Learning Spaces

Learning is thinking so it should come as no surprise that most of the research that has been implemented in workplaces—regarding natural light, plants, visual clutter, views, etc.—has also been applied in classrooms.

Research has shown that nonverbal communication in classrooms is particularly important.  People need to feel that they belong to really thrive in a setting.  For example, studies have shown that women/girls are less likely to enrol in computer science and similar classes if the objects/posters/etc. in the classroom are linked to men/boys (science fiction posters vs. nature posters, for instance).

Teachers often spend a lot of time hanging things on classroom walls and research has shown that when papers with high grades are placed on those walls student effort and intentions to perform well will increase.  However, when there are so many items displayed that the space becomes visually complex, performance drops.  For students to learn best, they need to be in areas with moderate visual complexity and that are relatively relaxing, but not so calming that people fall asleep in them.

All educational activities are not the same, so schools developed after considering environmental psych research are likely to include multiple sorts of environments, just as activity-based workplaces do.  For example, sometimes while learning we need to be undisturbed as we process information received alone, other times we need to be with others and acquire information efficiently (in a more traditional sort of classroom in which all seats face a presenter), sometimes we need to talk with classmates directly to learn (in a ring of seats sort of arrangement), and occasionally, we need to get our hands dirty and make something to gain knowledge.  Open-plan classrooms and study spaces receive the same sorts of low grades that open-plan workplaces (i.e., those that are not activity-based) do from users—they degrade mental performance while increasing stress levels.

Although the research on the benefits of sit-stand desks for adults are somewhat mixed (they provide users with a sense of control over their environment and may have little effect on cognitive performance and some on health), sit-stand desks in classrooms for child and adolescents seem to boost learning by, for example, helping with attention and being engaged with lessons.

For more information on how research can be applied to create powerful learning environments, read these articles that we’ve written on the design of at-home schoolrooms, or this 2019 report by the World Bank:  https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/30920