This section is an opportunity to reflect about different the aspects that influence the learning process. In my case, I have choosen to do a little research on: the importance of ergonomics and strategies to teach very young learners (preschoolers and first graders).
The importance of ergonomics
As an architect, I have always been used to think about new architectural spaces as well as the furniture that it demands. In fact, during my degree I had to design a kindergarten and I remembered that I could not go in deep enough to introduce ergonomics. However, as I was interested in liviving architecture through a more social view, I started a post degree based on Universal architecture. It was really interesting because as it was online, I had mates who were from different countries, so we could exchange multiple cultural experiences. In this course, I did talk about ergonomic and the importance of including it in the design of almost everything. But I did not have the chance to apply it in the context of schools.
Now that I have changed my future to be a teacher, I am adding knowledge to my previous one and I think that this is a great opportunity to do a transversal research where I can use my architectural background and blend it with my present and future one: education. That is why this question came up to my mind:
Now that I have changed my future to be a teacher, I am adding knowledge to my previous one and I think that this is a great opportunity to do a transversal research where I can use my architectural background and blend it with my present and future one: education. That is why this question came up to my mind:
“Is ergonomics a factor that affect to the child attention within the learning process? ”
To start with, it is important to define the term ergonomics. The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human factors defines it as: “a science-based discipline that brings together knowledge from other subjects such as anatomy and physiology, psychology, engineering and statistics to ensure that designs complement the strengths and abilities of people and minimize the effects of their limitations. Rather than expecting people to adapt to a design that forces them to work in an uncomfortable, stressful or dangerous way, ergonomists and human factors specialists seek to understand how a product, workplace or system can be designed to suit the people who need to use it.”[1]
But since when ergonomics has been relevant in our society? Just with a slight research we can already see some examples from the use of this discipline in the early development of species by the choice of some specific materials to create tools to make tasks easier to accomplish. We can also move to the Egyptian civilization with household equipment based in ergonomic principles or in ancient Greece[2] with the description of Hippocrates about how a surgeon’s work place should be designed. But it was not until the 19th century, with industrial societies, when ergonomics emerged as a scientific discipline.
But since when ergonomics has been relevant in our society? Just with a slight research we can already see some examples from the use of this discipline in the early development of species by the choice of some specific materials to create tools to make tasks easier to accomplish. We can also move to the Egyptian civilization with household equipment based in ergonomic principles or in ancient Greece[2] with the description of Hippocrates about how a surgeon’s work place should be designed. But it was not until the 19th century, with industrial societies, when ergonomics emerged as a scientific discipline.
And regarding school context, since when ergonomics has been something taken into account? Despite of the fact that there is a lot of general information about this term and its possible applications, I have not been able to find when schools started to worry about it. However, it is undeniable that ergonomics is closely related with human well-being. Moreover, the increasing number of injuries due to bad body postures, heavy backpacks and uncomfortable furniture are promoting the research of new designs that include this concept in the creation of school spaces as well as students body awareness.
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Regarding the first question that I stated for this research: “Is ergonomics a factor that affect to the child attention within the learning process?”, I can say that it just not only affects it but the design of the furniture can be beneficial for kids with attention issues. A study of 2003 in American Journal of Occupational Therapy concluded that students with ADHD using ball chairs could sit still, focus and write more words legibly. In 2007 Mayo Clinic study concluded that a chair-less classroom increased attention and improved learning. Finally, in 2008 a study of the University of Central Florida concluded that children need to move to focus during a complicated mental task, especially those with ADHD who fidgeted more when a task required them to store and process information rather than just hold it. [3]
At this point, if we go in depth, we can see how wide is the possible application of ergonomics in the school context. Firstly, it is decisive in the design of school furniture as chairs, desks, monitors, keyboard & mouse and pens. It is important to consider that every student has different physical conditions and needs, so the material, the height and the possibility to regulate them is crucial for the adaptation of each individual circumstance.
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Living in a technological era, we can move to a second application: mobile devices. This is something that not only concerns students but adults too. We are getting used to really poor postures of the neck and back, that can drive to motion injuries and visual impairments. Therefore, it is essential to respect distances between the object and our eyes, the number of hours that we spend using these devices, the use of light or darkness while we are using them and body position regarding neck and back.
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A third aspect is related to the different school areas beyond the classroom: the dinning-room and the playground. The first one directly affect student’s abilities to independently eat meals at school. While kids are eating, a poor posture can lead to diminished breathing and head position can directly affect swallowing. The second one is more related to how safe and inclusive is the area. So, it is important to remove architectonical barriers as well as to create different environments that provide an answer to every child need and interest.
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As a fourth application, we have one of the most well-known ergonomic issue: the backpack. We all remember when we had to carry our bags full of heavy books, pencil case, ruler, colors, calculator etc. and in the worst case, we also had to carry the sport bag. Nowadays there is even a limit of weight (11,34kg)[4]. One of the most common solutions for this problem is the rolling backpack. But with a controlled weight and the use of both straps in the correct height we can use almost any type of backpack.
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During this first part of the research, I have used the following web pages to compare and extract useful information:
[1] Description extracted from the web side of Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human factors http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/what-is-ergono
[2] Book about applied ergonomics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687098000507
[3] Information extracted from AMAC (accessibility for all): http://www.gatfl.gatech.edu/tflwiki/images/3/37/IDEAS_2013_Ergonomics_-_Position_for_Learning.pdf
[4] According to the American Physical Therapy Association, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the American Chiropractic Association.
