Product News Archives - Smith System Blog

The Power of Choice–Platinum & Clear Totes Now Available

rebeccab — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 18:25:28 +0000

Organize Your Classroom with Smith System’s New, Solid Storage Totes

Storage bins, boxes, totes or trays. No matter what they’re called, these compact classroom organization tools provide big solutions. So much so that decreasing visual clutter in learning spaces can actually increase learning outcomes.

With that in mind, Smith System has changed its versatile line of Cascade® Totes for its classroom storage units and select student desks and teacher desks. Beginning this spring, schools will have not one, but two, options in tote aesthetics: Either the clear plastic or our newest non-see-through, platinum solid gray finish.

Each option provides a different degree of decluttering – basically, to see or not to see the corralled contents. Regardless, both transferrable tote choices help teachers conquer classroom storage, as well as storage needs for busy makerspaces, science labs, art rooms, media centers, etc.

Bonus: The Gratnells' platinum totes have already been in use for decades in education environments in nearly 70 countries worldwide. That helps Smith System’s school furniture better meet global standards for 21^st century classroom and furniture design. [See Q&A at the end of this blog.]

Why Promote Totes?

Improved Learning Research has found that students in organized and structured classrooms demonstrate more on-task behavior and higher academic achievement. That’s not surprising. Adults know how chaotic it feels having a messy workplace or home. It can be overwhelming. Classrooms are similar.

As one teacher said, “A disorganized classroom can pull a student’s attention to irrelevant details and interrupt their ability to sustain focus.”

A Focused Formula: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Every teacher has their own approach to classroom and materials management. Some educators run a tight ship; others, not so much. Yet a decluttered classroom offers several advantages that can improve focus and, in turn, learning.

Create Less Distraction

Visual clutter is visually demanding for our brains. An orderly classroom reduces distraction and, likewise, brain drain. That helps students and teachers focus on the current activity or assignment. Plus, better organization leaves more time for learning.

Professor Peter Barrett was lead investigator on the Clever Classrooms: Education design for learning report. It was a large study of school buildings and the impact of the pupils in them, done by the University of Safford in Manchester, England. The comprehensive effort yielded “Top 10 Ways to Innovate the Learning Space.” Among the findings was the importance of managing clutter.

“Visual complexity is another level of stimulation, and it should be in the middle. Not too busy. Not too boring. This means [teachers] need to ... keep about 20 to 50 percent of a wall clear, or it can look very chaotic,” Barrett said.

In other words, stow papers rather than staple, tape or pin to walls. Stash away bigger items, rather than stack on shelves and floors.

Accommodate Students with Learning Differences

A well-organized classroom creates a more equitable learning space for neurodivergent students with learning differences. That might include autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD, as well as anxiety or even strong visual learners prone to distraction. These students often perform better with minimal visual (and auditory) clutter.

That’s according to Reading Rockets, a national public media literacy initiative. An article on its website equated the unorganized classroom to a community bulletin board plastered with notices and ads. When students with ASD are bombarded with too much stimulus, processing may slow down, or if overloaded, stop completely.

Students presented information in an orderly fashion and in a less cluttered space, are much more likely to read and digest information.

Role model organization skills for students

Executive functions, such as judgment, prioritizing and critical thinking do not come natural to students. They have to learn them. The same is true for organizational skills. And students who learn them at a younger age are more likely to carry those lessons into high school, college and careers.

Smith System’s mobile Cascade® Storage units, Flowform® Curved Storage, and Flowform® Straight Storage open shelves can show students the benefits of staying organized.

What Teachers Say about Classroom Organization

Even Benjamin Franklin believed in the power of being organized. He famously said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Here are online comments made by today’s teachers about why classroom storage is an essential part of overall classroom management.

“Everything in the classroom should have a home. Homes can be cabinets, boxes, bins, drawers, folders … anything that gives an item a place to ‘live.’”

“Organized classrooms lead to a clearer headspace for teachers and less visual stimulation (umm … distraction!) for those kiddos.”

“Classroom organization is important because it allows you to have more time, space, and energy to focus on the things that truly matter in your classroom – your students.”

“Once you learn how to be an organized teacher, you are going to free up so much time and mental capacity to spend on things like lesson planning, grading, interacting with students and creating engaging lessons.”

“When things in our classroom have a designated home, students take better care of the resources. We know exactly where to find them, and it adds a sense of calm to our learning spaces!

Q&A on the New Platinum Totes

Below are quick answers to questions we’re receiving about the new totes.

When will the new totes be available?

Ready to ship in Spring 2023.

What are color and sizes options for the new totes?

At this time, the new totes are available in platinum (fastest shipment) and clear (longer lead time) finishes. There are three standard-width options and one extra-wide:

17”d x 12 ¼” w x 3”h

17”d x 12 ¼”w x 6”h

17”d x 12 ¼”w x 12”h

15 ¾”d x 18 ½”w x 3”h

What materials are the new totes made of?

A fully recyclable polypropylene that’s safe, light-weight and easy for kids to transport and put back in place.

What is the warranty?

Smith System offers a lifetime replacement warranty on all totes.

We’re Ready to Help You Store More

If you’re looking for innovative, efficient ways to organize your school or learning spaces, contact us. You can also request our free catalog in digital or print.

Resources

https://www.edutopia.org/article/building-secondary-students-organizational-skills?utm_content=linkpos2&utm_source=edu-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-2023-01-18

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/clean-your-act-creating-organized-classroom-environment-students-spectrum

https://www.schoolplanner.com/barriers-student-success/

https://thesimplyorganizedteacher.com/simplify-classroom-organization/

Furniture Overhaul Turns Special Ed Science Classroom into ‘Science Oasis’

schuylerw — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 19:45:28 +0000

Being a force for change requires mighty determination. Teacher Katherine Winick’s abundance in that department – and her clear need for better student collaboration options, makerspace and classroom storage – helped her win the 2022 dancker ReImagine Your Classroom Contest.

Mrs. Winick’s grand prize was a wall-to-wall classroom furniture overhaul by contest co-sponsors dancker (interiors integrator) of New Jersey and Smith System (classroom furniture). The annual contest was open to K–12 schools in New Jersey with over 125 students. The goal, said Mary Lynn Kearns with dancker, is to create better learning experiences for deserving students and teachers.

“Returning to the post-Covid classroom is still hard for a lot of students and teachers,” she said. “We wanted to brighten Mrs. Winick’s challenging space with great classroom design and furniture. We’ve seen how that can improve student engagement and make teaching more enjoyable.”

New to this year’s contest was offering second- and third-place furniture prizes, too. Congratulations to second-place winner Kim Rosa-Benway, a Special Education teacher at Mount Vernon School in Newark, New Jersey, and third-place winner Jessica Bostwick, a general education teacher at Angelo L. Tomaso Elementary School in Warren, New Jersey

Special Ed Students Deserve Equal Footing

Educators applying to the contest had to complete two parts: 1) create a video showing and describing the challenges of their current classroom or learning space, and 2) describe their dream space and how it would improve teaching and learning.

There were many deserving entries. But Winick’s had a heartfelt component that particularly impressed contest judges, which included Bethanne Strippoli winner of the 2021 dancker ReImagine Your Classroom Contest.

For the past six years, Winick has been the Special Education Science teacher for grades 6–8 at Central Middle School (CMS) in Parsippany, New Jersey. She’s also a passionate advocate for her students.

“I want to give [them] the opportunity to learn in a room that doesn’t make them feel less than their peers. There is a lot of stigma associated with Special Education, especially at the middle school level when students are learning more about themselves and their disabilities,” Winick explained in her entry.

She acknowledged the unique behavioral needs of many of her students and the fact that special education staff frequently join the lesson to support kids. Many require one-on-one paraprofessional support in the classroom, too.

A Whole Lotta Heavy Metal

Looking back, Winick had faced many challenges in creating an ideal classroom for her students, who she has for three consecutive academic years. In her first year at CMS, her classroom was a mobile cart she pushed from room to room and floor to floor via the school’s elevator.

The following year, she inherited a former computer classroom in the basement. It came with nearly a dozen old-style metal filing cabinets, several computer desks and tables, and a behemoth teacher’s desk circa the late 1960s. The biggest problems were lack of storage and cumbersome collaboration. Nothing was mobile or light weight.

“We didn’t have enough storage for all of our amazing lab equipment, and we didn’t have lab tables. We had old computer tables that weren’t the most conducive to group work.” Also missing were flexible seating options. (Many of her students have ADHD and self-regulate with movement.)

Winick’s steely determination kicked into high gear.

“Our kids are absolutely wonderful. They deserve every opportunity, just like any other kid, and we have to get [new] furniture somehow,” she thought. She searched for programs and grants online and applied for the dancker ReImagine Your Classroom Contest in the spring of 2022. She’d been a finalist the previous year.

Second Time's a Charm

In late May, Winick learned she had won first place. She was thrilled. The classroom makeover would be a game-changer for her students – one of whom had shared that her birthday wish last year was for Winick’s entry to win.

There were many incredible entries, according to Mary Lynn Kearns with dancker. But Winick’s clearly conveyed an obvious need.

“The judges recognized that her current layout and furniture were very outdated and not supportive of a middle school classroom or Special Education students,” Kearns added.

Everything But the Fish Tank

In June, the dancker team toured Winick’s classroom, took photos (her space has a lot of oddly placed pipes and vents) and measurements. One thing was immediately clear. To maximize space and create the optimum learning environment, everything but the fish tank had to go. Thankfully, Winick had reviewed Smith System furniture ahead of developing her entry, so she knew the possibilities.

