A well-designed learning space should have a motivating effect on the students, teachers and community members who interact with it.
If we accept that space can be used to boost motivation then this surely needs to be an important consideration when we design and implement thoughtful changes to our learning environments.
When we make a change to a learning space, whether it be a large scale rebuild, or a simple addition of a new and flexible piece of furniture to an existing classroom, the impact of the changes must motivate and excite teachers and students.
Reacting to space simply because it looks good or seems modern and slick isn’t good enough. We need to make sure that our appreciation of learning environments are more than just a knee-jerk reaction to a novel or new furnishing.
An example of a motivating furnishing, that makes a lasting impact and has been shown to change the way that teachers and students learn together is the Adap-table.
The Adap-table excites and motivates those that use it by aiding student collaboration and making thinking immediately visible.
With permission, we are posting some recent feedback by an educator who utilized the Adap-table to help facilitate authentic 21st century learning. We see this as authentic evidence that progressive furnishings can augment progressive pedagogy in important ways.
The tables are amazing! The kids love them, other teachers love them, I love them!
When the kids saw them for the first time ever, I was nervous I had built them up too much and that they would be disappointed.
But, they were so surprised and said that it was the best gift ever.
Lessons have been so much more engaging and creative and group work has been more collaborative. I have been using them cross-curricularly, but am especially loving them as a part of math stations!
We tried presentation mode this week for the first time, and we look forward to doing it more often!”
