This article begins by considering the radical changes that occurred in architecture throughout the twentieth century due to the influence of Le Corbusier and the ensuing movement of modernism. Though the building of schools was embroiled in this architectural movement, the classrooms within them remained broadly the same as they had been in the…

Historically, classrooms have utilized stationary furniture, facing front toward a centralized instructor position, and limiting student-to-student interactions. Such classrooms often stem from design processes that tend to focus on building codes and feedback from investors, architects, and planners, which leaves little input from instructors and…

The main objective of the study was to understand specific ways in which a flexible, technology-enhanced space can create opportunities for student engagement. Despite a few studies that address classroom elements such as furniture, researchers argue for more-holistic attention to the materials of learning environments to better support the…

In this article, the authors start with a description of the learner-centered paradigm of education. The key tenets of the paradigm are outlined as: Competency-based student progress, competency-based student assessment and records, personal learning plans, project-based learning, just-in-time instructional support, student as self-directed…

This paper examines the effect of the architectural layout of two classrooms (one flexible and one less-flexible) on Teaching Assistants' (TAs) movement and interactions with students. Four TAs from a first-year undergraduate introductory course were chosen for the two studies. In study 1, the TAs taught the same lesson twice to two groups of…

Physical qualifications of group rooms are highly important in terms of child development during preschool education. First of all, the required space should be provided in order to create ideal conditions in a group room. The standards of the required space for a child in group rooms vary among countries. It is stated that in Turkey minimum 1.5…

We studied student seating habits in both a traditional lecture hall with the instructor in the front and in a SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs) studio-style classroom with the instructor in the middle. Like several previous authors, we find that students with higher course grades tend to sit in the…

Presents tips to help teachers best use their preparation time before school opens. Suggestions include making multiple student lists; designing classroom desk arrangements; reviewing cumulative records; adding desktop names and numbers; checking texts; posting correctable schedules; decorating only one bulletin board; creating box-trays for…

This article examines how classroom space is utilized and what this communicates about the teaching conducted there. (RC)

Presents a list of affordable decorating suggestions for elementary classrooms, including: a reading tepee where students can read quietly; bouquets of construction paper flowers with students' pictures in them; an art center that displays posters of paintings by famous artists; colorful curtains created with bulletin board paper; and a secret…

A floor plan accompanies each of six chronologically arranged schemes for housing educational programs. Scheme A represents the in-line corridor plan whose main characteristics are--(1) double loaded corridors with fixed bearing walls, (2) single window walls providing minimal light and ventilation, and (3) small classrooms with fixed desks and…

Author feels that our understanding of educational space has not developed simultaneously with new concepts of the learning process. We must begin to think of using space in terms of user needs rather than in terms of curriculum divisions. (Editor)

In multigrade instruction, children of at least a 2-year grade span and diverse ability levels are grouped in a single classroom and share experiences involving intellectual, academic, and social skills. "The Multigrade Classroom" is a seven-book series that provides an overview of current research on multigrade instruction, identifies key issues…