During collaborative design sessions with Winick, the team worked to achieve a new layout. By July, dancker was ready to host the final design session at its Experience Center in Somerville, NJ, for Winick and a few of her peers. Winick had the final say on all furniture and finish decisions; dancker placed the order with Smith System.

The "ReImagined" Furniture Arrives

The new Smith System furniture was installed in late October, just before parent-teacher conferences. There’s variety, but also a calming cohesiveness among seating and work surfaces, storage units, and a new, compact Motum Mobile Lectern for Winick. Casters are included throughout most of the lineup’s items in soothing gray, blue and green.

Here are some highlights:

Classroom Tables

There are three Planner® Studio Science Tables. One is a fixed height of 29 inches and two are café-style at 36 inches. All tables easily seat four and are on locking casters. The table’s ½-inch thick work surfaces are designed to meet the demands of science projects.
“Collaboration has been so much easier,” Winick said. “Everyone is set and ready in groups of four, and the students can move tables themselves to get closer to outlets.” She likes how the tables’ size helps prevent spills and better accommodates the paraprofessionals.
The room’s focal point is a mobile Cascade® Maker Table with versatile shelves and a hearty butcher block work surface. Previously, Winick would “take over” a student table to demonstrate a project.
“Now, I can meet with individual students at the Makerspace table. The supplies are there; there’s enough space to work. It’s become our engineering table,” she added. She’ll also sit at the Planner tables for small-group work.

Classroom Storage

In the past, the lack of convenient, multi-functional storage made lab work difficult and more time-consuming for Winick. Her prep time was spent setting up labs and then strategically tucking things away. Now, “Everything has a home.”
Her room includes a Cascade® Teacher Wardrobe Cabinet and four Cascade® Mega-Cabinets, two with shelves and one with portable totes. All include casters and versatile whiteboards – which her students love – are attached to the storage units.

Classroom Chairs and Stools

Special emphasis was put on providing more flexible seating options, both upholstered seating and non-upholstered seating, stationery and active (with movement): flexible Flavors® chairs and stools, Groove® Backless Stools, and stackable Oodle® stools. In the past, it was awkward and too obvious when a student would stand while learning. Now, students are empowered to select how and where they can learn best.

A Cool-Off Spot and Computer Corner

dancker created a cozy, lounge-like corner by combining pieces from Smith System's soft, upholstered Flowform® line, including a soft rocker, ottoman, and curved bean bench. The area is separated with a low Flowform® Curved Storage unit.

- “We have a lot of different behavior situations. Sometimes, kids need space to themselves. So they’ve been loving the cool-off spot. They can still pay attention and have a little more privacy, but I can still see them,” Winick described.
- Her classroom also has a tidy computer corner, ideal for one-on-one or small-group learning. The space features a gently curved Elemental® Yin Yang Table paired with Oodle stools.

Student Reactions Upon Reveal

Although Winick’s students knew that new furniture was coming, they didn’t know what it would look like. During installation, Winick covered the window in her classroom door to prevent sneak peeks. Each arriving class got to have its own first experience.

Here are some student comments:

I like that we have a lot of different places to sit.
I like that the tables are on wheels and we can push them. The other ones were so heavy.
I like the couch and the wobble stools.
The couch, because it’s really relaxing and it kinda looks like ... a talk show.
The butcher block table is so beautiful.
The chairs and the tables – I want to sit in my favorite color, blue.

“Seeing the joy on students’ faces and excitement in their voices has been wonderful. This experience has been one that we will never forget,” Winick explained. After the students had a few weeks to settle in, dancker hosted a fun grand opening celebration with treats for students and staff, balloons and a short presentation.

View the Reaction Video Here

'Thank-Yous' All Around

Mrs. Winick expressed her deep gratitude to dancker and Smith System.

“dancker, your design expertise helped us create a space that students could feel comfortable in, where they could enjoy learning. Smith System, your furniture has solved all of my storage woes and provided us with truly functional furniture. Thank you for helping us transform this space into our very own science oasis.”

Mary Lynn Kearns with dancker also expressed her appreciation for Smith System’s partnership. “Smith System is the leader in classroom design and furniture for the education market. We love collaborating with them to co-create a teacher’s dream classroom.”

The contest sponsors and judges thank all of the contestants for submitting their videos. But even more so, we thank all teachers, administrators and schools for everything they do to advance student learning and improve lives. You inspire us!

Leveraging Technology to Support Student Wellbeing

schuylerw — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 16:31:56 +0000

Before the pandemic struck schools, it was rare to hear “technology” and “wellbeing” in the same sentence. Now, K–12 educators are learning to leverage digital technologies to foster students’ wellbeing and inclusion throughout schools.

Welcome to Part Two in our three-part blog series devoted to digital transformation trends in education. We're aggregating top insights on three higher-level topics related to education technology, or ed tech:

Part One: How Technology is Shaping the Future of Learning

Part Two: Leveraging Technology to Support Student Wellbeing

Part Three: Designing Flexible Learning Spaces for Ed Tech Integration –Coming Soon

Throughout the blogs, we’ve included helpful classroom furniture tips. Afterall, buying new classroom furniture can be a big assist in capitalizing on ed tech’s teaching and learning benefits. (See How School Classroom Furniture Can Improve Student Learning.)

Five Types of Student Wellbeing

Let's unpack what wellbeing is. In a K-12 education setting, supporting student wellbeing means making sure every student can reach their full potential, feel involved and get the most from their education. Making progress toward student wellbeing requires recognizing there are different types of wellbeing that are interconnected:

Cognitive Wellbeing - the level of knowledge and competencies required for a student to do well academically. This includes educational equity.
Psychological Wellbeing - the overall functioning of a student's opinions and feelings, a core component of mental health.
Physical Wellbeing - a student’s physical wellness and capacity to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Social Wellbeing - a student’s ability to make connections and build healthy relationships with family, peers, educators, and community members. (See this blog on social emotional learning.)
Digital Wellbeing - a student’s ability to have a mindful relationship with digital media. It means practicing healthy education technology habits like self-regulation, and knowing online risks and rules, for example, how to prevent and react to cyberbullying. The classroom provides a perfect opportunity to learn about digital wellness.

The Pandemic's Punch to Student Wellbeing

COVID deepened a crisis in student wellbeing that was already at play before the pandemic hit. Today, nearly half of all students will experience mental health challenges at some point during their time in grades K–12.

Academically, “The pandemic has smacked American students back to the last century in math and reading achievement.” That’s according to Education Week who reported on the spring 2022 test results from the first National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test that was administered since the pandemic began.

The results showed the biggest drop in math performance in 4th and 8th grades since the testing program began in 1990. In reading, 4th and 8th graders were performing on par with students in the 1990s, and about one-third of students in both grades can’t read at even the “basic” achievement level (the lowest level on the test).

Leveraging Technology to Boost Student Mental Health

There’s no single, obvious fix for students in crisis. However, Professor Dianne Vella-Broadrick with The Center for Wellbeing Science at the University of Melbourne believes in the power of technology to help.

“The use of technology in schools to promote wellbeing and performance will improve the student learning experience and shape a new generation of young people who know how to be resilient, motivated, focused and calm.” She believes technology offers new, powerful ways to promote student wellbeing, and specifically, mental health.

LearnWell, a Massachusetts-based provider of integrated academic and mental health services for students and their families, agrees with that thinking. In an article titled, “Using Technology to Support Student Mental Health Needs,” the company said technology can benefit students of all ages across a wide range of mental health needs.

Here are three ways LearnWell said schools can use technology for student wellbeing.

Telehealth and Teletherapy

School therapists can offer online therapy and check-ins with students. Using telehealth tools, mental health support is possible for students who struggle with scheduling or attending traditional therapy, or who might have conditions like anxiety that prohibit in-person visits.

Digital Programs and Apps for Meditation and Regulating Emotions

Students can benefit from programs on their personal devices to supplement, or in place of, professional mental health support. Apps for meditation can help students cope with feelings of stress and anxiety, while increasing mindfulness. Some schools provide access to these tech tools in school calm rooms.

Technology to Report, Track, and Address Student Mental Health Concerns

It’s important for everyone involved in a student’s continuum of care be on the same page. Technology is a useful tool to connect the adults responsible for flagging emerging mental health needs and addressing them before they escalate.

Examples of Software Designed for Student Wellness

Recently, more software has appeared that allows students to self-report their wellbeing with their teachers. One example is Skodel. The company believes that relying solely on teacher observations to effectively manage student wellbeing isn’t enough. Technology can fill the gaps.

“Our research has shown a willingness from children and young people to speak up, so long as they have the right outlet to do so.” Skodel allows students to provide their teachers with regular, confidential digital check-ins through emojis, photos and illustrations, as well as open-ended responses.

Another example is Bio-Dash. Professor Vella-Brodrick and her research team developed the Bio-Dash app to teach students how to manage their own wellbeing through biofeedback and gamification.

By using a tablet or smartphone to engage in biofeedback and gamification tasks, students can get information about whether they are in relaxed, neutral, or stressed zones. Traffic light signals appear on the screen or auditory nature cues, like waves or birds singing, become quieter as students become calm and grow louder with stress.

Bio-Dash also lets students do performance tasks. In one such task, students transform an icy, winter forest scene into one that is green and bright with summer features. The greater the levels of relaxation, the faster the scene transforms. Other tasks in the Bio-Dash program mimic real-world student stressors, like high-pressure academic activities and public speaking.

School Furniture Should Support Technology and Wellbeing

Creating learning spaces that dually support the digital transformation in the educator sector and student wellbeing requires keeping a few things in mind. Obviously, schools must provide seamless connectivity. But they must also factor in what empowers students to use ed tech tools in healthy and comfortable ways, with some degree of privacy when needed. For example:

Choice

Create classrooms and other learning spacing that foster student wellbeing by offering them personal choice, control, and variety in seating. Include traditional options, like Smith System’s Numbers suite of chairs and versatile tables for K–12 schools. Then add soft, upholstered seating options like Smith System’s new Flowform^® Learn Lounge.

