1. Learning With Colors By Jessica Meyers

2. Goals  To learn about the meanings of colors and ways they can be used to help stimulate learning in the class room.  To survey students and teachers from my school and find out where they feel they learn best and where their students do best.  To inform teachers of what environments students feel they learn best in and what they can do to change their rooms into a more suitable learning environment.

3. The Colors Of The Rainbow Their Meanings, and Ways They Can Enhance a Room

4. In Rooms  Red is a very intense color, so it should mainly be used as an accent or for furniture. In accenting, such as trim and molding, red is said to stimulate and increase circulation in the body.  As a result of it’s effects, red is a good color for workout rooms, dance rooms, business and government classrooms, and potentially debate rooms. Effects  Stimulates a faster heartbeat, breathing, and brain activity. Gives energy and self-confidence.  Color of love; can cause irritability, rage, hostility, invigoration, intensity.  Signifies energy, power, sexuality and passion, excitement, desire, heat, love, aggression, danger, & violence.  Not advised for negotiating or confrontations, although a dark suit with splashes of red is supposedly a sign of serious business, therefore, red would be a good color for classrooms on business and politics. (Mother Guide)

5. In Rooms  Not especially advised for bedrooms, as it promotes activity rather than restfulness, but orange is great for an exercise room or any room with excitement and energy.  This color on walls is said to remove inhibitions and increases sociability; this could be a good color for speech or acting classrooms. Effects  Evokes excitement, enthusiasm, energy, balance, warmth, flamboyance; stimulates appetite (as most warm colors do).  In ancient times, orange rooms were believed to heal lungs and increase energy. (Mother Guide)

6. In Rooms  Because of its brightness, yellow is hard for the eye to take in and, if overused, may be overpowering.  In hallways and small spaces, yellow is inviting and gives depth to a tight space: good for small classrooms.  Because it evokes imagination and increases concentration, yellow would be good for English or creative writing classrooms. Effects  Considered optimistic, and in contrast, cowardly,  Communicates happiness, caution, mellowness, joy, imagination, hope, jealousy, deceit, and illness.  Enhances concentration and memory, speeds metabolism, energizes, relieves depression, stimulates appetite. (Southern Living)

7. In Rooms  Green rooms are used to help people relax, therefore being ideal spots for hospital waiting rooms and places where people wait before appearing on TV.  Green would be an ideal color for rooms backstage a theater to calm actors before a show.  Green is ideal for science classrooms, especially biology, where green’s symbol of harmony and nature would set a better scene. Effects  Easiest color on a person’s eyes and therefore may improve vision.  Calming, refreshing, relaxing, relieves stress, aids growth, soothes, helps rid depression.  Symbolizes fertility, wealth, rebirth, healing, good luck (four-leaf clovers), youth, vigor, generosity, inexperience (“greenhorn”), harmony, nature. (Room Envy)

8. In Rooms LIGHT BLUE: cold: a room too light will appear chilly, especially in rooms that receive little natural light. CERULEAN & PERIWINKLE are most advised for room colors. Sometimes used in psychiatric and correctional facilities for its calming effect.. Good color choice for counselors offices. Weight rooms are sometimes painted blue; studies show weightlifters are able to handle more weight in blue rooms. Effects  Calming, relaxing, serene, (which in turn may cause depression because of lack of stimulation), soothing, stable.  Symbolizes loyalty, harmony, unity, trust, confidence, cleanliness, order  Increases productivity; slows blood pressure, respiration, & heart rate; appetite depressant  Has the opposite influence of those associated with red’s influence (Ideal Homes)

9. In Rooms  Mostly used for accenting or as a secondary color. Lilac or lavender are soothing and restful, without feeling cold.  Implies sophistication and elegance; light purple may also provide a peaceful environment.  Good color for art and music rooms, as it increases artistic talent and creativity. Effects  Color of royalty; rich, dramatic, elegant  Symbolizes wealth, luxury, sophistication, creativity, nobility, mystery, wisdom, arrogance, enlightenment.  Suppresses appetite, relieves tension, helps migraines.  Advances inner strength, wisdom, kindness, artistic talent, and creativity. (HowStuffWorks)

10. In Rooms Pink is tranquilizing in rooms and sets a girly and romantic atmosphere. Sports teams occasionally paint the locker rooms for their opposing teams pink so their opponents lose energy. Effects Associated with femininity and youth. (Flickr)

