SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT AND FURNISHING OF THE CLASSROOM IN THE LATE 18th – EARLY 20th CENTURY

Abstract

Purpose of the article is to discover features of the arrangement and furnishing of the school learning space in the period of the late 18th – early 20th century. Methodology is based on the historical and cultural method. Source base includes works of art, scientific and technical literature of the period discussed, historical artefacts.  In the middle of the 18th century. with  the  establishment  in  Europe  the  state systems  of  mandatory  school  education,  the forms and methods of study work are changed, and accordingly change the approaches to the spatial organization of the classroom. The fixed front  row  organization  of  the  learning  space emerges,  gradually  spreads  and  dominates throughout  the  reviewed  period.  Only  at  the turn of 20th century  criticism to this  approach appears  in  progressive  education  movement, and the search for alternative approaches starts. Thus,  late  18th  –  early  20th  century  can  be considered  as  a  particular  period  in  the development  of  the  educational  space organization. This period can be divided in two
stages.  The  initial  stage  is  distinguished  by  a utilitarian  approach  to  the  classroom arrangement,  furniture  assembly  and  the shaping of furniture. New stage of development of  the  school  educational  space  begins approximately  in  the  1840s  in  the  USA  and  in the  1860s  in  Europe,  characterized  by  a scientific  and hygienic approach. At this stage, the  industrial  production  of  school  furniture also  arises,  aesthetic  factors  begin  to  play  a certain role in furniture shaping.
Scientific  novelty.  The  development  of the spatial organization of school classroom of the late 18th – early 20th treated as a particular period  of  development  of  the  learning  space. The  time  frames  for  the  reviewed  period  are specified  basing  on  the  characteristic  features
of classroom furniture and the arrangement of classroom.  The  stages  of  development  of classroom  furniture  within  the  studied  period are identified and characterized.