Last Updated on 24th January 2024
Are you responsible for purchasing furniture and equipment for the school you run or work at? If the answer is yes, you need to do everything you can to create a high-quality classroom. If a classroom is well-equipped, students will get more enjoyment out of being there.
They’ll also benefit from an educational perspective, having access to more resources. The intention of this post is to explain how you can create the best possible classroom and which items you need in order for you to do this. Keep reading to transform your classroom into one that has the power to inspire and educate.
Tray Storage Cabinets
If the class you are teaching consists of children below the age of 14, you may want to consider investing in a tray storage cabinet. You can use classroom tray storage units as places for each of your students to store their classwork. It’ll also give you somewhere to place graded exams and coursework.
These cabinets are highly affordable and widely available. Make sure that you source yours from a vendor that’s reliable and positively reviewed. Reviews can help you to get a clear idea of what working with a specific business is going to be like.
Named Desks
Having desks that have each student’s name on them can be a great way to make your classroom a familiar, comfortable environment. Lots of schools share equipment. With that being said, if you teach lots of different students and don’t have a fixed class that you see every day, this suggestion will not be possible.
At least ensure you have a seating arrangement in your classes, though. A seating arrangement creates structure and stability in the classroom.
Quality Blackboard
You need to make sure that you have a blackboard available for students to use. Lots of teachers today think that blackboards are old fashioned and antiquated, not beneficial to students who are growing up in a modern world, surrounded by technology. If this is something you’ve thought about before, perhaps you could buy a digital blackboard. Digital blackboards are an investment worth making.
It’s worth noting though, they can be very expensive. You’ll need a large budget in order to be able to purchase one. Be sure to get one from a reliable vendor with good reviews, for the reasons specified above.
Video Projector
A video projector is something you may want to consider purchasing also. Having video projectors in your classroom or in every single classroom in your school can make watching video content much easier. You won’t have to worry about wheeling around heavy television sets from room to room.
Most video projectors can be played straight onto blackboards. You should be able to purchase used projectors if your budget isn’t large enough to accommodate new ones. Of the different things listed here, video projectors are perhaps the most expensive. This is especially true for newer models, as they can cost a small fortune.
Independent Laptops
Try to give each student a laptop to use. These laptops can be shared across different classrooms and grades. Just make sure that in your class, there are enough laptops to go around. A lot of teachers make the mistake of thinking that students can effectively share laptops. Sharing laptops can make concentrating difficult.
This is especially true if the students who are sharing are friends. If they are, they may talk and browse the internet rather than work. Ensure that each student’s screens are monitored so that you can see what they are doing when they are on their computers.
Comfortable Chairs
Comfortable chairs are a must. One of the things that most people remember about school is how uncomfortable the chairs were. Having to sit on rigid plastic chairs for eight hours a day can do terrible things to your back. While children are a lot more resilient and resistant to back pain than adults, it is still much better to get more stable, comfier chairs.
However, make sure that the chairs you buy are not so comfy that they distract children. If they’re so comfortable that they feel like they can fall asleep, they are not going to do their work.
Classroom Toys
Toys in the classroom are a good idea, provided you’re teaching young children. Make sure that the toys you buy all have some kind of educational benefit. Educational toys can be a great way to teach the children in your class about specific topics and subjects, i.e., their alphabet or their numbers.
You should be able to buy toys in bulk. Wholesale toy companies are a thing and partner with schools, providing them with all of the toys they could ever need. Make sure the toys you buy are durable ones that’ll last more than one generation of students.
Paper and Posters
Lining the walls of the classroom that you teach in, you need to make sure that there are educational posters and flyers. A lot of teachers make the mistake of leaving the walls bare. Adding posters to the wall can be a way to personalize your classroom and make it more comfortable for students.
You could consider adding a map of the world to the wall in your classroom and testing students on it on a regular basis. You can also add pieces of work that your students have done to the wall.
Lots of Books
Finally, make sure that there are lots of books in your classroom. Many teachers believe that books are things of the past and that young people can benefit more from using tablets and pads. While this may be true, tablets and pads can also be bad for eye and brain development, especially when shown to young people and used for hours each day.
Books are a classic and effective way of teaching your students. It also means you’ll be able to save money on gadgets as you won’t have to buy pads and tablets for your students.
A classroom needs to have all of the different things mentioned here in this post. If it doesn’t, it’s not going to be as effective as it potentially could be. Make sure to consider the different items listed here and if you think that they’ll be a good fit in your classroom, invest in them.
