Learning Support Environments require special planning to ensure that it meets the needs of the students that it serves. Consideration needs to be made to ensure that there are a variety of useful spaces and that the spaces create options for students to feel comfortable in.
When presented with a new space in West Vancouver Secondary School to house a Learning Support Centre for students in grades 8 through 12, it was essential to create a welcoming space that would help students feel at home. The Centre requires space to meet and socialize, space to be quiet in, space to engage in group instruction, and space to work independently.
While looking at options for furniture, I came across furniture Natural Pod had supplied for an elementary school. The use of the furniture was immediately appealing in looks and function. I observed students working in small and large groups, sitting on the floor while using benches as their workspace, and students at standing height tables. The natural inclination of students choosing work spaces that suited them was obvious. In many cases, learning spaces for elementary school aged students provide more variety, while high school learning spaces can tend to be less flexible. I wanted to create the same type of flexibility I observed in the elementary school, in a high school. The use of a square table, benches, a standing height table, and a variety of benches on casters did just that.
Natural Pod’s design ideas and the process was attentive and cooperative. The time they spent translating my needs into a tangible concept was generous. In the end, the Natural Pod furniture and the team’s design ideas created a high school space that elicits positive comments from students and staff. When looking for one piece to create a functional space in a learning environment, or several pieces to redesign an entire room, Natural Pod has the ability to support your vision and help you implement it.
Marc Taillefer
West Vancouver Secondary
Learning Support Teacher
West Vancouver Secondary School – Learning Support Centre