How to Design a Classroom Floor Plan
Whether in the home or workplace, the arrangement of furniture has a direct affect on your mood and productivity. As an educator, you have control over the design of your students' primary learning space. Although your design plan may have limitations, you can make the most out of classroom resources through careful planning and deliberate design.
Instructions
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Measure your classroom and furniture. Measure from corner to corner, including the width and placement of doors and windows. Write down all of the dimensions (height, width, length) with notes about what each measurement refers to.
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Use the graph paper to draw your room from an overhead view. This is a two-dimensional sketch, only displaying the length and width of furniture. Draw to scale. If the room is 13 feet by 15 feet, use 13 square by 15 squares. Only include the walls, doors, windows and other immobile objects such as poles, dividers and mounted furniture. Add available power outlets and networking ports to your sketch.
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On a colored piece of graph paper, draw your furniture to scale, using the same scale you used to graph your room. Cut out the furniture. You should have one piece of paper that represents each desk, table, chair and storage unit. To help keep track of what everything is, label your cut-outs clearly.
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Using your flat drawing as a base, arrange your furniture in the room. Make sure there is an adequate amount of light over desks and the blackboard. Plan the placement of electronic appliances such as projectors, pencil sharpeners and computers near power outlets. Computer work stations may dictate the placement of other furniture, so put these down first. Set-ups that allow the instructor to interact with the students are helpful. Leave space between tables to discourage free-socializing. Consider your position in the room. Whether at the front or back of the room, make sure that you have a clear view of the classroom and hallway. Keep storage units away from heaters and student workspace. For young children, leaving a free space is a great way to encourage physical activities. Review your school safety plan to ensure your design meets all of the requirements.
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Edit the placement of furniture to accommodate for three dimensions. Your floor plan will not show problems with low shelving or high storage. If you have placed desks under shelving, be sure there is ample standing room. Make sure that your furniture placement is realistic; certain areas of the classroom will not be able to support shelves or wall-mounted equipment. Consult with your custodial staff for technical advice regarding your classroom design.
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Trace around your furniture when you have everything placed. This will incorporate your design onto the sketch of the room. Digitize the hard copy to make it easier to share with colleagues and supervisors and consult with them several times before making any changes to your room.
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Try different furniture arrangements and analyze the results. If things are not working out, make note of your original classroom set-up and design a new floor plan to correct the problems you encountered with the first arrangement.
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Tips & Warnings
Make several floor plans to share with colleagues. Consider their comments before deciding on a concrete design.
Save your cutouts and measurements for future floor planning.
Always follow school safety procedures and the instructions of your supervisor when re-arranging your room.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit compass on blueprint image by FrankU from Fotolia.com