Ergonomics

Choose furniture with supportive ergonomics for using devices. Students love soft seating, but their growing bodies need ample back support for developing postures. Tables and desks should be the right width and height for ergonomics, too, to avoid floor work.

The Flowform^®Learn Lounge product line includes everything needed for supportive ed tech learning. There’s durable soft seating (single or double) with the same dimensions of an ergonomically designed student chair, plus various tables and ottomans – all with optional surface power – that give students comfortable work surfaces.

Creativity and Privacy

Students can adopt some extreme postures when they’re on their devices, especially phones. The curves of the organically shaped Flowform^® pieces work together to support more comfortable, and healthy positions. In addition, Flowform^® includes partial privacy screens, which are critical when students are self-reporting on their wellbeing.

Also, keep tech tools (tablets, laptops, headsets, goggles, etc.) organized to help create a calmer environment. Smith System’s Flowform^®and Cascade^® classroom storage options make it easy.

Keep the Ed Tech Conversation Going

The debate over how much technology is too much in K–12 education is ongoing. There are pros and cons on each side; sometimes, unplugging is the best choice of all.

But, most educators can agree on one aspect. Digital technology alone is not/will not transform education. It requires people thoughtfully using digital technology as an effective tool to foster a culture of learning – and wellbeing – for students and teachers.

Through these transitions, Smith System will continue to provide smartly designed school furniture at a great value to help schools stay ahead of the digital transformation in the educator sector. Contact us to learn more.

Resources

https://learnwellservices.com/using-technology-support-student-mental-health-needs/

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-technology-is-boosting-our-young-people-s-wellbeing

https://www.ednewsdaily.com/using-technology-to-foster-student-wellbeing/

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/two-decades-of-progress-nearly-gone-national-math-reading-scores-hit-historic-lows/2022/10?utm_source=nl&utm_medium=eml&utm_campaign=eu&M=5365516&UUID=56e749968e8f1a6b29e4cb4380ec4d4b&T=7259946

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01563/full

https://www.k12blueprint.com/sites/default/files/SHI-K12BP-Digital-Transformation-in-K-12-Education.pdf

Designing Flexible Learning Spaces for Ed Tech Integration

schuylerw — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:07:11 +0000

A generation ago, a school “laptop” literally meant your lap (i.e., a convenient place to park a textbook). “Gamification” was surviving dodgeball in gym class. Not anymore. Today, the tools and terms of digital transformation in the education sector continue to redefine school curricula and design.

Foremost, schools – and the furniture within them – demand flexible learning spaces with seamless educational technology integration. Designers also need a good dose of predictive thinking that incorporates educational technology trends.

Welcome to Part Three in our three-part blog series devoted to the tsunamic effects of the K–12 digital transformations. We’re aggregating top insights on three higher-level topics related to educational technology, or ed tech:

Part One: How Ed Tech Advances are Reshaping K–12 Education

Part Two: Leveraging Technology to Improve Student Wellbeing

Part Three: Designing Flexible Learning Spaces for Ed Tech Integration

Throughout the blogs, we’ve included helpful classroom furniture tips. After all, buying new classroom furniture can be a big assist in capitalizing on ed tech teaching and learning benefits. (See How School Classroom Furniture Can Improve Student Learning.)

Technology is Rapidly Growing in Schools

How prolific is technology in K–12 schools? We know it varies by grade level and district. But the average number of tech products school districts access in a given month has almost tripled over the last several years, from 548 during the 2017-18 school year, to 1,417 during the 2021-22 school year. That’s according to a report recently released by LearnPlatform, which helps districts measure the effectiveness of their digital products.

Adding tech upon tech isn’t the end-all answer. Classrooms and learning spaces in K–12 schools must be designed and furnished to seamlessly blend educational technology into productive, healthy, inclusive physical space that create well-rounded students.

“The physical and digital spaces where education takes place have lifelong psychological impacts on students’ ability to feel safe, welcome and absorb knowledge, and how they behave, learn and relate to each other,” said design studio ThoughtMatter. “As we look to the future, we must reconsider and rebuild educational spaces to be accessible to all; to meet students where they are and easily flex to new and changing needs.”

Ed Tech Tools Learning Spaces Must Incorporate

Without question, technology has removed the physical barriers of classroom walls. Schools are using tech products to allow more distance and hybrid learning for students, as well as tools like SmartBoards, 3-D printers, VR headsets and more.

Beyond the rise of 1:1 and BYOD learning environments, here are some of the technology schools that are – or will be – using, based on much aggregated online research, opinion pieces and what future teachers are being taught:

Digital Voice Assistants - Digital voice assistants (Alexa and Siri) can provide immediate, objective feedback to students in the absence of a teacher or parent. Students can quickly check spelling, translate a foreign word, or get answers to basic geography, math and history questions.
Augmented and Virtual Reality - Augmented reality, virtual reality, or some combination of the two — collectively referred to as extended reality (XR) — will become integral components of K-12 education and redefine “active learning.” EdWeek reported on a 2019 survey where the education sector tied with healthcare as the most applicable for XR expansion. Students can learn spatial concepts, attend virtual field trips or compete on afterschool esports teams.
Digital Makerspaces - Tech-equipped studios can let students design and produce creative projects like podcasts, video games, animations, 3-D printed materials, and digital models.

Predictions for How Tech Will Change Learning Space Design

The speed and tools of the digital transformation in the educator sector have influenced school and classroom design, perhaps, more than any other variable. Steelcase predicts these changes ahead:

Spaces that are Both Physical + Digital

Learning spaces are no longer just physical spaces; they become digital and hybrid. Schools will move away from a one-size fits all model and create a greater variety of adaptive learning spaces.

Five new high schools broke ground in Minnesota in 2021. All were designed by Wold Architects + Engineers. The firm's Partner and Education Lead, Vaughn Dierks, talked about the must-haves for high schools during an interview with Building Design & Construction.

“When most people think of schools, they’re envisioning classrooms and labs on both sides of a hall ... it’s an industrialized model. It isn’t that way anymore. What we know now is everybody learns differently. We need a wider variety of spaces that are designed around [that].”

Spaces that Support Deeper Learning Experiences

As the earlier steps of learning (remembering, understanding) get pushed online, physical learning spaces will need to support higher-level learning and have the flexibility to fold-in future ed tech solutions that enable the shift.

Spaces that Support Equity in Education

Spaces are designed to make technology equally accessible to all students, teachers, and districts, regardless of location.

Patricia J. Brown is director of technology services at Ladue School District, Missouri. She commented on educational equity during a recent Education Week panel discussion on technology in classrooms.

“It’s not that more affluent schools have more technology. The major difference in equities is about how it’s used: what can students create and how can they collaborate. In urban districts, [technology] is used more for testing and rote learning.” She also emphasized the importance of providing teachers personalized professional support to make tech equity in education possible.

Spaces that Support "Human" Skills

The value of physical space shifts to support experiences that can’t be replicated in the digital world. For students, that means growing their skills in:

Communication
Collaboration
Social Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
Cross-Cultural Competencies

Brown added, “Do we want students to just consume knowledge or learn the four C’s [critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication]?”

Buy School Furniture to Support Hyper-Flexible, Tech-Driven Classrooms

Greater classroom flexibility is one of the most common requests made by teachers. They want easily-accessible tech tools and multifunctional furniture that adapts to serve teachers’ teaching methods and students’ learning preferences.

Progressive K-12 school furniture manufacturers like Smith System are at the forefront of designing furniture that supports highly flexible learning spaces, from one classroom to entire schools, including in-between spaces. Schools designers, like Vaughn Dierks with Wold Architects + Engineers is witnessing the benefits.

“Overall, we’ve seen such a huge improvement in furnishings and technology over the last decade, and we’ll continue to see that, especially with technology. Flexibility in those environments can really change a building without modifying the architecture, in terms of what students need.”

Smith System K-12 furniture includes innovative, highly flexible pieces that help ensure devices and internet access are within reach. For example, Smith System’s new Flowform^® Learn Lounge includes everything needed for ed tech learning and it empowers students to customize spaces for academic and social learning.

There’s durable soft seating (single or double) with the same dimensions of an ergonomically designed student chair. Then Smith System added various tables and ottomans – all with optional surface power – that give students comfortable work surfaces. The curves of the organically shaped Flowform^® pieces work together to support more comfortable positions for working on devices and Flowform^® includes partial privacy screens for extra visual and acoustical privacy.

Students, teachers and schools benefit with greater flexibility to:

Adapt to changing technology - Students can easily reposition around tech devices and power sources to collaborate in-person and with students learning virtually.
Receive fast access to technology - Students have tables and surfaces with built-in power to prevent battery drain, as well as interruptions in teaching and learning.
Learn with personal comfort and more options - Students have more seating options to support different work styles, postures and activities while using tech devices. If students want more traditional seating and tables, Smith System’s Numbers suite of chairs and tables offer support and functionality at a great value.

Don't Forget Technology Storage

Having access to technology doesn’t mean devices should be used in every lesson. In fact, being strategic about device use makes educational technology more effective and it helps students learn healthy boundaries. Keep ed tech tools (tablets, laptops, headsets, goggles, etc.) organized and secure with Smith System’s Flowform^® or Cascade^® classroom storage options.

Change is Good. Smith System Furniture Enables It

Education will never return to when a mouse was something you dreaded seeing in a classroom, and “whiteboard” meant the classroom corkboard stapled with white construction paper.

