• Home
  • Login
  • Registration
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
ESLarticle.com
Tweet
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Members
  • Add Article

Top Categories

Teaching 509
Other 210
Classroom Management 138
Career Development 135
Learning Methodology 121
Study Skills 90
E-Learning/CALL 87
English Language Learning (ELL) 78
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) 77
Teaching Methodology 76
English Language Teaching (ELT) 73
English as a Second Language (ESL) 64
Teach in Shanghai
Home / Articles / Classroom Materials / View Article

Publishing

  • Articles
  • Add Article
  • Articles Archive
  • Latest Articles
  • Popular Articles

Latest Articles

Jan 5, 2019

Metacognition in Reading Competency

As related to the reading process, metacognition can be defined as contemplation concerning one's own thinking processes or knowledge of one's own...

Jan 5, 2019

Mass Media Literacy Reflections for Language Instructions

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself." Galileo Galilei Mass media forms thrive today. As development...

Nov 30, 2018

Ideas for the First Class with New Learners

~~The first class with new learners can be an anxious one for all concerned – teacher as well as learners. Below are some tips to make that first...

Nov 19, 2018

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners It is estimated that there are over a billion English speakers in the world, including native speakers,...

Nov 15, 2018

Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Hom

Education Today, December 2013 Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Home  Timothy G. Weih University of Northern...

Popular Articles

1131425 Views

5 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Classroom Bulletin Board This Winter

Back to school, fall leaves, Thanksgiving and Christmas all easily lend themselves to great decorating themes, but what to do when those are over...

370404 Views

Three Unique Ideas To Make Your Bulletin Board More Useful

Bulletin boards have long been existent in campuses. They have proven to be such versatile and useful aids in both the learning and teaching...

135693 Views

History of the Chalkboard

Walk into just about any classroom and you will find one: A dark green board on the wall, lined with pieces of chalk and felt erasers. Chalkboards,...

63212 Views

Report Card Comments

For a small minority, writing report cards isn't a big deal. But most teachers generally dread report card writing time. Completing the comment...

41591 Views

The Most Useful American Business Words

The Most Useful American Business Words: Here's a list that will come in handy for any student enrolled in an English as a Second Language (ESL)...


Improving Educational Outcomes Through Better Classroom Interior Desig

by Kathleen Karlsen

Sep 22, 2008 Classroom Materials 2879 Views

Educators are always looking for ways to increase educational outcomes for their students. One often-overlooked area that can assist in this quest is to consider the impact of interior design in classrooms. Children have heightened sensibilities and take in details that adults may miss. For examples, sharp angles are a source of tension and should be softened wherever possible for children’s environments. Curves are more relaxing for both furniture and the patterns in wall hangings, rugs and other décor.

Murals and artwork depicting nature work well for classrooms. However, many educators are unaware of the fact that these images have a greater positive effect when a distant perspective versus a close-up view is depicted. Another key is to place warm and cool colors next to each other to create a “shimmer” which relieves stress and eyestrain. This is one of the principles employed in Impressionistic art, the most popular style of fine art for well over a century.

Cartoons characters and distorted, humorous images in art have often been used for daycare and educational settings for young children. Researchers have found that oversized cartoons can actually be frightening to children. Artwork done by children, pleasant scenes of play or serene images of nature images are much more appropriate.

In addition, classrooms are often cluttered with a wide variety of images. This can be disorienting and distracting for children. Rather than covering the wall with all kinds of posters and other visual images, consider using different textures or colors on the walls themselves to increases a sense of spaciousness.

Likewise, instead of posting a list of rules or standards, older children may respond well if the values of the school or classroom are encapsulated and displayed in a symbolic way such as that exemplified by the heraldic banners, flags, shields and crests of the traditional trades and royal houses. Understanding the significance of the classroom’s flag or shield introduces the concept of symbolism. Learning that specific images can stand for intangibles can be a lesson in itself for the children.

Extensive research has been done on the topic of color in interior environments. For educational settings, the often-used primary colors of red and yellow can be overly stimulating. Red actually lengthens the perception of the passage of time, something that is probably not desirable in a classroom! Psychological studies of children and color (Alschuler and Hattwick) further indicate that yellow is associated with infantile traits and dependence on grown-ups. Also try to avoid avocado, yellow-green, purple and chartreuse as these colors and their after-images make people appear sickly.

