BESA CORNER
This month, in our ongoing feature highlighting the work of members of the UK education suppliers’ trade body BESA, we hear from DEMCO INTERIORS on using the right furnishings in schools; while JAMES FRASER, Computing Specialist at Elsley Primary School, talks about the school’s Ohbot.
Use foldables, rollables and flexibles to create a multi use space
A well designed and furnished flexible space can be the difference between one that can be used for a variety of functions or one that sits idle and unused. Whether it’s for learning or leisure investing in the right furnishings is key to developing a multi use library interior. Flexible, design led furnishings can scope a single function space into a multi use space that generates better value per m2
and becomes a much nicer
place for students to visit. We use the phrase ‘shape shifting’ to describe this space to our clients as we use one footprint with flexible furnishings that allows sq footage to be transformed.
Rollables Library shelving on castors is now the norm for designing flexible multi use spaces. Easy to move to shape shift a space, they are a funky alternative to old fashioned fixed shelving bays. With careful space planning the shelving can be moved to create zones or even pushed out of the way to create an open space for a special event, exams or induction days. The shelving can also be used as visual reference point by acting a landmarks to support navigation into the space.
Foldables Folding mobile tables are high on ‘the versatile furniture’ shopping list. One of our favourites are the Telford tilt top tables. Robustly constructed with a simple tilt facility they are easy to store and reconfigure. A benefit of these tables is that they are easily handled and folded single handed – no need for a facilities management team to be called it to quickly reconfigure a space. The tables nest together vertically for convenient and space saving storage. This offer a flexible space that would besuitable for students working and learning digitally and a space that could easily be shape shifted to meet different needs such as digital induction days, inset days, examinations and we’ve even seen them being used at a college for yoga and pilates on wellbeing days.
Flexibles
Foldable, movable tilt top tables used at The Winston Churchill School sixth form study centre
Era Zen learning booth / pod
Once the favourite for expensive office interiors, the pod is now mainstream with affordable versions to meet all kinds of needs and budgets. From a simple frame version that can be easily built up and broken down to more permanent structures, this is the perfect way to create a space within a space. For meeting rooms, private and collaborative study, the pod is the answer to the sometimes difficult to
achieve semi private space. Users can feel ‘part of’ rather than ‘apart from’ others working in the area.
Overall, what we are looking for is to make spaces work harder by
implementing agile and flexible design led spaces that can be used in different situations and times of the day by different people. Within that we need to consider giving students new ways of working and learning with multiple types of working spaces to choose from.
uFor more information on creating a shape shifting interior visit
www.demcointeriors.co.uk or call 01992 454600
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www.education-today.co.uk
I, Robot… and sixty very excited Year 5 children!
As a computing specialist at a growing primary school in Wembley, I am always on the lookout for new technology and ideas to bring into the curriculum. Since the release of the 2014 National Curriculum, there has been a larger focus on coding and in response to this, software, app and technology companies have developed a range of platforms to support teachers in delivering a progressive programming curriculum within computing. One objective of the new curriculum in Key Stage 2 states that children need to have the ability to ‘design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems’. This requires schools to provide opportunities for children to delve into the world of robotics and microcontrollers in addition to platforms based on tablets or desktops. Beebots, which are great for Early Years and Key Stage 1 have been
around for years and still effective, but it is only in recent years has there been a boom in primary educational robotic technology suitable for Key Stage 2 and beyond. Whenever I am searching for new technology to bring into my school, a key place I head to is the Bett Show at London’s Excel Centre. The Bett Show is the largest educational technology show in Europe and is where I first met Mat Walker, Dan Warner and their creation, Ohbot. Most robots that I see at the Bett show need a robotics specialist to programme it, however, Mat and Dan have created a graphical programming language based on Scratch. This solution makes it perfect for Key Stage 2 pupils to program it. Before I purchased any Ohbots, I asked Mat and Dan if they would come to my school, Elsley Primary, and deliver a workshop for my Year 5 children. During the workshop, the children fully engaged and found the
experience of programming a robotic head fascinating. They were eased in by programming their Ohbots to ‘wake up’ and speak using a ‘lip sync’ algorithm. They were then given creative freedom to come up with a robot rap. During the next two annual workshops, children learnt more about programming Ohbots. Since the first workshop, we have purchased an Ohbot, named
Ohsley, with a plan of purchasing more in the future. As well as flying into space, I was happy to hear that Ohbot had won the UK Education Resource Award in 2018 and I am excited that a new, smaller, LED version of Ohbot called Picoh was successfully funded on Kickstarter this year. Ohbot is an affordable, accessible and engaging way of getting
children into robotics and to discover new ways to use robots in a cross curricular way. For example, this year, children studying ‘The Iron Man’ book programmed their own ‘Iron Man’ using descriptions based on the first chapter of the book using Ohbot. There is a huge range of project ideas and lesson plans available for free on their website,
www.ohbot.co.uk, which I plan to dive into in the next few years. We want to incorporate Ohbots as part of a Coding Club, a STEAM week and our Digital Learning Fair, as well as continue with the annual workshops. It feels refreshing that Ohbot’s creators have pitched their robot perfectly to Key Stage 2 children and will hopefully inspire them to pursue a curiosity or even a career into robotics.
November 2019
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