79% of students indicate they would like to rearrange the furniture – to suit individual needs and group discussions: Godrej Interio study

According to the study, 93% teachers surveyed feel that technology is beneficial in classrooms.

Further, students spend nearly 6–8 hours of their day sitting, hence furniture should accommodate their need to move.

Mumbai, 24th May 2022: Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced today that its business Godrej Interio, India’s leading furniture solutions brand in home and office spaces, launched a trend report “Design Blueprint for 21st Century Learning Spaces”.

Education in India at the cusp of a revolution as it transforms from an instructional mode to an experiential mode. The Government of India’s revamped National Education Policy (2020) aims at promoting multidisciplinary and technology-led education. Godrej Interio’s latest trend report by their Workplace and Ergonomics Research Cell revealed trends that will shape the future of learning and are in alignment with the government’s policy.

According to the trend report, 21st-century learning spaces should accommodate the unique needs of each student. Further, they must support the positive human relationships needed for effective learning, both formally and informally. The report further says these spaces are student-centred and tech-enabled which must enable individual and group learning, encourage innovation and foster a sense of healthy community.

The report highlights the 5 broad aspects that comprise 21st Century Learning Spaces – Adaptable, Inviting, Smart, Comfortable and Safe.

Adaptable spaces support multiple learning modes in the same space and facilitates ‘Me & We’ Work. According to the report, 79 percent of the students indicate they would like to rearrange the furniture to suit individual needs and group discussions. In addition to this, 94 percent of teachers who can change their layout agree they can teach effectively, compared to 40.5 percent who can teach effectively but can’t change their layout. Therefore, the learning environment must be adaptable, allowing for easy transitions between lecture mode, group presentation, and discussions.

Inviting spaces encourage creativity by transforming a ‘boring, restrictive, or intimidating’ space to one that is ‘inviting, relaxing and invigorating. Therefore, underutilised spaces like wide corridors must be re-designed to create semi-open spaces for collaboration and tutoring.

The report also highlights that the 21st century learning spaces are Smart wherein technology can help personalise learning for students, stimulate their curiosity and boost experiences with 98.3% of teachers feeling that technology is beneficial in classrooms.

Comfortable learning spaces keep pace with the users’ ergonomic needs, growth, and energy levels to reduce discomfort and improve concentration and wellbeing. According to the study, students spend nearly 6–8 hours of their day sitting, so the furniture should accommodate their natural need to move. Therefore, an active lifestyle needs to be encouraged by allowing opportunities that enable alternating postures.

Safety in learning spaces is essential to reduce the chance of physical injury and ensure a better experience.

Sameer Joshi, Vice President, Marketing (B2B), Godrej Interio said, “Education holds the power to influence the world’s future. Transforming the current education system through innovative and contemporary teaching and learning methodologies is the need of the hour. To accommodate this change and in line with the Government’s National Education Policy 2020, we have published a trends report stating how learning spaces must evolve and transform into modern 21st Century Learning Spaces. Furniture is an enabler in building these spaces. At Godrej Interio, institutional furniture for educational purposes is an important segment for us as it contributes to improving the educational experience and readying the next generation to build a better world. By the end of FY22-23, we aim to generate INR 260 Cr revenue from educational furniture.”

Godrej Interio provides educational furniture to over 16,000 educational institutes across India.