Have you ever walked into a classroom and your eyes are immediately overwhelmed. From the bright colors, to the dozens of anchor charts, to the pompom decorations hanging from the ceiling, some classroom decorations can make you feel disoriented and over-stimulated. Now, imagine being a student sitting in that classroom. These distractions will prevent you from being able to focus on even the most well-planned, interesting lesson as your eyes keep being drawn to the numerous bright colors and visuals. However, going the other extreme and having nothing but blank walls is not the right solution to this issue. So, what then would a lovely classroom look like? This question is one about which the classical schools in our network have thought deeply. The conclusion they have come to is a balance of white space and curricula-relevant images.
The idea of white space is one that is extremely important for teachers to uphold. By reducing the amount of “stuff” on your walls, you immediately create an environment of calm and order. Additionally, this reduction of visuals allows students to actually focus more on the few visuals you do have. Some teachers hold the idea that it is better to have many anchor charts and images that they have taught about available for students to reference, but if there are too many items, students will never be able to find what they are looking for. By reducing decor, students can actually find and reflect on the items you make present to them.
So, what then should those few precious visuals be? When making that choice, it is important to consider two categories: instructional relevance and beauty. Our Hillsdale curriculum offers great richness and beauty of content. We are provided with a plethora of opportunities to showcase the great things we teach in the images or artwork we choose to display, from portraits of famous figures to images of natural beauty or maps of relevant areas. By displaying such visuals, we are constantly welcoming our students to reflect on what they have learned or be curious about something they haven’t yet been taught.
In considering what we have our students viewing, we should also ensure beauty. The content that we study can so easily lend itself to great works of art. From Trumbull portraits to lovely photographs, we should ensure that the images themselves highlight how beautiful art can be. When all these factors of classroom décor combine, you create a space that is calm, lovely, and ripe for learning to occur.
