SENSE-SENSITIVE DESIGN
Top: The original, modular ‘plug-in and play’ Bedpods, developed with the Design Council and tested in four hospitals, have been developed as Paediatric ‘Bedpods’ known as ‘Paepods’.
Right: Children can enjoy food and drink stored in the small bedside fridges, while soft drinks may be suspended from the medirails above.
rendered yellow to reflect euphoria. In turn, a chapel space may be coloured mauve to reflect a meditative state. This design tool has been used to good effect in multiple scenarios in recent years, at facilities ranging from the Coventry Children’s Hospital, to CASA Edmonton – in Canada’s design development of a new children’s/ adolescent and family mental health unit. In addition, an adolescent Assessment Unit in Belfast, and a Personality Disorder Unit in East London, adopted this tool to good effect in their early days of design development.
Neuroeducation It is useful to understand the maturation and development of the brain over the 7 ages of childhood, particularly between the age of 5-18. MRI scans have identified radical brain changes over these years that can correct and significantly inform new models of teaching. Within this arena now enter confusing terms such as ‘Neuropedagogy’, ‘Neurodidactics’, ‘Educational Neurosciences’, and ‘Brain focused learning’ – all of which fit broadly under the category of Neuroeducation. It is said that Neuroeducation is the science that will ultimately change education. Walden University in the US usefully identifies three examples of implementing Neuroeducation in the classroom: 1 Research has revealed that pupils absorb data more effectively in short bursts known as ‘micro learning’.
2 Neuroscientists have also discovered how important sleep patterns are over the 7 ages of childhood in cognitive functioning, e.g. adolescents have a bio- predisposition to sleeping longer in the mornings. At Monkseaton High School, North Tyneside, timetable changes were implemented to match body clocks, which subsequently boosted
58 Health Estate Journal August 2024
concentration levels, and consequently grades.
3 Researchers have discovered how important it is to teach in multi-sensory environments. This is where the Sense- Sensitive Design tool could assist in choreographing optimal learning environments.
Hospital schools Insights into the running of hospital schools are truly revealing. These special schools are seldom recognised for the unique specialist services they offer. The Great Ormond Street Hospital School and The Evelina Hospital School in London are great exemplars. The GOSH enjoys approx. 30 staff and a headmistress, offering an ‘enriched national curriculum’ for all inpatient children aged from 5-19 years old – Key stage 1 and 2 to stage 3 and 4. Teaching occurs by the bedside and on the wards throughout the day. However, children who are well enough to leave the ward can attend the well-staffed and equipped school rooms. By arrangement, teachers will also teach the siblings of long-stay patients. Apart from classrooms, the hospital offers other supportive spaces, such as Snoezelen, Sensory Rooms, Dens, Chill out Spaces, and Radio Lollipop, etc. There are also ‘Child Centres’ that serve inpatients, outpatients, and siblings of all ages (0-19 years old). They
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offer resources, art, activities, toys, games, and interactive consoles. Evening activities are generated by Youth Clubs, Scout and Guides groups, interactive games, and Radio Lollipop interaction. The Evelina London Children’s Hospital,
located opposite the Houses of Parliament, also has a Children’s School. Effectively a Department of Education Hospital Community Special School, it provides personalised education for both children and young people. The curriculum is tailored to address individual pupils around their age, illness, and disabilities. The teachers work flexibly in small groups, one to one, by the bedside, or in the atrium for those well enough to leave the wards. The school celebrates the fact that it is best placed to help children develop Social, Moral, Spiritual, and Cultural awareness, known as ‘SMSC’, as well as encouraging self-expression and engagement in debate. Many children’s hospitals in the UK and Europe are often open during half-term and school holidays, welcoming children from the immediate community.
Alder Hey facility The well-known Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool also has a dedicated and well-established Children’s School. The hospital enjoys an international reputation for treating everything from common illnesses to highly complex and
Today healthcare can offer much to multiple sectors, and especially to education. Paediatric knowledge can have a profound and considerable impact in helping to define new models of Pedagogy such as Neurodidactics, Neuroeducation, and beyond
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