As we look for greater engagement, focus and love of learning from our students, it is essential that we take small, but necessary steps, in pursuit of a more active learning environment. These efforts aren’t designed to throw out all traditional learning moments, but instead create a more robust, intentional set of instructional practices and learning space decisions for teachers. Use the stages and continuum of active learning below as a guide to growth and as a roadmap to expanding your design toolbox while also keeping your instruction and environment in sync.
Stage One: The Ultra-Traditional Classroom
This stage epitomizes the “sit-and-get” model of education, where rows of desks face the teacher, whose lecture dominates the classroom dynamic. Instruction centers on direct transmission of knowledge, with minimal student interaction. The physical space mirrors this traditional pedagogy, appearing static, rigid, and hierarchical. This setup limits student engagement and creativity while often failing to address diverse learning needs.
Shifting to tables from desks doesn’t move us to stage two either because if the classroom is centered on the teacher doing the majority of the “work;” where students are compliant and active listeners or completers of worksheets, it is a stage one classroom.
Stage Two: Incremental Interaction
This stage retains much of the traditional classroom setup but introduces limited opportunities for student interaction, such as question-and-response activities or brief peer discussions. Active participation accounts for less than 10% of class time, with tables or desks still arranged in rows or pairs that support only occasional group sharing. While engagement begins to increase, opportunities for critical thinking and collaboration remain limited. The teacher in this scenario still controls all the decisions made in the classroom, the discussions and the question generation. Some gains in interaction may emerge, but most of the time in stage two environments, students remain seated and are the consumers of information delivered by the teacher.
Stage Three: The Balanced Classroom
A significant shift occurs in this stage as classrooms begin to integrate flexible furniture arrangements, such as clusters or pods, to encourage collaboration and movement. Lessons incorporate standing, movement breaks, and occasional creative projects involving hands-on materials or technology. This more dynamic environment supports problem-solving and guided inquiry, while also fostering greater engagement and active participation.
The teacher in this stage can at times be the deliverer of information, but also encourages students to come up with questions that drive collaboration, research and inquiry. In this stage, students are invited to share their voice much more often and many total participation techniques (Himmele & Himmele, 2015) are incorporated into every lesson. Students are engaged in classroom learning and compliance shifts to curiosity.
Stage Four: A Student-Led Dynamic Space
This stage features classrooms that are buzzing with activity, where students take the lead in discussions, collaborate on projects, and frequently move between different zones for various activities. Teachers act as facilitators, guiding learning rather than delivering direct instruction. Flexible furniture and interactive areas allow for creative exploration, supporting the development of critical thinking and interpersonal skills.
Classroom learning spaces, in this stage, are fluid. They transform as the learning shifts. At times, students will need areas for discussions, recording, projects and small group work. The classroom’s flexible furniture and adaptive instructional style allows for the learning space to be easily arranged and adapted based on the needs and learning targets of the day. Teachers often facilitate learning in small groups and provide direct instruction targeted toward student specific needs and areas of growth. Students share in these activities as well.
Feeling empowered, students share their knowledge, learnings and expertise with each other and may coach other students in the development of their own skills. New levels of learning are emerging with more student self-reflection, conferencing and learning goals being used to drive feedback and helping to set targeted learning pathways. In this stage the documentation of progress and goal setting might be done by either the teacher or student.
Stage Five: Student-Designed Learning
At the pinnacle of active learning, this stage transforms the classroom into a student-designed, problem-based learning studio. Students take ownership of their education, determining their paths and pacing, while teachers serve as mentors. The classroom is highly flexible, with zones for research, collaboration, and quiet focus, along with technology that facilitates creativity and innovation. This approach empowers students to develop autonomy, resilience, and lifelong learning skills. Similar to the last stage, the classroom furnishings in this phase are flexible and adaptive to the needs of the students and what they are learning or trying to accomplish in the moment. In this stage, students set learning goals and teachers collaboratively work with students to support their growth towards those goals.
