Next year, I will be moving into a new classroom at a new school. To start this journey, I plan to spend the summer preparing, researching, and developing my skills. As a part of this preparation I am considering the impact of classroom design. I want to explore how to design, arrange, and decorate the classroom space to maximise efficiency, creativity, focus, and support.
While it's challenging without knowing the exact design, layout, or resources available, I aim here to create general guidance and insights that will be useful for a wide range of teachers.
[The impact of classroom design on pupils' learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132315000700]
Decorating an art classroom can greatly enhance the learning environment, foster creativity, and create an inspiring space for students. Here are some key things to keep in mind:
Functionality and Layout
Workstations:
Ensure there are enough workspaces for students. This may include larger tables for group projects and smaller individual workspaces.
Storage:
Have ample storage for art supplies, tools, and student projects. Shelves, cabinets, and storage bins can help keep the room organised. Classroom organisation will help students retrieve materials and tidy away swiftly.
Accessibility:
Make sure materials and tools are easily accessible to students, but also consider safety and keep hazardous items out of reach. Lockable storage units for chemicals and knives for example. Make sure that students that experience disabilities are just as able to access materials and teaching just like everyone else. If you have a student come in on crutches, for example, make sure you do your demonstration around their table to avoid unnecessary movement.
Movement flow:
Arrange furniture to allow easy movement around the room, especially during collaborative projects and clean-up times. I will try and consider the room as a heat-map of activity, minimising the travel-distances for students and standard supplies that will be needed more frequently.
Inspiration and Visual Appeal
Student Artwork:
Display current and past student work to celebrate their achievements and inspire others. The whole room does not need to be covered in student art and there is research that I will discuss further below that will explore how much is optimal.
Art Posters:
A thematic element that can be a part of the permanent display, this will set the room from the first lesson as a place of Art and study. Use posters of famous artworks, artists, and art movements to provide visual interest and educational content. Students will feel your subject knowledge and enthusiasm through the posters if they are meaningful to you and you have chosen them personally.
These can also be a tool for learning that you utilise in the lesson.
[I have yet to source a website to browse through art-education related posters and I am thinking about designing my own. let me know if this is something you'd be interested in seeing, or if you know any websites that offer this!]
Colour Scheme:
Choose a colour scheme that is both stimulating and calming. Bright colours can energise, while neutral tones can provide a soothing backdrop for creativity. Later in this article I will break down research on this matter and explain why I will opt for a neutral colour scheme in my classroom.
Don't be afraid to ask to paint the walls! taking ownership of the space is so essential as a teacher, and if you can back up your decisions with educational research articles, then the school may even pay for the paint.
Educational tools
Reference Materials:
Have a library section with art books, magazines, and digital resources. A website/ poster for key materials can be an effective way to streamline computer usage.
Interactive elements:
Whiteboards, chalkboards, mirrors or bulletin boards create dynamic teaching environments. In my classroom I will install 30x mirrors I bought for a lesson on drawing the iris. They are very cheap on amazon and come with suction cups which can be attached easily to the windows/mirrors.
Technology
Digital Displays:
If possible, include a projector or a smart board for showing digital art, tutorials, and presentations. This can be a great way to show off students work as it is much easier to change the displayed works. If you find that your students always want to keep/take home their best work, then making prints or using a digital display can help to keep the classroom filled with its best work.
Also, some classes can get very dysregulated when gathering for a demonstration. In this case, monitors can be a great way to keep students in their carefully composed seating plans while you demonstrate how to complete the task with a desk camera.
Tech stations:
Create a designated area for computers or tablets used for digital art projects. More-so, consider what dangers could arise in the classroom and having a routine for using technology that accounts for this.
Comfort and Ergonomics
Seating:
Ensure chairs are comfortable and suitable for long periods of sitting. Consider your own chair, are there any support cushions that would help support your health and posture.
Expressive tools: When dictating to a class I have found, by accident even, that holding a large stick or long instrument (anything from a broomstick to a paintbrush) gives me a great boost in confidence and helps to express my actions during teaching, demonstrations and questions.
Lighting:
Make sure the room is well-lit with both natural and artificial light. Adjustable lighting can help with different art tasks.
Climate Control:
Ensure the room is well-ventilated and at a comfortable temperature. Specialised storage for some art materials and tools may benefit the department as they can be sensitive to extreme conditions.
Safety & Wellbeing
Safety Equipment:
Have safety gear such as goggles, aprons, and gloves available for students.
Clear Guidelines:
Post clear guidelines on safety protocols, especially when using tools and materials that could be hazardous.
Emergency Supplies:
Have a first aid kit easily accessible and know the location of the nearest fire extinguisher.
Personal Touches
Your Art:
Display some of your own artwork to connect with students and share your artistic journey.
