Innovative classrooms are becoming more and more popular in schools, but what does this term really mean? Perhaps, it is easier to explain what an innovative classroom is not! If your image of a classroom is rows and rows of single desks all facing the same direction, with a teacher podium at the front of the room, you are not picturing an innovative classroom! The innovative classroom has no template to follow, it can be anything you like.

Innovative classrooms are becoming more and more popular in schools, but what does this term really mean? Perhaps, it is easier to explain what an innovative classroom is not! If your image of a classroom is rows and rows of single desks all facing the same direction, with a teacher podium at the front of the room, you are not picturing an innovative classroom! The innovative classroom has no template to follow, it can be anything you like.

For me, the first experience of an innovative classroom was walking into my practicum school, I was presented with a colourful room filled with clusters of tables: Some low to the ground with soft chairs, some tall, café style tables with high stools, some tables were more like a traditional 4 seaters and some allowed students to sit in pairs. Students were free to sit wherever they wanted, they could choose to sit in large groups or alone. Not only could they sit wherever they wanted, but it appeared they were also free to move and rearrange the furniture however they wanted. The next thing I noticed was that there was no teachers desk or obvious place in the room for the teacher to be based. Large whiteboards took up 3 walls and the 4^th wall was not a wall at all, but a row of foldaway dividers hanging from the ceiling that could be hidden away to allow two small classrooms to be transformed into one large room.

Had I seen this room in any other context I would have thought it looked exciting, vibrant and inviting. However, to my surprise, the first thought that popped into my head was “Oh no! How am I meant to get the students attention when they are all sitting in large groups facing each other?” I had images in my mind of student arguing over the “coolest” seats or bickering about who is going to sit with who. My initial instinct was to be nervous about how the set out of the room would hinder the effectiveness of my teaching. Would it be impossible to get everyone’s attention when no matter where I placed myself in the room, some of the students would have their backs to me?

As I began to observe my first class, I noticed that many of the issues I feared were unfounded. Students came into the room just like in any other, they took their seats and quickly reshuffled chairs to fit their needs. As the teacher based himself in front of one of the whiteboards and began addressing the class, the students simply swivelled in their chairs to face the direction he was addressing them from. The teacher walked about the classroom introducing different tasks as students swivelled and readjusted their position to keep their eyes on him, it felt almost like watching a strange, slow motion game of tennis.

I realised that this type of seating arrangement had some benefits. Students were unable to sit at the back of the class hoping to go unnoticed as the room had no front and no back. This encouraged the teacher to rotate around the room and spend time with all students, or place himself near some distracted students to help keep them on task without disrupting the rest of the class. As the lesson continued, I noticed that some students would take the initiative to move seats, maybe to get a better look of the whiteboard, move away from an unwanted distraction, or move into a more comfortable position. This allowed students the freedom to manage themselves and encouraged them to use their initiative. Overall, I noticed that the students seemed happy and relaxed in the room and appeared to have a positive association with the space.

The setup, however, was not without its flaws. Allowing students to sit in large groups sometime meant that individuals would hide in the crowd, sitting back at letting other students do the work rather than actively contributing. This required the teacher to monitor groups and sometimes split up a large group into smaller clusters. It also meant that students tended to gravitate towards their friends and would work with the same group of students each day. This also required the teacher to be creative in some tasks, ensuring that students had the experience of working with others.

All in all, my opinion of an innovative learning space went from one that was very sceptical, to seeing first-hand some of the benefits it provides.