Grattan Institute issues open-plan classroom warning

Open-plan classrooms are impeding student learning, the Grattan Institute has warned.

The think-tank is calling on the state government to move away from building flexible, open-plan classrooms, and return to a more traditional classroom style. It is also suggesting the government provides funding to convert open-plan classrooms that have already been built.

Press PLAY below to hear why the Grattan Institute is concerned about open-plan classrooms

Senior associate at the Grattan Institute, Anika Stobart, says flexible classrooms can make it “really hard” for students to hear teachers.

“Sometimes they’re called flexible classrooms, and look, flexible classrooms can sometimes work if you have a dividing wall between classes — you can take it down and have a bigger space and then put it up again,” she told Ross and Russel.

“Our issue here is that sometimes these classrooms don’t have a proper dividing wall to allow the classes to happen separately.”