Moving Education conducted research in schools to understand teachers' and students' needs and develop furniture solutions. They observed classrooms and saw students working in different positions, cramped spaces, and short class periods. They then interviewed teachers, who said they lack storage, want to share ideas, and that technology and different student needs impact the classroom. Moving Education invited teachers to a workshop to deepen their research themes of environment, pedagogy, media, and community. The teachers provided feedback that helped Moving Education develop a furniture brief focused on real classroom needs.

1. meets the teachers
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2. To ensure that the competition brief was
focused on the real needs of teachers and
students, moving education went back to
school…

7. We spent time observing a range of
different behaviours happening in a
variety of learning spaces. We saw…

8. Students doing
manual work
sitting down
Students
kneeling on
the floor to
get level with
their work
Students
swinging
around to
speak to their
piers
Teachers
are resource
hungry and
time poor
Classrooms
are often
cramped
spaces
Bags stored
on chairs,
under feet, on
desks
Cables
stretched
between a
work bench
and a desk
A student
with severe
dyslexia moving
throughout
the class
A variety
of different
classroom
types (old, new,
oblong, square)
Students
standing with
more active
tasks
Class periods
are extremely
short

10. Then moving
education spent
time listening
to teachers and
finding out more
about their needs
We heard that…

11. My challenge
is to try and
reclaim floor
space
Technology is
already having
an impact on
the need for
storage
Teachers lack
exposure. They
like to share
new ways of
doing things.
Chewing
Gum makes
a difference
to students
concentration
I use my car
as a storage
space between
classes
I promote
small exercises
in the class to
help students
energy levels
Junior cycle and
Senior cycle
students have
very different
needs
Flipping
classroom is
impeded by
the current
furniture
Locker areas
can be a place
where bullying
happens...
It’s not a
question of
if epads are
introduced it’s
when...
I’m interested
in improving
social spaces
for senior
students...
Information
on good
furniture
is scarce in
Ireland
Class periods
are too short
to reconfigure
furniture
layout

12. These visits helped moving education
learn more about four research themes
Environment Pedagogy
Media Community

13. To deep dive even further into these
areas, moving education invited four of
the teachers we’d met to a workshop
Becky
Glenda
Noel
Sue

14. We structured a day of talking and
doing. It went like this…

15. Phase 1
Collect

16. Using post-it notes, we shared
what we had learned from our
visits with the teachers…

17. …and invited them to challengeour understanding or add towhat moving education hadalready learned

18. Phase 2
Curate

19. Teachers were then invited
to arrange the post-it notes
according to the four themes

21. Phase 3
Create

22. Teachers were given anexercise that challengedthem to come up with newideas around movement

23. This kind of exercise
helped make the
conversation more
tangible

24. Capture

25. The four teachers
were then given an
opportunity to reflect
as a group and capture
what they had learned

27. moving education
learned that…
Collaborating with
teachers made
it possible for
moving education
to develop a brief
that focused on
real needs.

28. moving education
learned that…
We would like to thank Becky,
Glenda, Noel and Sue for helping
moving education go back to school.
Becky
Glenda
Noel
Sue

29. moving education
learned that…
thank you!
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