The classroom plan is considered the fundamental feature of an educational system. It is the core variable for several reasons. The optimum delivery of any course content and consequent absorption depends upon the manner in which the classroom props have been arranged.

From pre-nursery to post-graduate level, the comfort and convenience of pupils and instructors is critically impacted by the physical configuration of a classroom. The layouts also play a vital role in developing a bond of affinity between students and the learning environment. It is a common observation that they learn better in certain types of layouts than others. But it will be useful to review the various governing factors in order to understand the overall context of classroom arrangements.

An overwhelming majority of places where classrooms are organised happen to be rectilinear in format. The room sizes are smaller in schools operating out of small houses or medium-sized bungalows. This makes the task of organising furniture, storage and stacking shelves and other articles a challenging affair. Purpose-built schools have regular sizes for classrooms as the principle of uniformity is applied in allocating spaces there.

The usual layout in an ordinary school is arranging the tablet chairs or student benches in equally-spaced linear rows. The black (or white) board is fixed on the facing wall. This conventional layout works well for certain type of activities such as normal lessons and lectures. Such a layout is effective when the focus of discussion is towards the blackboard or at the delivery of course contents by the teacher standing in front.

The teacher and school management must monitor any disadvantage that may affect the participants in this situation. Glare from the windows or doors due to specific sun rays; light falling directly in the eyes of the teacher or students; negative echo or acoustic disorders that emerge from the ceiling fans or any surrounding noise; over-populated classrooms and inadequate personal space for each student or teacher as well as insufficient circulation space for movement could be common handicaps faced in this and other types of layouts.

The layouts may be changed in distributed groups where the possibility exists in the form of adequate space and resources. Seating in clusters of five to six students around working tables is a useful option for kindergarten and junior classes. Such layouts help in building the concentration level of students and enable the teachers to effectively manage the activities and lessons.

Classroom layouts and sitting arrangements must have the flexibility to adjust according to activities. In the nursery and kindergarten sections of well-equipped schools the trained teaching staff retains the interest of restless little ones by making them participate through seating adjustments.

A seasoned kindergarten administrator informed that changing the classroom layout is one of the most exciting parts of the day’s activities for young students. “Even the most distracted and problem children follow the instructor’s precepts to morph the class from a linear seating into a play group type arrangement when the time comes,” informed the administrator.

The teachers often use innovative layouts as tools to make children distinguish between order and chaos, neatness and untidiness and comfort zones and uncomfortable postures. In the words of the acclaimed early childhood education expert, Dr Maria Montessori, “The learning environment must be rich in motives which lend interest to activity and invite the child to conduct his own experiences.”

An interactive layout can be truly instrumental in achieving this end. Adjustable layouts are very common in schools where an advanced format of activity-based learning is practiced. For example, the teachers organise story-telling activities, singing and musical stints, art and craft work, role playing and other creative initiatives as a regular feature of academic planners with varying combinations of seating and props.

“One reason that my child loves to attend school is the plurality of experience he receives during the school hours,” remarked the mother of a six-year-old, who attends a school in PECHS, Karachi.

The issues are different for the senior level. In secondary, higher secondary and university education, the classroom layouts are done in correspondence to the specific task. The lecture halls usually have a seating in the range of 100-150. In many cases, these lecture theatres have fixed seating. The problem that routinely surfaces is the ‘back bencher syndrome’ where pupils at the back tend to be more mischievous and a cause for distraction for their classmates. Effective eye contact by the lecturer, audible sound levels and aisles for appropriate movement can help in controlling the classes here.

In situations of flexible furniture, the teachers can modify the classroom layouts according to the needs of the assignments. Conference-styled seating is useful to stage discussions. A U-shaped seating arrangement fosters parallel sharing of views and opinions around common discussions. Similarly, the use of a rostrum can be a crucial prop to instill confidence in pupils practicing public speaking. Some rather radical teachers enact ancient learning formats by resorting to natural settings. Organising learning sessions under the shade of a tree enables the students to appreciate the art of prop-less learning discourses like in the medieval past. A combination of natural and built spaces as learning conduits can leave everlasting impressions on young minds.

School managers and teachers must be trained in managing classrooms and altering arrangements according to the nature of learning activities. They should also be trained to manage the space limitations or scarcity of resources. Many capacity-building organisations can be contacted in dealing with constraints and issues in classroom arrangements. The Citizens Foundation (TCF), Educational Resource Development Centre (ERDC), Teachers Resource Centre (TRC), Modern Montessori Training (MMT) and many others are a few examples. Some of these organisations can help in organising visits to institutions where examples worthy of emulating can be observed and learned from.

Schools will do well to undertake an appraisal of their spatial status and outline the possibilities of improvement. Professional help could be sought after an effective diagnosis. Exclusive help in countering the space layout problems of schools operating in small-sized or non-purpose built accommodation, schools of architecture and Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) can be invited for useful assistance by the concerned administrators for this.

The writer is professor and chairman, Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University, Karachi.