Classroom design has come a long way in the last few decades. We are seeing a massive shift away from the classroom’s origins as rigid, structured places of teacher-centered learning. Instead, classrooms are embracing technology and more flexible approaches to learning for the benefit of students and teachers. How can you take advantage of this trend for your students?

Continue reading on to learn more about classroom design or see how ViewSonic is changing classroom design for the better with the ViewBoard education solution.

Classroom Design Then and Now

Rows of seats. Instructor front and center. Student eyes trained on the teacher. This classroom model worked well for centuries. Efficient and easy to set up. Old-school classroom design supported the idea that teachers impart knowledge to students. The one-to-many transmission philosophy of teaching.

Traditional types of tech did this well. The blackboard or overhead projector for the teacher at the front of the room. Pencil and paper for the student to take notes. But education is in a state of rapid change where traditional approaches can be ineffective for some situations. 

Constructivist Design

The transmission model is being replaced by a constructivist approach. Constructivism is all about students and instructors developing knowledge together. It’s the opposite of the passive student taking notes while the teacher lectured. At its core is the idea that meaningful learning is a creative process.

This shift is both a result of, and further propelled by, technology. There are many influences such as the internet, personal computing devices, interactive displays, and collaborative software. Even social media and YouTube can play a part. Within this fluid environment, educators are striving to adapt.

21^st Century Design

One important adaptation is the shakeup of classroom design. Schools are creating classroom layouts that support successful 21^st century learning. A key to today’s classroom design is flexibility. The ability to rearrange components supports the many faces of constructive learning.

Versatility enables learners to actively conduct experiments. To perform real-world problem-solving. And to gather in groups to collectively process information. Instructors meanwhile facilitate and guide activities to help students expand their knowledge.

21st-century classrooms design trends utilize many new layouts, including:

• Flexible seating
• The modular classroom
• Starbucking the classroom
• Classroom cribs
• Next-generation classroom design
• Evidence-based learning environments
• Learner-centered spaces
• Active learning environments

One fifth grade teacher calls her classroom redesign the “Best Decision I Ever Made.” A participant in the CUE Bold Classroom Cribs initiative, Marianne Emery was inspired by a visit to a flexible seating classroom. She talks about her success with next-gen classroom design in her Rockin’ it in 5th Grade blog.

How Classroom Design Affects Student Performance

Research reveals the importance of classroom design.  Without a doubt, classroom design has a big effect on student engagement and academic performance. A landmark 2012 study found that classroom design alters academic progress over a school year by 25%. Strikingly, that impact can go either way – positive or negative.

That is, a child in the best environment would do 50% better than an equivalent child in the ‘poorest’ classroom environment. In fact, the best- and worst-designed classroom difference accounted for a full year’s worth of academic progress.

5 Design Factors In Student Performance

The study found five key design factors account for 73% of the variation in student performance. These classroom design factors are:

• Color: Providing enough visual stimulation around the classroom using color on walls, floors and furniture
• Choice: Quality furniture including interesting and ergonomic tables and chairs. Furniture should support a sense of ownership
• Complexity: Providing novel surroundings and attention-grabbing décor in balance with orderliness
• Flexibility: The ability of a classroom to accommodate students without crowding them. The ability to rearrange furniture for a variety of activities and teaching approaches.
• Light: Quality and quantity of natural light, and degree of control of the level of lighting

3 Basics Of Classroom Design

Follow up studies provided insight into the relative impact of each of these factors. The authors of this major 2015 classroom design study hypothesized that “Clearly from the literature it can be anticipated that the built environment of the classrooms will have a great impact on pupils’ academic performance, health and wellbeing…”

Their study confirmed the impact of physical classroom features on academic progress. It found three categories that account for the difference in performance:

• Naturalness. This category accounts for around 50% of the impact on learning. It’s about factors needed for physical comfort. These include light, sound, temperature, air quality, and “links to nature.”
• Stimulation. This category refers to the vibrancy of the classroom. It accounts for about 25% of differences in learning.
• Individuality. This category accounts for the remaining 25% in learning differences. Individuality encompasses how well a classroom meets the needs of students by offering:
  • Ownership – how identifiable and personalized the room is
  • Flexibility – how well the room addresses the needs of an age group and variable teaching methods
  • Connection – a measure of how readily students can connect to the rest of the school

Effective Classroom Design Practices

Educators are embracing the need to adapt learning spaces. The specifics of the classroom designs differ due to curriculum, class size, space, budget constraints, and the like. However, two factors are common. One, the flexibility to deliver adaptable, active learning spaces. Two, the integration of technology that fosters collaboration and sharing.

