Dive Brief:
- Teachers in the Wichita, KS, area are ditching traditional desks in favor of more comfortable seats their students can choose from each day.
- The Wichita Eagle reports it would cost $10,000 to fill a classroom with furniture from Wisconsin-based School Specialty, but L’Ouverture Elementary School is using federal grant money for an $18,000 project and teachers in other schools have used their own money or collected donated furniture to shift their classroom environment.
- Some teachers say students collaborate more easily with the flexible seating, are are more focused on projects and are less likely to show behavior problems.
Dive Insight:
More schools are paying attention to classroom and school design when it comes to engaging students and giving them exposure to new learning opportunities. Instead of asking students to complete worksheets at their own desks, teachers are more often asking students to strategize and create together, which requires a redesign. Pulling desks together has always been an option, but new furniture offers a more inviting learning space.
Beyond classroom furniture, schools have been paying attention to the amount of natural light that reaches students and earth-friendly building design. Green construction elements can serve as learning opportunities for students in science and math classes while also making a school more energy efficient.