DEVELOP A CRITICAL EYE FOR HOW LEARNING SPACES SUPPORT LEARNING.

This blog is part of our Design Matters series:

• How to Design Classrooms that Transform Learning
• Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment
• Strategically Planning Classroom Flow
• Develop a Critical Eye for How Learning Spaces Support Learning

Design Matters in the Classroom

Teachers work hard to make their learning spaces conducive to student engagement. Using their own initiative (and often, their own dollars) to make classrooms more comfortable while meeting the functional needs of the curriculum, they have created individualistic, highly creative spaces.

How can we meet the needs of these students (and teachers) on a more holistic level? What should we be looking for as we initiate school or campus-wide programs and purchase new furnishings that should support them?

This 5-minute video featuring veteran educator and administrator Patricia Cadigan, M.Ed., ALEP, starts the conversation that changes the lens of how we view our learning environments. Scroll down for some of the questions you can ask your planning team or educational cohort.

Start the conversation with these questions.

In this video, Patricia Cadigan gives 4 questions you and/or your cohort team can use to start the conversation on how the design of the classroom matters. Use your own journal or download this resource.  

• Do the design, layout, and furnishings in your space have an impact on your student’s ability to learn and achieve?  
• Does your classroom environment enhance or impede your ability to teach and/or your students to learn?  
• What do you do in your environments to make students feel welcomed and safe?  
• What 3 things are most important to you in classroom design?   

This video is an introduction to Artcobell's 2-part professional learning module called "Design Matters". To learn more and to access the modules, visit Artcobell's Professional Learning page.