Rethinking Classroom Design: Create Student-Centered Learning Spaces for 6-12th Graders

Have you ever entered a building or room for the first time and felt enhanced--felt your body relax and spirit elevate? The effect of human-made environments on learners’ brains is not subjective. According to research studies, we all have measurable responses to the design of a space. However, despite the many resources discussing how to decorate and design elementary school classrooms, few resources on middle and secondary level classroom design are available. This book fills that gap. Moreover, the purpose of this guide is to enhance learning spaces, boost student performances, and positively extend teachers’ influence. Every instance where you make well-considered decisions about your classroom helps students lead self-actualized lives. This book will help you make those decisions by providing information about everything from students’ favorite seating arrangements to what temperature is ideal for learning. And learners will feel that effort every time they step foot in your room.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Terry Heick Acknowledgments Chapter 1: The Classroom Design Process Chapter 2: The Basic Parts of a Room Chapter 3: The Second Teacher: Bulletin Boards Chapter 4: Student Seating Configurations Chapter 5: Extending the Classroom: Blended Learning Chapter 6: Classroom Design with Classroom Management in Mind Chapter 7: The Teacher’s Desk: Conquering Clutter Chapter 8: Student Work: The Input-Output System Chapter 9: Concluding Thoughts Index About the Authors

About the Author :
Todd Finley, PhD, is an associate professor of English Education at East Carolina University and an Edutopia assistant editor and blogger. His professional blog is Seven Degrees of Education. Blake Wiggs is an educator and instructional coach at North Carolina New Schools and designs professional learning experiences for schools and districts.

Review :
By reading a book about classroom design—this book about classroom design—you have a chance to organize your teaching in a way that supports all of the other professional development and reading and twittering and reflection you do. Improving the quality of classroom environments supports improvements in the quality of instruction. Finley and Wiggs give teachers and principals practical strategies for creating the classrooms we need today. The physical layout of the classroom has a significant impact on teaching and learning; nevertheless, this essential component of instruction is often overlooked. This book provides teachers and administrators with the fundamental tools to immediately change the learning paradigm for all students. This is now my go-to guide for classroom design and organization. Thank you, Finley and Wiggs, for providing an accessible research-based tool that empowers educators to rethink student learning environments.