Personalize
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.
Alone
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
Personalize
Student Behavior
Alone
Space
Combination
Info-Medium
Low Technology
Insights for special education
- Separate elementary applications into a range of flexible activity zones – for individual and groupwork, so it is easy for users to navigate.
- Provide small, protective nooks that allow students to remove themselves to a more private area.
- Make storage easily accessible to students and teachers and have it on casters so it is easily moved around to divide space.
- Provide multi-height tables and chairs that support independent, group and classroom learning activities while encouraging posture changes and movement.
- Allow teachers to observe and assist students as needed while not being the main focal point of the classroom.
- Employ different types of ergonomic and movement-enticing seating to allow for unique choice and comfort options.
- Design spaces for flexibility so many types of students can use the space whether advanced, remedial or special project oriented.
