How to Create COVID-19 Safe Collaborative Learning Spaces

As schools around Australia have opened back up it is important to consider ways to create healthy but collaborative learning spaces.

 

Due to COVID-19, learning spaces have evolved to ensure safety throughout school classrooms. Teachers must now focus on the learning space design with an emphasis on furniture function, flexibility, and cleanliness.

 

At Abax Kingfisher, our aim is to create the most functional educational furniture Australia can offer to help schools establish safe and collaborative learning spaces.

 

Here are steps schools can take to ensure they are meeting the safety requirements while encouraging creativity and learning:

 

1. Use Flexible and Mobile Furniture Pieces

When designing your classroom consider investing in furniture pieces that are flexible to easily transform your learning space for various purposes. Ensure that your classroom furniture can be transformed to foster collaborative learning while keeping the students at a safe distance.

 

2. Use Stackable Furniture

Using furniture that can be stacked allows you to open additional space to arrange furniture with social distancing in mind. These desks can quickly transform to create space and modify the classroom design based on health guidelines and learning needs. Abax Kingfisher offers the highest quality mobile, lightweight, and stackable classroom furniture Australia can provide.

 

3. Promote Safe Collaboration Among Students

Classrooms must be designed to allow students to keep a safe distance, while also being able to connect and work together. Furniture that can be used for multiple purposes facilitate highly functional classrooms where students can work a safe distance from one another. Invest in tables and chairs that allow students to sit comfortably together while maintaining social distance.

 

4. Move the Desks and Furniture Around

Shift the layout so students can maintain eye contact with their teacher and peers while contributing to classroom discussions. Mobile furniture can be used outside the traditional classroom to support additional learning spaces. Make collaborative groups smaller and actively use online collaborative tools such as Google Docs to stay connected while maintaining a healthy distance.

 

5. Ensure Health and Cleanliness is Prioritised

Maintaining cleanliness of learning spaces through disinfecting surfaces has become a high priority for schools. Consider the surface materials that are durable and easy-to-clean such as vinyl, laminate, and performance fabrics. Safe spaces can also be maintained by separating collaborative and individual work areas, allowing for cleaning, and disinfecting one area whilst students are using the other.

 

Schools are now different, but with the correct healthy practices put into place they can still maintain collaborative environments while putting their student’s health first.

 

Abax Kingfisher aim to help schools foster healthy environments for students as they provide the most durable education furniture Australia can offer.  For more information on how we can assist in transforming your COVID-19 safe and collaborative learning space contact us on 1300 300 369.

 

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