Classroom Furniture Planning Tips
Read these 7 Classroom Furniture Planning Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Office Furniture tips and hundreds of other topics.
Classroom Bookcases
One of the most important and often most difficult responsibilities of a teacher is to instill an interest in reading in students. With the advent of the Internet, cable television and high definition programming, getting a child to sit down and read a book is more challenging than it once was.
Since most students do research online and few even have library cards these days, it is important to place books at their fingertips. The more they have books around them the more likely they are to pick one up and start reading.
Try placing a bookcase in your classroom and fill it end to end with age-appropriate books for your students' age level. Sometimes the mere act of putting a bookcase in your classroom can get students interested in what it holds. When they see all the books you have brought in for them to choose from, they will be more inclined to dive into them.
Every school should make bookcases part of their classroom design. Use school furniture to turn the classroom into a makeshift library for them and encourage reading from the start. Bookcases come in a multitude of designs, from different heights and widths to colors and finishes that can match a classroom décor. They can help your room to stay organized and put the joy of reading at your students' fingertips.
Left-Handed & Right-Handed Specific
Statistics show that the majority of students you are likely to have in a school will be right-handed. But one thing that educators must be leaders in acknowledging is that you cannot overlook the minority.
Schools that choose to go with tablet arm chair desks need to recognize the different needs of their students. That is why it is important to have enough left-handed tablet arm chair school desks to accommodate that population of the student body.
Not having enough of these for the number of students that require them can have two specific negative impacts on students. First, the physical. A left-handed student who must sit in an uncomfortable posture to use a desk that is designed for someone who is right-handed can lead to discomfort and possible injury. Desks should ergonomically support those who use them.
The other concern is that a student might feel he or she is not cared about or treated fairly. They may feel that they are being unfairly left at the wayside because they are not part of the majority. This is more common in younger children, and can have a negative effect on their development.
So if your school uses tablet arm chair school desks, always make sure that there are enough left-handed ones available for the portion of the student body that needs them.
The Teacher's Desk
A teacher's desk is one of the most important parts school furniture. The desk has to be one that a teacher can correct papers and do other work at, organize supplies and much more.
Many teachers try to personalize their desks with pictures of their family or students, personal knick-knacks, etc. It is also a place where they can reward students by prominently displaying their work. As a teacher, you need plenty of space to be able to do work, organize multiple items related to the classroom, or sometimes just to sit and think for a minute.
Having a desk with enough drawers for storage and work space to stay organized is very important. The easier it is to keep a desk organized the easier it is to keep an entire classroom organized. Take a look at some of the offerings from BizChair.com and you can see the variety of options available.
Whether you want drawers that lock, enough top space for organizing trays where students can submit papers, or attached shelves for pictures, books and notebooks, pens and more, a teacher's desk can be personalized for just about anyone.
Activity Tables For The Classroom
For the younger grades, teachers try to encourage students to work well in groups. That is why you will find more and more classrooms with student desks grouped together instead of the old favorite of rows of single desks.
You might also want to try using activity desks instead of individual ones for your students. These tables can come in fun shapes that can compliment the décor of the classroom or topics related to the curriculum.
People often underestimate the impact that tables and seating arrangements in the classroom can have on the progress children make. Facilitating positive teamwork skills is very important in early education. Activity tables cab play a big role in that development.
They can be designed to accommodate a specific number of students, with room for books, notebooks, art supplies and more. So think about the physical space available in your classroom, the number of students in your classes, and what you will be teaching. Then you will have a better idea of size, shape and capacity desires for your tables.
Classroom Marker & Bulletin Boards
Kids can be forgetful at times, so they need a little nudge here and there. They need reminders about when homework is due, when the next test is scheduled, when a permission slip for the class field trip is due.
With some simple school furniture you can make this easier on everyone, yourself included. Try working into your classroom design marker boards or bulletin boards. Place them in a highly visible part of the classroom where you know each student will see them.
Use these boards to post special announcements, dates that your students should be aware of, reminders about tests and homework assignments, and anything else that you do not want them to forget. And with a teacher's schedule and workload, these boards can often help you to remember important items throughout the school year as well.
So try using marker boards, bulletin boards or a combination of both. With marker boards you can use dry-erase markers and do not have to deal with the chalk residue from blackboards and erasers. Bulletin boards made of cork can be used to post grades, feature a student's excellent quiz or homework grade, attach post-it notes for reminders and more. Both options are classroom resources that help the teacher and the students.
Classroom Cubbies
Younger children are still learning how to be organized and keep track of their school materials in lower grades. That can mean added work for the teachers trying to teach them organizational skills while maintaining an efficient classroom.
Cubbies are a great way of doing this. They are like little lockers for children that can be used to store any number of items. For example, they can be used as storage for lunch boxes or winter boots when it snows or rains.
Many teachers use cubbies to place a student's work so it is all in one place and can be taken home to their parents each weekend. Placing all their homework and class work in a folder inside the cubbies is a great way to keep track of everything and make sure it all gets back to their parents at the end of every week.
As children learn organizational skills through the use of this school furniture, they will be better prepared to be independent and keep their desks and lockers neat in the future. So try using cubbies like the ones at BizChair.com to keep your classroom organized and teach your students how to do the same.
Student Computer Desks
Computer training and education is rapidly becoming a part of school curriculums everywhere. From learning how to type properly to navigating the Internet for educational resources, computers are more a part of this generation than any other. As a result, schools are seeing an increasing demand for quality computer desks.
A student computer desk should accommodate both the student and the computer itself. Look for desks that have fixed or sliding shelves that place the keyboard at an ergonomic height and position for the students' easy use. This can help to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other physical ailments.
Another important part of a student computer desk is the space reserved for the computer itself. Rather than cramming the computer tower on top of the desk along with the monitor, look for desks that have storage shelves or cabinets for the tower underneath. With this option you never have to worry about a computer tower being knocked off the top of a desk and damaged. And make sure that whatever apparatus is used, the area is properly ventilated to avoid the computer overheating.
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| Mary White |
