This episode explores how classroom design impacts students’ attention, regulation, and learning. Dr. Laura Foster shares research-backed strategies for creating more intentional, less visually overwhelming spaces—and how small shifts in the environment can better support all learners.

Resources for Teachers

Heavily Decorated Classrooms Disrupt Attention and Learning In Young Children

Building Design for Learning with Willam Browning and James Determan

How to Use Mini Anchor Chart Flipbooks to Save Space and Time in Your Classroom

Structured and Accessible Classrooms to Support Independence

Biophilic Design in Schools

Students Speak

National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector

Research Articles & Background

Isolation of Difficulty

An Introduction to the Theory of Embodied Cognition

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Tennessee's Voluntary Pre-K Program

Fisher, A. V., Godwin, K. E., & Seltman, H. (2014). Visual environment, attention allocation, and learning in young children: When too much of a good thing may be bad. Psychological science, 25(7), 1362-1370.

Foster, L. K. (2025). Early Childhood Classroom Design: Integrating Montessori Principles with Neuroeducational Research. Journal of Montessori Research, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.17161/jomr.v11i2.24130

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of environmental psychology, 15(3), 169-182.

Price, J., & Romualdez, A. M. (2025). ‘It just feels unnatural being here’: Autistic secondary school students’ experiences of sensory sensitivities in the school environment. Autism, 29(9), 2228-2238.

Valentine, C. (2023). Architectural allostatic overloading: exploring a connection between architectural form and allostatic overloading. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(9), 5637.

Artwork and logo by The Interior Gaze

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