Designing Classroom Spaces that Work
You know, there is a lot more to classroom design than just “what will fit where” and “does this look good here” questions. While studying about how to best set up Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S child care and learning center, I learned there are six functions of the environment that Fred Steele wrote about in his book, “.
The classroom set up can influence the way students and teachers feel, think, and behave. It’s important for us to consider as we come up with the arrangements for our classrooms both having construction and room renovations and also how the furniture and activities are arranged.
Six Considerations to Designing and Arranging Classrooms
The six functions of the environment and what our team thinks about at Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S include:
1. Security and Shelter
We want our children to feel safe. We want to offer elements of “cozy” and “comfort” while keeping cleanliness in mind. For example, you might see a vinyl beanbag chair versus a cloth one, but… expect for there to also be a blanket to lie on top that is washed daily.
We will ensure there are some areas where children might feel like they can get away which might be with a book in a corner of the classroom or where there is a privacy shield they can place around their work area at the writing table.
2. Social Contact
Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S will provide arrangements that are conducive to the structure the teachers want to provide in their rooms. There will be collaboration, socialization, and interaction with others. There are also some occasions where quiet time is the plan and students need to lie down in a designated area on the mat we provide. It’s also important that the teachers can interact together with the children. You’ll find this throughout the day with all of our activities – we even sit with the children at meal times to interact!
3. Symbolic Identification
You’ll find that our rooms have personal attributes that make our teachers smile as they bring their favorite colors, pictures, themes, books into the class. As the year progresses, you’ll find symbols of the children’s personalities and cultures integrated within the space too.
4. Task Instrumentality
This is exactly what designers recommend when you set up your kitchen… make sure what you use is easily accessible. Easy peasy. We want to make sure the materials that the children will use frequently are easy to access. Did you ever hear, “everything has its place”? It will be clear using labels with pictures where items like writing instruments, crayons, toys, books, etc go so it is easy to put things back where they belong.
Although we know how fun it is for children to run loops around furniture, we will attempt to make running in class less attractive by setting up stations. On the same note, we will try to place activities of the same energy level together versus having the reading nook next to the art easels.
Each child will have a place to store their belongings that they need at school. From water bottles to winter clothing – everything will have its place.
5. Pleasure
What would a classroom be if it wasn’t pleasurable offering different colors and a room that says, “come in and stay a while”. It’s important that team members will keep the classrooms organized and clean. Too much clutter can equal overstimulation which we don’t want either.
6. Growth
Just Like GRAMMY & POPPOP’S child learning and care center ensures that we are always promoting a growth mindset meeting children where they are. We offer activities and a classroom with open activities which means that there isn’t a right or wrong answer or ways to do things. Blocks as an example can be assembled and played with many different ways. Closed activities will also be offered and these typically have one answer. For example, when matching the number of buttons to the number listed on the card we would expect that there is only one option.
Arranging the classrooms to have the features of the above list means that there may be tweaks along the way based on the individuals that are within the group, including the team members. I can’t wait to see what our team will do in their rooms offering their creativity and some of themselves in the arrangement.
As always, we appreciate your opinions and feedback, don’t hesitate to give it at any time!