Integrating Tray Storage Systems into Your Classroom Ecosystem

Research has found that if a teacher creates a positive learning environment, they also develop an efficient classroom setting alongside an emotional setting that boosts student performance (Bailey, Beasley, & Swafford, 2014). Designing positive learning spaces takes a combination of several furniture and design elements that affect students’ behavior and how they learn in the space.

Creating an efficient learning environment extends past the furniture and design elements that are openly visible in the space. Storage and organization systems––though often hidden or tucked away to save space––have a significant effect on how students interact with learning spaces.

Using Tray Storage for Classroom Organization

How classrooms are arranged is key to ensure students can utilize the space efficiently and effectively. Avoiding disorganized shelves, errant desks and chairs, and excessive clutter can all improve how students will utilize the learning environment. A well-organized, tidy classroom creates a sense of stability for students and makes them feel welcome, leading to greater ownership of the space and their learning.

There are a variety of storage methods teachers can use to organize their classrooms to be functional and efficient for their instructional needs, as well as the needs of their students. One option for organizing learning environments is tray storage, which utilizes a series of storage trays that easily slide in and out of multi-tray cabinets for portability, accessibility, and tucked away storage. Multiple sizes of trays offer versatile storage capacity, while color coordination of trays can be useful for different organizational purposes.

Tray storage can be a beneficial way to organize classrooms that serve a variety of different age groups and can be customized to meet different learning space requirements. Students can be assigned individual trays to store personal items and books, or entire tray cabinets can be utilized to store classroom equipment and supplies for easy access by any student or the teacher.

The Benefits of Tray Storage

Tray storage is an effective way to help students stay organized in the classroom and promotes a positive learning environment where students have greater autonomy and ownership over their learning.

Here are seven benefits of tray storage for students:

• The organization of classroom materials allows students to retrieve them quickly, which helps to decrease unwanted behavior.
• Color coding and visual organization helps students build important executive functioning skills that empower them to acquire items they need and put away items on their own.
• Mobile cabinets with built-in marker boards act as another collaborative surface for students to present ideas and work through assignments.
• Students gain greater responsibility and ownership for their belongings once there is a specific home for their personal items and supplies.
• The tray system is mobile and versatile to support instructional and physical classroom changes as needs evolve.
• The mobility and multi-function of the storage units takes up less footprint of the learning space compared to some built-in options. The tray system storage may also be a cost saving measure when minimizing built-in storage cabinets.
• The tray system offers an easy organizational strategy for students to be able to choose the most appropriate space in the classroom for their learning activity or style because the students can simply carry their tray with them as their learning location shifts within the classroom. Whether your students remain in assigned seats for the duration of the day or have choice in their seating, the tray system is versatile to support any instructional model.

While tray storage makes it easier for students to learn and build important organizational skills, teachers also benefit from using this organization system in the classroom. Tray storage systems can enable educators to efficiently collect important supplies and resources in one place, saving time, energy, and money.

Here are five benefits of tray storage for teachers:

• Teachers can spend more time on providing effective instruction when they don’t have to distribute and collect learning materials for students before and after every lesson or assignment.
• Trays offer a safe and secure home for costly equipment and accessories, which helps to keep these items from cluttering work surfaces or other classroom storage spaces and lowers the risk of them being damaged.
• Getting organized takes time, but saves so much time in the long run, as well-organized and labeled tray systems take out the guesswork of finding items in the classroom.
• Having a well-organized storage system results in a lower loss of school supplies and learning resources, which often go missing or are damaged when they don’t have a specific home.
• Just as there is a lot of diversity in the students learning styles and needs, there is also a lot of diversity in teacher experience, teaching methods, and strategies. The tray storage supports teachers anywhere on the continuum from teacher led traditional instructional environments to innovative student-centered learning environments. Regardless of the instructional model, the tray storage system can support all teachers!

When selecting storage furniture for learning environments, it’s important that the system you choose meets all the performance needs of the students and teachers who will utilize the space. Tray storage provides a range of organization options which allow for flexible and customizable storage solutions for each classroom.

Research shows that well-designed classrooms can boost learning progress by as much as 16%, and well-organized storage solutions are an important part of designing these effective classrooms. Classroom organization makes a real difference when it comes to student achievement, and tray storage is a great way to attain your classroom’s organization goals.