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  • STEM Classroom Furniture, Is There a Formula for Success?
Smith System Blog

STEM Classroom Furniture, Is There a Formula for Success?

November 18, 2013
Environment_Stem_lab_02

What Are The Key Environmental Elements To Be Changed?

Make sure the furnishings in the room contribute to student engagement with the subject. One fundamental way of doing this is assuring the STEM classroom furniture and classroom layout are compatible with the method of STEM teaching your school has adopted. If your school has adopted collaborative learning or other active inquiry-based method, be sure you have the appropriate desks and chairs – ones that lend themselves to working in small groups. Chairs, desks and all other furnishings in a successful STEM environment must be:

Desks and Tables

In project-based learning, students work in groups. To accommodate this, student desks or tables must be capable of being arranged into compact pods to accommodate six to eight students. Here, flexibility and the ability to rearrange the desks for uses in multiple ways is key. So look for desktops that taper from back to front, approximating a piece of pie. When gathered, this shape allows a tight circle to be formed, which encourages participation on the parts of all students in the group. The desks can also be arranged in smaller groups or totally separated for individual work or testing.

Another option to consider is our new Multi-Media Table. It handles six students and its shape allows all six unobstructed visual access to a monitor. The table can be used at 34” high – and the students can sit on stools (or stand) or it can be at standard sit-down height. Other Smith System® Tables can be combined in creative ways for a STEM environment. For example, you can start with a 60” Half-Round Table and add 30” x 60” (or 30” x 72”) Rectangle Tables, which adds flexibility and reconfigurability to the STEM classroom.

Connectivity

Because STEM classes make great use of technology, students need the ability to connect with data and other resources. Optimized STEM classrooms allow students to have power for their computers or tablet devices as well as WiFi.

Science Tables

If your science classroom or lab will be using chemicals and heat, be certain that the work surfaces can stand up by choosing a Smith System® Science Table with a TRESPA TopLab Plus work surface. Moreover, Smith System® Science Tables provide the large work surfaces, strength and stability needed to support heavy materials. They can be fitted with optional casters for the greatest flexibility. Another option is to create some height in the lab with stand-up height tables at 34” high, available in the Planner® and Interchange lines. These pair perfectly with 24” Fixed-Height Stools in the Flavors® lines.

Planner® Studio Science Table

Planner® Studio Science Table

Interchange® Science Table – 24″ Deep

Art Tables

For STEAM programs, Smith System® offers tables expressly made to stand up to the needs of an art studio. Their large work surfaces offer added durability and their frames, extra strength to provide stability and add support for projects using heavy media like clay, here, casters are key for adding mobility and flexibility.

Seating

Can seating really make a difference in a collaborative learning environment? We believe so. Students in an environment like this need to be able to interact with students all around them and any chair that doesn’t help them do this becomes a hindrance on the learning process. To facilitate learning in STEM classrooms, Smith System® seating lines offer a range of movement and a range of seating positions.

Groove® Mobile Stack Chair

Flavors® Stack Chair

Storage

Project-based classrooms need a means for organizing project materials. That is the reason Smith System® Cascade® Storage exists. Educators can organize, store, manage and distribute project materials, or 3D manipulatives from the Cascade® Unit to the student’s desk or to the teacher’s desk. The individual units are available in nine sizes and offer an incredible degree of customization, so the school can tailor the capacity and functionality to their own needs. They also can be outfitted with casters to provide easy mobility.

Presentation

Even in project-based STEM classrooms, teachers need to present information to the entire class. Increasingly, these presentations are augmented by visual and audio-visual materials. Smith System offers many options of presentation carts in our Cascade® line. These mobile units house projectors and computers and have lecterns to help teachers make more effective presentations.

Cascade® Powered AV Mid-Case

Cascade® Makercart

Cascade® Mega-Case AV Presentation Cart

Colors

In addition to performing a function in the classroom, furnishings also contribute to the learning environment by adding color to the room. Smith System® seating is available in 19 colors. This same palate can be applied to our desks and tables as accent colors in edge bands. Whether you select a color to create a mood for a room, to carry a design theme or element into the classroom, or to spread the school colors, no manufacturer offers more options than Smith System®.


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