why these abstract desks will be more effective for learning:

In my last blog post “what does your classroom FEEL like?” I indicated the importance of a classroom’s design. Some of us already have images in our minds of what a classroom “should” look like. The purpose here is to push this idea and the boundaries of traditional classroom settings, and actually design our own. 

My intentions were focused on the tables, ideally a large circular table. This idea was to have everyone facing each other, with no separation or isolation of desks. Unfortunately, our options were limited, so we settled on a large rectangular shape. As we started piecing together tables and chairs, we also had to keep in mind the social distancing of chairs. This led to more tables in a confined space and a lot of readjusting. Ultimately, we are left with a slightly more abstract arrangement:

You may notice that these tables are not placed in rows or scattered across the room. This is deliberately done to encourage discussions and engage/listen to those around us. Part of the design has to do with the type of classes and content that will be utilized in this space. In school, there are typically specific places designated to study, read, etc. Keeping in mind that this will probably be a space holding class discussions, we wanted swivel chairs to make it easy to look at who is talking. Oftentimes, the teacher is at the center or front of the room, but we want everyone to be off-center and engaged in a conversation/asking questions (this is because we found many mutual characteristics that make up a “good student” v.s a “good teacher”). As a student who will soon be using this room, I am excited to see how we will engage in this new setup - and how effective this design is.