Interest areas in the classroom promote a child’s autonomy and choice making

When children catalog an experience in their minds, research shows that they are more apt to remember the place or location, than the person or thing. This acute sensitivity to detail is one of the main reasons that architects and educators should pay careful attention to the types of spaces they are designing for classrooms.

According to the Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences, Jaclynn Shaw, of Kansas State University reports that children have four major needs while in their learning environment; the ability to move around the space, the ability to engage all five senses, the need to feel a sense of confidence, safety, and success, and a level of independence and control. One way to accomplish this is through interest areas.

Interest areas are different sections in the classroom that focus on a certain skillset or study; science, social collaboration, art, reading, etc. When the students are paired in groups and given the chance to move from area to area, it helps foster a sense of control.

They get to make choices, move in the classroom, and explore independently. These skills build confidence in young students.