Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Mobile Furniture Makes for Engaged Minds

  • 03/01/19
Ki

Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois was selected for KI’s Ruckus Grant Program to measure how furniture impacts student learning.

At Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois, collaborative learning is a pillar of the curriculum.

Teachers and students found that traditional classroom layouts obstructed their ability to integrate group work throughout the school day. “One [student] said they’d rather sit on the floor every day,” says Buffalo Grove teacher Maggie Sheehy. Students said it was a pain to move their chairs and belongings all the time, especially in smaller classrooms.

To address the problem, Buffalo Grove applied to become a test site for global furniture maker KI’s Ruckus Grant Program, a national project measuring how furniture impacts student learning.

One of nine schools selected for the program, Buffalo Grove partnered with KI’s education design experts to revamp its Education Pathway classroom, where students interested in teaching professions learn state-of-the-art pedagogies.

Following winter break, students found their traditional classroom had transformed into an open, flexible learning space with mobile chairs, stools, desks, and lounge furniture where students and teachers could seamlessly change how they sat, learned, and worked together.

The results were striking. After the classroom redesign, Buffalo Grove students reported a 55-percent increase in movement and a 39-percent increase in group work.

“The furniture allows for a lot more mobility and moving of tables into pods of two groups of three,” teacher Corinne Ginder says. “As soon as we got the new furniture, the number of students that I would’ve thought would sit next to each other formed different, collaborative groups.”

Students also reported a 23-percent increase in engagement and participation. Their enthusiasm was palpable.

www.ki.com

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management March 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.