FEATURE FOCUS: INTELLIGENT CLASSROOM DESIGN
Using space and technology to stay safe in the classroom
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education systems globally, resulting in near-total closures across primary, secondary and tertiary institutions as governments attempt to reduce the spread of the virus. In September 2020, UNICEF said that “more than one billion children are at risk of falling behind due to school closures”. Since then, most education institutions have re-opened, albeit with multiple health and safety measures in place that are highly likely to remain for some time, if not indefinitely. In the UK unfortunately, schools, universities are once again closed following the Government’s recent announcement of a third national lockdown to combat a new, highly infectious strain of the virus. It’s hugely disruptive, but if we look on the
I
n our first feature this month looking at intelligent classroom design, Kleopatra
Kivrakidou, Channel Marketing Manager, EMEA, Ergotron, examines how classrooms can be adapted to provide a safe learning environment that fosters productivity and wellbeing when schools reopen.
positive side, the closing of schools has not entirely stopped education, but it has altered it. As learning institutions get stuck into the first term of the year, necessity dictates that learners and teachers alike adapt to the COVID-19 education landscape as best they can. As with many places of work, education leaders are faced with ongoing challenges; how to ensure the health and safety of learners when they’re in their physical learning environments, and how to manage lessons that take place virtually.
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www.education-today.co.uk So what measures could and should key
decision-makers make in order to provide a safe learning environment that fosters productivity and wellbeing?
The growth of virtual learning Before the pandemic, online or virtual learning was largely a choice, and generally not the preferred method of instruction in primary and secondary school education environments. The COVID-19 crisis however forced many learning institutions globally to seek other options to face- to-face teaching. Many schools for example chose video conferencing platforms like Zoom or Google Hangouts to quickly shift to remote-based learning - in much the same way that office workers had to make a rapid transition to working from home by embracing what was most practical and beneficial to support productivity. The popularisation of online learning has come
with a few (perhaps unexpected) benefits. There is the greater prospect of practising more insightful learning, as many students have been able to discover and construct their own knowledge while learning from home, as well as forming more collaborative relationships with
February 2021
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