11. In Rooms  Best used as an accent, black gives a room depth and is said to ground the color scheme.  Black walls will make a room appear smaller and gives it a more sophisticated and polished appearance.  Good for spacious classrooms that may appear too large and impersonal, with lots of natural lighting. Effects  Color of authority and power, sophistication, elegance, unhappiness,  Associated with the evil, the submissive, death, enchantment and the unknown (Furniture Fashion)

12. In Rooms  White rooms reflect light, making them appear brighter, and also larger. Therefore white should be reserved for small rooms with little natural light.  White goes with everything, but is also used to imply sterility, which often makes people uncomfortable and out of place in all-white rooms.  Many people use white for ceilings, but a ceiling doesn’t need to be white. Using a darker color makes the room feel cozier. Effects  Associated with purity, goodness, simplicity, cleanliness, & innocence. (Furniture Fashion)

13. My Independent Research: The Survey I created two separate surveys: one for the teachers of our school and one for the students. I surveyed approximately 50 students in each of the grades 9 th through 12 th. They were surveyed on their favorite classroom, what color room they felt they learned best in, and what color room they felt they learned the least in. Here are the results of my experiment. 

14.  44% of students said that a white classroom was their favorite (many mentioned the teacher, not the room), followed by blue and gold, with 38%.  50% of students said the classroom that they felt they learned best in was white. 26% said they learned best in a green room. Given that there are only 5 different colored rooms in BSHS and that they’re mainly white, it isn’t surprising that students chose white rooms as the highest.  77% of students surveyed said they felt they learned the least in a white room. Green was second with 13% and blue last with 10%.

15.  54% of students said they liked a white class best. Following white was our blue & gold rooms at 32%.  60% of sophomores believe that they learn best in a white classroom, followed equally in 2 nd place by blue and green, both with 7%.  87% of sophomores said they learned least in a white classroom. Green was tallied as the second least favorite learning environment at 11%.

16.  44 % of Juniors who responded to the question of their favorite classroom chose Green. Next was Blue and Gold, our school colors, with 30 %. Only 17% of students chose a white classroom.  51% of students said that they learned best in a green classroom. 34% chose a white classroom, however, many said their choice was a direct result of the teacher, not the room.  86% of students said they felt they learned the least in a white room. Blue and green tied for 2 nd with 5% each.

17. 43% of senior students said that their favorite classroom was a green classroom. Following next was white with 24% and in third, blue with 19%. Green classrooms were chosen as the best classrooms for learning at 39%, followed by white with 30%. White classrooms took the prize with the seniors for the classroom color they felt least helped them learn with 79. Next was green with 16%. Blue came last with the remaining 5%.

18. My Analysis  Although white classrooms tied with green rooms for the best learning environment color overall, a great deal of this result has to do with two facts: 1) 83% of the classrooms in Berkeley Springs High School are white, and 2) Many students whose results did not appear in these statistics because of their answers responded to this question with the reply that it doesn’t always matter what color the room is, the teacher is what matters and how well they teach the criteria.  I think a change of scenery for schools that are almost completely white, like ours, would be stimulating and encouraging to the students studying. This response is supported by my research about colors meanings, the effects they produce, and the ways color helps shape and develop a room.

19. Teacher’s Guide EnglishMathHistoryScienceGovernment/ Economics Fitness/Work out ArtMusic/ Theater Yellow Blue Green Red Blue PurpleOrange Green Purple

20. Works Cited Johnson, David. "Color psychology". Infoplease. September 30, 2008. Salla, Prerna. "The power of colors and their meanings". Buzzle.Com. October 28, 2008. "Room colors and how it affects your mood". Freshome. October 7, 2008. Franco, Virginia. "How colors affect mood". eSSORTMENT. October 14, 2008. "Color". World book millennium 2000. Chicago: world book, inc., 2000. "Can color heal?". BEHR. October 7, 2008.

21. Works Cited Continued… "Interior Design". Mother Guide. March 15, 2009. "10 Lovely Living Rooms". Southern Living. March 15, 2009. "Going Green in the Living Room". Room Envy. March 15, 2009. "Turquoise Living Room". Ideal Home. March 16, 2009. "Decorating Ideas". HowStuffWorks. March 16, 2009. "Pink Living Room". Flickr. March 16, 2009. "Home Products and Design Ideas". Furniture Fashion. March 19, 2009.