English language support. After doing some research, reading studies, and watching videos about Experience Design, I was able to rethink and create a new classroom design for my students (see pictures below). I made several modifications to further support my students’ learning. A couple of changes that I designed are difficult to make in a short period as major construction is required. For instance, I added a bigger window for more natural light. In addition, I wanted to change the color of the walls (although I was not able to do so using the program). However, most changes I made could be easily done when provided a sufficient budget. Collaboration, along with creativity and communication, is one of the aspects of 21st-century learning. (Feel free to check my blog post about 21st-century learning). I replaced the individual desks with two large tables where six students can sit together. The tables give students a larger space to work, make, and collaborate. Also, the chairs have wheels which help students easily move and work with various peers. According to Barrett P., Zhang, Davies, and Barrett L. (2015), well-defined learning zones are crucial in facilitating learning (p.29). In order to create multiple learning zones in my classroom, I added several pieces of furniture. I placed two sofas and bookshelves at the back of the room to make a reading zone. Also, I created a small maker’s zone using two solid pine L shaped toy boxes in front of the teacher’s desk. The two solid pine L shaped toy boxes have wheels attached which allow the users to easily move them and create a more spacious maker’s zone. Lastly, I placed three rugs not only to make my classroom more colorful and cozy but to attenuate noise. According to Barrett P., Zhang, Davies, and Barrett L. (2015), comfortable and clear auditory perception, along with freedom from background noise, improves communication and promotes working and learning efficiency, and they suggested that small carpeted/rug areas can make a positive difference. Resources:
Barett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. (2013). A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning. Science Direct, (59) pp. 678-689 Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360132312002582?via%3dihub Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Davies, F., & Barrett, L. (2015). Clever Classrooms: Summary report of the HEAD Project. Retrieved from https://www.salford.ac.uk/cleverclassrooms/1503-Salford-Uni-Report-DIGITAL.pdf O'Donnell, Wicklund Pigozzi and Peterson, Architects Inc., VS Furniture., & Bruce Mau Design. (2010). The third teacher: 79 ways you can use design to transform teaching & learning. New York: Abrams.
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