The K-12 digital transformation is about change: changing attitudes and the enabling of educators, parents and school leaders to fully realize the benefits of digital technologies. That will require designing flexible learning spaces and flexible school furniture that allows seamless ed tech integration.

Smith System is leading the way. If your school or district is preparing to buy new school furniture, request our catalog today and see how one manufacturer can provide innovative K-12 furniture solutions for multiple learning spaces.

Resources

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/10/12/big-ideas-to-redesign-k-12-for-the-automation-age/

https://www.edweek.org/technology/the-number-of-ed-tech-tools-school-districts-use-has-almost-tripled-thats-a-problem/2022/08

https://medium.com/thoughtmatter/what-is-the-classroom-of-the-future-229e559b50dd

https://online.ewu.edu/degrees/education/med/curriculum-and-instruction/k12-technology-trends/

How Technology is Shaping the Future of Learning

rebeccab — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 15:27:20 +0000

There’s an undeniable digital transformation underway in K–12 education. Its scope and pace are shaping the future of learning, teaching, and the physical spaces and furniture that support them, for sure.

That’s the catalyst behind this three-part blog series devoted to the tsunamic effects of the K–12 digital transformation. We’ve aggregated top insights on three higher-level topics related to educational technology, or ed tech:

Part One: How Technology is Shaping the Future of Learning

Part Two: Leveraging Technology to Support Student Wellbeing –Coming Soon

Part Three: Designing Flexible Learning Spaces for Ed Tech Integration –Coming Soon

Digital Transformation Train Picks Up Speed

The process of transitioning from traditional teaching practices to those that use digital technology isn’t new, nor finite. It’s been happening for decades, and the pandemic accelerated it. Remote and hybrid learning put pressure on school administrators, teachers, students, and parents to adopt ed tech options. Fast.

Post-pandemic, the gist of the digital transformation in K–12 education remains the same. On a broad level, it’s about leveraging ed tech to improve learning outcomes by creating:

Greater student engagement
Customized learning experiences
More efficient use of class time

This could mean anything, from virtual field trips for students to new software that streamlines classroom management for teachers. It’s a fundamental shift, according to the academic experts who wrote the UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) article, “The Digital Transformation of K–12: A Viewpoint.”

“[This is] ... not a digital transition, but digital transformation. Words do count here, and what is being proposed is truly a dramatic and fundamental break with the past. Analog, paper-and-pencil technologies, while comfortable and effective – for some – are not the building blocks of the future.”

EducationWeek recently said that schools benefiting most from the digital transformation will be open to change; have systems and structures in place that foster innovation, while ensuring that technology use is always relevant to the learning context. Proper, personalized teacher supports are essential, too.

A Deluge of Digital Tools

Today, educators are inundated with ed tech options. Granted, some are in the early adoption phase [see this archived bog, Virtual Reality in the Classroom.] But remember, those contraptions called computers and cellular phones were once tech infants, too!

There are now entire “smart” or tech-driven classrooms. They most likely include interactive whiteboards; assessment software programs that test students’ understanding of material covered in class; online instruction (live or on-demand), and parent communication platforms.

One acronym for the range of digital technologies encompassed by the term “digital” is SMAAC:

At a minimum, 1:1 devices allow students (and teachers) to quickly access information and search for extra materials in real-time or on-demand at a later time.

Five Ways Technology is Reshaping Learning and Teaching

Though the tools (and their cost) vary greatly, experts agree that digital transformation tools are moving teaching in a learner-centered direction. Here’s how.

Personalized Learning

Data-driven software is allowing teachers to track specific strengths, interests and needs of each student; adaptive learning technologies are letting students take ownership of their learning and progress at their own pace.

Differentiated and Individualized Instruction

Students learn at different paces and have a variety of learning processes. Ed tech tools let teachers tailor the curriculum to facilitate learning to groups of students or individual students. For example, ed tech software can make instruction more interactive, simplified or challenging. This approach benefits all learners, from those struggling to the gifted and talented.

Democratized Learning

The growing footprint of ed tech means schools can now use online resources and extend those learning benefits to students who would otherwise not have access. Instead of relying on physical infrastructure, e-platforms (like virtual tutors) can be accessible from anywhere. This means more opportunities for underserved and remote areas. And, neurodiverse students or students with physical disabilities have equal access, thanks to modified tech options.

More Immersive and Engaging Learning

A prime example of this is the metaverse, which education experts believe will – and, in some cases, already – have a huge impact on learning. Vriti Saraf, founder and CEO of k20 Educators, a global social learning community, explains that the metaverse is “a virtual version of everything you can do in real life.” She gives this example, if teaching about the human body.

Limitless Collaborative Learning

As ed tech improves, collaboration can unite students from around the world. It can allow for cross-cultural exchanges and have kids who can’t physically attend school work remotely with their peers. That’s a big boost for personal, interpersonal and cognitive skills growth.

Classroom Furniture Can Foster the Digital Transformation

Creating learning spaces that support the digital transformation require big-picture thinking. It’s about curating flexible environments for ed tech’s benefits to flourish.

One ed tech company explained, “There are many ways that schools can ensure they are making the most of [the] digital transformation. Teachers must be able to integrate technology into their teaching styles ... administrators need to create an environment where technology can be used effectively across all areas of the school.”

Smith System’s K-12 furniture masters that. It includes innovative pieces that help ensure devices and internet access are available when and where students need it. A good example is Smith System's new Flowform® Learn Lounge.

The product line includes everything needed for ed tech learning. There’s durable soft seating (single or double) with the same dimensions of an ergonomically designed student chair. Various tables and ottomans – all with optional surface power – give students comfortable work surfaces. Together, the curves of the organically shaped Flowform pieces support more comfortable positions for working on devices. Flowform also includes partial privacy screens.

For a more traditional sit with highly versatile tables, Smith System offers the Numbers suite of chairs and tables for K–12 schools. The chairs deliver ultimate comfort, quality and value in an appealing designs for all students.

Lastly, to keep ed tech tools (tablets, laptops, headsets, goggles, etc.) organized and secure, there’s Flowform or Cascade® classroom storage options.

What’s Next for Digital Transformation in Education?

Historically, learning technology has been developed reactively, deployed to solve specific educational challenges. EdSurge media said that’s changing.

“[The] tools have become a more proactive solution, providing innovative ways for schools to evolve alongside the changing needs in education and enabling teachers to connect with and engage more learners than ever before — wherever and however learning may be happening.”

What will that look like for educators? For one, they use technology to achieve higher levels of engagement throughout the learning process. As costs go down, look for more immersive technologies, namely, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) and, later on, extended reality (XR).

Keep the Ed Tech Conversation Going

Learn more about the digital transformation in K–12 education and the importance of buying new classroom furniture to leveraging education technology. Contact us today and/or request a free catalog in digital or print.

Resources

"Technology Tension: Why Isn’t Every School Pushing Digital Learning to the Next Level?" Education Week virtual panel discussion. Oct. 19, 2022.

https://edly.io/blog/how-ed-tech-is-transforming-k12-education/

https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2022/06/metaverse-already-here-and-k-12-schools-are-using-it-education

https://mgiep.unesco.org/article/the-digital-transformation-of-k-12-a-viewpoint

https://www.compnow.com.au/it-knowledge-base/digital-transformation-in-education/

https://www.edsurge.com/research/guides/how-is-technology-shaping-the-future-of-k-12-education

https://www.edutopia.org/article/handy-framework-choosing-edtech

https://www.k12blueprint.com/sites/default/files/SHI-K12BP-Embracing-Transformation.pdf

https://www.softermii.com/blog/the-impact-of-digital-transformation-in-education-sector

Smith System Launches Flowform® Learn Lounge

rebeccab — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 13:39:41 +0000

The next generation of school furniture for relaxed, collaborative learning has landed.

Smith System’s new Flowform^® Learn Lounge empowers students to customize spaces for academic and social learning. The stylish product line offers comfortable and transformable lounge furniture pieces that work in unison to provide what’s missing in many nontraditional seating spaces – ergonomic seating and work surfaces that promote healthier, engaged learning postures.

Ideal for Flexible Collaboration

Intended for grades 5–12, Flowform^® Learn Lounge gives students the freedom to curate entire collaborative learningscapes with fun, push-into-place school furniture. The lounge furniture product line includes highly versatile seating, tables and ottomans, flexible acoustical/privacy screens, and integrated power options.

How Flowform^® Learn Lounge Works

Though sold separately, the pieces are designed to work as a system. Collectively, they prevent awkward, even harmful, sitting positions. That includes uncomfortably leaning or slouching over too-low (or no) work surfaces often out of arm’s reach, a frequent culprit of lounge-style sitting and task areas.

For inspiration, Smith System drew upon the stylish, organic shapes of its Flowform^® products. Then it applied added ergonomic features. The moderately priced lounge furniture line includes:

Flowform^® Learn Lounge Soft Seating (with caster option)

Single or double upholstered, subtly curved bench-style seating with firm back support (same dimensions as an ergonomically designed student chair.)

Casters are sold separately

Flowform^® Learn Lounge Tables (with integrated power options)

Four, softly curved tables and a circular ottoman that work with the curved seating to minimize the distance between work surfaces and seating.

Flowform^® Learn Lounge Screens

Sound-dampening, flexible dividers that conveniently roll up for storage or repositioning; 48-inch-height provides student privacy without blocking teacher sight lines.

Furniture to Promote Student Wellness

Student (and teacher) well-being is paramount. Flowform^® Learn Lounge empowers students to customize spaces for academic and social learning. They can choose where and how to sit, with extra visual and acoustical privacy, and the tools to keep devices charged.

Flowform^® Learn Lounge is available for order through Smith System dealers, beginning November 2022.

