As educators and school administrators, your priority is always to find innovative ways to better prepare your students for bright futures. One of the most impactful ways to boost student outcomes is with effective design of learning spaces and classrooms. Future-ready learning is made possible by future-ready environments.
School Outfitters works with 97% of the top school districts to outfit learning spaces and design classrooms with modern products every year. Today, we're sharing future-ready learning additions you can consider for your school right now. Get inspired with these room design essentials and start transforming your spaces!
What does it mean to have a future-ready learning environment?
You can't predict the future for your students. But your school can take steps now to ensure students are future ready. A future-ready environment is one that features personalized student experiences and harnesses a flexible approach to instruction. This includes integrating technology into lessons, fostering collaboration and critical thinking, and cultivating a culture of innovation and adaptability. A future-ready learning environment prepares students to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Future-ready planning tips
Future-forward schools will always start with a robust plan before making changes and enhancements. Consider these pillars as part of your roadmap to achieving a high level of future readiness for your students.
Know which skills to focus on developing: Determine which critical skills your students will need the most help with in order for them to succeed. You can then formulate a curriculum around meeting those needs and achieving precise skill-related goals.
Assess your school's current conditions: With your goals in mind, evaluate your school's current conditions, including curriculum and learning spaces. You can then prioritize reconfigurations to teaching plans and infrastructure.
Draft a plan that bridges gaps and solves problems: Draft a step-by-step plan that outlines what you need to facilitate your plan. This also means creating a wish list of innovative furniture options, learning products, and technology.
Make all resources and tech accessible: Future-ready learning plans will only be effective if opportunities and resources are available to every student equitably. This includes accessibility to information, internet connectivity, and other technology that impacts learning.
Advantages for future-forward schools
Schools that take steps to embrace future-forward learning have positive impacts on student outcomes, including:
Enhanced student engagement
Better technology integration
Flexible learning environments
Empowered and motivated students
More efficient classroom management
Encouraged collaboration and team-building skills
Improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills
How to build a future-ready classroom
Ready to build a future-ready classroom? Consider following these steps to make the most of every improvement and your available budgets and resources.
Enhance one classroom at a time
If you can dramatically improve your school's classrooms and learning spaces, great! But the reality is that school budgets sometimes only allow for incremental improvements. That's ok! Start transforming your rooms and spaces one at a time.
Look for products that allow students to play or interact without restrictions. Find solutions that make your classrooms more comfortable. And encourage various tools that inspire better communication. Research suggests that these environmental contributors allow students to be more engaged with the learning process. Here are some products and furniture to consider:
Evaluate each learning space to spot other environmental improvements. These might include better ventilation, temperature control, lighting, or classroom layouts. These elements can impact a student's ability to focus and learn.
Introduce plenty of engaging technology
You can't have a future-ready learning environment without innovative technology. Look to explore products and furniture that support tech-advanced learning initiatives. Research and Markets expects online education to grow 10% annually through 2026. So, also be mindful of improving how your students connect when they're not physically in the classroom. These products are popular investments for schools looking to embrace technology in learning:
Learning beyond the classroom
Get your students ready for a successful future with learning outside of the classroom. Offsite and hands-on learning are great experiences for students of all ages. From nature hikes with young learners to on-site job tours with major employers for career-ready high schoolers, learning offsite can bring high-value opportunities. Discover outdoor products and non-traditional classroom additions to make learning fun and enjoyable anywhere:
Safety, security, and comfortable learning spaces
Future-ready learning environments have certain characteristics – namely, they're safe, secure, and comfortable spaces for students to thrive. Explore this checklist and spot ways to improve your student experiences:
Environmental - fresh water, indoor air quality, well-lit public spaces, and safe entry/exit points
Digital – data security, student privacy, and equitable connectivity
Instructional – flexible room layouts, comfortable seating, and collaborative group activities
FAQs about future-ready learning
Check out some of the other more frequently asked questions our furniture experts hear from schools about future-ready learning.
How are schools preparing students for the future?
Schools can build community partnerships and introduce hands-on learning experiences that bring real-world contexts into the classrooms.
What is an example of a school committing to future-ready learning?
Illinois districts joined Future Ready Schools back in 2016. As a result, participating districts commit to personalized and digital learning initiatives. Future Ready Schools addresses a comprehensive set of issues, including “school culture, leadership, curriculum, instruction and assessment, personalized professional learning, technology and infrastructure, budget and resources, data and privacy, use of space and time, mentoring and collaborating with other districts, and community partnerships.”
What learning space trends can schools expect this year?
Look for room designs that encourage collaborative learning, hands-on engagements, and social interactions. Classrooms are dynamic and flexible, straying from the traditional rows of desks facing forward to bean bags and outdoor experiences.
School Outfitters: Your future-ready furniture partner
As your school develops plans for future-ready learning, make sure you're working with the right furniture partner. School Outfitters has been helping schools like yours prepare students for success over decades. And just as you're modernizing your spaces, we're innovating our products. Find exclusives, thousands of quick-ship items, and pre-rendered room designs for inspiration. Contact our experts for your free quote, and let us help you bring your school's future-ready learning goals to life!
