Before there’s curriculum or calendars or lesson plans, there’s the classroom space itself, stripped of last year’s posters and anchor charts. Where should teachers begin? We’ve got the answers.

In this back-to-school episode, editors Youki Terada and Steve Merrill review over 30 high-quality studies on classroom design and boil them down to five big takeaways, from how to use wall decoration to maximize student attention to why potted plants can alter student perceptions of the classroom—and the teacher, too!

Related resources:

• Learn more about this episode
• The Science of Classroom Design
• Flexible Classrooms: Research Is Scarce but Promising
• Designing the Ideal Classroom Space
• The Impact of Classroom Design on Pupils’ Learning: Final Results of a Holistic, Multi-level Analysis 
• The Sweet Spot for Classroom Decorations
• Telling the Story of Learning In Displays of Student Work
• Making the Most of Your Classroom Walls