THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM DESIGN ON STUDENT PRODUCTIVITY

Student productivity had always been important for schools. Classroom design came in only recently. The correlation was drawn in a recent study by the University of Salford which showed that classroom design has the potential of increasing and diminishing student productivity by almost 25%. The best top school in haryana were already focusing on classroom design before this proof came out as every structure is now known to impact students’ learning and concentration. As evident, the endless array of wooden benches with the teacher sitting behind a huge desk do not work. Modern classrooms look to remove distractions, increase collaboration and take care of overall student health as well.

The impact of classroom design on learning

The traditional classroom design limited the teacher’s movement. That gave rise to the concept of backbenchers where the thought was that studious students occupied the front rows where the teacher could see them and the uninterested students sat on the last rows where the teacher’s attention cannot reach. It is not that the teacher was unwilling to teach the last-row students but the classroom design limited the teacher’s scope to equally educate everyone.

Next, forward-thinking schools also noticed that shabby classrooms diminished the students’ motivation. If this was a space where the student spent most of his/her day in a week, it had to be warm and welcoming. Learning is hard work. Students have to exert effort to pay attention. A shabby design naturally makes it even more difficult to pull up positivity and motivation to pay attention and students become prone to missing classes.

Research has also shown that discomfort can hamper productivity. Wooden benches with no backrest can soon develop muscle pains as students are required to sit for long hours in that particular spot. Too crowded a classroom deteriorates air quality and lack of sunlight leads to bacterial growth. Here again, improper classroom design makes students sick. And if they are falling ill frequently, education does take a backseat.

Lastly, when the top 10 schools in haryana are trying to include modern learning techniques like collaborative study and personalised learning, the classroom design cannot stay as it once was. Students cannot work in groups effectively if the space for movement is limited. Teachers cannot pay attention to every student if he/she is restricted to the podium. Plus, classrooms need to make space for models and smartboards where students can, at times, take the lead in teaching with the design encouraging interaction.

Take any one of these factors out and it is clear how student productivity suffers in poorly designed classes. In an era where students are required to learn and know more than their previous generations, it is only through higher productivity can they find success. The educational philosophies and curriculums can take care of the soft side of learning but if they are not complemented by the proper infrastructure, the whole structure remains weak and baseless.

Small aspects can make massive changes

The top ranked cbse board school in Sonipat naturally design their classrooms to maintain student productivity at optimal levels. And an inspection will tell you that these schools do not go overboard and overdo things. The simple nuances are enough to elevate student learning. The vitals create the base while the finer details come in next.

The right classroom typically looks like the following:

• High ceilings to allow proper circulation of air.
• Windows of adequate size to allow natural light to flood the classroom.
• Acoustic design to keep away unwanted noise where no two classrooms share the same wall.
• Moveable desks for students to facilitate collaborative learning.
• Ample space for the teacher to move around combined with small class sizes.
• Positive classroom colour and furniture installation.
• Clipboards on walls to display students’ works.
• A mini-library in the corner to make the ambiance educational

Surely, the design varies with the grade of the students. Many schools prefer to add or eliminate a few of these mentioned attributes. The main motive should be to make the classroom as inviting as possible whilst maintaining a benchmark of academic productivity.

The Swarnprastha Public School had classroom design in mind right from the time of lying its cornerstone. The institute was progressive enough to understand that no educational philosophy will work if the ambiance was not right. SPS teaches its students in a motivating ambiance and continuously monitors productivity to adapt in real-time. Classroom configuration is certainly not an element that can be kept as an afterthought. Even the best of teachers lose their touch if the infrastructure is improper. Students deserve productive education. Their performance cannot be diminished by external factors. Classrooms are the ultimate spaces of learning and their design cannot see any compromise.