How to Create a Dynamic Active Learning Environment with School Furniture
The active learning classroom is analogous to a chameleon. The physical set-up you see at 9 a.m. could look completely different within minutes – and not from chaos. The quick change-up is from teachers and students tailoring their surroundings to the active learning strategy at play.
That nimbleness is a defining principle of creating active learning environments in K–12 classrooms. In this blog, we’ll review why active learning pedagogy matters and how to design fun, flexible education spaces using school classroom furniture that helps teachers integrate active learning strategies (ALS).
What is Active Learning?
Put simply, active learning uses student engagement to teach. It’s a student-centered instructional approach that "involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing."
That’s according to Professors Charles Bonwell and James Eison who coined the phrase active learning in their 1991 book, “Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom.”
The professors articulated what research has since proven to be true. Students who are excited to learn through a variety of activities are more engaged learners. And more engaged learners subsequently learn more. It’s the difference between telling a student how to bake a cake versus demonstrating the process and letting the student try it solo – or by collaborating with classmates who, collectively, are running a real-life bakery.
How Active Learning Classrooms Act
Look into a classroom. Do students appear engaged? Have they moved their desks, tables, chairs and tools to work through an assignment? Are the students actively participating? Or, in contrast, are they parked in rigid desks, passively absorbing knowledge for hours?
Research has shown that learning should not be a spectator sport. Students and teachers thrive when classes are designed with an active, student-centered approach, based on constructivism. Meaning, it’s the students’ job to participate in the construction of knowledge; teachers facilitate the journey. EdApp, an online training platform, believes in the results.
“Active learners work harder to achieve success and produce better results, since they take an active role in their own learning environments.” There’s an added bonus, too. “Active learning, in general, is also significantly more fun and exciting. It goes beyond just reading and listening … everyone is expected to engage and actually do something, either individually or as a group.”
Active learning strategies engage students in activities beyond passive listening, reading or watching. The goal is to help students deepen learning and connecting with the material and each other, especially by focusing on real-life tasks. Students engaged in ALS might be:
- Talking with each other in small groups or having large-group debates
- Doing think-pair-share activities or peer teaching
- Role-playing
- Involved in game-based learning [See this blog on esports.]
- Conducting experiments and demonstrations
- Creating in a makerspace classroom or a STEM classroom
- Doing something physical and moving around the room
What they’re not doing is sitting in uncomfortable desks and chairs, facing forward, and listening to the “sage on the stage.”
Active Learning Benefits
Increasingly, educators are seeing the positive effects of active learning vs. more traditional methods, like lectures, especially as teachers work to fill post-pandemic learning gaps. The consensus is that active learning promotes the development of the “4 C’s” and more. It helps increase:
- Critical thinking, higher learning and problem-solving skills
- Learning retention
- Collaborative learning and interpersonal communication
- Creativity and innovation
- Self-confidence and adaptability
- Enthusiasm in both students and teachers
- Motivation to learn
- Instant feedback and improvement
Study Results: Active Learning Spaces Improve Teaching and Learning
Educators are also witnessing what’s possible when the physical environment is designed to support more active teaching and learning experiences.
Until recently, few studies have successfully isolated physical space (i.e., classroom design and school furniture) and examined its correlation specifically to active learning. Steelcase, a leading manufacturer of furniture for offices and hospitals, and education furniture, has.
The company completed a substantial, four-year-long comparison study in 2020 called, “How Active Learning Spaces Impact Teaching and Learning.” It included instructor (440) and student (14,050) perceptions within 88 educational institutions; 65 were K–12 schools.
To provide a basis for qualitative and quantitative comparison, teachers and students were surveyed after they had used and reflected on their experience in a traditional, row-by-column desk/table classroom and then again in a learning environment designed for active learning. The latter featured more casual, mobile furniture and learning tools arranged in thoughtful proximities.
What students reported:
- 79% reported a somewhat or much better experience in the active learning classroom, with a:
- 56% increase in creativity
- 46% increase in motivation to learn
- 41% increase in connection with others
- 36% increase in problem solving
One student reflected, “The active learning classroom was great for coming up with new ideas and for working together as a team. The environment is more relaxed and gives us more opportunities to move around and get creative.”
