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Furniture
 In early American schools, children sat on three-legged stools or long benches behind narrow tables, often hand-made of pine or oak by the parents of the schoolchildren. By the 1880s, children sat at individual desks that were bolted to the floor, with boys on one side of the room and girls on the other. Younger children sat at the front of the room, closest to the teacher. This arrangement enhanced the teacher-centered learning environment so popular in schools throughout American history. Students rarely faced each other and focused their attention entirely on the teacher, who was the sole source of instruction and discipline in the classroom.
 By 1930, portable desks were common, and were used in much the same way as the old benches and tables. A shift in pedagogy began in the 1960s when small, round tables were introduced to encourage interactivity between children. Teachers began to take themselves away from the front of the room and the standard “chalk and talk” pedagogy. Students are now encouraged to work collaboratively, relying on each other’s knowledge and skills. In this setting, the teacher’s role is that of a learning facilitator. Today, both individual portable desks and round tables are found in schools across America.
Then & Now:
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