Rethinking Classroom Design by Finley Todd;Wiggs Blake;

Author:Finley, Todd;Wiggs, Blake;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Figure 4.11 The Double E configuration can be used to introduce novelty. Source: Image by Finley & Wiggs.

Figure 4.12 Students might like the novelty of Tables Facing In, Facing Forward. Source: Image by Finley & Wiggs.

Figure 4.13 The Big Center Aisle layout promotes whole class discussions. Source: Image by Finley & Wiggs.

Figure 4.14 A South Central High School teacher finds that the layout pictured accommodates large class sizes. Source: Image by Finley & Wiggs.

One student participant in the study made an enlightening comment: “I have mobility issues and cannot get my scooter into the room. The seats in the classroom made it difficult for me to move around in the classroom.”9

Seating Configuration Apps

As mentioned in chapter 2, three apps can help you brainstorm some general seating arrangements: Smart Seat, by Cornwall, for iOS devices; Be Seated, by Jellyfish Pi, for iOS devices; and Safety Attendance, by For Safety Solutions, for Android devices. Grid-lined paper and pencil also work well.

Alternatives to Chairs

While alternatives to the typical classroom chair exist, some require that students bring a clipboard with them in order to write on a hard surface.

• Adirondack Chairs—Made of wood or plastic, it consists of a fluted back and has wide armrests.

• Bean Bag Chairs—A large fabric bag, stuffed with polystyrene beads, that conforms to the user’s shape.

• Couches

• Stools

• Hokki Stools—These mushroom-like stools sway from side to side, allowing kids to move while sitting still. They’re also stackable, lightweight, and durable.

• Moon Chairs—These padded, saucer-shaped chairs are easy to clean.

• Pillows

• Rocking Chairs

• Stability Balls—Made of puncture-resistant elastic and filled with air, they were once thought to engage the abdominal and back muscles, but there are no scientifically verified benefits.

• Swinging Chair Hammocks—Made of canvas and held up by rope attached to a wood frame, this chair attaches to the ceiling.

One of our favorite chairs for active learning is designed by IDEO. Under $300, the Steelcase Node School Chair is mobile, swivels, has a storage area underneath the seat for books and bags, contains a small personal surface that swivels with the student and adjusts to different sized bodies, can be used equally well with right- and left-handed students, and is made of flexible plastic that accommodates movement.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Classroom management

If you aren’t assigning seats at the beginning of the semester, you’re giving up a powerful tool for breaking up potential sources of social resistance to your agenda. Students who are typically off-task often exhibit more academically positive dispositions when they are seated by well-behaved peers or near the instructor.

Getting Students Involved

Since room design is ostensibly for the purpose of supporting youths, shouldn’t we ask students to contribute their classroom layout preferences? A New York inclusion teacher, quoted in Teach-nology, suggests a method to solicit students’ design input:

Divide the students into four groups and ask each group to come up with a plan that displays an arrangement that everyone in their group is satisfied with. Ask a volunteer from each group to report out to the whole group. Vote on the arrangement that is suited to meet the needs of all.10

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