Classroom design can be a big factor in helping students focus on work. Here are a few general design ideas for creating a focused classroom, courtesy of Stacy Turke and Jodie Fowler, OT’s at Ingham Intermediate School District.
- Avoid art that dangles from the ceiling. This tends to linger in peripheral vision.
- Arrange a corner or two with reduced inputs, and call them “Calm Corners” or something similar.
- Provide a simple tent for a workspace, for one child at a time.
A simple tent, for use by one child at a time
- Offer choices of seating and workstations, such as raised desks, floor seating, and wiggle chairs.
A variety of seating for a 3rd grade class
- Stick to simple color schemes.
- Use pastels to create a calm feeling.
- Reduce use of fluorescent lighting.
- Try classical background music with a moderate tempo, played softly, such as Bach, Vivaldi, or Handel’s “Water Music”.
Find out more about keeping students focused at Stacy’s blog, https://gotoforot.com/tag/stacy-turke/.