Does the Classroom Furniture Really Matter for Active Learning?
The positive changes in the process of learning over the last few years have thrown a tremendous opportunity for every student. Skill-based learning with a multi-sensorial and holistic approach to subject matter has become a strong part of the currently dominant model of education. This concept of Active Learning calls for active engagement in the learning process for both teachers and students, nurturing student personality development, problem-solving skills, community and team skills, among others. Active learning plays a role starting from preschool, and onwards through higher education, and further transcends as an integral part of work training and skill-based institutes.
While it is true that technology and digitalisation play a primary role in active learning due to the involvement of gadgets like learning tablets, laptops and display screens; an essential support system to this form of learning is well-designed furniture compatible to today’s needs. Traditional classroom furniture comprising neat rows of rectangular school desks is not enough to keep students engaged in class anymore. School furniture suppliers in India have been paying close attention to the need for supplying the right blend of design and comfort to the education industry.
The need for the dynamic classroom, to enable learning by the organising of group activities, discussion, analysis and research in studies has led to a demand for flexible classroom furniture from classroom table and classroom chair manufacturers in India. Various classes need students to rearrange furniture to suit specific subject requirements, based on a particular lesson or teacher’s methodology. Rearrangement of desks and chairs can be cumbersome for students, particularly if the furniture does not have features like mobility or flexibility with folding and movable parts. An instructor also needs to manage and store project materials, for which storage cabinets form an essential piece of furniture.
It is widely believed that appropriate school furniture settings have facilitated higher group and individual achievements. It has helped students to reach a higher level of independent thinking, due to the fact that learning has not become just a one-way street and the teacher’s role is also evolving to being an enabler, other than the traditional concept of the teacher. Designs in modern furniture allow students and teachers to engage better. It is thought that contemporary and dynamic classroom interiors have enabled teachers to effectively instruct their students in active learning, with enthusiasm, as well as well-paced momentum.