Learn More

Browse Smith System’s entire website of innovative PreK–12 classroom furniture built to inspire 21^st Century education, and a multitude of learning and teaching styles.

About Smith System

Back in 1905, Smith System was a different company than we are today. We built heaters for one-room schools. And then water fountains – and lavatory systems. It was a simple mission – to keep kids warm, hydrated and clean, so they could focus on learning. But we soon discovered that, beyond those basic needs, there were other ways we could help. The more we worked for schools, the more we saw an ever-evolving environment that needed a furniture maker to nurture the change. So, we stepped in.

What’s cool is that our original purpose never stopped guiding us. We still come to work every day to serve the “one-room schools.” Because in reality, every student learns a little differently, every teacher teaches a little differently and every classroom needs a unique solution.

We believe (with a heck of a lot of passion) that every student and teacher deserves the best possible space to inspire learning. And that’s what led us to what we are today: A company designed to deliver on the needs of education better than anyone else in the industry.

How to Buy School Furniture: 7 Things to Remember, Not Regret

Michelle — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 22:43:40 +0000

Buying new school furniture to create modern, collaborative learning spaces is more than a monetary purchase. It’s an investment in students, teachers, and staff. Here’s how to make furniture selections that benefit everyone involved.

Buying the Right Classroom Furniture Matters. Big Time.

If you’re reading this article, your school or district is likely eyeing new school or classroom furniture. That’s exciting. It’s also a big responsibility, given How School Classroom Furniture Can Improve Student Learning.

The biggest step you can take to narrow your choices is to work with an established vendor who specializes in PreK-12 furniture, like Smith System. We can help you accomplish your goals, maximize your budget, and prevent massive time and energy drain. View our full line of Classroom Desks, School Chairs, and Student Tables.

There are seven factors to consider before buying school furniture, especially as the clock ticks down on expiring federal relief funds. If you’re still on the fence, this information should help you make an informed decision.

Do Your Homework First

Yes, homework is for grown-ups too. We recommend that schools wait to sign a furniture purchase order until after doing some essential upfront prep. Identify what you want your school furniture to accomplish, beyond its obvious function.

Then share this information with your eventual school furniture partner at the outset of the project:

• Budget basics, including a prioritized budget, quantities needed, layout dimensions
• Short- and long-term vision for your school and district’s curriculum and culture
• Teaching strategies used, including those for social emotional learning
• The learning needs of your unique student body
• How teachers want to re-imagine their learning spaces
• Technology’s role in classrooms and power needs
• Storage

7 Things to Consider Before Buying School Furniture

Whether retrofitting an existing space or furnishing an entirely new school campus, most educators and budget-keepers have a similar big-picture goal. They want top-value school furniture that will create safe, highly functional, and inspiring learning environments. It’s a bonus if school desks, school chairs, and classroom tables are designed to outlast any one administrator, teacher or student.

Answer these questions to pare down your furniture choices:

One: Well-Being

Does your school furniture promote student, teacher, and staff well-being?

The pandemic made “well-being” a top priority throughout schools, not just their counseling offices. Students can’t be their best learning selves, and teachers can’t teach (nor stay in the teaching profession) if they don’t feel well, physically, emotionally, socially and psychologically.

Look for furniture that fosters feelings of health and safety. This is about more than proper fit and comfort; It’s important to create spaces that empower students by giving them choices, like flexible seating options.

For example, some students may prefer a more traditional chair such as Smith System’s Groove® Noodle Chair. It allows a slight seat tilt in all directions, but with full back support. Other students may gravitate toward Flowform upholstered lounge-style seating or the Flowform Soft Rocker.

For more information on this, see these helpful blog posts: 5 Steps to a Flexible-Seating Classroom and Sanctuary in the Storm: How Classroom Design Can Promote Social-Emotional Learning.

Two: Quality and Value

Does your school furniture offer the best combination of quality and value?

Growing kids and teens are hard on furniture (and floors, walls, lockers, and more!). In general, classroom furniture should last 15 to 20 years. A pitfall for schools can be letting price alone, and the need to stretch every dollar as far as possible, drive furniture decisions. Factor in a mix of important criteria, including quality and durability.

Additionally, select a furniture manufacturer that is devoted exclusively to making educational furniture. Well-made, thoughtfully designed pieces will reduce repair and replacement costs, saving schools money in the long run. Because it’s true. You get what you pay for!

Three: Functionality

Is your school furniture flexible and multi-functional?

Most modern classroom furniture should do more than one job. It should be versatile, mobile and adapt to evolving pedagogy. A good example of this is classroom storage, like Smith System’sCascade® Two-Sided Whiteboard Unit. It’s a versatile, nomadic workhorse that replaces the traditional single-purpose whiteboard with a dual-purpose mobile whiteboard plus storage. The unit can be quickly repositioned to create learning or tutoring zones.

Also select students desks, like the mobile, adjustable-height Elemental® Student Desk – Huddle can work as a solo desk or cluster together to become a collaborative table.

Four: Design

Does your school furniture feature a timeless design with customizable options?

It’s a student's right to be educated in an aesthetically appealing environment. Well-designed furniture will look great, but also stand the test of come-and-go trends and years of use/abuse. Longevity is a hallmark of Smith System’s furniture suite. So are safety, durability, comfort, and functionality.

Don’t forget the significance of having a variety of color options and a cohesive plan for furniture colors and finishes. Balance school-spirit colors with practical elements, such as the need to differentiate spaces or coordinate color by grade levels.

Request samples and download our Finishes Guide.

Five: Comfort and Fit (Ergonomics)

Is your school furniture comfortable and ergonomically designed to maximize learning?

When looking to buy school furniture, comfort is another important factor to consider. Spending long periods in a chair with substandard ergonomics can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and neck and back problems – for kids and adults. If something hurts, performance suffers. In fact, it’s been shown that if chair ergonomics are inadequate, it can affect students’ concentration and skill development.

Check out Smith System’s Height Guide to help match your students with the suggested table height or chair height relative to their grade level. Smith System also provides many height-adjustable options.

Six: Selection

Can your school furniture manufacturer fulfill most of your furniture needs?

Expedite your ordering process by streamlining the number of vendors you’re working with. Choose a furniture partner that offers one-stop-shopping with most everything your school needs to furnish classrooms, learning commons, libraries/media centers, makerspaces, labs and more. Doing so will help you consolidate delivery and set-up, and reduce piecemeal shipping costs.

Also remember that nuances in school furniture matter. Shape, color, and finish of chairs desks and tables work in unison to create inspiring learning environments. When starting to buy school furniture, you want to look for a furniture partner that offers a wide selection, including adjustable-height furniture, as well as mobile and easily portable pieces.

Seven: Customer Service – Furniture Availability, Shipping Time, Warranty

School administrators are busy enough without having to worry about something going sideways with their furniture order or the furniture itself. Supply chain issues have also left some school furniture manufacturers unable to fulfill replacement orders or new orders, which can be disheartening.

Fortunately, Smith System offers schools a wide array of classroom furniture staples, fast. Download Smith System’s free QuickShip Guide and learn how to get quality classroom seating, desks, and storage shipped in as quick as five business days, year-round, even in the summer.

Also check out the Smith System® Limited Lifetime Warranty. Our company has been around for over 100 years, making us a reliable resource when you need assistance or additional school furniture.

Smith Systems Simplifies Buying School Furniture

Knowing how to buy school furniture efficiently and under budget is a tall order. Weighing school furniture choices can be a big task. There’s an avalanche of options and many people eager to be involved. That’s all the more reason to partner with an established, top-quality vendor, like Smith System, who specializes in PreK-12 furniture.

We help schools view buying new classroom furniture as an opportunity to create something better – even exciting – rather than simply replacing existing pieces. We’re certain our furniture suite exceeds the “7 Things to Remember” list reviewed above.

View our furniture catalog today to get started. Then contact us to connect with your nearest furniture dealer.

How School Classroom Furniture Can Improve Student Learning

rebeccab — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 09:19:43 +0000

The impact school classroom furniture has on academic and social-emotional learning is undeniable. In fact, the quality of the K–12 physical environment (classrooms) is part of the “fundamental trilogy” to boost learning.

That’s according to Arch Daily, an online platform for architects, many of whom design elementary schools and high schools worldwide. Here is Arch Daily’s full thought on the formula for creating impactful learning spaces.

“There is a fundamental trilogy for successful learning: the qualifications of the teaching staff, the interest of the students, and the quality of the physical environment – the classroom.” The latter, said Arch Daily, includes quality furniture.

This blog focuses on quality school classroom furniture and what schools need to know about furniture’s leading role on the learning stage. Architects and designers get it: classroom furniture’s impact is bigger than many schools may realize.

Table of Contents

Why Buying Quality School Furniture (Really) Matters
The Impact of School Classroom Furniture
K–12 Classroom Furniture: Significant Learning
Higher-Ed Classroom Furniture: Measurable Impact
School Classroom Furniture Helps Social-Emotional Learning
School Classroom Furniture Facilitates
Academic Learning
Visual Learners
Auditory Learners
Read/Write Learners
Kinesthetic Learners
New Classroom Furniture Inspires Students and Teachers
Smith System Can Inspire You

Why Buying Quality School Furniture (Really) Matters

School furniture is much more than utilitarian sitting, surfaces and storage. Architects like Chicago-based Legat Architects agree. It has designed numerous early learning centers, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools around the country, as well as individual classrooms.

“Students interact with furniture more than any other design element. They see it and touch it. They work, learn, eat, relax, socialize, and think on it.” Legat further described the role of quality school classroom furniture as an actual learning tool.

