The Effects of Classroom Design on Executive Functioning

Many of us devote a lot of effort to planning the layout of our classrooms at the start of each school year, setting up attractive bulletin boards, and carefully positioning desks. But space is not decorated when it is designed. Instead, it ought to influence education and serve a purpose. The same classroom is frequently recreated by teachers repeatedly without considering whether the layout supports students’ learning. We think that when students understand the rationale behind the method, they are much more likely to absorb it. This year, we have made a conscious effort to create learning environments that allow students to acquire topic knowledge and executive functioning process abilities.

We can successfully execute tasks because of our executive functions, which are procedural skills. There will be many kids with various levels of executive functioning skills in any learning institution. Short-term memory, task beginning, organization, suppression, organizing and prioritizing, organizational skills, impulse stability, thought to be important, adaptability, and main objective persistence are some of these abilities.

The biological basis for the development of executive functions is experience. Like practicing phonetics, math knowledge, and reasoning skills, students should also exercise their executive functioning skills. Instructors consequently have a duty and, more importantly, a chance to develop these talents. One method to promote those skills is through the classroom’s layout.

DESIGN OF CLASSROOMS AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

1. Working memory: Cognitive ability is the capacity to retain information while carrying out a task. It’s been called a “sticky note” to aid students in finishing their assignments. Effective classroom design promotes working memory by restricting teacher language and spoken instructions. When a classroom’s layout instructs pupils what to do, working memory is freed to focus on learning content rather than the process. For the students, the design establishes routine and transparency. To help their daily activities, classroom teachers could develop visual aids to cut down on their directives. These graphics could be checklists, visual signals to aid classroom management, or anchor charts outlining the steps of everyday routines.
2. Task initiation: The capacity to begin a task on ones own is known as task initiation. Your classroom should be set up to guide students and assist them in prioritizing a routine’s steps.

For instance, if materials are easily identifiable and available, students can start working on their projects independently. The teaching materials mustn’t divert students. When insufficient materials are available, pupils find it difficult to determine what is important and may start to pay more attention to the resources than just the task at hand.

3. Inhibition: The ability to self-regulate one’s conduct is known as inhibition. Students won’t be as readily distracted and will be able to control their behavior better when the architecture is straightforward and straightforward. When used to embellish rather than organize information, color can be a useful tool, but it can also confuse children. When describing steps, for instance, alternating two colors can be helpful, yet, multicolored information can impede output.

Bottom Line

Design shouldn’t be static. You should be able to judge your classroom’s success based on your students’ work and output. In advance of the students’ arrival, teachers spend time setting up their classrooms, but frequently the layout that works in September does not function in January or May. It’s crucial to review your design decisions regularly. The design assessment may include a significant number of pupil perspectives. Learners can comprehend that architecture has a function when their opinion is considered, and the approach has become more open.