Claims that almost none of the preschool design literature bridges the interest and technical concern of architects and education professionals. Offers design suggestions for classrooms, outdoor spaces, shared spaces, offices, teachers' space, and a place for parents. Discusses general design issues such as textures and colors, materials, security…

Examines four elementary school floorplans designed for efficient and flexible delivery of educational programs while limiting operational problems. Plans examined are the cluster approach, the corridor approach, the urban block school, and the courtyard/campus concept. (GR)

Discusses the importance of well-designed rooms with the proper acoustics to facilitate effective music instruction. Several considerations are examined when planning or renovating music areas so that the rooms meet instructional and learning needs. (GR)

Presents photographs and the floor plan of a prekindergarten through fifth-grade school building that is designed with teaching and support areas arranged around a large, triangular room that serves as an auditorium, cafeteria, and overflow teaching space. The school also includes a circular media center and rectangular gymnasium. (GR)

The New York City Department of Education has recently set forth new mandates for the redesign of classrooms. Teachers must be taught how to redesign their classrooms correctly so that all students will be provided with the necessary space to accommodate their environmental learning-style preferences. By altering the classroom, teachers give some…

In this article, the author emphasizes the importance of "working" walls in children's programs. Children's programs need "working" walls (and ceilings and floors) which can be put to use for communication, display, storage, and activity space. The furnishings also work, or don't work, for the program in another sense: in aggregate, they serve as…

Mobility and flexibility are the touchstones of 21st-century K-12 architecture, which sets aside conventional classroom design to create an environment that best integrates technology with learning. This article talks about San Jose State University's state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot Academic Success Center in California. At the heart of the…

This study found no evidence that seat location affects student achievement even in very large classes where students sitting in the back are a considerable distance from the instructor. Rather, the differences in performance observed were consistent with the idea that highly motivated students are more likely to sit in the front, resulting in an…

Describes how a teacher can, with a minimum of dollars and effort, learn to build almost anything they want for their classrooms with Tri-Wall cardboard. The article includes diagrams and tips for cardboard carpentry.

This article describes how a classroom can be arranged to encourage and channel a child's curiosity instead of discouraging it. (PB)

Contains a brief description of a teaching area set up in 1966; experiences at the time of the introduction of teaching aids with television broadcasts and, afterward, with self-made worksheets and filmstrips, among other things (several examples). (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Presents a method for school psychologists to work with teachers. A workshop approach which encompasses a theoretical frame of reference, experience with a classroom model, and concrete suggestions about classroom changes, is utilized. (Author)