Teachers Hoping To Make Innovative Changes To Classrooms

Every child is different and some of them learn in different ways. Teachers around the world are looking at innovative solutions to solve learning challenges in the classroom.
Educational psychologist and teacher, Landi Blok van Cronesteyn, says that kids will do well if they are comfortable. She explains that some children may be more comfortable completing work while they are standing while others have a constant need to move. If these adaptions are made, van Cronesteyn believes this could help children do well at school.
She gives the example of a stationary bicycle being attached to a desk which allows the learner who may need to move and will in turn help them to concentrate.
She said, “for those kids that need movement, they get the appropriate steps of input and they can move and then they can concentrate at the same time whereas you force a child that needs movement to sit in their chair, that's when they fall off or they struggle so much to keep themselves seated that they can't concentrate on the work that's being done”.
Van Cronesteyn says that small adaptations can also be made to ensure kids are comfortable, like allowing children to have play-dough.
Schoolteacher Lorna Jackson says that children need structure and it is therefore important to understand that children are individuals. This means that they will react differently to the new ways of doing things.
She says it’s up to the teachers to understand the needs of the students. Jackson says that in her classroom she allows students to sit on yoga balls. This allows children to move while sitting.
Van Cronesteyn does concede that this may not be possible in all South African schools as many classrooms throughout the country are overcrowded. She believes that despite this, teachers would be open to adapting to help their children.