In the Hudson Falls High School, students group themselves at tables to discuss last night’s readings. In the Primary School, teachers rearrange students into learning centers, where colorful seating arrangements and interactive displays promise an engaging departure from traditional classroom routines. At the Middle School, students use dry erase markers on tables to visualize their thinking for themselves and each other.
The Hudson Falls Central School District oversees five school buildings, each with different needs and age groups. Federal grant funding between the buildings was used to remodel a total of 28 classrooms, including kindergarten classrooms, high school science labs, and special education classrooms, ensuring they are equipped with furniture and accessories that support the variety of student learning needs.
Referred to as active-learning classrooms, agile furniture have been shown to enhance student engagement and improve learning outcomes. Students from a 5th grade classroom had this to say about the new furniture, “I love the new desks and chairs, they help me to focus and allow me to spin and see things that are behind me. The whiteboard tables let us show our math and make notes to help us remember better.”
“It has been great to see students interacting with the updates to the classrooms. Students are collaborating, moving around, and leading the learning in their classrooms,” said Daniel Ward, Hudson Falls CSD Superintendent of Schools. “We will continue to seek out grants, funding, and opportunities in the budget to expand these remodels to additional classrooms.”
