Learning is no longer limited by conventional classroom layouts. From dedicated areas for different styles of instruction to retracting walls and garage doors that open new possibilities, traditional approaches to educational furniture and its function are also evolving in exciting new directions.

Students and teachers alike benefit from movement throughout the day. It focuses attention and increases participation, improving both academic performance and behavior. Motion creates emotion, which improves memory. But how do you incorporate reconfiguration into your classroom routine without the risk of creating another distraction?

Clever design is the solution, choosing the right products that offer an efficient transition from one layout to the next. Here are three key strategies that will ensure a fresh approach to classroom configuration.

Featured Products: Build™, Class-ifi™, and SmartLink® desks

1. Roll and Glide with Ease and Assurance

The screech of a scooting chair or desk used to be as dreaded as dragging fingernails across a chalkboard. Not anymore. Durably designed casters and smooth glides make moving furniture easy.

HON’s locking casters, like those found on Build™ tables, strike the perfect balance between safety and simplicity. SmartLink® chairs also incorporate an integrated handle and a fresh, clever sculpted design that keeps backpacks from sliding off. The distinctive shape even allows reversing the seat position and facing the seatback as another comfortable option.

You’ll find the same casters on Class-ifi™ mobile storage as well, a crucial feature for flexible organization that’s ideal to move around throughout the day.

“From tall storage that sets a space apart to shorter options also used as a bench, students get comfortable and lean into them,” notes Ryne Daum, Associate Product Marketing Manager at HON. “That’s why our casters quickly and easily lock in place.”

HON’s new Roll Call™ mobile lectern now allows educators to easily position themselves anywhere in the classroom. With the same clever casters, the front of the room and focus of attention is simply a roll away.

Featured Products: Class-ifi™ mobile storage and Build™ Makerspace tables

2. Imagine Everyday Classroom and Educational Furniture Uses, and Unlikely Ones

Just like teachers and students inspire new ways to arrange classrooms for specific scenarios, they’ll find new uses for educational furniture as well. They’re designers too, creating every time they discover another way our products help them educate and learn.

What if those mobile totes and bins were used for more than storage? What if they housed a tiny art studio stocked with supplies, or a virtual reality lab with goggles and cables that can go anywhere? Did you know many accessories across HON’s educational product lines are interchangeable? Slide out your tray from a storage solution and slide it into a compatible desk. It’s like a secret superpower you didn’t know you had.

“Sometimes teachers move between classrooms, so these mobile solutions are designed to move with them,” explains Daum. “Whether it’s a Makerspace table or Class-ifi mobile storage, we think holistically about movement. It’s why teachers rave about these products.”

Featured Products: Confetti™ and Tangram™ seating

3. Collaborate in Comfort and with Purpose

The past few years created a paradigm shift in how we define learning environments, revealing the advantages of dynamic instructional settings and the power of bringing students together in a less formal manner.

“Students in younger grades may not even know what a traditional classroom is, so we’ve pulled elements from home into our products,” notes Daum. “Soft seating offers that familiar, comfortable environment.”

HON’s Confetti™ Seating with integrated handles are cozy and easy to group together. Companion cushions in the same vibrant color options with a rolling storage cart make it easy to sprinkle them wherever you’d like. Flock® mini poufs with hidden glides, casters, or active bases are also made to move.

Featured Product: Tangram™ seating

HON’s signature Tangram™ seating in various shapes and styles can also be configured in endless arrangements — from a low-back lounge to a multi-level alcove with bistro backs for more of a café feel.

“When furniture can define a space and adapt to it, students are more engaged, more collaborative. It makes the potential for learning limitless.”