Cosy Classrooms: Good or Bad?- Molly N
After returning from the Christmas break (I still need another week… or two) I have noticed that some teachers have stepped up their game in terms of classroom decor, threatening to dethrone Miss Shopova from the leaderboard. With fairy lights glistening as I walk down the corridor and greenery on the desks, it almost makes me forget I’m at school. So at our bubble meeting earlier this week, when one of Mr Hodson’s English Lit students commented that Mr Cocker’s classroom was nicer, it sparked the (perhaps defensive) argument as to whether ‘cosy’ classrooms are the way forwards, or if fairy lights are all it takes to get a compliment.
Opinions may vary as to whether this move is in a positive direction or not, but studies never lie: a study shows that a classroom with comfort factors can account for 16% of the variation in academic progress. Comfortable environments can also reduce stress levels and improve student’s mood, although I’m not sure anything can do that on a Monday P1. So the facts and figures show that a nice classroom can increase engagement and productivity, but here are some opinions from people around the school:
“I LOVE decorated classrooms, especially fairy lights and plants”
“it’s quite a lot of effort though, I don’t really see the point’
“it’s pretty but I don’t think it affects my learning”
“yes, I love walking into a nicely decorated classroom”
“a classroom with no decorations is so boring and the main lights are just way too intense- I can’t really focus”
With these mixed opinions, I asked some teachers to send me pictures of their rooms to see the different approaches to classroom decor …
Mr Corby (Bio Lab 2)
Having missed out on the luxury of Mr Corby’s lab, these photos make me even more jealous of his students! The sofa tucked away in the corner shows he really went all out. And I’m loving all the images and memes on the walls, although my favourite is definitely his cat on his lock screen.
Mr Cocker (E42)
Having proudly been Mr Cocker’s pupil for 3 years, I have seen the evolution of his classroom, although I have unfortunately missed out on his most recent upgrades (maybe I should’ve taken A level English Lit after all). The last I saw of his desk plant it wasn’t doing so well, but hopefully he’s had some tips from Miss Shopova. My absolute favourite part of this room is the lighting: the fairy lights and lamps create the perfect atmosphere. And extra points for still having my work up from year 10.
Mrs Harmer (H15)
Whenever I walk past the history classrooms I always look into Mrs Harmers’ to see if the lamps are on. My favourite is the globe lamp, perhaps because it reminds me of geography although I’m not sure the historians would be too happy with the comparison. I’m a sucker for some greenery in classrooms so I love the back shelf and windowsill.
Ms Hemmens (PSHE)
Even after the change from the old PSHE room, Ms Hemmens has still kept her iconic room decor. The hand drawn elements are particularly impressive! I love the lighting in this room, although it would be nice to see some greenery since the classroom is no longer tucked away behind PRE so has some natural light. In her own words, Ms Hemmens’ classroom is “the original ‘cosy classroom’ and still the best!”, but I will let her fight it out with the other teachers for that prestigious title.
In conclusion, I have been loving the ‘cosy classroom’ movement- seeing the unique decorations and personal touches in classrooms just adds to school life. But lots of it is personal preference, whether you prefer fairy lights or plants or detailed notice boards, or if you don’t care for decorations at all.
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