In CEP 811 this week, I explored the concept of experience design and how I can apply it to my own classroom. Tedde van Gelderen said in his TED Talk, Tedde van Gelderen on Experience Design (2010), that “experiences are triggered by what we see, what we hear, what we taste, and what we sense.” Therefore, the way I arrange my classroom will affect my students’ experiences.
Currently, my room is set up like this.
My desk is in the front, and my students sit in groups of four. On the bright side, table groupings like this promote Maker Culture, collaborating, and problem-solving. However, my students get tired of sitting in the same arrangement day after day. There are two large windows in my classroom, which provide great lighting, but when it is rainy or the sun is shining at a blinding angle, I have to turn on the bright overhead lighting. Students complain about the overhead lights frequently. The walls of my room are white, which can feel boring. There are no computers in the classroom other than my desktop computer. This ties me to my desk much more than I like, and if a student needs to look something up, it has to happen on my computer, which can be inconvenient.
This is what I wish my room looked like.
In this SketchUp model, I made quite a few changes to improve my students’ experiences. In a study published by Peter Barrett, Yufan Zhang, Joanne Moffat, and Khairy Kobbacy (2013), it was discovered that good quality natural light, purpose-built and moveable classroom furniture, the color of the floors and walls, and a quiet visual environment positively influence academic and behavior performance. The study says that younger students do better with cool bright colors, so I painted two of the walls light blue. I added a light blue rug to blend with the walls. I added lamps so that when the natural light is not good quality, I don’t need to turn on the obnoxious ceiling lights. I switched out the students’ stationary chairs for chairs with wheels so that students can move their chairs into other collaborative groupings with ease. I also added two fake trees to improve the visual environment.
The Third Teacher+ (2010) also gave me a few ideas to improve my classroom. They recommend “[changing] up the locations of regular activities so children can explore new surroundings with their bodies and their minds,” so I added a few new seating options: a rug with two beanbags, a high table with stools, and a kidney table. These seating arrangements would still allow for me to give my students personalized feedback; the kidney table will even improve my ability to do so! The Third Teacher+ also recommends allowing fidgeting and chairs that absorb movements. Between being able to turn, bend, and move, the chairs with the wheels are definitely an improvement. The Third Teacher+ acclaims bridging the digital divide. In my attempt to do this on a budget, I moved my desktop to the counter in my classroom for student use as needed, and replaced it with a laptop on my desk. The laptop will also allow me to be anywhere in the room, rather than being so tied to my desk, which in turn will make me less the center of attention and my classroom more student-centered.
What would it cost me/my school to redesign my room as I envision it? The paint cost was found on HomeDepot.com. All other prices were found on Amazon.com.
- Paint: $60
- Rug: $30
- Lamps: Free – I already got them from my parents’ basement
- Student chairs: $1600
- Fake trees: $10 (from Goodwill)
- Beanbags: $80
- High table with stools: Free – I already got them from my parents’ basement
- Kidney table: $300
- Laptop: $400
Total: $2,480
When would these changes happen? Gradually. I’m pretty sure my school wouldn’t invest this much money in my classroom all at once. The paint would have to get done during a summer, winter, or spring break, but any of the other changes could happen at any point during the school year.
References:
Amazon. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://www.amazon.com/
Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Moffat, J., & Kobbacy, K. (2013). A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on on pupils’ learning. Building and Environment, 59, 678-689. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.09.016
ChangSchool. (2010, February 9). Tedde van Gelderen on Experience Design [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB4VFKn7MA4
SketchUp. Retrieved on July 29, 2018 from https://www.sketchup.com/
The Home Depot. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://www.homedepot.com/
The Third Teacher. (2010). 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching Learning. Retrieved July 28, 2018, from https://talesofa6thgradeteacher.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/c5e5d-tttideasflashcards.pdf
Tales of a 6th Grade Teacher 