Measurable benefits have been delivered in other industries through the application of ergonomics, but can this be achieved in educational environments? asks Andree Woodcock at the Coventry School of Art and Design Ergonomics is the science of taking human characteristics into account when we design and use things. It draws on physiology, psychology, biomechanics and engineering, in an attempt to make systems, environments, and the objects in it compatible with the users. The benefits of applying ergonomics to the design of work environments, in other industries, has provided benefits in relation to increases in productivity and efficiency, job satisfaction and motivation, and the reduction of work related injury, absenteeism and stress.

When applied to the design of environments and design decision making, taking an approach that places the user or customer at the centre ensures that their needs and characteristics drive decisions, leading to products that both excite and delight, which give rise to less complaints and returns.

For educational environments, it is important to consider ergonomics for at least four reasons:

1. Good ergonomic design can protect the health and well being of the children and teachers
2. Good ergonomics design can enhance learning and teaching
3. Behaviours learned in schools during early years can have a cross over into family and later life
4. Ergonomics can provide a way of linking diverse initiatives undertaken to enhance the learning environment- such as curriculum innovation, use of ICT.
   

Reaching full potential
For the purposes of this article, an educational environment can be a school, library, classroom, playground, or a discussion group on the Internet. It may be defined as a place where learning takes place through the transfer of information from an existing knowledge store, to the mind of the pupil, where it becomes integrated with existing knowledge, to effect action (see Figure 1).

Obviously there are many factors (physical –environmental and social-organisational) which effect this smooth transition of information. So, if educational ergonomics is concerned with the design of environments that will allow all children to achieve their fullest potential, then we see that ergonomics is concerned with understanding the totality of factors that can impede or facilitate learning (ranging from the design of the furniture, to the plan of the days activities, to the effects of nutrition on performance throughout the day). Ergonomics therefore has an important role to play in the creation of successful learning environments. Potential areas of concern are shown in the layers in Figure 2, with the learner placed at the centre.

Underlying characteristics
Whilst taking the position that every child is unique, there are a set of underlying characteristics which can be understood as effecting learning or the predisposition to learn (such as motivation, sensory abilities, cognitive capacities, interests, preferred learning style). Other factors will influence learning such as the design of the instructional material, the medium used to transmit that information, through to the immediate work station environment (table and chair), to the design of the classroom (physical or virtual), the school and the macro level issues (such as government policy towards teacher training, allocation of budgets, favoured teaching style and the attitudes of family members and peers towards learning in general).

The benefit of applying an ergonomics approach to educational environments and the introduction of interventions (such as new furniture or ways of teaching) is that it provides a structured, multi factorial framework building out from the pupil emphasising that any intervention can only take place or be measured within the totality of the environment. The rest of the article provides examples of the type of factors that may be considered at the different levels.

Learner issues relate to those that directly effect the ability of the learner to process information such as developmental age, cognitive capacity, preferred learning style, level and type of intelligence, physiological, personality and sensory capabilities, and also those that can have a mediating effect such as socio economic group, gender and anthropometry, motivation and level of interest.

Concentration
Using hearing ability as an example of one such factor, many children with attention difficulties, learning, intelligence and developmental disabilities have been found to have hearing problems, which make it difficult for them to distinguish foreground from background noise. This may mean that they cannot distinguish what the teacher is saying from the rest of the noise in the classroom. They will then find it difficult to concentrate or understand the implicit structure of the classroom environment. Attempts to improve their learning experience, by reducing noise either through classroom management strategies, interior and architectural design, will benefit the rest of the class, both the children and teachers.

The learning workstation includes the immediate working environment of the child, including the design and delivery of instructional material. In recent years there has been a shift away from the delivery of content by the teacher, to activity based learning or (co)discovery, where the student is required to search for relevant information and apply this to the task in hand. At this level of the model, ergonomists might be concerned about the appropriateness of the material for pupils of different ages, or with different learning styles.

Reducing distractions
However, many factors can interrupt or prevent a student from absorbing information from even the best designed information or lesson. Using the layer approach, the next layer is concerned with the more physical factors that support learning, such as the design of the furniture. School furniture has been designed to keep students in one place and avoid distractions. It has been estimated that children spend as much as 1260 hours a year sitting down, sometimes for over 60 minutes at a time, in the same position, in seats that are not suited to their size. Continuous sitting in any position for over 30 minutes is not recommended due to the compression forces on the lower spine. This causes short term discomfort and may play a part in the increased incidence in back pain reported by young people. The most common reaction to seating discomfort is to change position or move to a more appropriately designed seat. However, until recently ‘fidgetting’ was actively discouraged by teachers and only one size of furniture was available in the classroom. Fortunately more attention is now being played to the design and purchase of adjustable furniture which is designed for the size of the children and the learning task.

Options available
The learning setting relates to the classroom and/or playground, the people and equipment that inhabit it and its overall design. Using the example of playgrounds, they should be designed to extend the range of safe options for social, physical and cognitive behaviours for all children. In terms of safety, playgrounds should be designed to meet the relevant legislative requirements to reduce the likelihood of injury – for example slide related injuries have been reduced by lowering heights and use of plastics which reduce the speed of descent, swing seats are made of less resistant material, playground surfaces are constructed from shock absorbent material and entrapments and injuries related to sharp objects have been designed out. However, inclusive design in the playground is not just about providing safe play, but providing equally enjoyable opportunities for those children who may not have the physical skills or personality to cope with boisterous high energy games.

Macro level issues include those which have a bearing on the school, but over which the school may not have any influence such as the amount of spending available to train teachers in the use of new technologies, the way the physical landscape impinges on design, pedagogic trends, and changes to policy of including children with special needs in mainstream education. These factors in turn will influence all other levels.

In summary, it is believed that the measurable benefits that have been delivered in other industries through the application of ergonomics can be achieved in educational environments, and that this will apply to both staff and students.

Andree Woodcock is Senior Research Fellow and Postgraduate Tutor at the Design and Ergonomics Applied Research Centre at Coventry School of Art and Design. Regarding this, or ergonomic interventions which you can make in the classroom please contact the author at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or the Ergonomics for Schools Knowledge Base at forum.e4s-sig.com