Our goal has been from the start to create Learning Spaces that involve children in their learning proces. Our learning spaces are more flexible and they include different ways of working. The teachers choose in collaboration with each child how they work. We use the floor, steps, tables and high tables. Because of the nudging built in the learning spaces work for all children and teachers .
We clear the class rooms of most tables and chairs and create spots in the rooms with color coordinated furniture in different height that indicates to the children how they must act in each of the four learning zones. Blue means "Quiet", mustard means "Group", green means "Presentation" where all students are present and engaged all facing one way and red means "Feedback" and "help". We have engaged occupational therapists to see how they look at out learning spaces. Because of their feedback we do not recognise ergonomics as important because the students no longer sit at their own desk for most of the day. We call it "Movement without a high Pulse" and we consider each of the children´s next work position as the best. Up to 10% of the children need their own work space and they are givn that in specific areas.
Our learning spaces have been spreading mostly via word of mouth, posts on LinkedIn, information on our website and exhibitions like Bett at the ExCel in London in 2020. We are working with a few Norwegian schools. We have gone from single class rooms as prototypes in twenty different Danish schools to two whole schools in 2022. The transition is easy even though the children go from their own table and chair to using the whole classroom for working. The feedback from teachers are extremely good. 90% of them thinks that Learning Zones is better for the children than traditional classrooms with tables and chairs. 95% of the teachers thinks that learning zones improves their work environment.
We normally start in a new school with a "try out" in one classroom with a certain team of teachers and a group of children. If the "try out" is a succes (100% has been in the past three years) we do more classrooms. We collect questionnaires from both children and teachers. If you are interested in our learning spaces then please contact Lars Engeborg on +45 29398272 or email lars@envfl.com.
