The trend toward more collaborative learning environments is incorporating various concepts into school classrooms to facilitate greater creativity and flexibility. You may be exploring approaches including student seating with more mobility, portable storage and partitioning, relaxed and informal seating areas. The 21st-century classroom shows potential for educational benefits, but you want to pay careful attention to safety considerations and risk management before implementing these measures.
On one level, there are fundamental physical safety and cleanliness concerns. Assess furniture for stability, potential as trip and fall hazards, fire risk, and probability for misuse. The materials that classroom furniture is constructed of must be easily cleaned and resistant to pests. Upholstered seating creates significant challenges to routine cleaning and hygienic maintenance. Finally, the configuration of the room must never interfere with exits or prompt emergency evacuation.
Supervision is a significant risk management area for the 21st-century classroom. Separating the room into specialized areas can result in reduced visibility. This creates the potential for inappropriate interaction between adults and students or between students. The classroom should never be configured in a manner where a teacher cannot adequately supervise all students, even while working with a small group. Nor should it isolate a teacher and a student in a one-on-one situation.
Classroom management and increased preparation for teachers and staff are possible drawbacks of these alternatives. Some students can find this type of environment difficult to focus within, which can lead to behavioral issues and inconsistent learning outcomes. Any alternatives you put in place must comply with all individualized educational plans (IEPs) in place for any students. Your instructional staff may have to deal with added clean-up and set up and find there are more maintenance needs.
Advance planning is a vital element in making the 21st-century classroom a safe environment for students and staff. Planning needs to include furniture selection that accounts for student safety, function, and practicality. In addition, think about any new policies, rules, and boundaries that may be required, and provide all persons involved with the preparation.
You may want to make any transition to these novel concepts gradually to be sure that they work for your team and their pupils before making wholesale investments into them. Evaluate and ensure students and staff comply with safety protocols and security practices before moving to the next step.