Add as a preferred source on Google

Free Time (and Space) Should Be A Priority

  • By Dietmar Lang
  • 04/01/19

Experts, teachers, and students agree: learning is not just about the input and output of information. More than ever before, research is recognizing the immense value of play, freedom, exploration, and discovery in education, and just how vital these elements are to the learning process. At every level of learning, from preschool to the college level, the inclusion of free time and space can have an incredibly positive impact on education.

How Free Time Connects to Innovation

The interrelation of creativity, innovation, and free time has been extensively explored at the highest echelons of corporate culture. This alone demonstrates the value of free time for productivity and the development of new ideas. It’s interesting to note that “the best places to work” are those that implement the most flexible and creativity-forward seating solutions, mirrored in the use of soft seating for schools.

Often the most intelligent students squirm and suffer distraction under traditional circumstances, while those for whom stimulating intellectual factors (free time, challenging and engaging exercises) and conducive physical factors (ergonomic furniture, freedom of movement) are more likely to excel.

Extending Free Time into Free Space

For students who feel mentally restricted by the rigor and inflexibility of traditional classrooms, restriction of space can be just as harmful. This principle applies to individual furniture pieces, as well as the overall layout of the classroom. Ergonomically correct furniture that supports a wide range of natural movement is key. For classroom activities that emphasize creative alone time as well as collaboration, educational soft seating can also help to create a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere in which optimal learning is prioritized.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management April/May 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Dietmar Lang is the director of Marketing & Product for VS America. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Featured

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • North Carolina District Completes New Elementary School

    The Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) in Holly Springs, N.C., recently announced that construction on a new elementary school has finished, according to a news release. Rex Road Elementary School measures in at 133,000 square feet and is the fifteenth school that general contractor Balfour Beatty has completed for the district.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

Digital Edition