Light plays a direct role in how we feel, focus, and function throughout the day.

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Exposure to natural light - especially when outdoors or sitting near a window - can have an immediate positive impact on our well-being. Think of the feeling you get in spring when the sun is finally out past 6pm or how you naturally begin to wake up as the sunlight creeps through a crack in your bedroom curtains. Light has the potential to boost our energy, improve our mood, and sharpen our ability to focus. These are both physiological and psychological effects, and have the power to either brighten or dim your day.

When light enters the eyes, it is processed through the occipital lobe, where visual information is interpreted and sent to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that helps regulate energy, alertness, and physiological responses. This direct link between the brain and body is how light begins to influence everything from heart rate to hormone levels.

Over time, the brain evolved to respond to the natural cycle of daylight - known as circadian rhythm - which helps sync the mind and body’s internal clock with the time of day.

Morning light, which is cooler and more intense, signals the body to wake up - raising heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. As light fades and warms in the evening, the pineal gland is triggered to release melatonin and prepare the body for rest. Understanding how light shapes alertness, calmness and cognitive function is a powerful tool for teachers to implement into their classroom design.

“Students with limited classroom daylight were outperformed by those with the most natural light by 20% in math and 26% on reading tests.”⁰²

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Children’s bodies and brains are highly sensitive to light-based cues. When your classroom takes advantage of natural light, students will experience higher energy levels and a greater ability to concentrate.

This can be achieved by simply keeping the curtains open, although it is important to orient the furniture in your classroom to avoid distracting glare from the sun.

Eero Saarinen’s design of Crow Island School in Winnetka, Illinois (1940) is a beautiful example of prioritizing natural light in the classroom. In the design, Saarinen ensured that each classroom had two walls of windows to maximize the student’s exposure to natural light. While not all classrooms have this luxury, it is possible to be strategic with the space you are given.

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What relationship does your classroom have with the sun?

The quality and direction of sunlight changes throughout the day, and your classroom’s window orientation plays a big role in how light enters the space. Below are some simple strategies to maximize natural light and minimize glare in the classroom based on which direction your windows face.

North-Facing Windows
North light is soft, diffuse, and consistent with little to no risk of glare. If your classroom has north-facing windows, you likely do not need curtains for shading and you are free to arrange furniture in any orientation! Maybe consider orienting students towards the windows to maximize views of nature.

East-Facing Windows
With east-facing windows, your classroom will receive intense morning light. To minimize glare, orient furniture and screens towards north or south walls and consider keeping curtains or blinds lowered in the morning. Towards the afternoon, as energy levels may be decreasing, curtains can be opened back up to maximize the remaining daylight hours.

South-Facing Windows
South light is both consistent and direct. If your classroom has north-facing windows, you will be receiving the maximum amount of natural light. To diffuse the light and minimize the intensity, consider sheer curtains. Additionally, furniture and screens should face the east or west walls to soften glare.

West-Facing Windows
With west-facing windows, your classroom will receive intense afternoon light. To minimize glare, orient furniture and screens towards north or south walls and plan to lower curtains in the afternoon.

NORTH

SOUTH

EAST

WEST

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Sometimes... it is best not to follow the cues of natural light - like when December’s lack of sunlight brings low energy or when bright afternoon sun keeps kindergartners wide awake at nap time. The great thing about how our bodies respond to light is that we can also strategically use artificial lighting to produce certain physiological responses. Cooler, bluish light mimics morning sunlight and promotes alertness and concentration, while warmer light resembles sunset and can help calm students and signal rest.

As an alternative to natural light or the fluorescent lights found in most classrooms, consider including some lamps in your space with smart light bulbs to control the temperature to support the activity if it does not align with the natural light at the time.

Whether natural or artificial, light is a powerful tool. It is important for educators to learn to use it intentionally to support student attention, energy, and learning.

Villarroel, J.D.; Villanueva, X. A Study Regarding the Representation of the Sun in Young Children’s Spontaneous Drawings. Soc. Sci. 2017
Cannon Design; VS Furniture; Bruce Mau Design. The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning. New York: Abrams, 2010
https://images.app.goo.gl/kXBhoBqgF1JtbCQ68
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/case-studies/a5035-crow-island-school-illinois-by-eero-saarinen/
https://insideinside.org/project/crow-island-elementary-school/
https://reddymade.design/projects/a-space-for-being/

all other images are my own illustrations