1.4 Background: Development of the Classroom Design Through out the History Colonial Period (1600-1830): During this period, education was mainly imparted at home or at church. Education evolved from an agrarian society and emphasized primarily daily activities and routines. At that time, few schools were built. Those built were built on civic organizations like churches. Teachers were located on a platform with a desk at the front of the classroom and students were arranged in rows with chairs and desk bolted to the floor (Lippman, 2010).
Industrial period (1830-1890): During the Industrial Revolution, school design was strongly influenced by the advancements in technology and the concept of efficiency. Society was guided by the idea of machine, and individuals were seen as dispensable parts of the machine. Home schooling was not sufficient any more to prepare children to work in factories. Classroom design was also arranged around the teacher, and class was taught to several hundred students (Lippman, 2010).
Figure 1.1 Typical floor plan during common school movement (Lippman, 2010)
Progressive era (1890-1945) Educational approaches became childcentered. Students were considered active learners, environments were intended to stimulate them, and the goal of education was to help students achieve personal fulfillment. Class sizes was reduced to thirty to forty students. School buildings were arranged to maximize the use of natural lighting. 8
Lighting became a fundamental aspect of design. Notions of lighting were well understood (Baker, 2012). However, classrooms were still designed to be teacher dominated, furniture was still arranged in rows, and students had limited choices to control their environments (Lippman, 2010).