This can also help you claim the space you work in and inspire students to listen to you.
Inspirational Quotes:
Use quotes from famous artists or about creativity to motivate and inspire students. You can see my previous post on defining art for some ideas!
Inclusivity and Diversity
Cultural Representation:
Include artworks and materials that represent diverse cultures and perspectives. This can make every child in your classroom feel welcome!
Accessibility:
Ensure the classroom is accessible to all students, including those with disabilities.
Collaborative Spaces
Group Areas:
Designate areas for group projects and collaborative work to encourage teamwork and peer learning.
Critique Corner:
Create a space for students to display their work for class critiques and discussions.
Organisation Systems
Labelling:
Clearly label storage areas, resources, individual student work and materials to help students find and return items & work easily.
Classroom Rules:
Display classroom rules and expectations prominently to maintain a respectful and productive environment.
Personally, I don't like to display rules, but instead present values so students are reminded that they are welcome and invited to be a part of the classroom.
Art Resources
Essentials:
Resources in the art classroom will be largely department specific, however it can be very useful to have a repository of essential items. These can include: Pencils, Erasers, Sharpeners & Rulers
NOTE: One technique I have seen to be an effective way to share these resources with students is by having communal pots placed on each table before a lesson. Small (& shallow) glass jars can be used with a counted-out (& in again) number of resources such as sharpeners and erasers, or more activity specific items.
Resourceful Decorations
Here is a list of things that an art teacher can use to decorate their classroom, which can also serve as teaching tools:
Mirrors - In any interior, these will expand the perceptive space in the room. These can also be useful in drawing exercises and photography. however, these can also be distracting to some students during lesson time. one solution i have found is to angle them off of the walls towards the ceiling such that students cannot see their reflections unless standing before it.
Word-walls - Employing specialised language to do with art can be reinforced indirectly through word walls. I would argue that these walls are meaningless if these words aren't defined on the wall as well, so make sure that students can view the keywords and understand how to apply it just by looking at the wall and see how many use specialised terms in their written tasks.
Assessment criteria - A clear reminder to students of what they will be assessed on serves to ensure their work is consistent and that they understand how they will be graded.
Clock - Make keeping time in the classroom even easier with added clocks, these can help students feel on track too and help them manage their time efficiently in the classroom.
3D Art models - Figurative, posable or decorative, these can be used in demonstrations as physical teaching resources. (E.g. Asaro Head, posable mannequin, posable hand, skull/Skeleton?, busts, 3D geometric shapes)
Observational/found objects of visual interest - Classrooms with large supplies of interesting items can inspire students to be excited to work within the classroom/ excited to anticipate what they might be tasked to do in a future lesson. Chekov's classroom?
Colour Scheme
Most art teachers lean hard into the maximalist rainbow aesthetic...
However, in March 2022, psychology researchers found that “on-task behaviour was lower in classrooms containing greater quantities of visual noise and colour variability." *
As such I will consider taking an alternative approach, installing a softer, more neutral colour palette that promotes calmness over an enveloping volume of visual noise.
I hope that this will solidify my identity as different in the art department I will enter, elevate the perceptions of the wall-displays and define the space as a relaxed environment for focussed learning. I will consider making some of the following adjustments to create more calming conditions:
Shade windows for filtered natural light
Add task lighting in independent work areas
Use fluorescent light-diffusing covers to reduce eye strain
Open windows or use fans to circulate fresh air
Play gentle background music or white noise
Use soft, natural scents, or opt for an odour-free room instead of strong fragrances
Introduce soft furnishings to dampen excessive sound
The research quoted before further added that students focussed less in classrooms with relatively small amounts of displays too. Students need to feel that this is their space too and that their efforts are appreciated by the teacher, so I will aim to create an appropriate amount of spaces for displays in the classroom without overstimulating the students that will study within it.
I have known teachers who have despised their wall displays and those that regretted placing the first project on the wall for the whole academic year, and so I will stay vigilant tor create specific dynamic areas that are refreshed regularly.
Add LED lights to surfaces
This can make the classroom's lighting dynamic and engaging. This could be used to reward well-behaved students to define colour of the room, however its true value would be revealed as a tool used by teachers to give non-verbal cues:
A welcoming Sunrise orange at the start of the lesson can help to calm students
A light Sky Blue can help to focus students attention if you have something you'd like to address to the class.
A deeper and darker blue can set a relaxed but engaging environment for working in.
A Red warning can tell students that there is only five minutes of the lesson left.
To avoid the lights glaring in the face of students, avoid rapidly changing/multicolour options and point the lights onto a wall from a raised surface, such as behind a monitor. This can help the light become part of the ambiance rather than a beam that may distract students attention.
Periodically reassess how your colour choices impact your mood and well-being and adjust as needed.
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