21st Century Classroom
August 3, 2018
This week we were to rethink our classroom design. So much is changing in the world of education, shouldn’t our classroom design be rethought too? This week I played around with SketchUp. I have learned this week I am not a computer 3D model designer, but rather a repurpose re-designer. As you think about your classroom for the upcoming school year consider these questions: What choices does it allow your students? Does it reflect your classroom community? Is it set up to help your learning goals? Is it set up to help your students succeed? I thought about this for a while and came up with some new ideas to reimagine my classroom. This is not my classroom, but I would say it is similar.
My current classroom is, well let’s be honestly boring. It is half the size it should be and there is no efficient way for me to place the students. There is the most annoying wall in the middle of the room with a window that separates the room. Every year I decorate it but it doesn’t change how the room was built. I always struggle with how to set up the student's desks. They have nice big desks for 1st graders. The past two years I have put the desks facing in like horseshoe shape, however halfway through the last school year, I went back to groups. As I go forward I know this is one of the best seating arrangements I can have in my classroom. In my design, I came up with other new ways to recreate my learning spaces for the students.
While I was thinking about what I would want my room to look it, I have this in the back of my head, “DT (design thinking) is about using design to improve the human experience. It combines the ideas of what we want for our students: collaboration, systems thinking, and the development of a balance of creative and analytical habits” (Long, 2012). Collaboration is a central design for my room. You’ll see I’ve used circle desks that I want my students to work at. This will be helpful when working at any time, it will make them each feel part of the group.
Another aspect I would want in my room is the aspect of “choice”. The choice is one of the design parameters in Study Shows How Classroom Design Affects Student Learning article. Having students at desks all day is “old school”, I want them to branch out into the world of choice and choose where they would like to work. “Choice has to do with the quality of the furniture in the classroom, as well as providing “interesting” and ergonomic tables and chairs for pupils (Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K., 2013). You’ll notice the different types of chairs I have as well as different spaces I put around the room for flexible seating. Furthermore, it will “Allow students time and space to choose to want they want to do- their choices will illuminate their individual strengths” (The Third Teacher, 2013). This lets students learn their own learning styles.
The other design parameters to consider when redesigning a classroom are light, sound, temperature, air quality, choice, flexibility, connection, complexity, color, and texture (Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. 2013). In my design, I really tried to add choice, flexibility, complexity, color as well as texture.
The cost to design this style of the classroom I created would not be in the budget. I would have to look at adding a new piece to the classroom each year to get me to the redesign. However, there are so many opportunities to find recycled or already used items to start changing the look of my classroom. I added some things up in a cart at Amazon and the final cost was between 1,500 and 2,000 (bean bags, ball chairs, other furniture, tree bookshelf, and different carpet/wall art). I suggest the teacher swap and salvation army for a less expensive route.
Just one more thing, it took me several fails to finally seek help and figure out SketchUp. As you can see above, I did eventually figure it out. I felt I was failing on this activity this week. It made me reflect on my learning. The idea of failure as learning is true, I was not about to fail so I continued to try, discover, search, and learn. It was frustrating, but in the end, I was cheering myself on.
Check out my creations below.
References:
Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. (2013). How Shows How Classroom Design Affects Student Learning. Retrieved August 3, 2018, from https://www.fastcompany.com/1671627/study-shows-how-classroom-design-affects-student-learning
Long, C. (2012). Teach your students to fail better with design thinking. Learning & Leading with Technology, February 2012, 16-20. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/509c0d15e4b058edb8f35a86/t50f49750e4b0c7661ad2efc5/1358206800803/FailBetter_DesignThinking+ISTE+article.pdf
The Third Teacher. (2010). 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching Learning. Retrieved August 2, 2018, from https://talesofa6thgradeteacher.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/c5e5d-tttideasflashcards.pdf
