The classroom, is defined as a single room which is dedicated primarily to teaching or learning. The traditional classroom has one setup and that is straight rows of desks, with the furniture layout dictating a hierarchal vision of student vs teacher. However, a few simple changes or alternations to furniture can change the way students are taught/learn which positively increase participation and awareness. Focusing on Margaret Street as an example for classroom behaviour/studies, we can see the history of teaching Art related subjects has originated there for over 125 years, dating back to 1885. The classrooms have always served one purpose in it’s particular field of study, but each room has always been a blank canvas in which the students can perform multiple tasks and this way of working in an Art related field is vital, that the space doesn’t restrict the user to one particular task; compared to a Mathematics class, where the student are most likely to work out of books and the focus is on the teacher. Allowing students to take control over aspects, such as furniture layout and discussion increases stimulation and promotes learning; this is only achieved by taking the formality of the furniture layout, and allowing the creative expression of the students to own that space.
Questions however arise on how do students go about breaking the formality of the classroom to an extent, but they are still able to listen and learn in a positive manner. We cant forget that the teacher needs some kind of authority, during stages of his/her teaching, but the important thing is that the students turn the classroom into an environment which promotes positive learning.
DH
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