What instructors reported:
They said the active learning space supported the type of teaching and learning that they want in their classrooms. They also noticed improved student behaviors and mindsets. In the “agreed or strongly agreed” category:
- 85% said the space supported their desired teaching and learning
- 58% said students have access to a variety of tools
- 47% said they could move furniture into new layouts
- 46% said students could co-create content
“[Students] seem to form community much faster/earlier in the semester. I think the environment enables more one-on-one than in a traditional classroom, which I believe impacts a student’s learning,” a teacher added.
How to Create an Active Learning Classroom
Designing and outfitting a classroom for active learning doesn't have to be complicated or pricey. But it should be designed for how students learn, not solely what they learn. Physical space must support co-learning, co-creation and open discussion to fully capitalize on the benefits of active learning.
That’s a big reason why K–12 classroom furniture selection is so important, across all grade levels. The right pieces can create a physical space that fosters – not fights – the active learning curriculum – and helps maximize space.
Five Design Tips for Creating an Active Learning Environment
1. Flexibility
Active learning furniture is fast furniture. Literally. It’s designed for students and teachers to quickly reconfigure their space to the active learning assignment (not shoe-horn the assignment into the space).
Furniture Suggestions:
Keep pieces moveable and modular for a natural flow between solo work, small group and whole-group work, and from “seating to meeting.” Consider modern classroom chairs, student desks and/or classroom tables with casters. For example, Numbers™ Mobile Chair is a modernized traditional chair with optional 360-degree seating.
2. Options.
Active learning is student centered. So should classroom design. Give students more autonomy to choose their most productive, comfortable ways to learn. Teachers should have more furniture options, too, for efficiently delivering ALS.
Furniture Suggestions
Provide a mix of flexible seating options [See Top 10 Benefits of a Flexible Seating Classroom] and work surfaces. For example, offer sit-stand desks, adjustable-height stools, and upholstered seating, like Smith System’s Flowform® casual benches, soft rocker and ottoman.
3. Work Zones
The active learning classroom is often a hive of activity. Expandable work zones are a good way to focus movement and attention. Teachers might have nooks dedicated to small-group work, hands-on making, content creation, solo study and more.
Furniture Suggestions:
Consider adding versatile seating, tables and ottomans from Smith System’s Flowform® Learn Lounge line. Partial dividers like the Flowform® Learn Lounge Screen can help differentiate work zones.
4. Multi-Purpose.
Quick access to a variety of digital and analog tools is a must in the active learning classroom. Teachers can maximize their space by selecting furniture that does double, even triple, duty.
Furniture Suggestions:
Look for multi-functional furniture pieces, like Smith System’s Cascade® Maker Table. It provides a rugged work surface and generous storage space. Also consider mobile Cascade® Storage Units with attached whiteboards.
5. Technology Enabled:
Provide ample power sources. Also make Wi-Fi fast and reliable in hallways, cafés, and in between spaces so students can be mobile.
Furniture Suggestions:
Include a mix of meeting tables with power accessories. Add interactive whiteboards, virtual learning devices and other tech tools. [See How Technology is Shaping the Future of Learning.]
Smith System Can Help Activate Your Space
Active learning classrooms can look like a lot of different things, especially across grade levels. Professor Robert Talbert, Ph.D., and professor with Grand Valley State University, has researched the effectiveness of active learning classrooms. He agreed that ALS require educators to be a catalyst for change.
“The [classrooms] where we see the best results for student learning and engagement really allow students to do whatever they need to learn.” (Albeit, within reason and with proper teaching training and tools.)
If your school isn’t sure where to begin, contact us. A Smith System representative can help your school or district set up a pilot classroom with school furniture designed to create a dynamic active learning environment.
Resources
https://www.edapp.com/blog/benefits-of-active-learning/
https://www.shive-hattery.com/publication/universal-language-active-learning-architecture
https://www.steelcase.com/research/articles/topics/learning/lessons-learned/
https://www.viewsonic.com/library/education/active-learning-matters/
https://www.wwu.edu/teachinghandbook/student_engagement/active_learning_toolkit.shtml
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