Inside The Classroom: A Look
At Design
By: Matthew Teel
September 28, 2014
Classroom Design
Practicum Class: First Grade
Goals of designing an effective classroom:
 The goals of designing an effective classroom are to create
an environment that promotes learning, and development,
while meeting the needs of all students.
 In Mrs. Redavid’s first grade class, each of Steele’s six
functions of the classroom setting are met.
Security and Shelter
 Security and shelter is a function that involves the
physical and psychological elements of a classroom.
 Physical security is a precondition that must be met
before the environment can serve students’ and teachers’
higher-order needs.
 Psychological security is an important element that
creates a safe and comfortable feeling in the classroom.
Security and Shelter
Physical Security
 In Mrs. Redavid’s class, hard to
reach storage areas and a wash
station support the classroom’s
physical security.
Psychological Security
 Carpets and stuffed animals help
create “softness” in the room,
which encourages psychological
security.
Social Contact
 Social contact is the function that focuses on the
arrangement of students’ desks in order to promote
socialization and cooperation.
 Organizing desks into groups allows students to work
together on assignments, share materials, and participate
in group discussions.
 Organizing desks into rows often helps students work on
individual tasks.
Social Contact
In Mrs. Redavid’s
first grade class,
desks are organized
into groups of 4 or 5.
This supports social
contact, and allows
students to work
together on different
tasks, such as math
activities and paired
reading.
Social Contact
Likewise, the
designated reading
area in the classroom
encourages social
interaction between
the students and the
teacher.
Symbolic Identification
 Symbolic identification deals with having items in the
classroom that represent the people who work there.
 Within the classroom, there should be items that reflect
the work, backgrounds, and accomplishments of the
students and the teacher.
Symbolic
Identification
In Mrs. Redavid’s
class, students’
artwork hangs from
the ceiling, and is
placed on cabinets
around the room.
There is a word wall
illustrating students’
names, and words
that are studied.
Also, there are
photos of the
teacher’s past
classes.
Task Instrumentality
 Task instrumentality focuses on how the classroom
environment helps students and teachers carry out
important tasks.
 A classroom’s design should help facilitate lessons and
activities in various ways, such as making frequently used
materials accessible, providing students with a place for
their belongings, and positioning the teacher’s desk to
support interactions.
Task
Instrumentalit
y
Mrs. Redavid’s desk is
positioned at the far end
of the classroom, which
allows her to both
interact with students at
her desk, and move freely
around the room.
Students are able to hang
their belongings in a
cubbyhole, located at the
room’s entrance.
Also, frequently used
materials are stored in
labeled containers, which
are accessed by students.
Pleasure
 Pleasure is a function that
deals with the attractiveness
of the classroom. Having a
pleasing atmosphere will help
students, and teachers, feel
comfortable while working. It
may even increase
productivity.
 In Mrs. Redavid’s class,
pleasure is addressed by using
a variety of warm and cool
colors, and by decorating
walls, tables and shelves.
Growth
 The final function, growth, deals with promoting
children’s development within the classroom setting.
 The classroom should have a stimulating environment
that fosters cognitive development as well as academic
achievement.
Growth
In Mrs. Redavid’s
class, growth is
promoted by having a
literacy center filled
with a variety of
reading materials,
both fiction and nonfiction.
Also, a math center is
located in the room
where students can
explore games,
puzzles, workbooks,
and manipulatives.
References
 Weinstein, C. S., & Romano, M. E. (2015). Elementary
Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice
(6th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.