Flexible Furnishings

Flexible classroom design creates learning environments that can be continuously adapted for changing needs. These classroom layouts model the flexibility we want for our up-and-coming generations. In a case study published by Edutopia, the author highlights the key benefits of versatility in classroom layouts.

“Flexible classrooms give students a choice in what kind of learning space works best for them, and helps them to work collaboratively, communicate, and engage in critical thinking.”

The internet is full of tips to help teachers create future-forward classroom design on a budget. Districts can source products from education furnishings makers in lockstep with the trends.

Classroom design pros recommend including the following:

• Selective seating. Offer a variety of seating options. The goal: enable student choice and support different work styles and activities. Options can include couches, floor pillows, bean bag chairs, traditional chair/desk combos, and DYI seating.
• Mobility. Look for wheeled bookshelves, chairs and other furnishings. Engage students in rearranging them to open the room or create cozy collaborative nooks.
• Collaborative configurations. Replace single workspaces with large round or rectangular tables. Put desks together to form collaborative workspaces.
• Huddle spaces. Take a cue from the business world where huddle spaces reign. These spaces offer convenient seating plus tech like audio, display, and sharing software. They’re ideal for small group work. In education they go by a variety of names: teaming tables, media tables, lounges, hublets, coves, team gardens, learning suites, informal learning environments, or learning labs. By any name they’re ideal for 21^st century cooperative learning.

Flexible Classroom Layouts Provide the Environment Kids Need

The experience of Albemarle County Public Schools in Albemarle, VA shows the tremendous benefits of embracing the new. After implementing flexible classroom design, ACPS educators found that:

• Student grades improved
• Students seemed happier and more engaged
• Students were participating more
• Students were having more invigorating conversations

“We’re really looking at how we support kids working collaboratively. And we can’t do it if they’re isolated in rows and every kid is an island,” said Becky Fisher, the director of educational technology at Albemarle County Public Schools.

Check out this article for more on what made these classroom transformations a success. It includes great tips for funding DIY redesign as well as district-supported projects.

EdTech for 21^st Century Classroom Design

Successful active learning spaces include well-matched EdTech resources. The most common ways to leverage tech for constructivist learning include:

Front of Room Display

We’ve come a long way since the humble blackboard. Today’s educators need a powerful, multi-tasking classroom display. They want to easily display online content. They want their students to actively interact with content. They want the ability to annotate on top of any content, from any source. When they can record the content, annotations, and surrounding audio, they can share digital content files. Today that’s a must-have for flipped lessons, test review and keeping absent students up-to-date. Google Classroom integration makes it even easier to educate tomorrow’s citizens.

ViewSonic offers a range of options to fit any budget. Products include interactive flat panels, interactive projectors, and retrofit interactive kits. ViewSonic ViewBoards are designed to support education with best-in-class Google Classroom integration features and more.

Interactive Software

Add interactive software to amp up the capabilities of existing flat panel displays. ViewSonic® ViewBoard® for Education delivers robust interactive features that bring lessons to life. The powerful software supports direct file saving to Google Drive and encourages active engagement.

Content Sharing

Wireless content sharing makes it fast, easy and efficient for students to display content. The most robust solutions work with any personal or school-issued device. ViewSonic content sharing options include the ViewSync® 3 wireless interactive presentation gateway, the ViewStick 2 wireless HDMI adapter, and myViewBoard.com collaboration software. ViewSonic offers robust collaboration software from partner Quizdom.

Ximbus interactive presentation and collaboration software enables easy, real-time student-teacher collaboration. Features include instant polling, easy compatibility with Google apps. Seamlessly integrates with Google Classroom, including Google login, contacts, resources, and Google Drive. Oktopus interactive presentation and collaboration software offers a complete blended learning solution. Oktopus combines whiteboarding, collaboration, polling, and self-paced learning, all of which seamlessly integrate with ViewSonic ViewBoards and projectors.

Huddle Spaces/Learning Labs

Call them what you will, these tech-laden spaces foster exactly what 21st-century educators seek: active, constructivist learning. Huddle spaces typically feature an interactive display or smart display. Content sharing capabilities lets students easily display material from their smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Significant research and educator experience confirm that the traditionally-designed classroom lacks what’s needed to prepare engaged 21st-century citizens. Instructors and administrators are working to apply this knowledge to new classroom design practices. These future-forward classroom layouts leverage flexible furnishings and collaborative technology to create spaces that promote active engagement and meaningful learning. ViewSonic offers a wide range of technologies that bring greater interactivity and collaboration to any classroom’s front of room display, huddle stations, desktops, learning labs, and more.