Environmental Strategies
Heavily Decorated Classrooms Disrupt Attention and Learning in Young Children
Association for Psychological Science
Published May 27, 2014
Maps, number lines, shapes, artwork and other materials tend to cover elementary classroom walls. However, too much of a good thing may end up disrupting attention and learning in young children, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Psychology researchers Anna V. Fisher, Karrie E. Godwin and Howard Seltman of Carnegie Mellon University looked at whether classroom displays affected children’s ability to maintain focus during instruction and to learn the lesson content. They found that children in highly decorated classrooms were more distracted, spent more time off-task and demonstrated smaller learning gains than when the decorations were removed.
“Young children spend a lot of time — usually the whole day — in the same classroom, and we have shown that a classroom’s visual environment can affect how much children learn,” said Fisher, lead author and associate professor of psychology in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Should teachers take down their visual displays based on the findings of this study?
“We do not suggest by any means that this is the answer to all educational problems. Furthermore, additional research is needed to know what effect the classroom visual
environment has on children’s attention and learning in real classrooms,” Fisher said. “Therefore, I would suggest that instead of removing all decorations, teachers should consider whether some of their visual displays may be distracting to young children.”
For the study, 24 kindergarten students were placed in laboratory classrooms for six introductory science lessons on topics they were unfamiliar with. Three lessons were taught in a heavily decorated classroom, and three lessons were given in a sparse classroom. The results showed that while children learned in both classroom types, they learned more when the room was not heavily decorated.
Specifically, children’s accuracy on the test questions was higher in the sparse classroom (55% correct) than in the decorated classroom (42% correct).
“We were also interested in finding out if the visual displays were removed, whether the children’s attention would shift to another distraction, such as talking to their peers, and if the total amount of time they were distracted would remain the same,” said Godwin, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology and fellow of the Program in Interdisciplinary Education Research (PIER).
However, when the researchers tallied all of the time children spent off-task in both types of classrooms, the rate of off-task behavior was higher in the decorated classroom (38.6% time spent off-task) than in the sparse classroom (28.4% time spent off-task).
The researchers hope these findings lead to further studies into developing guidelines to help teachers optimally design classrooms.
This work was supported by Grant R305A110444 from the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, and by Graduate Training Grant R305B090023, awarded to Carnegie Mellon University by the Department of Education.
To learn more, watch this interview with researchers Anna V. Fisher and Karrie E. Godwin from Carnegie Mellon University: https://youtu.be/qt0muSzEd_M
Sensory Pathways
Sensory Pathways are a great option to get students up and moving between learning activities. The are proven to:
improve student focus
provide students with faster cognitive processing
improve memory retention
promote mental clarity by increasing blood flow and oxygen levels
Stability Balls
Also known as yoga or exercise balls, these giant balls allow kids to gently bounce while seated and encourage good posture. You can get a single ball or choose one with an inflatable base to keep it from rolling away. (We hear a pool noodle makes a great base, too.) You can get one for about $20.
Kore Wobble Stool
These wobble stools are a favorite because they’re easy to set up (seriously, it just takes a few seconds once you get it out of the box), and they work for students of all ages. They are durable, have lots of colors, and can easily replace your regular chairs. These stools are usually $60–$80 each.
Wobble Cushions
If you don’t have the budget for wobble stools, then try wobble cushions instead. They come in around $20 each, though you might be able to find deals on certain colors or brands. See all the options available right here.
TiltEd Active Seats
These seats from Gopher Sport have the slightest curve to them, allowing your students to rock back and forth as much as they want. Because of the backless design, they promote good posture, too. These chairs are stackable and usually sell for about $40 a piece.
Zenergy Ball Chairs
These ball chairs have a sleek, modern look and come in a colorful polyester (spot clean only) or black vinyl covering and with removable legs that glide across floors. When fully inflated, the chair measures about 23 inches high. They usually range in price, starting at about $100. Check out the different color options on Amazon.
ergoErgo Seat
The accordion-style base on these seats compresses slightly to allow continuous small movements forward, back, and side to side. Available in three sizes and multiple colors, starting around $75. Learn more about them on Moving Minds.
Portable Lap Desk
Here’s another affordable option to get your students out of their traditional desks and on the floor to work, write, read, and more. There are more than 10 colors to choose from on Amazon, and all start around $25 each. They also have 10-packs available in certain colors.
StackEd Foam Stools
These are colorful, stackable, and made of foam. These are fairly new to the market, and we love how you can make them taller or shorter with the different pieces. These would be perfect for a group table or a reading area. They start at about $100.
Twixt Active Seating
If you’re looking for stools for older students, especially to use at high tables or standing desks, then try the Twixt Active Seating stools from Safco. They come in several colors and are easy to move around your room. They start at about $120. Learn more about them here.
Kindermat Cushions
For floor activities, these are a great option for your young learners. They come in packs of four and six. The six-pack starts at around $70. These are perfect for reading, for individual activities, and even for some of the floor desks out on the market.
Butterfly Stool Set
You’ll get six seats in this flexible-seating pack. All are lightweight, so they’re easy to move around or rearrange. And the leather-like covering that makes them easy to clean. This set is best for younger kids. You can choose from three different color schemes, including this rainbow one. They start around $130. Get them here.
Floor Seat
Sit comfortably on the floor anytime, anywhere with this adjustable cushioned seat that’s ideal for ages eight and up. At the end of the day, lay them flat and stack them up. Fortunately, the fabric cover is removable and machine washable. They start around $50. Learn more about them here.
Scoop Rockers
Set these on the floor, and kids are ready to rock and recline as they work independently or in a group. You can get a pack of six for about $40, making this one of the most affordable flexible-seating options. Take a look on Amazon.
Vidget 3-in-1 Active Seat
This versatile stool can provide a gentle rocking motion, it can be a static stool, or it can become a workspace. Recessed handles with nobs makes them easy to carry and give hands something to fiddle with. Recommended for ages 6–9 and starts around $129.