classroom

[ klas-room, -room, klahs- ]

noun

1. a room, as in a school or college, in which classes classis are held.
2. any place where one learns or gains experience:

   The sea is the sailor's classroom.

classroom

/ -ˌrʊm; ˈklɑːsˌruːm /

noun

1. a room in which classes are conducted, esp in a school or college

Word History and Origins

Origin of classroom¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; class + room

Example Sentences

Backers say they want to take liberal politics and indoctrination out of the classroom.

From Los Angeles Times

They became classrooms for high achievers rather than for students properly defined as gifted.

From Los Angeles Times

“One summer when we returned to school, every single chair from every single classroom had been put in the dumpster,” she said.

From New York Times

In Moreno Valley, a high school teacher was placed on leave following a racially charged anti-Trump outburst in the classroom where he said that many Latino men who support Trump want to be white.

From Los Angeles Times

UC also is asking the state for $1.36 billion in one-time funding to renovate aging campus facilities and build new classrooms, labs and other projects.

From Los Angeles Times

More About Classroom

What does classroom mean?

A classroom is traditionally a room in a school where a class is taught.

The word classroom is commonly used to refer to such a room at every level of education, including elementary school, high school, and college.

It can also be used in a more general way to refer to any space where students are being taught by a teacher. Some classrooms might not even be in a room—some schools have outdoor classrooms where students are taught outside, for example.

The word is sometimes used in a figurative way to refer to the primary place where someone learns and gains experience outside of a formal educational setting, as in My grandfather didn’t have much formal schooling—the farm was his classroom. 

Example: I try to set up my classroom to be a space that allows each student to learn in their own way.

Where does classroom come from?

The first records of the word classroom come from the late 1700s. The word class can refer to the group of students assembled in the classroom or to what’s being taught in it.

Classrooms can take many forms. The traditional image of a classroom is a room in a school with rows of students (often 10 to 30 or so) at their desks facing the teacher at the front. At many large universities, some students attend classes in big classrooms called lecture halls—a type of auditorium with raised seating that allows many students (perhaps more than 100) to attend the same class. The classroom can even be used to refer to a virtual space where students are gathered for online learning.

Did you know ... ?

What are some words that share a root or word element with classroom? 

• class
• room
• homeroom
• classmate

What are some words that often get used in discussing classroom?

• student
• teacher
• desk
• learning
• professor
• auditorium
• hall
• lab
• study

How is classroom used in real life?

The word classroom is commonly used at all levels of education.

First, we have to acknowledge that students come from different experiences and might have a STRONG growth mindset in ways not connected to a traditional classroom. Let's honor that and not be narrowly focused on what happens inside the classroom walls.#MasteryChat

— Jim Bentley (@Curiosity_Films) August 21, 2020

I genuinely LOVE learning…just not in a classroom.

— queen quen (@quenblackwell) December 1, 2018

Dear Educators! Your virtual classrooms will be great! This is new for everyone! Mistakes will happen. Brick and mortar classrooms have been in place for 200 or more years and we have yet to get some aspects of that right. Take a deep breath! #virtuallearning #remotelearning pic.twitter.com/Ks8qwb9s45

— Kim Lane Clark, Ed.S (@askatechnogirl) August 17, 2020

 

 

Try using classroom!

Which of the following spaces could be considered a classroom?

A. a room in a school
B. an outdoor space where students learn
C. a virtual learning environment
D. all of the above