The Four Corners of Harmonious Classroom Design
“To slow time down, practice enjoying the moment. It is where we spend our entire lives.” This wisdom from the I Ching describes an ideal way to live by slowing down. In the digital age, however, it’s getting more and more difficult to take this sage advice. Because of the pandemic, we are even more devoted to time spent on our devices, staring at screens with fast-paced minds. Among students, this trend has had some negative consequences. Adolescents and young adults (known as Gen Z) are struggling with mental health more than previous generations. When students return to school this fall, it will be important to consider their mental, physical, and emotional health. But educators, parents, and school designers would be remiss to discount the benefits of considering students’ spiritual development when creating spaces and schedules for student health. This doesn’t mean subscribing to a certain system of belief. It can be as simple as integrating space for silence, breathing, and reflection.
Read MoreTopics: Design, Human Development, Active Classroom, Designer's Corner, Clean Living, Expert Analysis, New Products, Well-Being, Thrive, Educators
Why Every School Needs to Prioritize SEL
As students wrap up an unprecedented school year, many families are beginning to reflect on their experience with hybrid, online, or in-person learning during a pandemic. It hasn’t been without its challenges. In fact, learning loss is projected to be a huge problem in coming years for k-12 students. But as COVID-19 positivity continues to decline, students can likely rely on the idea that they will be learning in person this fall. What that means for schools and educators is that time and energy will be needed to help students catch up to make up for time lost this year due to problems with virtual learning. A reported 15 million American students were without access to the tools needed to learn online, leaving many behind in already existing learning gaps. This is why the federal government has allocated ESSER funds for schools to spend. This money is meant to be used to help students recuperate academically and mentally from the effects of the pandemic. Mental health services within schools will be needed, as well as an increased emphasis on social-emotional learning, or SEL.
Read MoreTopics: Insider, Collaboration, Design, Active Learning, Human Development, Back-To-School, Teacher's Favorites, Thrive, Educators
Nurturing Morality, Empathy, and Equity in Classrooms
The digital age has brought many gifts to civilization, including the opportunity to keep people connected despite a global pandemic that required people to distance themselves. But with all the positive opportunities created by technology, negative consequences abound. Depression and anxiety rates are up among adolescents. Some experts suggest this is because of access and addiction to social media and hand-held devices. 2020 highlighted the importance of unity, education, and self-awareness. But how can we nurture these virtues in students so that they create a more just and equitable world?
Read MoreTopics: Case Studies, Active Learning, Human Development, Designer's Corner, i3sixty, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Compass, Teacher's Favorites, Thrive, Educators
When Robin Randall and Sylvia Kowalk of Legat Architects begin a project, inspiration abounds.
Read MoreTopics: Insider, Design, Human Development, Active Classroom, Designer's Corner, Technology, Back-To-School, Teacher's Favorites, Thrive, Educators
Topics: Design, Human Development, Active Classroom, Hybrid Classroom, MooreCo Workplace, Teacher's Favorites, Ergonomics, Well-Being
6 Considerations for Space Design in a Post-Pandemic World
In the 1920s, the United States experienced a modern renaissance. An era of economic prosperity, burgeoning art, societal change, and scientific discoveries occurred throughout this decade. There was a boom of energy, hope, and optimism. What had happened just before this decade will resonate with many today. The global pandemic brought on by the Spanish Flu killed over 600,000 Americans. It was a time of sadness, fear, and trial. But what followed was a time we still think of as a new era.
Read MoreTopics: Insider, Design, Human Development, Active Classroom, Designer's Corner, MooreCo Workplace, Ergonomics, Thrive
How to Create a Workspace with Direction
It's estimated that 1 in 4 Americans are currently working from home due to COVID-19. That's nearly 40 million Americans who have grown accustomed to the comfort of their home offices, the trials of videoconferencing, and multitasking home and work responsibilities. But what does this mean for employers who plan to bring them back into the office in the coming year?
Read MoreTopics: Collaboration, Human Development, Designer's Corner, Working from Home, Technology, Covid-19, remote, hybrid, Compass
Accessing Mobility in a Remote World
Do you sometimes feel like the past year has been a blur? As we come up upon a year of dealing with COVID-19 in the United States, the days can begin to mix together. This "Groundhog’s Day" feeling has been lasting over 10 months now, and even as life begins to return to normal, it may still seem as if progress is slow. At the same time, the world continues to move quickly. Kids are still learning. Companies are still hiring, producing, and flourishing. Some days, it can be challenging to remain productive and hopeful. So how can you gain access to a feeling of movement and change in a world dominated by distance? Here are just a few ways to get moving again.
Read MoreTopics: Active Learning, Human Development, Working from Home, Learn from Home, Technology, Covid-19, Learning From Home, Hybrid Classroom, remote, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Compass, Well-Being
At the end of 2020, MooreCo published a list of lessons we'd learned from the year — things we believed would matter going forward. Looking back from 2026, most of those instincts were right. But the framing was narrow: we were writing about surviving a crisis, not about what the crisis had revealed.
Read MoreTopics: Collaboration, Design, Active Learning, Human Development, Active Classroom, Covid-19, Learning From Home, Hybrid Classroom, Well-Being, Thrive, Mental Health, Learning Styles, Educators
Can We Find Togetherness Through Technology?
Although it’s not the same as being together in one room, people have been able to come together through the power of technology in 2020. Due to the pandemic, students are learning remotely, workers are telecommuting, and holiday get-togethers are taking place online to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19. While it has been an adjustment with many challenges to move many of our activities online, there is also great opportunity being presented this year with new achievements in virtual togetherness.
Read MoreTopics: Active Learning, Human Development, Active Classroom, Designer's Corner, Working from Home, Technology, Covid-19, Back-To-School, Learning From Home, Hybrid Classroom, remote, hybrid, i3sixty, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Expert Analysis