How to Design Learning for the 5 Senses

by room2learn

Learning doesn’t just happen in the mind; it is experienced through the senses we have available to us. Through sight, we take in posters, messaging, colors, and constant visual stimulation. Through hearing, we listen to new perspectives and stories from our teachers and peers. Through speech, we lift our voices and share our ideas. Through touch, we can feel safe and comfortable in the chairs we are sitting in and the tables we work on. And hopefully, any smells that permeate a learning space are conducive to learning…

Every learning space we encounter can either be a feast or fatigue for our senses. Since September, our community has uploaded some incredible hacks that access our senses in all the right ways.

Today, we’ve spotlighted a few of our favorites. Enjoy!

Sight

This dynamic wall display displays literacy development, art, and social justice in the halls of High Tech High Chula Vista. For this project, 1st grade and 4th grade students wrote poetry inspired by the alphabet and messages of love, tolerance, and anti-bias. Highlighting the final product in the common space allowed the whole school to view, share, and engage with the art together. When thinking about sight, looks are certainly not everything. In the HTH Chula Vista social justice display, aesthetics are married to meaning.

Looking for a Nibbler or a Solder Sucker? Here, the graphics at NuVu Studio are not just clean and simple wall decor, but also help students name and identify the tools they need. This tool map graphic stands on door to the fabrication so that students feel empowered and ready to create and collaborate.

Hearing

The best acoustic environments allow students to speak and be heard. Consider the traditional school cafeteria. It is typically outfitted with rows of picnic style tables. In this environment, students have only one option for seating and socializing. If they don’t want to talk to the students directly next to them, they must yell up and down the tables or keep quiet to themselves.

In this alternative serene lunchroom at Boston University Academy, diversified seating options create a more palatable hearing environment. Here, students can choose to cluster at smaller tables, which allows students to hold smaller group conversations. In addition, stylistic choices like carpeting, warm tones, and soft lighting help dampen the loud sounds of an open layout.

While environments are paramount, there are also tools that can facilitate a healthy hearing experience. Take headphones, for example! They’re a great way for students to individualize their hearing experiences. However, many of us know that wires can easily become tangled into one big headache-y mess. To help, we love this crate that helps organize headphones! Teaching students to place wires inside the crate and hang the headset over the edge makes for easy access and no dreaded tangles.

Taste/Speech

While the traditional five senses talk about taste, for school purposes, we are going to talk about speech. Our words and how we say them are powerful. Everything from tone to pitch affects how our words are perceived. We love how this classroom introduced a voice scale in the classroom, which helps sets communication norms and expectations. Before sending students off to do assignments, let them know what level of noise should be expected. If the classroom gets too noisy, gently remind them of the scale and what level they should be on.

Touch

When it comes to touch, soft seating is the name of the game. Comfortable seating options help students feel at home, which has considerable effects on a student’s well-being and ability to concentrate. Gone are the days when students are expected to sit on hard chairs for the whole day. These minimalist, movable “bottom resters” are a great way to incorporate softer, more inviting furniture into your classroom.

Smell

When it comes to smell, hygiene is key. Ensure your classroom does not build any less-than-pleasant odors by implementing daily cleaning and maintenance. Try to stay away from synthetic candles or air fresheners, as many of these contain irritants that can hinder students’ learning experience! A great alternative to synthetic fragrances are indoor plants. Plants act as natural air filters and certain house plants like geranium or eucalyptus could add a nice floral scent. For more information on the benefits of plants in the classroom, be sure to check out our post on how nature impacts learning!

As teachers, we have the opportunity to build — detail-by-detail, moment-by-moment, lesson-by-lesson — the optimal learning environment for our students. We hope this post sparked some new ways for you to think about how your classroom feels, in every sense of the word.

How have you stimulated the 5 senses in your classroom? Share with fellow edu-innovators on www.room2learn.org and Tweet us at @HackClassrooms!