5 Tips for Decorating Your Classroom

How can teachers strike the right balance of making their classroom decor welcoming, engaging, and functional—without things getting too cluttered? Research can help! There are known factors that contribute to an optimal environment for learning, like using anchor charts and diagrams, keeping some wall space clear, displaying student work, posting pictures of (and quotes from) diverse role models, and avoiding data walls.  

To dig deeper into the studies cited in the video, check out these resources:

• Pedro F.S. Rodrigues and Josefa N.S. Pandeirada’s research on how visual stimulation from the surrounding environment can affect children’s cognitive performance (2018)
• Peter Barrett, Fay Davies, Yufan Zhang, and Lucinda Barrett’s analysis of the impact of classroom design on pupils' learning (2015)
• Dung C. Bui and Mark A. McDaniel’s study on enhancing learning during lecture note-taking using outlines and illustrative diagrams (2015)
• Russell N. Carney and Joel R. Levin’s article about how pictorial illustrations improve students' learning from text (2002)
• Julie A. Marsh, Caitlin C. Farrell, and Melanie Bertrand’s article on how sharing student data publically and comparing results with others can be potentially demotivating (2014)
• Sapna Cheryan, Sianna A. Ziegler, Victoria C. Plaut, and Andrew N. Meltzoff’s research article on how classroom design can improve students’ academic achievement and sense of belonging (2014)

Read more about the research behind this video in the article “Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Decorations.” For a comprehensive look at evidence-backed practices for a wider range of elements in learning environments, read Youki Terada and Steve Merrill’s 2023 article for Edutopia, “The Science of Classroom Design.”