Maximizing Furniture Investment via Teacher Training

Your newly constructed school facility is ready to occupy. Now that furniture is delivered and installed, what’s next? How do you make sure furniture is used to maximize student learning and teacher effectiveness?

Frequently, those using the furniture—teachers and students—don’t know how it supports teaching and learning. Offer guidance and training; it can begin as early as the furniture has been selected.

Learning Spaces and Furniture

School designs have evolved from classrooms and corridors into flexible learning spaces. New types of spaces support collaboration, individual study, peer tutoring, presentations, online research, and other activities. Guiding principles for designing learning environments should include multiple learning styles, versatility, choice, furniture variety, and maximizing space.

Furniture for K-2 grades may include low tables with chairs, soft seating, tables with benches or wobble stools, rockers, portable cushions, and C-tables. Mobile whiteboards, tote units, double-sided movable shelving, student storage, and a teacher station are also included. For grades 3 to 8, furniture may include those items as well as height-adjustable worktables and chairs, flip-top tables, booth-type seating, soft seating, and mobile chairs with tablet arms. For grades 9-12, individual study units may be added. Lab studios vary per subject and may include collaboration worktables with chairs or stools, movable or fixed storages units, and specialized equipment.

“Furniture is the vehicle, with the student as the engine,” says Kathryn Oberg, a K-2 teacher and consultant in the Minneapolis area.

Oberg shares common questions from teachers: 1) How do students know where to sit? 2) What will students do on chairs with wheels? 3) How do students learn to use the furniture? 4) Where do storage materials go? Materials storage raises inquiries regarding the effects of open-shelving and having enough space. Additional questions arise regarding the use of walls and digital boards for learning impact, as well as protocols for furniture cleaning and maintenance.

Tips

Oberg shares tips on chair usage: “For anything that wobbles, keep your bottom on the seat and feet planted strong! For anything with wheels, no 360-degree spins – make it a teachable moment with math (degrees) and science (planet rotation). For anything soft, beware of sharp pencils.”

For chair heights, set dimensions per grade grouping and by student height. Tables and chairs with casters enable students to move as needed for collaborative work. Table arrangements are unlimited; start with layout concepts for personalized learning, peer-to-peer and group work, presentation, and lecture activities, and then expand from there as students become comfortable with patterns. Encourage student agency with seating choices and table arrangements.

For learning wall tips, simplify what students see. Highlight instructional information (e.g., student content growth, learning expectations), student work and achievements, and daily visuals. The use of wall magnets helps students interact with materials, makes for easy updates of information, and keeps areas organized.

Teachers should have students clean and care for their space–embed this activity during end-of-day routines. It may include resetting learning spaces, contacting administrators regarding furniture breakage, and adhering to cleaning protocols.

Firsts…

As a first step, classroom teachers should familiarize themselves with spaces and determine how to prepare for success. For the first day, resolve how to welcome students to spaces and set expectations. In the first week, evaluate how students can be supported to experience spaces as learning communities. During the first month, create plans for empowering learners within each space. For each “first,” analyze what is working. If concerns involve many students, hold community circles to review expectations and make modifications.

Oberg says the “seating spectrum” of flexibility moves linearly: 1) Start with all-day open seating; 2) Allow students to choose seating arrangements and time variables; 3) Or engage the teacher to choose seating arrangements and time variables; 4) As a last resort, assign seating for all-day. Oberg encourages teachers to start at steps 1 or 2 to encourage student agency, then dial back to assigned arrangements only if necessary. 

Kara Rise, IIDA / LEED-AP ID+C, is partner at ATSR Planners/Architects/Engineers, a firm specializing in school planning and design. Kara has 18 years of experience in school furniture planning, selection, and design. She can be reached at [email protected].