- http://www.ergonomics4schools.com/
- http://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/files/ErgoSummaryStudentsandStaff.pdf
- http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/mbergo/intro.html
- http://www.iea.cc/ECEE/index.html
- http://arquitectura.estudioquagliata.com/socializarq/escuela-vittra-estocolmo-rosan-bosch-studio-2
- http://www.rosanbosch.com/es/project/la-biblioteca-infantil-de-billund
- http://etsididesign.com/mobiliario-creativo-el-colegio-al-que-todos-habriamos-querido-ir/
[1] Description extracted from the web side of Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human factors http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/what-is-ergono
[2] Book about applied ergonomics: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687098000507
[3] Information extracted from AMAC (accessibility for all): http://www.gatfl.gatech.edu/tflwiki/images/3/37/IDEAS_2013_Ergonomics_-_Position_for_Learning.pdf
[4] According to the American Physical Therapy Association, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the American Chiropractic Association.
Strategies to teach very young learners (preschoolers and first graders)
It is the second time that I use this famous quote of Benjamin Franklin and it is not casual. The first and most important thing when you have to teach something to someone, no matter which is the content or the age, is to engage and motivate the learner so that the learning process becomes an experience that he or she will not easily forget.
However, it is true that when pupils are very young it is necessary to take into account that in this phase, pupils give a lot of importance to games because it is a way of social interaction in which they enjoy the company of their classmates or they can even create imaginary friends. It is also important to consider that they are entering to the educational path, and it is very important that they start with the right attitude and motivation to go through all this long process.
Dewey defended with his “learning by doing” the need of creating hands-on activities that promote the progressive construction of the knowledge through meaningful activities for pupils. So, I have 4 proposals of activities that may be helpful to teach very young learners: songs, routines, games and basic vocabulary.
However, it is true that when pupils are very young it is necessary to take into account that in this phase, pupils give a lot of importance to games because it is a way of social interaction in which they enjoy the company of their classmates or they can even create imaginary friends. It is also important to consider that they are entering to the educational path, and it is very important that they start with the right attitude and motivation to go through all this long process.
Dewey defended with his “learning by doing” the need of creating hands-on activities that promote the progressive construction of the knowledge through meaningful activities for pupils. So, I have 4 proposals of activities that may be helpful to teach very young learners: songs, routines, games and basic vocabulary.
Most pupils, if not all, enjoy dancing and singing songs. These songs are providing vocabulary and as they are catchy, pupils usually tend to quickly learn those songs and reproduce its content. Therefore, songs become a very powerful educational tool to teach any kind of content in a funny way and without pupils being aware of this apprenticeship. Nowadays, we can find plenty of web pages, such as super simple songs, that include a wide range of different songs, contents and even worksheets to work with.
The digital article “Beneficios de de aprender cantando”, written by Ana IT[1], states that the benefits of learning by singing are the followings:
The digital article “Beneficios de de aprender cantando”, written by Ana IT[1], states that the benefits of learning by singing are the followings:
- Improves the musical Ear
- Reinforces memory
- Benefits the artistic expression of pupils
- Helps to organise and coordinate kids’ movement
- Promotes pupils’ imagination
- Fosters emotions
- Facilitates social interaction
- Promotes cultural awareness
In addition, with the expansion and evolution of new technologies, some music applications like lyrics training, have appeared to present new opportunities to learn through music. This last-mentioned app allows to work by different levels of difficulty, depending on the age, and It can also work as an assessment tool.
[1] Extracted from https://www.cosasdeeducacion.es/beneficios-de-aprender-cantando/
[1] Extracted from https://www.cosasdeeducacion.es/beneficios-de-aprender-cantando/
Young learns, as well as any other learner, need to feel secure and comfortable in order to have a positive attitude towards learning. Routines are very useful tools which foster this security. Moreover, they represent an opportunity to introduce vocabulary and grammar of different contents.
Pupils also need to progressively start being more autonomous and responsible, and by sharing the different routines, they have the opportunity to prove their responsibility and autonomy while they also learn English. Moreover, it is a topic that can be related with healthy habits and the routines that they do at home. Thus, we are also including the family context within the educational context. |
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.” -Leo F. Buscaglia
As I said when I was explaining the songs’ section, I personally thing that games are very powerful tool to. Firstly, it allows you to apply any kind of content as well as to apply it transversaly, secondly, it offers a wide range of possibilities regarding class management and thirdly, and the most important one, pupils enjoy and learn at the same time.
Another important fact is that pupils are usually sitting down during a lot of hours. This commonly leads in the impossibility of maintaining the concentration for long periods of time. Castillero, from the web site of “Psicología y Mente”, states that first graders can maintain their concentration from 12 to 30 minutes while three-years-old pupils are only focused for 15 minutes. So, playing games represent an opportunity to give them a break and to release energy in order to recover the concentration for the next task. Besides the games that we can physically carry out in the class, we can also use digital games which can also be used as assessment. There are very interesting only resources such as educaplay, in which you can personalize your activities. |
One of the most important elements that has a direct impact on the learning process of pupils is the context. The classroom becomes the place in which pupils spent most of their time. So, this should be considered to transform it into an educational resource. There are plenty of materials that they are going to need and use: pencil, colour pencils, rubbers, rulers and so on. So, if kids become the responsible of labelling all these materials, they will have the chance to learn vocabulary while they also design and decorate their learning space.
On the other hand, there are also some actions, such as: drinking water, going to the toilet or asking for supplies, that can be transformed into key sentences and can also be gradually fostered giving pupils the opportunity of designing them as language support. Finally, a nice way to learn basic vocabulary is to read them tales. Reading all together and using scaffolding or language support can be a good way of acquiring new words and as they commonly have pictures it is also easier for them to relate it with the meaning.
During this first part of the research, I have used the following web pages to compare and extract useful information:
During this first part of the research, I have used the following web pages to compare and extract useful information:
- https://psicologiaymente.net/desarrollo/tiempo-maximo-concentracion-ninos-segun-edad
- https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/how-to-teach-english-to-children/