Park students return for the new 2023-2024 school year and many classrooms have been redone. Standard desks have been replaced with new furniture, including couches, hightops and spinning chairs in the C3 and B3 hallways. Many have been debating this topic and question if the configuration of the new classroom is actually helping students learn, or if the aesthetically pleasing furniture is, in reality, a distraction. In my opinion, I think that the new and improved classroom furniture is positively affecting the learning environment of students at Park. 

The new furniture has many benefits to students and their learning. Unlike desks, which are very hard to configure in a classroom, the up-to-date furniture is designed for group collaborations, to make it a student centered area. The new furniture encourages group work, something vital in classrooms in order to get different perspectives and ideas. It is healthy and necessary for students to be interactive with their peers at school, and these changes at Park are making that happen. Instead of rows of desks all facing the front of the class, the new furniture encourages students to engage. It creates an active learning environment that encourages more discussions, creativity, and participation in school. The easily moveable furniture allows students to work in an area that they prefer and feel more comfortable in, simultaneously allowing the teacher to effortlessly shift the space to meet the needs of themselves and their students.

Each student at Park has a different set of needs in order to be in their best work environment. Some students may like to be in the back of the classroom – the high top tables make it easier for these students to see and engage from the back of the classroom. Students attending Park who have learning conflicts and struggle with sitting still in a regular chair in class can also benefit from this new environment. Furniture like spinning chairs can help these students improve their focus and learning.   

The new furniture, especially the couches with soft seating, provide many students with comfort as opposed to the hard seating and uncomfortable chairs/desks which make many students restless. Research shows that comfortable environments support the attention span of kids at school. How are students expected to learn in an uncomfortable and inflexible environment? When someone is uncomfortable they are distracted, and this has a negative impact on their learning ability. A comfortable area also improves a student’s mood. The comfortability allows them to focus instead of being anxious about the stressful furniture. The comfort also lets students open up more and feel more relaxed around their peers while actively learning. 

Some students don’t prefer the new furniture in classrooms. They feel it can be distracting at some points and not fit for a learning environment. Some students don’t like the fact that you can’t crack your back on the new furniture as you could with the desks. Some of the furniture seemingly could also make students tired and not attentive in class, especially in the early mornings. Although all these complaints can be true, ultimately I believe the new furniture is providing a more enjoyable, relaxed and attentive learning environment for most of the students’ at Park. 

More and more, it is no longer becoming an option for students to sit uncomfortably at a desk as they listen to the teacher lecture for the 50 minute period. The old configuration of classrooms does not meet students’ needs to keep them engaged in classrooms. Park has taken a step in the right direction by implementing the new furniture into classrooms and I believe they should make an effort to create all classrooms this way.