The Best Classroom Layouts for Learning in Schools by UK Educational Furniture, 18/01/16

Want to create the best learning environment for your students? Different classroom layouts and seating arrangements play an important role. Read more.

You may not think so, but the layout of a classroom can have a significant impact on the way students learn and interact, both with each other and with teachers. Perhaps you never really gave it much thought when you were a student, but the design of the classroom, specifically the layout of the school tables and desks, is an essential factor in the learning experience.

Researchers from the University of Salford carried out a study into the arrangement and design of various classrooms to find out how they can affect learning both positively and negatively. They researched 34 classrooms across seven schools and found that environmental factors, including the layout of a room, had a significant effect on students. In fact, the study suggests that classroom design can impact learning by 25%!

Here are a number of ways that learning and even student behaviour can be improved through the layout and design of the classroom.

Use the U-Shape

Room Configuration

The way that a classroom is configured can have a huge impact on productivity and engagement levels. If you have the option to mix things up and try various configurations, you may find that different layouts work for different activities and different groups of students. 

U-Shape or Horseshoe

Many teachers use the U-shape classroom, which is a classic classroom design to encourage greater participation. The semi-circle allows for more discussion and greater collaboration between students, so where discussion is the focus of the class, this can work well.

Arrange into Groups

Sitting students in groups can have many benefits. It can be good for both speaking and listening activities, and the students are in a better position to work together and learn from each other. Groups of six are especially good because you can split them into groups of either two or three without moving anyone around. This arrangement is most often seen in settings with younger children or classes that require students to be more ‘hands-on’.

Rows of Individual Desks

The traditional layout of rows in a classroom is most useful when the teacher is demonstrating something that all students need to be able to see equally, or when students are required to work individually, particularly under exam conditions. Having all students facing forward means that attention is always on the front of the room and social interaction is limited. If you are trying to encourage social learning in this layout, putting students in pairs can work well. 

Sit Girls with Boys

Ofsted has stated that boys and girls should sit next to each other to improve concentration. It claims that sitting boys with girls of a lower age group is even better, and the same is true the other way around, so this is worth trying out. Seating boys and girls together can also help to promote gender equality in the classroom. 

Provide Space to Move

Being too cramped inside the classroom can have a negative impact on the learning experience. Freedom to move around the desks is positive for the teacher, who can get to every desk easily to address the concerns of individual students and engage with students as they work. It can also help with concentration for the students, whilst giving them room to move or release any restlessness.

You should consider the space you have available to you before planning the layout of your classroom, for example, it may be difficult to sit students on group tables in a smaller room whilst still providing space for moving around. 

Other Factors that Influence Learning

As well as the layout, there are other factors to keep in mind that also play an important part in how well your students can learn in the classroom. 

Suitable Furniture

Students cannot concentrate properly when they are forced to learn in discomfort, and you may even find that they fidget and cause disruption among their peers. This is why it is important to choose comfortable school chairs that will increase productivity and motivation, stimulate creativity and ultimately, provide a safe seated space. 

Natural Light

Whilst this can be difficult to influence, natural light in the classroom is very important. The University of Salford study found that students benefit when there is more natural light in a classroom, and this makes perfect sense because a classroom that is too dark can affect concentration. Try not to attach posters or display work to windows and ensure that shutters or blinds are open as much as possible. 

Be Creative with Your Classroom Layout

All of these ideas can help you encourage students to get more out of the learning experience and interact with each other when it is suitable to do so. The best thing that you can do is to be flexible. Different layouts can work for different types of activities, so always consider your options for each activity and help your students maximise their potential during your classes. You may even find flexible furniture helpful with products including folding tables that are easy to move and reposition and are a cost effective way of maximising space.

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