Page 14 - School Planning & Management, July/August 2019

TRENDS IN
VIEW FROM THE INDUSTRY
EDUCATION
Thought Leader:
Dr. Dieter Breit- hecker, Health and Kinetics Scientist, is the President of the Federal Institute on the Development of Posture and Move- ment in Germany.
Company: On behalf of VS America Website: www.vsamerica.com Contact Info: info@vsamerica.com
Q: How does movement nourish the brain?
A: When muscle fibers are activated, blood circulation increases. The brain receives more oxygen and neuroplastic messengers support nerve cell growth and synaptic switching. Students’ brains are more alert and they are emotionally more engaged – conditions which have a positive impact on school performance.
Move your body and your mind will follow. As humans we have special sensory organs located in the inner ear and in the muscles, tendons, and joints. As “eyes” inside our bodies, they register muscle activities and
Q How do you understand the relationship between school furniture, room design, and students’ learning experiences?
A: For me, every object poses a question. Every time we look at an object or a piece of furniture, we become more familiar with it and it makes an imprint in our minds. So I believe that we carry with us the experiences
stimulate our cerebral activities. But the positive effects of those sensory organs
can only be revealed if they are regularly stimulated by motion. Just as eyes need daylight and noses need fresh air, the sense of balance, along with muscle and movement sensors, needs regular posture changes
and movement. Keeping our sensory organs engaged keeps us aware and alert.
Q: What role does furniture have in learning environments?
A: Furniture in learning spaces plays a pivotal role, greatly influencing physiological learning behavior and social interactions. Furniture also creates opportunities for healthy and needs-appropriate behaviors
by opening up possibilities for a variety of postural changes and movement.
Recent scientific findings make it clear that room furnishings based only on rigid chairs, tables, and tablet chairs lead to serious pressures on physical and mental health. These recent results are so significant that they are being captioned by magazines as “sitting is the new smoking” without seeming overly exaggerated.
The main culprit is passive sitting. The
of furniture that we regularly used, especially in the educational environment. For that reason, it’s important that this furniture is made with love and care.
Q What attracted you most about the mission to create a chair for the education market with VS America?
A: My parents were teachers, and I am also the father of a little girl. I know all too well that children often perceive chairs as instruments of torture because they want to get up and jump around.
I still remember my wooden school bench and the chairs behind which we played hide and seek, so it’s very clear to me that these chairs have to be robust enough to withstand the hurricane-like nature of children. So it was quite clear to me that durability needed to be a central criteria in the design. Also, that school chairs must
be able to be integrated into a variety of different types of schools. I believe that a
energy expenditure in sedentary behavior is so low that health risks have increased for multiple pathologies such as obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, and even cancer (Dunstan et al. 2012 and Katzmarzyk et al. 2009, Haly et al. 2017, Healy et al. 2008).
Children often sit up to ten hours per day, and have poor posture while sitting. This behavior, ingrained from childhood, is a pattern we need to break.
Q: How often should students stand during the school day?
A: Sit as necessary but encourage as much postural change and exercise as possible.
Here’s a healthy recommendation for a school day:
• 50% sitting (note: dynamic sitting on agile chairs so there is still movement)
• 30% standing
• 20% movement within the space Consider how important movement is for all ages. People aged:
• 6-10 should not sit more than 5 minutes
at a time.
• 11-15 not more than 10 minutes.
• 16+ not more than 20 minutes at a time.
piece of furniture must be able to adapt
to its setting, which means that with our design, we have to be able to respond to all possible life situations.
Q How did your parents being teachers influence your design concept?
A: I always told my parents that schools should be more concerned with architecture and design. In my opinion, education in architecture and in design must take place in parallel, but in France everything is much too strictly separated. It’s also important that students learn from good examples
and that they find these examples in the place where they spend a lot of time, namely in school. I haven’t been very involved
with the educational content – although I myself have participated in the conception of a well-known educational institute
– but I definitely think that the subject
of architecture and design also raises questions for teachers and pupils.
Thought Leader:
Jean Nouvel, Architect, is a Pritzker Prize award-winning architect and designer whose constructions have changed the
face of architecture worldwide.
Company: Jean Nouvel Design
Website: www.jeannouveldesign.com Contact Info: contact@jeannouveldesign.fr
14 7/8 2019
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