You Call That a Group? Why Classroom Furniture Should Be Mobile
“Okay, class,” I say, “get into groups.”
A collective sigh, then shuffling and scraping of chairs. I survey the results.
“No, Jonah. You can’t sit in a corner and read. Move here. Lynsey, turn around. You guys, arrange yourselves so you can talk to each other.”
This is the drill every time I want my English Comp class to analyze a story or to discuss questions. Why is this so hard?
Simple. It’s bad design.
Designers, educators, and Herman Miller are known to encourage collaboration. In fact, Herman Miller is partnering with several institutions to try on some new approaches to learning spaces and to measure the result.
And yet, while we expound on the power of collective intelligence and the value of teamwork, most classrooms are still furnished with immobile, tank-like tables all lined up in rows. If the design of an environment signals how it should be used, most classrooms signal naptime.
I’m confident that students will, by and large, survive their educational gestation in these bland boxes and emerge when the real world prods them into out-of-the-box thinking, but in the meantime, it sure ought to be easier to create an environment conducive to teamwork in the classroom. Or at least to form a group.
I am doing research on K-12 learning environments, specifically on the link between pedagogical and physical settings in order to optimize educational outcomes. Organization of the classroom is central to my inquiry.
You mention of new approaches to learning spaces and your objective to measure the results. I would appreciate receiving information on cases that support the educational impact of Herman Miller furniture.
I would also be interested to talk with a contact person in your company regarding the subject. Thank you very much.