Designing the classroom around the curriculum. A fundamental shift in orientation makes the 21st Century Classroom different from all that have come before it. The shift comes from the widespread anything from a report, a poster adoption of Collaborative Learning or a video. These projects give the present and defend ideas, students an opportunity to develop which increases the student’s Century must support it because the widest range of learning skills. it will be the dominant model of education for the foreseeable future. Collaborative Learning is different than traditional methods in two...

A shift in classroom and furniture design philosophy. Not only is the 21st Century Classroom designed around the curriculum, the curriculum is designed around the student. In today’s successfully designed classroom, everything starts with the student. Adaptable to varying group sizes. Students work alone, in pairs or in small groups throughout the day. So desks need to be capable of forming compact pods and other groups. Research shows groups of four to five students work best. Growing class sizes is necessitating groups of five or six. Even advanced desks don’t move themselves. Consider management...

Here, the term Commons means shared, not ordinary. This informal, energizing space is for sharing. Here, independent study, research and collaboration share space. The Commons is designed to invite • Connected Area The Connected Area. This could students and encourage them to work • Collaborative Areas apply to the entire space, but should individually or together in gathering • Book/Media Storage and Display be addressed in the planning phase information, exploring ideas and expressing what they’ve learned through any number of media, whether it’s video, live presentation with visual aids, written...

Two-level workspaces in Social Learning Area. Varying the height of the workspaces is a subtle way of making a large open space seem more intimate. This helps students relax, let down their guard and collaborate more openly in small group work. Here, the Smith System Café Table and Flavors™ Fixed Height Stools create the upper-level workspaces. View pages 164-179 for more meeting tables. Relaxed seating contributes to collaboration. Don’t box in students or their thinking. The Learning Commons Overview. Another strategy for encouraging students to think more openly and share more freely is to...

STEM Environment THE COMMONS Challenging students to think big. Two fundamental steps in optimizing a STEM environment. First dedicate the appropriate space to the subject, then complement the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum with the right furniture. Creating a successful STEM means to the designer is, you can’t When choosing student desks or tables, environment requires thinking just fill the lab with tables, the beyond the subjects being taught, and classroom with desks and call it good. look for models capable of being thinking about how the subjects are Rather, the classroom...

The power of 3 in STEM environments. Think in terms of three rooms. One: the Classroom, primarily for math and engineering subjects. Two: the Lab, for science and technology. Three: the Commons, where students freely collaborate and learn from each other. It’s a 21st Century Classroom. Connectivity is mandatory. Because STEM classes make great use of technology, students need the ability to connect with data and other resources. Optimized STEM classrooms allow students to have power for their computers or tablet devices as well as WiFi. There’s still no shrink ray. It’s science, not science fiction,...

DESKS & TABLES SEATING Seating Intro Desks & Tables Intro Flavors™ Intro Interchange™ Intro Stack Chair Wing Desk Swoop Wing™ Desk Sled Base Seating Open Front Wing Desk Adjustable Chair & Stool Diamond Single-Student Desk Diamond Two-Student Desk Noodle Seating Diamond Open Front Desk Single-Student Desk Plato Intro Single- & Two-Student Open Front Desk Stack Chair Adjustable Chair & Stools Rectangle Activity Tables Science Tables Activity Tables Power Intuit Intro Stack Chair Adjustable Chair & Stool UXL™ Intro Diamond Desk Chat™ Intro Wing Desk Chat Chair & Scooter Open Front Desk Chat Tables...

Two-Student Desk Desk Accessories Flexline with Cascade Storage Flex™ Computer Stations Cascade Storage Intro Elemental™ Desk Cascade Storage Cases Cascade Storage Cabinets CASCADE Cascade™ Storage System Intro Planner™ Intro Cascade Storage Towers Huddle™ Desks Cascade Storage Wardrobe Single-Student Desk Cascade Storage Cubby Two-Student Desk Cascade Presentation Carts Three-Student Desk Cascade Totes Cascade™ Storage Accessories Trapezoid, Square, Round, Half Moon & Contour Activity Tables Planner Table Accessories Science Tables Cascade™ Teacher Desks Intro Cascade Teacher Desk Single Cabinets...

Seating Seating is unique as a fingerprint. Students sit in thousands of different positions; upright, slouched, twisted and tilted. They stretch out their legs, sit on them, cross them and bounce them. They will balance on their chair or teeter on the back, tempting gravity—and common sense. Which Ergonomics Matter Most? Here are some ways administrators can get the most ergonomic bang for their buck. Right Size • Properly sized classroom seating supports healthy posture and decreases fidgeting. • Students should be able to sit with their feet firmly planted on the floor and their backs against...

Intuit™ Seating Conceived to contain movement and direct attention straight ahead. It works like a bucket seat, providing back and shoulder support, while orienting the student toward the front. Plato™ Seating Allows more movement, so students can face front and both sides. This Euro-spec chair provides a wide seat pan, flex and pronounced lumbar support to encourage good posture and breathing. Flavors™ Seating Flavors™ Noodle Offers maximum movement and four seating positions. Its seat back flexes front to back and torsionally, allowing students to shift and move without chair resistance. This...