How Does School Furniture Affect Learning?

The Importance of School Furniture

The importance of school furniture is undeniable. It plays a significant role in the effectiveness of student learning. How does school furniture affect learning? Well, the right school furniture contributes to the comfort, posture and support of students, all of which, contributes positively towards students’ ability to concentrate and work.

For schools, this opens up opportunities to improve student engagement by focusing on school furniture for students. High furniture, sit-stand furniture, and tilt tables have been recognised as complimentary learning equipment.

Importance of School Furniture: Increasing performance.

Classroom furniture is key to high performing students from a young age. UNESCO highlights this very fact in their report. It notes that with primary students, the emphasis should be put on lightweight chairs and desks. Lightweight school furniture allows for easy transition between small group activities.

Considering to update your school furniture is a big decision. Moreover, It requires you to have an understanding of the benefits that the proper furniture can bring. 

As discussed in a paper in the Journal of Learning Spaces, furniture in classrooms are not only an intricate part of the classroom environment but are a tool within classrooms as well. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how they can promote interaction in classrooms, as UNESCO stated, but also, how they can encourage a productive learning environment. Above all, school furniture can influence these factors by being flexible, mobile and adaptable to multiple situations.

By utilising the right furniture, you can increase student collaboration, focus, involvement, engagement, feedback, and stimulation. Ultimately, the right student chairs and tables can help teachers develop their students into proactive learners.

Here’s a list of essential things to consider while upgrading your school furniture.

Comfort:

When it comes to comfort, you may be wondering, “Why are school chairs so uncomfortable?”

With two dozen body types and ages in one room, choosing just one type of chair or student table can be a challenge. It was concluded in a study named, The importance of ergonomics in schools, that correctly designed classroom furniture is an essential factor in the normal development of all student abilities. The findings of this study showed that a large majority of students using incorrectly sized furniture had higher levels of back pain. Moreover, the back pain directly affected their abilities in the classroom.

Adjustable school furniture gives classes the flexibility to change their furniture to meet the needs of students. Additionally, adjustable furniture will allow schools to purchase one set of furniture for all sizes of students, thus saving money in the long run.

Flexibility:

Classrooms are becoming more dynamic and engaging. The furniture should match the adapting learning styles. Edtech Magazine highlights the importance of adapting to learning techniques. Whereas, it notes that teachers are finding that creating a more free-flowing classroom will allow students to use their spaces in a way that suits them. Moreover, teachers stated that this was a crucial factor in meeting the demands of evolving teaching methods.

Flexible classroom furniture will ensure classrooms are adaptable. Moreover, students from all levels will be able to utilise one room. The key to flexible classroom furniture is lightweight, adjustable, and collapsable.

Support & Function:

Every learning environment, whether it’s a school, university or office, requires an ergonomic touch. This means making sure the environment supports learning by keeping students focused and comfortable. For example, flexible ergonomic chairs will support the body’s natural movement and varying postures. When choosing new school furniture, keep ergonomic principles in mind. 

The Next Education Manager at Kinnarps highlights the importance of ergonomic school furniture. They state that 40 per cent of students don’t feel comfortable sitting on their chairs. Even though they don’t feel comfortable, 50 per cent of them think the physical environment is critical to how they feel during school. Above all, this shows how essential good school furniture is in supporting students to feel comfortable at school.

In addition to ergonomic chairs, it’s crucial to consider the curriculum and make sure the seating reflects its requirements. If it’s an active learning environment, you’ll need portable chairs that can quickly and easily be moved and arranged.

Concluding Thoughts

Students sit in all types of positions. Upright, tilted, head down, slouch; the list goes on. If there were a medal for the number of creative ways to sit in a chair, students would win it, hands down.

The reason children move around so much is that school chairs are so uncomfortable.

The responsibility to encourage student learning falls into the hands of administrators and teachers. Moreover, it requires a great deal of feedback from everyone involved and proper research on products. 

By giving thought to school furniture and investing in customised solutions, you can change your learning environment. Every student learns differently. With a collective of personalities, ages and learning traits, it’s essential to consider a range of school furniture equipment. Therefore, we recommend tailoring your classrooms to suit your needs.

Interia works to provide the know-how to implement the right methods to be successful. We have a wide range of school furniture that can meet every need you may have. Additionally, we have a knowledgeable team that can help you make the hard decisions to be successful while getting new furniture.

The right school furniture can help your students learn better. By investing in high-quality, flexible furniture, you will know you are making a good investment for the future. 

Above all, learning can be fun and easy, with the right school furniture!