Best Furniture for School Classroom

 

Here are some considerations when setting up your classroom to ensure your students get the most out of their lessons.

 

Not all classrooms are created equal, and sometimes the smallest factors can have big impacts to your teaching. Here are some considerations when considering furniture for school classrooms to help your students engage with their lessons.

 

1. Focus 

School classroom furniture arrangements should clearly communicate to students – where should they be looking, and what is the focal point of the room? Teachers can get creative with this – rows and horseshoes communicate the message to face the front, whereas student classroom chairs that face other students implies that lessons will involve more discussion.

Teachers who primarily use a whiteboard or projector will want their furniture for school classrooms to converge towards the front. A multi-focus classroom, using 2 or more walls as focal points, can be useful in keeping lesson activities fresh and feeling different. But even in classrooms with table groups and chairs which face each other, it is important to arrange student classroom chairs to easily pivot towards the location where you will be giving instruction, as craning necks or backs is a discomfort which leads to disengagement.

2. Interaction

Whether arranging high school classroom furniture or primary classroom furniture, teachers can consider: how do I want my students to interact with their teacher, or with each other? Most primary classroom furniture is carefully purposed, so students understand what zones are for writing, for reading, for creative arts or for STEM. Open design can encourage students to collaborate with each other, and see their peers as just as crucial for their learning as their teacher. By contrast, when high school classroom furniture is arranged in individual or paired desks, it communicates to students that either they should keep conversation to a minimum, or that students can shout across the class at their friends if they want to talk.

 

3. Comfort

There are so many factors which go into a comfortable classroom, and all teachers can attest that when students are not comfortable, they are not engaged. Desks and chairs should be spaced evenly so that students are not bumping knees or elbows, and that everyone has ample space to put down their book or laptop. Furthermore, tables near heaters or air conditioners – depending on your classroom’s climate – can unintentionally become prime real estate which students will compete over. Most student chairs Australia based schools and learning institutions use are built more for functionality than comfort, but giving students the space to stretch or unwind can still build trust between you and your class.

 

4. Mobility

Mobility is an important consideration for both teachers and students. Teachers benefit from a classroom where they can immediately be behind any student in a matter of seconds, without having to awkwardly squeeze past narrow gaps or long rows. For students, open seating arrangements allows individuals to move around to be with different groups for collaborative work, or to stand at the focus of the class to participate in a jigsaw or teach-the-class style activity. This could be achieved with student classroom chairs which are light and moveable. And of course, for safety and wellbeing reasons, it is best for every desk to have a quick, convenient pathway to access a classroom exit.

 

5. Celebration

Once all your functionality concerns have been addressed, you can then think – can I make this space fun? Ultimately, your classroom should be a space for students to learn, and ideally everyone walking into your class should see that goal the second they walk in. This is where decoration and personalisation come in. Student work on the walls can be a good way to demonstrate the work which has already been achieved in this space, and this gives newer students something to aspire to. Bright colours and natural lighting, used sparingly to avoid overload, can connote positive emotions for students so that they do not associate your classroom with dreary work.

 

All of these considerations regarding furniture for school classroom arrangements are made with students’ learning outcomes at their forefront. When your learning space is laid out with the best classroom furniture Australia educators rely on, your students will be eager to meet your learning expectations for them.