Demonstrate
Teaching Method
Flexible classroom design optimizes teaching methods and morphs as teachers modify spaces based on personal style, subject matter and students’ needs. Whether lecturing, demonstrating, facilitating or personalizing your teaching method, you’ll find proactively designed furniture easily adjusts to support teaching goals. Focus on mobile products that have simple, non-handed shapes for optimal flexibility.
Group
Student Behavior
As educators prepare students for the complex global society and economy, the 4 C’s (creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking) become crucial for success. Obtaining these skills requires students to flex between working alone, in groups or all together. Look for products that enhance mobility, support a range of postures, and provide multipurpose solutions.
Combination
Space
Space design might translate into basic shapes like rows, u-shapes or clusters, but agile space unleashes the other three quadrants of the Learning Environments Framework. Intuitive, easy-to-use classroom furniture empowers spatial and tool organization, connects students and teachers, and stimulates learning, engagement and well-being. Key features like table and storage mobility, height-adjustability and multipurpose functionality become essential.
Low Technology
Info-Medium
Today’s students intermix low- and high-tech info-mediums whether working with other students or their teachers. Low-tech mediums include paper-based reading and writing, brainstorming and class discussions. High-tech mediums use laptops and digital displays. Flexible design is crucial. It allows students and teachers to move fluidly between interpersonal, analog and digital modes of communication whether working alone, in groups or as a class. Plan for sight lines, space division, light levels, storage adjacencies, visual displays, and power/data access to optimize info-medium dynamics.
Teaching Method
Demonstrate
Student Behavior
Group
Space
Combination
Info-Medium
Low Technology
Insights for Kindergarten to Second Grade Classrooms
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Design lower elementary classes so students move easily from station to station, but furniture stays in place to minimize chaos.
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Stimulate movement via posture and location changes to optimize focus and release energy.
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Furnish the room with multiple seating options so students can sit at tables, stand, lounge, kneel, or plop down on the floor during the day.
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Create ample space for storing personal items and school supplies throughout the room and implement color-coding where appropriate.
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Consider using more small, individual, adjustable-height tables to provide configuration flexibility long term.
Thought Starters for Kindergarten to Second Grade Classrooms
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