“Furniture can bring students together, or intuitively and quietly separate functions. It creates zones, provokes conversations, personalizes spaces, offers choices, and helps students relax so they can think and focus.”

Research: The Impact of School Classroom Furniture

Current research supports just how important furniture is to improving student engagement, health, focus and interaction. In fact, when classrooms and other learning environments are designed thoughtfully, they’ve been shown to facilitate student-centered learning, which leads to improved student engagement.

K–12 Classroom Furniture: Significant Learning

One Texas school district wanted to learn more about what goes into a high-impact K–12 classroom by putting its furniture to the test. The district installed modern school classroom furniture in pilot classrooms in October 2016. Prior to the installation, students in those rooms took a 10-question survey concerning the furniture in their classroom. Of the students surveyed, 43% felt that the classroom furniture had no impact on their learning.

However, after using the new furniture for three months, 88% of students felt that the new, modern furniture had helped them learn. In fact, two out of three students felt the furniture had a significant beneficial impact on their learning.

Higher-Ed Classroom Furniture: Measurable Impact

Though young minds may be the most pliable, classroom furniture has a big impact in higher-ed learning spaces, too. Dekker, Perich and Sabatini is a multidisciplinary U.S. design firm with much school-design experience. It’s blog on active-learning classrooms posed – and then answered – a challenging question: Can classroom furniture alone really lead to learning gains?

“The quick answer is no. New furnishings [alone] will not affect student achievement.” However, the author followed by saying new furniture is essential to the learning trilogy.

“When [new school classroom furniture] is coupled with the proper technology and – most importantly – a change in pedagogy, data shows very clearly that active-learning classrooms have measurable impacts on academic performance.” The blog shared these results from various colleges and universities who implemented that three-fold approach:

Increased classroom engagement of both students and faculty
Higher attendance rates (up to 90%)
Conceptual gains of more than 20%
Higher final grades of up to 10%
Pass rate increases from 78% to 90%
Failure rates for women and minorities less than one-third the standard rate

School Classroom Furniture Helps Social-Emotional Learning

Educators have put a heavier emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL) in the last decade, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. SEL isn’t new, though; it was propelled into pop culture in 1995 when New York Times science reporter Daniel Goleman published the book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. It’s more relevant in K–12 classrooms and schools than ever.

So, too, is creating “kind” environments, Goleman wrote. He explained how those spaces [and the furniture in them] help to encourage optimal brain development, as well as social connection and collaboration. In other words, SEL affects learning by shaping children’s developing neural circuitry, particularly the executive functions.

School Classroom Furniture Facilitates Academic Learning

At a minimum, school furniture physically supports learners with right-sized classroom chairs, student desksand/or classroom tables.

But we now know that the right furniture can improve academic outcomes. For example, quality classroom seating can help improve breathing and bloodflow to stimulate students’ brains. Students who feel they have a choice in where and how they sit (or stand, rock, lounge, etc.) in the classroom, feel more personally invested and empowered to learn.

Educators are also learning about the connection between furniture and the four learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing.

Visual Learners

Students who have a visual learning style often like sitting in the front of the classroom. They may prefer to take a lot of notes, highlight copy, or create diagrams.

Furniture to support visual learners:

Planner® Studio Whiteboard

Student desks

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners listen carefully and often focus on the tone or the rate of speech. They can benefit from videos, audio components, and collaborative working groups filled with discussion and exchanging ideas.

Furniture to support auditory learners:

Collaborative learning furniture

Cafe and lounge furniture

Read/Write Learners

Read/write learners learn best by reading and rereading the textbook or their notes, writing and rewriting their notes, and, in general, organizing items into lists or even presentations.

Furniture to support auditory learners:

Flowform^TMsoft seating

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners learn best through hands-on learning opportunities. They also need to move or be active in the classroom.

Furniture to support kinesthetic learners:

Silhouette® Sit + Stand desk

Flavors® four-position classroom chairs and stools

Oodle^TM stool

Flowform^TMSoft Rocker

New Classroom Furniture Inspires Students and Teachers

Lastly, don’t we all – no matter our age – feel better in well-curated spaces that convey we’re worth the effort? According to FIRA International (formerly the Furniture Industry Research Association) in the U.K.:

“The choice of quality furniture indicates to the user (in this case, the children) that there is concern for them. Therefore, it is very likely that better furniture can create a greater feeling of belonging, and consequently, encourage the children to have a greater respect for their environment.”

Here are some other benefits that high-impact school classroom furniture delivers:

For teachers

Support for a flexible curriculum with multi-purpose furniture that can quickly be

repositioned.

Students who feel they belong in the physical space have more willingness to collaborate, which makes the classroom more fun and comfortable for everyone.

Smith System Can Inspire You

Smith System has the full spectrum of top quality school classroom furniture needed to improve learning across the board. If your school or district is looking for a classroom refresh, contact us. Or download our catalog. Bonus: Our QuickShip Program can get quality seating, desks and storage to your door within five business days, year round.

Sources

https://www.archdaily.com/938717/schools-of-the-future-how-furniture-influences-learning

https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2104/10794/Investigating_the_Flexible_Classroom_Environment.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

https://blog.definedlearning.com/blog/what-are-vark-learning-styles

https://www.dpsdesign.org/blog/active-learning-classrooms

https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/how-does-social-and-emotional-development-affect-learning

https://www.legat.com/does-your-schools-furniture-support-learning-styles-and-improve-performance/

https://meteoreducation.com/what-really-goes-into-a-high-impact-k-12-classroom/

http://www.simplysweethome.com/2021/03/importance-of-school-furniture/

Perspiring about Expiring Relief Funds? We Have Quick Solutions

rebeccab — Tue, 31 May 2022 18:30:27 +0000

K-12 school districts breathed a sigh of relief last year when Congress allocated $122 billion to alleviate COVID’s effect on education. Yet the majority of funds remain unspent. Now, schools are under pressure to expedite purchases before the 2024 deadline. Smith System can help.

This blog explains qualifying purchases, specifically, buying new K-12 school and classroom furniture. It also details Smith System’s QuickShip Program, a remedy to supply chain delays that have plagued some manufacturers. Under the Program, Smith System can ship select quantities of school furniture mainstays in as quick as five business days.

A Recap of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Funds

The American Rescue Plan is the largest-ever disbursement of federal funds for American schools. And, as we all know by now, ARP is meant to help schools address the pandemic’s impact on students (and teachers), and ongoing disparities.

But billions set aside for school COVID-relief are still in the coffers. The U.S. Department of Education recently reported that 93% of the $122 billion is untouched. Furthermore, use-it-or-lose-it funds could disappear if not spent by the September 2024 deadline.

What’s causing delays? In a January 2022 survey to its members, the School Superintendents Association (AASA) found that over half of respondents are worried they won’t be able to use funds for building upgrades “due to supply chain issues, labor and material shortages, and the current timeline and pace of these projects.”

Another survey by consulting firm Education Resource Strategies reported that among officials in 21 large school districts, nearly all said they were behind on their plans for spending federal dollars.

Schools Given Wide Latitude in Spending

The good news is that the government has given schools broad options for spend-downs. The categories are:

Academic recovery

Social-emotional needs

Mental and physical health needs

School facility updates to ensure healthy learning environments

The AASA survey also asked members what systematic improvements districts plan to make over the next three years to improve education outcomes and close equity gaps. The top spending categories for schools were:

Expanding whole child supports, including social, emotional, mental, and physical health and development.
Making system changes, including renovation and updates to school facilities, including HVAC systems.
Re-engaging high school students who have fallen off-track.

School Furniture is Across-the-Board Solution

While the spending categories may seem wide ranging, most have a commonality. Educational leaders see the value in upgrading to school furniture designed for learning. That’s driven demand for school furniture, equipment and supplies.

“Smith System continues to see a big increase in furniture orders, as more schools use their ARP funds for long-overdue renovations and upgrades,” said Doug Lewis, Smith System’s VP of Operations.

Product, Not Problematic Delays

Lewis agrees that global events over the last two years have decreased supplier delivery dependability for many manufacturers. But Smith System’s foresight and planning is benefitting schools who are ready to buy new furniture now.

The company doubled its furniture inventory and added warehouse space to store product. The result is a return to 99.9% on-time furniture deliveries.

QuickShip Program Details

In addition, Smith System proudly promotes the most expansive and reliable QuickShip operation in the industry. It’s aptly named QuickShip Program runs year round, even in the summer. Classroom furniture essentials ship as quickly as five business days. (Download Smith System's QuickShip Guide for lead times on popular seating, student and teacher desks, and storage.

Dorie McInturf is a QuickShip fan. She’s a furniture dealer with 3 Oaks Resource Group, a Florida-based furniture, fixture, supply and equipment company supporting education and business.

Furniture-Based Strategies to Maximize ARP Funds

The opportunities to use school and classroom furniture to support ARP spending categories is vast. Smith System offers many strategies for schools to consider. Below are some suggestions and links to helpful Smith System blogs for deeper-content dives.

Academic Recovery

Flexible learning environments

Replace traditional stationary pieces in classrooms with comfortable mobile desks, tables and chairs that students can easily reconfigure. Be sure to add power accessories that support technology, and add versatile classroom storage.

See blog: Transforming Older Schools into Modern Learning Spaces

Tutoring
Thoughtful tutoring zones with cohesive furniture design (and color schemes) convey that a school values every student’s education equally. Smith System's Flowform® soft seating, tables, and storage units help set the stage. Also consider mobile whiteboards to create multi-purpose privacy barriers.

See blog: How to Get Students Back on Track Using High-Impact Tutoring Spaces

Social-Emotional Learning.

