There is a growing number of shared public spaces that are popping up all over the world.
Cars, bikes, motorcycles, and pedestrians are forced to govern their own behavior. They have to make eye contact and acknowledge each other’s presence. There’s an inherent faith that folks will slow down and pay attention to each other. I bet they even greet one another way more than they would otherwise. It all makes for a more trusting and human experience. And, from what I’ve read, the number of injuries in these spaces has even decreased significantly.
Why can’t we operate on the same principle in our classrooms? Can we somehow use shared space in our classrooms to create a more personal and humanistic learning environment? Call me idealistic, but I’d like to think so.
That’s why last week I asked the custodian at my school to remove several desks from my classroom. I wanted to ensure that I had fewer desks than students. I didn’t want each student to have their own desk. Instead, because I have the room set up in groups, I have intentionally removed 1-2 desks from each group — but left the seats. The result is 6 groups of 4 desks with 5-6 chairs each. Here’s an example of one group:
It’s a small change (unlike removing all street signs from a busy intersection), but the idea is that in order to navigate their group’s space, students must purposely engage with one another on a regular basis. It creates a more communal learning environment and helps them take ownership of their workspace (and our classroom). It can get messy because they rub elbows, get in each other’s way, and have to constantly negotiate how they should use the space. But in the end, I 100% welcome these inconveniences. (Honestly, living with the ungodly congestion of NYC, my kids probably don’t even realize these things.) They create a greater degree of collective energy each day. Ultimately, my hope is that they will be more mindful of each other, to be more present.
A side note: This line of thinking is also reflected in the large whiteboards that I began using last year to de-front the classroom. These are communal spaces around the walls of the room that students used to publically display their thinking at any time — unlike having one greedy board at the front of the classroom that screams for attention (and a lack of optimal engagement).
In some ways, I see desks as imposing segregation on my students (and me). Despite being organized into groups, desks still create distinct social spaces for students to think individually. There’s a clear end to my space and a start to yours. Can this subconsciously establish a greater sense of independence from others in the classroom? Tables would probably be the best physical solution for helping create a more personal, humanistic classroom, but I doubt that I’ll ever convince my principal to get me those.
bp