Free the furniture flexible learning design for 2022 By Rosie Clarke, Editor
Education trends have a knack for getting ahead of the curve, and flexible furniture design is no exception. Flexibility has driven pandemic survival over the last two years and given this, school staff and students are now retuning to the classroom with heightened awareness of what environment they need to help them teach and learn effectively.
Seaton High School, Image courtesy of Resource Furniture
Flexible furniture design has never been more relevant, so this issue we sought out emerging trends, and then caught up with some leading flexible furniture suppliers to solidify purchasing tips for Australian schools.
Ergonomics rule: shake up student seating Mixed seating options are increasingly essential in every classroom: soft and hard chairs, as well as high and low options for different learning activities. Learner agency drives this trend, encouraging students to choose a seat they feel will best enable them to complete the task at hand. Relating to this emphasis on student agency, analysis on ‘Children’s behaviour and the design of school furniture’ from ergonomic researchers Grenville Knight and Jan Noyes in Ergonomics journal found that: “In the absence of radically redesigned furniture, it is suggested that children should be given more choice in their
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ADMINISTRATION
Term 1, 2022 | school-news.com.au