Furniture and interior design play a significant role in empowering students’ SEL. Let them choose to sit, stand or move around. Add biophilic benefits by including outdoor learning spaces equipped with upholstered Flowform Outdoor furniture. It’s durably designed to be outside.

See blog: Sanctuary in the Storm: How Classroom Design Can Promote Social-Emotional Learning

See blog: Outside Classrooms: Even Small Doses Can Help Counter Nature-Deficit Disorder

Mental and Physical Health Support

Calm rooms An ideal calm room should provide relief, so physical design, from lounge furniture to soft lighting, is critical. Don’t forget furniture that also provides opportunities for vestibular input (movement), like Smith System's Oodle® stool and soft rockers.

See blog: Stress Less: Create a Calm Room Students Want to Visit

We’ve Got You Covered

If your school district is feeling the pinch to spend-down ARP funds, consider furniture upgrades. Whether it’s for an individual classroom or entire school, purchasing quality furniture designed to improve learning is always a smart investment. Especially as schools march toward the September 2024 deadline.

“To spend the remaining funds, most districts need to up the pace at which money goes out the door each month,” according to an article by the Brookings Institute, the nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C.

Visit Smith System’s website to download our 2022 Catalog and QuickShip Guide. We’ll do all we can to meet your deadlines before the ARP deadline!

Sources:

https://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/ARP-Survey-Findings-Part2.pdf

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2022/03/31/a-year-ago-school-districts-got-a-windfall-of-pandemic-aid-hows-that-going/

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2022/3/15/22978118/schools-spending-covid-slow-federal-arp

https://www.wsj.com/articles/school-districts-are-struggling-to-spend-emergency-covid-19-funds-11652866201

Stress Less: Create a School Calm Room Students Want to Visit

Michelle — Thu, 05 May 2022 17:40:13 +0000

We all need to blow off steam. But for K–12 students with already low resiliency, it can feel scary, like an open fire hydrant. School Calm Rooms help students slow the flow.

Calm Rooms are important social-emotional learning (SEL) environments where students can cool down and learn how to self-regulate their bodies and emotions. That’s a big help for a nation of exhausted teachers, too, who need more positive tools for struggling kids and teens.

This blog explains what Calm Rooms are (and aren’t). We share how these spaces work and how schools can create their own sanctuaries. That includes choosing the right Calm Room furniture to foster the “chill.” Schools may even want to consider a similar space for staff.

Many Names; Same Goal

Schools give these spaces different labels: Calm Room, Calming Room, Calm Corner, Peace Space, Be Brave Room, etc. But their intention is similar. A Calm Room provides a quiet, comfortable space for students to reset when they’re feeling anxious, angry or overwhelmed.

The nonprofit MindPeace describes Calm Rooms as a safe place for teachers to send a student who needs to de-escalate.

“Calm Rooms teach students calming techniques to decrease agitation, aggressiveness, irritation, sadness, etc. This gives them the chance to calm themselves before trying to process the cause of their actions/misbehavior.”

Educate Students on Using The Space

Calm Rooms are not meant as hang-out spots for friends who coordinate meet-up times (eh-hem, bathrooms). Calm Rooms are also not punishment. They shouldn't trigger negative stigma, such as being sent to the principal's office or a "time-out."

The space is for individual students to process intense feelings. Ideally, a student visits a Calm Room as healthy self-intervention to preempt escalating. Schools should explain the room’s benefits, purpose, tools and rules.

In March, 2022, The New York Times interviewed a group of teens about high school today. The article, “12 Teens on What Adults Don’t Get,” included this comment by one 17-year-old.

“Sometimes the counselors or teachers are not always the most understanding. They don’t give you ways to help manage stress. You just have to figure it out on your own.”

Within the first weeks of school, have the school counselor lead students on a Calm Room orientation. Educate students on using coping tools in the room.

Equally important, don’t assume kids know when to use the Calm Rooms; emotional intelligence varies wildly by age and individuals. Teach students how to identify personal warning signs on when to ask permission for the Calm Room – and when to ask for more help than the space can offer. Safety is paramount.

How Visits Work

Most student visits to a Calm Room are short, just 5 to 10 minutes, before the student returns to the classroom. There’s a reason for that.

Pete Nadler is an assistant principal for a public high school in Illinois. He said his school’s Calming Room prevents a student from simply “eloping” from learning. When a problem arises for a student, they can ask to leave class. The student then scans-in or signs-in at the Calming Room, and the supervisor caps visits at 10 minutes.

“The biggest thing,” said Nadler, “is to convey that it’s okay for students to have negative emotions, process those feelings, and return to class.” He acknowledges that some students can’t. If so, the Calming Room supervisor refers those students to the Student Services office.

(TIP: Schools may want to replace language such as “negative emotions” or “acting out,” with more neutral terms, like “intense feelings” or “big feelings.”)

What Calm Rooms Should Offer

Here are the key aspects of a Calm Room:

They're safe (emotionally and physically)

The space should be supervised by an adult and private. The latter is a big deal, according to one high school teacher in Ohio.

“We have a Commons Area in our school, and that’s a great place for students to hang-out ... [but] it would be great if our school had a space that was more private ... A space where you turn off your phone, disconnect, and know that if you are in that room, you are in a safe place to be yourself, and maybe talk to others openly.”

They're relaxing

Reduce stimulation in the room. Consider low-key visual, auditory and tactile stimuli, with no technology. That said, some schools let students have a say in the room’s contents. For example, some Calm Rooms include art supplies or mobile white boards for doodling, exercise equipment, head phones for music, or even gaming devices.

They're comfortable

This one’s a given. Students should instantly relax into the space to relieve stress. Furniture and overall aesthetics set that tone ... more on that below.

They provide tools and strategies

Many kids don’t know how to regulate their emotions. Or maybe they did, and then COVID hit. Or hormones, family loss or trauma rocked a student’s resiliency. Educate students on how to use Calm Rooms.

What Science Says: Change Does a Body Good

Psychological research supports the benefits of “Be Calm” rooms. For young students, hormonal changes (and much more) can increase aggression, and social-emotional skills are still developing. That can affect higher-order thinking, like problem solving and self-control.

A change in environment, such as going to a Calm Room, can decrease anxiety and allow the student to calm down without feeling isolated from their class. The pandemic has certainly accelerated the need.

Miguel Cardona, the current U.S. Secretary of Education, recently said on NPR, “We cannot go back to the way things were before the pandemic. We must seize this moment to make things better for all students.”

How To Furnish a Calm Room

An ideal Calm Room provides relief, so physical design – from lounge furniture to soft lighting – is critical. It conveys how much a school values its students’ SEL. Schools want to attract students to these spaces.

Michaela Towne, a Spanish teacher and supervisor at her high school’s Calming Room, agrees. “It’s a lot more calming and nice to have the sofa and comfortable chairs than the hard desks ... the lighting and the furniture definitely contribute to making it more relaxing.”

Consider providing:

Comfortable seating options

This is the biggest request from educators setting up these spaces.

Students feel more empowered if they can control their seating position – height, movement, softness and location. Smith System’s upholstered Flowform® benches, rockers and ottomans are ideal for Calm Rooms. Students like the casual, organic shapes they quickly move position.

If schools want a tad more traditional seating, the multi-position Flavors® Noodle Chair is a good choice. It encourages students (especially fidgeters) to follow their natural movement instincts, with a seat pan that allows a slight tilt. The chair provides the benefits of stability ball seating – engaging core muscles, better posture and breathing –with better back support and comfort.

Active seating that can rock or sway

Many students, especially kinesthetic learners, find that some degree of movement calms them. Smith System’s Oodle® stool is another great option for Calm Rooms.

The basic Oodle® features three cylinder-shaped, stackable components, each 17 inches in diameter and 6.5 inches high. By simply flipping a separate, floor-facing disc insert 180 degrees, students can sit still (the insert’s flat side) or enjoy 10 degrees of multidirectional wobble.

Tactile fabrics or surfaces

There’s a reason why upholstered furniture and plush accessories thrived during the pandemic. Will we ever go back? Calm Rooms should include comforting fabrics and natural finishes. Also consider biophilic elements, like plants.

Soft, calming colors

Calm Rooms are not the place for bold primary colors or busy patterns, even if users are elementary school students. Smith System offers a variety of modern, soothing color choices, with names like Apple (soft green), Cerulean (soothing blue), Platinum (medium gray), or Tuscan (a relaxing rust).

What About Tables?

Work surfaces often encourage just that: work. We suggest limiting tables that students might use for laptops or homework. Instead, use Flowform® ottomans as coffee tables or Flowform® stools as end tables for students who need a surface for art projects.

Encourage Life-Long Coping Skills

It’s unlikely the need for Calm Rooms has ever been greater. The last few years have been brutal on many K–12 students, their parents and teachers.

Calm Rooms can help students become better learners and happier humans by calling on their life-long coping skills – self-awareness, resiliency and self-care.

Sources:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/creating-mindful-space-self-regulation

https://ideas.demco.com/blog/how-to-create-a-school-calming-room/

https://www.latinousa.org/2021/12/03/miguelcardona/

https://www.lzbearfacts.com/news/2021/10/28/school-builds-calming-room-for-students-to-process-negative-emotions/

https://www.maryvillecollege.edu/news/2019/mc-students-create-be-calm-rooms-in-local-schools/

http://mindpeacecincinnati.com/wp-content/uploads/General-Calming-Space-Info-3.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/opinion/teenagers-america.html

Behind the Design: Numbers™ Chair and Desk Suite

Michelle — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 19:02:22 +0000

Numbers Chair + Desk = Smart Solutions for Schools Worldwide

An interview with the designers behind Smith System’s new value-driven, yet stylish, furniture suite that also meets global requirements

Numbers chairs and desks are calculated for comfort and aesthetics that appeal to K–12 students everywhere.