The documentation of progress is primarily done by the student and advocacy for support towards those goals is also in the hands of the students. A classroom in this phase of the active learning continuum has established routines that can empower students to ask questions and take charge of their learning. They see each other as collaborators and experts with knowledge to share with the group and beyond.
Moving Forward: The Role of Teachers, Leaders and Design
The benefits of shifting toward active and engaged learning spaces are profound. Research shows that environments designed for movement, collaboration, and student-centered activities enhance engagement, foster a sense of belonging, and promote higher-order thinking.
Teachers play a pivotal role in this transformation. By experimenting with small changes — introducing flexible seating or incorporating student voice in space design — they can gradually reimagine their classrooms. Consider taking these steps.
Teachers play a pivotal role in this transformation.
Action Steps for Teachers:
- Introduce Flexible Seating Options: Start small by adding a few alternative seating choices to give students autonomy in choosing how they work best. Include options that vary height, positioning as well as surface.
- Lift every voice: Integrate techniques into your lesson that promote every student to share their voice and perspective. Utilizing techniques that encourage all students to participate encourages students to see their classmates as vital members of the conversation and of the learning community.
- Integrate Active Learning Moments: Incorporate opportunities for movement-based or collaborative activities into your lesson plans, such as peer discussions, gallery walks, or hands-on challenges, to engage students in dynamic ways.
- Engage Students as Co-Designers: Involve students in rethinking the layout of the classroom. Ask for their input on where to place desks, collaboration zones, or quiet areas to ensure the space reflects their needs.
Action Steps for Leaders:
When supporting teachers along this progression towards a more active learning environment, it is crucial that as school leaders, you recognize key characteristics of each of the continuum stages listed above. Coaching teachers to make incremental moves to shift from the stage where they currently are, to the next one along the continuum is vital to enhancing the professional growth of educators as well as the educational experience of students for years to come. Below is a list of things, as a school leader, you should ask yourself when assessing for active learning environments:
- Who is doing the work? Is most of the talking, thinking, problem solving being done by the adult or students in the room. Active learning spaces are ones in which students are carrying the cognitive load of the lessons. As a school leader, encourage teachers to pose questions and problems and give students time to research, problem solve, discuss, and weigh options. This complex thinking increases student engagement and learning.
- Is the learning environment set up for teachers or for students? When a learning environment is designed with students in mind, there is space for their learning, for them to solve problems on vertical surfaces, to choose seating options that reflect their needs for different work products. Materials are organized in a way that students can have access to these materials as they need them. Students move freely to get materials, choose where they need to learn, work independently or in groups based on what they deem necessary for that moment. As a school leader, encourage teachers to revise their classroom so that space around the room is free and empty for students to use, learn in and design as they need. Organize and label materials so they are easily accessible to students. Provide seating options that allow students to sit, stand, sit at various heights, etc.
- Is there the hum of learning? Learning happens when students are talking, thinking and working together. Classrooms that are silent and where students are working independently on worksheets or packets are evidence of more traditional teaching methods. A classroom that demonstrates an active learning environment is never quiet- it has a consistent hum of students talking, creating, thinking, problem solving. There is an energy that comes from the excitement of learning. As a school leader, encourage teachers to rethink their lessons in a way that students have the chance to work together. Encourage the shift away from worksheets, packets and software tools in which students complete various levels to activities in which students are required to demonstrate their learning, create media, teach others, or take action.
A Balanced Perspective
While the progression toward stage five is aspirational, it’s vital to honor the need for traditional learning moments. Certain lessons benefit from focused, direct instruction, and some students thrive in quieter, less dynamic settings. The goal isn’t to abandon tradition but to integrate it into a more holistic framework that embraces variability and student-centered practices.
As classrooms evolve, teachers can embrace these changes incrementally, fostering environments where students flourish academically, socially, and emotionally. Each stage along the continuum contributes to a richer, more inclusive educational experience where not only do all students find entry points into lessons but see themselves as active parts of the learning community. By embracing this journey, educators not only enhance learning outcomes but also prepare students for the complexities of the modern world.