The goal of the classroom change was not only to change the physical space, but also to shape and change learning in the space. The students reported the new classroom has a positive impact on student engagement factors such as involvement in class activity, focus, willingness to attend class and receiving feedback from peers and the teacher.
Increasing engagement in classroom activities was one of my primary goals in advocating and implement a collaborative classroom design. Students often balked at group work, changing the desks around was cumbersome. There was a disconnect between engaging in collaborative work in a non-collaborative environment. Students were asked to assess the degree to which they were actively involved in classroom activities. 66% of students reported the new classroom increased their active involvement in class activities (Table 4). One student commented, “In the new classroom I found it a lot easier to stay engaged and involved in what we were learning.” Another student wrote, “I love the classroom design. It does make me want to be more active in class.”
The mobile/collaborative classroom design could of had two possible outcomes. One, the new environment with its colorful design, new grouped furniture setting would engage the senses and help students remain focused. Two, the new environment could act as a distraction. Table 5 shows 85% of students reporting an average to exceptional increase in attention. One student reflected, “I like that the atmosphere in the classroom is different from traditional setting. When you are in a traditional setting it is easy to lose focus because you are used to seeing the same things everyday.” Another student wrote, “ I enjoy the comfort it provides, it allows me to stay focused as well as work in groups and discuss class work with peers.”
A key factor of student engagement is for students to want to attend class (Table 6). The change in factor was remarkable. In the traditional classroom only 10% of students reported having an above average desire to attend class. In the new classroom 49% of students reported an above average desire to attend class. One student wrote, “ . . . I enjoyed coming to class everyday and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect.” Another student wrote, “ If every classroom was set up this way, it would be so much better and enjoyable and I’d like coming to class more often.” A third student wrote, “I like how there are different types of seating arrangements. It’s different and makes me excited to come to this class.” In a time when attendance is important to student achievement and meeting MSIP goals, creating a new classroom design can impact students’ interest in attending class.
A major draw to a collaborative classroom is increased accessibility to feedback from teachers and peers (Table 7). While in the traditional classroom, only 11% of students felt like there was above or exceptional amount of feedback from peers and or teacher, in the collaborative classroom 74% of the students found there was this degree of feedback. This was a dramatic change. In building capacity for PBL it is important to establish a norm and culture of peer/teacher feedback and the new learning environment is conducive to developing this expectation. Essential to student learning is feedback.
The new classroom creates a comfortable and relaxing learning environment. The students evaluate it in this way:
“The comfort and relaxed environment made the classroom a lot more enjoyable because it felt like a place just to learn and have fun in a relaxed environment without the stress that a traditional classroom brings.”
I like the feeling, when I walk in it doesn’t feel like a classroom. It feels like we are a club talking about government things, not in a classroom learning. It makes it a lot more fun. It’s a more inviting environment. Since it feels less like an actual classroom, I feel less like I’m in a class, which decreases a lot of stress that I had at the beginning of the semester.”
Students self reported higher levels of engagement, focus and involvement in class. The data is collected from 4 sections of senior level government. This is an End of Course (EOC) assessed class (Table8) . Meaning, this is the only social studies course that is used as measure of student progress for our AYP score and our school state accreditation. It is important to note that although students self reported the collaborative class design had a positive impact on their ability to learn, their EOC score the semester dropped slightly. The new class room was implemented during the Fall 2015 semester. The previous semester has a 73% proficiency rate, Fall 2015 had a 72% proficiency rate. Scores rebound quickly and exceeded those of the traditional classroom, peeking in the Spring of 2018 with a 90% proficiency rate,
The data demonstrates that students have noticed the increased interactions between myself and them. Table 9 shows 73% of students reporting an above average or exceptional perception of student interaction with small groups and/or individuals. The physical design of the space allowed me to reach every student easily and the new teaching approaches promoted more targeted discussions and interactions.