TL;DR: Choosing the right classroom seating requires balancing ergonomics, durability, cost, and grade-level appropriateness. This post walks through the key considerations schools should evaluate before making any seating purchase.
Desks and chairs are perhaps the most iconic symbols of the school classroom. Your students will spend countless hours this upcoming school year in classroom desks and chairs, and while these items of furniture may just seem like classroom accessories, they actually play an important role in education! In fact, the wrong chairs or desks can work to students' disadvantage, becoming uncomfortable, distracting, or outright dysfunctional.
As you look ahead to the next school year, think about how you could improve your classroom's seating for an optimized learning environment, and consider the following:
1.) Are chairs comfortable?
Comfort is one of the most important characteristics of a classroom chair. Students of all ages, whether in elementary school or high school, will be asked to sit attentively in chairs for a significant number of hours each day of the school year, which is why the quality of student chairs is so important. When chairs are stiff, poorly designed, or too large/small for the age group you teach, students will be challenged to focus on anything other than their discomfort, and you'll likely find that students in uncomfortable chairs are antsy and less participatory in your lesson. Such is why it's essential to look for ergonomic school chairs that are constructed for optimal comfort.2.) Are chairs durable?
Durability is a key classroom chair consideration for students, teachers, and the school administrators paying for classroom furniture. School chairs must to be able to withstand frequent use and the sometimes rough and tumble activity of the students who occupy them. Look for chairs that are built with sturdy materials, have strong leg support (such as those made of steel frames) and a resistant, hard plastic seating surface to ensure years of future use without marks or cracks. If classroom chairs will be used in more active environments, such as in a music or art classroom where chairs may be frequently rearranged, durability will be especially important.
3.) Are desks functional?
While functionality can be defined in various ways, in the classroom, a functional desk is one that gives students the right type of working space for the tasks at hand. Will students need storage space to keep frequently-used classroom materials? Will students need a wider surface to complete lessons that involve the construction and assembly of crafts? Does it make more sense to replace individual desks with two-student desks to promote teamwork? In short, desks should always cater to the specific lessons and activities that occur in your classroom.
