Classroom

Classrooms are where students and teachers spend the most time in a school day. With most schools over 50 years old, classroom design does not reflect new technology, research, or pedagogy. According to UNESCO, 21st century instruction is based on three pedagogical principles: personalization, participation, and productivity. With classroom instruction evolving, the physical design of the space must also evolve. (125)

Each classroom is a community that supports students, staff, and the surrounding neighborhood. This can be achieved by giving special attention to teaching styles, student age and ability, social and environmental climate, building age, and design. To ensure optimal health and learning potential, we have identified strategies to support overall wellbeing and achievement within the classroom.

Top Health Considerations

01. Environmental Quality Factors

02. Flexibility

03. Neurodiversity

Environmental Quality Factors

Environmental factors like daylight, temperature, air quality and noise all impact student learning, communication, and collaboration. However, examination of only one environmental factor at a time, may limit the holistic benefit to the student. For example, windows provide important circadian light that is essential for student alertness and the sleep-awake cycle. Classroom design should account for glare (especially with the growing presence of screens in classrooms), privacy from internal and external distraction, and unintended thermal gain during hot, bright days. However, natural light may not provide enough illumination throughout the classroom. Dimmable, artificial circadian light often complements window design. The time to act, to balance student outcomes with energy demands, is early in the design process – in engineering or environmental analysis of the school building.

Flexibility

Flexible classroom layouts are increasingly used to influence student engagement, participation, and overall learning experience. In the past, learning spaces consisted of individual desks facing a teacher podium at the front. Studies found this layout results in a more lecture-based teaching style that limits student engagement, active movement, and participation. (126) Today, teaching and learning best practices focus on collaboration through project-based learning. (127) Teachers can use moveable furniture to meet a range of instructional purposes by easily transitioning from small to large group discussions, and support independent focus work or class presentations. At a high school in Illinois, a redesign with mobile furniture saw a 39 percent increase in group work. (128) Similarly, a study in the United Kingdom noted flexibility as a major factor in adapting to new curriculum needs and challenges. (129) Flexibility in the classroom can be strengthened by increasing electrical outlets and opportunities to charge individualized technology. Flexible design impacts the level of student engagement and academic success. In fact, one study recorded higher English, Mathematics, and Humanities test scores for students in flexible classrooms compared to peers in traditional classrooms. (130) The study noted the flexible classroom employed a student-centered pedagogy for student choice in where and how to learn. Flexible design with a variety of types of seats and tables allows students to pick what works best for them. This mimics the coffee shop idea, where students choose from a variety of alternative seating options and workspaces. (131)

Neurodiversity

Neurodiverse or neurodivergent is a nonmedical term that highlights brain development or response differences across people and includes conditions such as dyspraxia, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyscalculia, autistic spectrum and Tourette syndrome. (132) (133)

Neurodivergence in K-12 classrooms influences children’s sensitivity to light, noise, color, and clutter, and may be associated with other developmental delays or disabilities. The emergence of technology and “Smart” classroom design can adjust classroom conditions to respond to child needs such as dimmable lighting, responsive air filtration, or color changing classrooms, and empowers children to learn in the style that suits them. (134) (135) Similarly, consistent design or layout between classrooms may help students who prefer routine and can anticipate where to find resources within their learning environment. Research on the impacts of K-12 school building design on neurodiverse students and teachers is still emerging. Understanding that one size does not fit all should influence classroom design to support all learners equitably.

14 percent of public school students receive special education services. Children across the disability spectrum have been found to have higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to the general U.S. public (136)