Creating an ideal learning environment is essential in allowing children to take in the information you are teaching them. The classroom environment includes everything from the choice of furniture to the colour you paint the walls, everything has an effect on the children who learn there.
The University of Salford conducted a study showing that the classroom environment can affect pupil’s learning and academic progress by as much as 25%. An effective classroom design needs to find a balance between the different methods of teaching that take place in class throughout the day.
We’ve put together our tips for creating an effective learning environment.
Classroom Furniture
Classroom furniture is a hugely important choice when redesigning your classroom. Children that are comfortable in class can stay focused for longer, helping them to take in more information. All of our classroom chairs and tables are compliant to BS EN1729. This standard ensures that furniture is the appropriate size, shape and ergonomic design to facilitate good posture as well as testing the strength and stability of furniture for long lasting use.
Our equation tables are a popular choice in nurseries, pre-schools and schools across the country. The wide range of sizes, heights, colours and shapes available make the equation table an ideal choice for a range of different classroom configurations.
Each equation table is manufactured using a stylish, 32mm round steel frame with a durable speckled light grey paint finish. The table top is 25mm thick and is available in 11 different, vibrant laminate colours.
Our NP Classroom Chairs are a robust and sturdy general purpose chair which can conveniently be stacked up to 8 chairs high for easy storage. The chairs feature a steel frame in the same speckled light grey painted finish as the tables. 10 vibrant colour options are available allowing you to match the colour of your tables and chairs.
Classroom Storage
Believe it or not classroom storage can have a significant effect on children’s learning. Effective classroom storage ensures rooms are kept free from clutter. This allows students to take pride in their classroom.
Classroom tray storage is a great place to start for storing children’s belongings. Larger units with shallow trays such as the 24 Shallow Tray Storage Cupboard provide storage space for each child as well as larger storage areas above the trays for stationery and other classroom items.
The Bubblegum Art Cupboard and the Bubblegum Dressing Up Cupboard are good options for most classrooms as they facilitate creative activities, whilst ensuring the room stays tidy once the activities are complete. Bubblegum cupboards are built to last in busy classrooms and are manufactured using durable, 18mm MFC. The interior shelves feature are painted in a colourful mixture of lime, cyan, tangerine and pink, bringing a splash of colour to your classroom. The cupboards also feature easy-glide, lockable castor wheels which allow for easy transportation if required.
Classroom Colour Scheme
Colour can have a prominent effect on how children learn, from the furniture colour to the wall colour, all of it should be taken into account when designing your classroom. Here are a few different colours and the influence they can have on people:
- Red – Encourages creativity, increases appetite, increases alertness and excitement
- Blue – Encourages creativity, lowers temperature, inhibits appetite, creates a sense of comfort
- Green – Encourages calmness
- Purple – Encourages calmness
- Orange – Increases alertness
- Yellow – Creates positive feelings, improves attention, encourages creativity
- Brown – Reduces fatigue, creates a sense of security
One thing to remember when choosing a colour scheme for your classroom is to not over stimulate children. Overstimulation is often caused when large amounts of bright colours are used in large areas, such as walls painted in reds, yellows and oranges. Combat overstimulation by making use of calming colours such as green, blue and purple for large areas instead.
Colour can also be used in the classroom to separate different areas for different activities. For example your quiet reading corner may be coloured in a relaxing colour such as blue whilst your dressing up corner may be coloured in an exciting colour such as red.
Classroom Ambience
There’s no substitute for using natural daylight to light your classroom, but sometimes sunlight can be limited – in which case you need to ensure there is a sufficient source of artificial lighting. Correct lighting helps to prevent eye-strain and helps to improve alertness.
The quieter you can get your classroom the better, silence really does help to improve the concentration of children. Often noise can be out of our control, but if exterior noise is an issue for your classroom think about adding a few sound proof panels to dampen the sound.
Having plants in your classroom has been shown to have a calming effect on children no matter the age. Similarly, posters of nature, animals and inspirations images have a positive and calming effect.
We hope these tips help you to re-design your classroom to provide the most effective learning experience for your children.
At Early Learning Furniture we provide an extensive range of classroom furniture designed for primary schools, pre-schools and nurseries. Our early year’s furniture includes classroom tablesand classroom chairs, school classroom storage, and school dining furniture.
All of our school furniture is UK manufactured and we offer free delivery on all of our products.
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