To get the scoop, we spoke with Roger Carr and David Williams of Radar Design, the European design team behind Numbers. Radar also designed Smith System’s legendary Flavors® chair and Theorem® chair.

Let’s dive into, well, the numbers. What directive did Smith System^® give you?

We were charged with designing an affordable K–12 chair that would provide unparalleled performance and visual subtlety. Paired with the Numbers desk, the duo delivers on quality and versatility. It sets a new benchmark.

Describe “a new benchmark.”

The suite has a compact, sleek look that suits students of all ages, and that streamlines the ordering process for schools. The chair design, in particular, is practical, yet quite sophisticated, thanks to blow-molding technology.

Is blow-molding what makes the chair comfortable, yet also super strong?

Yes. Without getting too techy... blow molding allows variable thickness in the chair’s shell, so the front and back can have different roles. The front promotes comfort and 360-degree seating. The back is about durability. The steel frame is actually nestled into the seatpan.

Say more about the chair’s comfort.

We followed a more organic design to boost comfort. The Numbers seat is fairly flat, with soft edges around the perimeter and a waterfall front, so students can easily turn around or within the chair. It works with, rather than against, them.

Explain the global appeal of Numbers.

Numbers is Smith System’s first product suite designed to meet K–12 classroom furniture requirements for size, safety conformance and durability of three global markets: The Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa).

Is that why the chair prototype was initially called the “World Chair”?

Yes. Early on, we held design charettes with our experts around the world. After presenting initial sketches for feedback, Radar developed prototypes to meet the global standards. The chair heights range from 10 to 18 inches for U.S. standards, and Euro 1 to 6 (ages 3 to 18).

What makes Numbers Desk a good companion to Numbers Chair?

The desk has a similar presence to the chairs and covers the same stability requirements of international test standards. It’s versatile, too. The initial offering comes in five different shapes, with adjustable height (19 to 30 inches) and inner leg tubes that can flip between glides or casters.

Out of curiosity, do you sketch ideas by hand or go right to the computer?

We start sketching by hand. Once we get the unique character down, we move to CAD. But we’ll still move back and forth, often drawing over the complex 3-D CAD printouts to refine things like a chair’s lumbar support and hand holds.

Classroom space can be tight. What’s the “stack geometry” of Numbers?

The chairs include dual durometer bumpers in the cover plate to act as skid-like runners. That removes the stress from stacked chairs and allows students, even little ones, to stack chairs loosely. Blow molding prevents paint damage. The desks are also designed for slide-on stacking, three or four at a time.

Sustainability wise, how does Numbers add up?

It’s impressive. A 100% recyclable polypropylene chair shell, a 100% recyclable chair frame and desk frame in steel with powder-paint finish. All elements are held together with mechanical fastenings, allowing ease of maintenance and disassembly for recycling at the end of the product lifespan.

You’ve been developing award-winning products – including several for Smith System^® – for over 35 years. In school furniture, what matters most to K–12 students?

In our opinion, products that are safe, comfortable and moveable, while not being ‘prescriptive.’ Meaning, the products don’t dictate exact use. For example, chairs should provide a good seating position for desk-based work, but with a degree of freedom of movement, wiggle room and fidgeting.

What matters most to teachers?

Furniture that can assist in focusing an active child in the classroom activity, be easily moved and reassembled by students into groupings or for solo tasks, and furniture that is safe, quiet and easily managed.

How has COVID altered school furniture design?

It’s sped up the transition to more multi-functional spaces and more flexible teaching methods to accommodate hybrid learning. It’s likely that physical areas that can’t be duplicated either outside or at home (such as labs) will be fixed areas in schools. All other areas will need to adapt for flexible student numbers and a wider range of activities. The use of outdoor space will continue to grow.

Thanks, Roger and David. This has been an enlightening conversation.

The Right Formula: Smith System Launches Numbers™ Chair and Numbers™ Desk

Michelle — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 19:48:33 +0000

New product line is company’s first to meet requirements of three global markets

CARROLLTON, TX – (March 14, 2022) – Smith System is expanding its geographic footprint by introducing its new Numbers Chair and Numbers Desk. The stylish K–12 offerings are the company’s first to meet rigorous classroom furniture requirements in three global markets: The Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa).

The Numbers family – available to ship August 15, 2022 – answers the need for value-driven, high-quality classroom solutions with international design appeal. Numbers’ compact, sleek look suits all K–12 ages, and the product specifications comply with BIFMA, EN, and GB standards for durability, performance and sizing.

A New Benchmark in Comfort, Strength, Design

Smith System held virtual and in-person design charettes with its experts around the world to gather deep insights on global learning. The resulting Numbers raises the bar for classroom desks and chairs with the company’s exceptional design and quality.

“Numbers sets a new benchmark for combining the practicalities of comfort and strength with the visual subtleties of great design in classroom furniture,” said Jim Stelter, President of Smith System.

The chair-desk duo was designed by the European design team, Radar, the masterminds beyond Smith System’s widely imitated Flavors® chair and popular Theorem^® chair. Added emphasis was put on “stack geometry.” Numbers chairs and desks are easy to lift, with stacking components that deter damage to frames and paint.

About Numbers Chair

Unlike most school chairs made from injection molding, Numbers is made using blow-molding technology. That allows the chair’s front features to be entirely separate from its back, with variable thickness and a fully integrated frame. Notable benefits include comfortable 360-degree seating, ergonomic back support, and added strength from a steel frame nestled into the seatpan.

About Numbers Desk

To complete the Numbers equation, Smith System designed a perfect companion for the Numbers Chair: the versatile Numbers Desk. Its foremost features include discreet height adjustments elements and inner leg tubes that can flip between glides or casters, without affecting desk height.

Size Options Meet U.S. and International Standards

Chairs and desks in the Numbers family fit K–12 ages across all three major markets. Numbers Chair heights range from 10–18 inches for U.S. standards, and Euro 1–6 (ages 3 to 18). Numbers Desk has two insert sizes that vary desk height from 19–30 inches. Desk shapes include rectangular, trapezoid, triangle and more.

Additionally, Numbers furniture meets Smith System’s sustainability goals with a 100% recyclable polypropylene chair shell, and 100% recyclable steel chair and desk frames.

Learn more.

Product News Archives - Smith System Blog

The Power of Choice–Platinum & Clear Totes Now Available

Organize Your Classroom with Smith System’s New, Solid Storage Totes

Why Promote Totes?

A Focused Formula: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Create Less Distraction

Accommodate Students with Learning Differences

Role model organization skills for students

What Teachers Say about Classroom Organization

Q&A on the New Platinum Totes

We’re Ready to Help You Store More

Furniture Overhaul Turns Special Ed Science Classroom into ‘Science Oasis’

Special Ed Students Deserve Equal Footing

A Whole Lotta Heavy Metal

Second Time's a Charm

Everything But the Fish Tank

The "ReImagined" Furniture Arrives

Here are some highlights:

Classroom Tables

Classroom Storage

Classroom Chairs and Stools

A Cool-Off Spot and Computer Corner

Student Reactions Upon Reveal

'Thank-Yous' All Around

Leveraging Technology to Support Student Wellbeing

Five Types of Student Wellbeing

The Pandemic's Punch to Student Wellbeing

Leveraging Technology to Boost Student Mental Health

Telehealth and Teletherapy

Digital Programs and Apps for Meditation and Regulating Emotions

Technology to Report, Track, and Address Student Mental Health Concerns

Examples of Software Designed for Student Wellness

School Furniture Should Support Technology and Wellbeing

Choice

Ergonomics

Creativity and Privacy

Keep the Ed Tech Conversation Going

Designing Flexible Learning Spaces for Ed Tech Integration

Technology is Rapidly Growing in Schools

Ed Tech Tools Learning Spaces Must Incorporate

Predictions for How Tech Will Change Learning Space Design

Spaces that are Both Physical + Digital

Spaces that Support Deeper Learning Experiences

Spaces that Support Equity in Education

Spaces that Support "Human" Skills

Buy School Furniture to Support Hyper-Flexible, Tech-Driven Classrooms

Don't Forget Technology Storage

Change is Good. Smith System Furniture Enables It

How Technology is Shaping the Future of Learning

Digital Transformation Train Picks Up Speed

A Deluge of Digital Tools

Five Ways Technology is Reshaping Learning and Teaching

Personalized Learning

Differentiated and Individualized Instruction

Democratized Learning

More Immersive and Engaging Learning

Limitless Collaborative Learning

Classroom Furniture Can Foster the Digital Transformation

What’s Next for Digital Transformation in Education?

Keep the Ed Tech Conversation Going

Smith System Launches Flowform® Learn Lounge

The next generation of school furniture for relaxed, collaborative learning has landed.

Ideal for Flexible Collaboration

How Flowform® Learn Lounge Works

Flowform® Learn Lounge Soft Seating (with caster option)

Flowform® Learn Lounge Tables (with integrated power options)

Flowform® Learn Lounge Screens

Furniture to Promote Student Wellness

Learn More

About Smith System

How to Buy School Furniture: 7 Things to Remember, Not Regret

Buying the Right Classroom Furniture Matters. Big Time.

Do Your Homework First

7 Things to Consider Before Buying School Furniture

One: Well-Being

Two: Quality and Value

Three: Functionality

Four: Design

Five: Comfort and Fit (Ergonomics)

Six: Selection

How Flowform^® Learn Lounge Works

Flowform^® Learn Lounge Soft Seating (with caster option)

Flowform^® Learn Lounge Tables (with integrated power options)

Flowform^® Learn Lounge Screens

Seven: Customer Service – Furniture Availability, Shipping Time, Warranty