Instead, try green and natural, earth colors to reduce muscular and nervous tension, support mental concentration and overcome glare. Cooler colors such as green and blue are appropriate for areas in which reflection, meditation or “passive” learning is to occur. Warmer colors such as peach, pink and light yellow are appropriate for areas in which active “kinesthetic” learning, recreation or artistic activities take place. Older children may prefer more sophisticated colors such as violet or sage. Areas with long, harsh winters can counter depression with spring colors (medium yellow, light pink, light blue and light green)

Finally, lighting considerations can be crucial in classroom interiors. Ideally, light levels should be varied cyclically (i.e. with the rhythms of the day) to relieve monotony, activate cortical responses and avoid emotional rejection of the environment. Moderate variations versus strong variations within a single field of view will provide the greatest level of comfort. This can be accomplished by placing lamps around the room that are on for part, but not all of the day.

By following the principles outlined above related to appropriate classrooms images, colors and lighting, not only can classroom learning outcomes improve, but teachers can expect to experience greater cooperation from more comfortable and happier students.

Article source: http://eslarticle.com/pub/classroom-materials/343-improving-educational-outcomes-through-better-classroom-interior-desig.html

  • General Information
Author Info

Author Name: Kathleen Karlsen

About Author: Kathleen Karlsen is a writer, artist, life coach and design consultant. Karlsen’s writing and art are featured online at www.livingartsconsulting.com, www.livingartsoriginals.com and www.uniquefineartgifts.com

Most Recent Articles

  • Jun 14, 2018 Using Pictures in the EFL Classroom – Some Activities by Kathleen Karlsen
  • May 15, 2018 Craft Activities for Young Learners - The rationale by Kathleen Karlsen
  • May 11, 2017 Using “ASEAN Now - Weekly Wrap” Video Clips in the ESL Classroom by Kathleen Karlsen
  • Apr 29, 2017 The 21st Century Classroom: Five Things You Need to Consider When Sett by Kathleen Karlsen
  • Feb 3, 2017 Project-Based Learning: A Newspaper Project for High School Students by Kathleen Karlsen

Actions

  • Print Page

Articles Archive

  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020

Random Articles

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (T

How to Get a Teaching Job

Let me set the scene for a moment… The interview committee at a well-respected, very competitive, high-paying school district has narrowed down...

English Language Teaching (ELT)

Preparing Your ESL/EFL/TEFL Teacher Resume

When a school searches for a new teacher for an open teaching position, they already have an image of the teacher they want. Every school has...

E-Learning/CALL

Computer Games Can Help You in School. No, Really!

Almost everyone says that computer games are bad for you. But some games you can have fun playing can also help you in school, and in life, if you...

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (T

Characteristics of Good English Instructors

Teachers are the key figures in the English learning process. Their influence is fundamental to their students’ progress or lack thereof. To...

Business English

Business English For Accounting- Learning Accounting And Financial Ter

We should start by asking what is English for finance? It is the learning of English specifically geared towards accounting, finance, auditing or...

About ESL Article

ESL Article is a private ESL/TEFL site designed and maintained by educators and educational administrators. It was launched in August 2008 with the aim of bringing ESL/TEFL students, parents, teachers and schools information and articles about the teaching profession and learning community.

Icon Group Member

ESL Article is a member of Icon Group Thailand (IGT), a group of ESL TEFL TESOL websites providing educational resources and information to teachers, schools and students around the world. The group was founded in 2003 and now includes 15+ websites covering educational information services, teaching resources and e-learning.

What is ESL?

English as a second language (ESL) is the use or study of English by speakers of different native languages. It is also known as English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), English as an additional language (EAL), and English as a foreign language (EFL).

  • Home
  • Registration
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Help
  • Partner
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
​

© 2021 ESLarticle.com.
Member of Icon Group Thailand - Educating the Future:
TESall All TESOL  Total ESL  ESL Job Feed
TEFL World  TEFL Jobs Overseas  Teach Overseas
Asia TEFL  ESL Powerpoint  Teacher Training