Add Classroom Design to Your Behavior Management Toolkit

With social distancing now a blueprint for classroom layouts, today’s educators are challenged to provide their learners with a classroom design that focuses on health and safety while still promoting engagement, collaboration, and productivity.

Classroom design involves every component of the learning environment. From seating charts and furniture choices to your lighting and color scheme, each of these elements has the potential to positively influence student behavior and outcomes.

In fact, classroom designs can account for as much as 25% of a student’s progress over the course of an academic year.

The following is an excerpt from the Creating Engaging Learning Environments eBook.

5 Classroom Design Factors in Student Performance

The design factors below can cause variations of more than 70% in student performance.

1. Color
   Color entices all of the senses, providing visual stimulation that gives learners a sense of energy, boosts their mood, and helps them stay engaged.
2. Choice
   No one wants to take in information all day while they’re sitting uncomfortably. And when it comes to seating, mix it up. Allow those furniture choices to complement the space each piece is being utilized in.
3. Complexity
   Balance is important when it comes to classroom design. Adding novel surroundings and attention-grabbing décor helps to counteract the orderliness that we need in classrooms.
4. Flexibility
   Classrooms should be able to mold to the needs of the students, you as the teacher, and the environment around everyone—knowing that those needs may look different from day-to-day. The ability to rearrange furniture in a variety of functions helps keep the space fluid.
5. Natural Light
   When it comes to classroom lighting, quality and quantity are both equally important. This equates to better attention spans in students and improved outcomes. The ability to control the level of lighting is also important.

Which classroom design elements have you found to be the most beneficial for your students? Comment below to share with your fellow educators.