The Perfect Classroom, According to Science

By Sarika Bansal

在一间光线充足、环境整洁、窗外绿树成荫的教室里，学生们正安安静静地自习，准备考试；而在另一间教室里，灯光昏暗、墙面杂乱、窗外是工地废墟，学生们正相互掐架，无心学习。毋庸置疑，第一间教室里学生的学习成绩与人格发展都明显优于第二间教室里的学生。难道真的是后者生源质量不如前者吗？教室环境会不会对学生的表现有着巨大的影响呢？个中原因，让我们一探究竟。

My public high school didn’t have air conditioning1. air conditioning: 空调系统，空调设备。. Come June, when temperatures in New York soared past 90 degrees, it was a chore to pay attention in calculus.2. soar: 猛增，飞升；degree: 这里指华氏度（Fahrenheit），也是用来计量温度的单位，包括中国在内的很多国家都使用摄氏度，但美国、缅甸和利比亚三个国家则较多使用华氏度，90华氏度约为32摄氏度；chore: 讨厌或累人的工作；calculus: 微积分。Who could focus on integrals when sweat was dripping down my back?3. integral:（数学）积分；drip down: 滴下。So many kids started taking refuge in4. take refuge in: 在……避难。the cool guidance counselor’s of fice that, on some hot days, she refused to see students altogether.

From the first day of kindergarten to high school graduation, children spend almost 12,000 hours inside a school building. As such, it may not be surprising to learn that the physical classroom environment can have profound effects on a student’s academic performance, sense of belonging, and self-esteem.5. profound: 深厚的，意义深远的；sense of belonging: 归属感；self-esteem: 自尊。

Recently, researchers at the University of Washington and UC Berkeley, led by Sapna Cheryan, combed through scienti fic literature to find the physical components that mattered the most to students.6. comb: 到处搜寻；scienti fic literature: 科学文献。

They found that a building’s physical infrastructure7. infrastructure: 基础设施，指基本自然环境、条件，如下文所指的自然光和空气质量等。(e.g., its natural light and air quality) play a signi ficant role in a student’s scores and overall concentration.

In addition, objects placed in a classroom can implicitly8. implicitly: 含蓄地，暗中地。signal the degree to which a student is valued. For instance, one experiment found that women in computer science classrooms with stereotypically masculine objects, likeStar Trekposters,9. stereotypically: 固有地，老一套的；masculine: 男性的，男子气概的；Star Trek:《星球大战》系列电影；poster: 海报。expressed less interest in pursuing a computer science career than women in classrooms with nature posters.

To be sure, some of the ideal attributes of a classroom may not always be attainable.10. attribute: 属性，特质；attainable: 可得到的，可实现的。If a classroom window faces a brick wall, it will be challenging to give students access to much sunlight. But many of the findings can, according to Cheryan et al, be implemented in mere hours for little money.11. et al: 以及其他人；implement: 实施，执行。

This study got us thinking: what would the Platonic12. Platonic: 柏拉图式的，理想的。ideal classroom look like? Here are some of the main features of the perfect room:

1. Light: Daylight is critical13. critical: 决定性的，非常重要的。—and even better if there are natural elements outside the windows. According to Cheryan et al: “In a study with more than 2,000 classrooms in California, Washington, and Colorado, students who were exposed to a larger amount of daylight in their classroom had higher math and reading test scores than students who were exposed to less daylight in their classroom (2%—26%higher, depending on school district), even after statistically controlling for student population characteristics such as socioeconomic status and race.”14. Cheryan等人对加利福尼亚、华盛顿和科罗拉多的两千多间教室进行调查研究，结果表明即使在统计时控制了学生的人口特征，如社会经济水平和人种，在教室中能接触到大量光照的学生仍然比接触到较少光照的学生拥有更高的数学成绩和阅读理解水平（根据不同的学校区域，高出范围在2%—26%）。socioeconomic: 社会经济学的。If a classroom doesn’t have a window, Cheryan suggested that it use full spectrum fluorescent lightbulbs to mimic sunlight.15. full spectrum fluorescent lightbulb: 全光谱荧光灯泡，此种灯可发出最近似自然光线的灯光；mimic: 模仿，模拟。And a coat16. coat: 覆盖层，涂层。of paint can always help brighten a room.

2. Noise: Not surprisingly, silence really does help with concentration. Students in classrooms near airplane flight paths consistently score worse on reading tests than those in quiet neighborhoods.

3. Temperature: Students apparently17. apparently: 明显地。learn best in classrooms between 68 and 74 degrees Fahrenheit. At least 14% of US schools report inadequate18. inadequate: 不充足的。heating. Similarly, poor air quality can hinder19. hinder: 阻碍。learning.

4. Accessibility: Of course, for any classroom to be considered inclusive, it must provide adequate structures for students with disabilities—including elevators, ramps, and clear pathways.20. accessibility: 可获得性；inclusive: 包括一切的；elevator: 电梯；ramp: 斜坡，坡道。

5. Layout: Turning desks into clusters,21. layout:（房间、建筑物或城市的）陈设，布局；cluster: 群，组。according to one study, helps women feel more at ease in a classroom. That said, clusters can also increase the number of distractions22. distraction: 分散注意力，分心，下文的distract为其动词形式。for students.

6. Plants: The presence of plants has been shown to have a calming effect on people, regardless of age.

7. Wall decorations: Extremely busy walls have proven to be distracting, though posters with animals, nature, or inspirational23. inspirational: 鼓舞人心的，给予灵感的。quotes can have a positive effect on students.However, objects that subtly24. subtly: 细微地。signal that certain groups do not belong (e.g., posters of leaders who are all white men) can have a harmful effect on students that do not belong to that group. Posters displaying disrespectful stereotypes of a culture (e.g., Native American mascots, like the Chief Wahoo Cleveland Indians logo) have been linked to lower feelings of selfesteem.25. 那些表示无礼刻板文化形象的海报，例如带有北美土著吉祥物如克里夫兰印第安人瓦荷酋长标志的海报，就会降低学生们的自尊心。Chief Wahoo Cleveland Indians: 克里夫兰印第安人（Cleveland Indians）是美国职棒大联盟球队之一，瓦荷酋长（Chief Wahoo）是球队的吉祥物。克里夫兰印第安人的队名和微笑的红脸漫画酋长标志，长久以来一直因为延续对美洲原住民的刻板印象而备受抨击，抗议行动不时发生。