Embedded Files
Early Sumerian Classroom from c, 2000 BCE
(From Cultural and Historical Perspectives on the Developmental Consequences of Education by Michael Cole, 2005)
Classroom from the 1960's (K-6, Best Years of Their Life? Primary English Teaching Association, 1979)
According to the Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum, 'healthy, caring and safe physical and social environments support learning and contribute to the emotional, social, and physical development of students' (2015, pg 13.)
The development of flexible seating options and alternative classroom environments has, thus far, been explored by individual teachers and schools rather than whole organizations. Flexible seating is a pathway to helping students develop self-efficacy and self-regulation skills, as well as increase their general physical and mental fitness. According to Hardman and Marshall in their paper, The State and Status of Physical Education in International Context, children in 2000 were receiving far less physical activity than they did a decade earlier (2000). In some schools, students may only receive one class of physical fitness a week. Flexible seating such as the use of therapy balls, which can strengthen back and stomach muscles, and stationary bicycles, which can increase cardiovascular fitness, allow students to make physical fitness a part of each and every day.
In Ontario, many children, including those with ASD and ADHD find the physical setting of the traditional classroom to be detrimental to their learning. In their study, Alternative Seating for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Effects on Classroom Behaviour, Schilling and Schwartz concluded that flexible seating such as the use of therapy balls in the classroom improved the behaviour and engagement of students with ASD (2004). If students are able to stay in the classroom longer, with fewer breaks needed, then they are more able to take advantage of the classes being taught.
Other studies have concluded that the use of stationary bicycles as well as other alternative seating arrangements are beneficial to overall success of all students; mentally, physically, and emotionally (Flynn, L and Colby S., 2017, Garcia et al., 2016, and Ketcham, C. J., & Burgoyne, M.E., 2015). With these studies in mind, teachers are looking beyond the traditional model of the classroom and thinking about ways to improve the learning of their students.
Classroom from 1400's (From K-6: Best Yearos of Their Lives?, Primary English Teaching Association, 1979)
Classroom from 1950's (K-6, Best Years of Their Life? Primary English Teaching Association, 1979)
A cursory look at classrooms through the ages reveals little change in the history of classroom environments for many decades. From the one room school house, to our modern day classroom, the basic design of students in rows facing the teacher has remained the same. In the past, the education system prepared students for their roles in their society. Children destined to work on the family farm or family business spent little time in formal schools with many leaving between eight and twelve years of age. Schools were simply tasked with teaching the basic skills of reading, writing and simple math. Since then, our societies needs have changed. Throughout the industrial revolution children were prepared by schools to enter a workforce that was defined by bureaucracy, cubicles and working at an isolated desk. In the 1960's and 70's, there was an increased interest in collaboration which allowed some minor changes such as group seating to be implemented. However, since then there have been few significant modifications and changes to the basic school and classroom design.
As our modern societies needs have changed, so too should our educational system. It is important that educational institutions continue to explore optimal learning environments for children in order to meet the demands of our time. Today's students need to be critical, flexible thinkers and life long learners. They must be ready to work collaboratively and independently. They must be innovative in their thinking and able to make good decisions both independently and with a team. The workplaces of today are vastly different from the workplaces of yesterday. A tour around local technology buildings such as those owned by companies like Google and twitter reveal a work environment unlike any from the past. Even manufacturing businesses are changing. A Kitchener-Waterloo building called Catalyst137 has been remade from a tire manufacturing plant and is now being used for light and heavy manufacturing as well as a home for few tech companies. Its design is incredibly unique and it has been built to increase the ability of small companies to collaborate and innovate. By implementing elements such as flexible seating into today's classrooms, teachers are beginning to address the needs they see in their students and in their society. Hopefully, they will be able to partner with their school boards and governments to continue their work
Concept of shared space in the Catalyst137 building.
Waterloo's Hub for IoT. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://catalyst-137.com/Report abuse