Mobile Furniture Makes for Engaged Minds

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

  • Delta State University Completes Renovations to School of Nursing Facilities

    Delta State University recently completed a major expansion and renovation project for the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing facilities on its campus in Cleveland, Miss., according to a news release. The project includes about 14,000 square feet of new construction and more than 21,000 square feet of renovation work to the existing space.

  • Designing School Spaces for A++ Performance

    In recent years, the educational world has gained greater appreciation for the ways a space’s aesthetics, just like its acoustics, can positively impact educational outcomes. Consequently, engineering, designing, and constructing a school environment demands acoustics to be equally an art and a science, requiring architects and designers to see with their ears, while acousticians must hear with their eyes.

  • University of Kentucky Sees Positive Results from Energy Efficiency Program

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced the results of its Energy Program in Facilities Management, put into place eight years ago, according to a news release. Between the fiscal years of 2017 and 2025, the university’s campus grew by 13.6% while the energy use per square foot dropped by 19.2%.

  • School Construction Projects Boom as Education Systems Address Aging Facilities and Growth

    Construction opportunities are almost always abundant, but currently there are more than usual construction projects being launched for public school campuses. Common objectives include major renovation or expansion of aging facilities, total replacement of inefficient classrooms, upgrades to lighting, technology, and security equipment, and adding new sports and cultural facilities.

Digital Edition