5.21.2019
We got into our groups and started working on our projects. Since we wanted to follow the SPIdEr method, we decided to walk around the school to understand the problems fully. Though we weren’t able to go through all the floors, we were able to notice and experience the impracticalities. For today, we analyzed the first and second floor of the North building, as well as the hallway of the West building, and found out problems relating to classroom functionality and design. From this walking meeting, we were able to inspect issues in detail.
Some problems that we found were mainly about the use of space. Our school campus is very large in terms of land space since it is shared with the neighboring elementary school. In every building, each student is assigned with a locker, though the placement of these is unfunctional. First of all, there isn't depth in the lockers to fit the needed textbooks. Almost every class uses textbook work as part of their lessons, and because we need to differentiate these textbooks from more than 10 classes, it is a tendency for our lockers to be full. Backpack size is also unlike each other, which means that the difficulty of changing out textbooks during periods would be unfair. A small backpack in a corner locker would prevent people from pushing, and it would be easier to organize. People in the opposite situation, however, would struggle with transitioning smoothly, which will delay class time and social interaction during the 5-minute break. An idea would be to digitalize the textbooks into apps so that locker traffic can be prevented, or to utilize the locker space for the expansion of the classrooms.
Even though the campus is enormous, classrooms feel tight. One reason may be because of the number of students. International schools do have great classroom design, but an average class has less than the standard 30 students for Japanese schools, so they have more access to space. This shows how money is crucial in improving this school. The best scenario would be to expand the school buildings so that classrooms can comfortably fit all 30 students, but that would be quite farfetched. A budget-friendly idea would be to reduce the number of chairs and tables and replace them with multipurpose furniture that is compact. In front of the multipurpose room are TV's in which teachers would have to roll them to the class beforehand, which is impractical since it is in the way of students. The 7th and 8th-grade classrooms are all in one building, which means that compared to last year, the number of people crossing the hallway is doubled. Teachers will have trouble dragging the TV un a crowded environment, and students will also have a hard time getting through as well. If there is a classroom for every teacher, TV's can be specially set up in them based off of the needs.
Through today's experience, our group was able to list out points of improvement because of the help of a walking meeting. Although the weather was harsh and we couldn't investigate outside, we were still able to spectate and channel down our main points. I felt unaware of the scale of the problems that we face in this school, so I was glad I was able to roam around. In the next class, I would like to summarize the information gathered and move on to the next step.
Some problems that we found were mainly about the use of space. Our school campus is very large in terms of land space since it is shared with the neighboring elementary school. In every building, each student is assigned with a locker, though the placement of these is unfunctional. First of all, there isn't depth in the lockers to fit the needed textbooks. Almost every class uses textbook work as part of their lessons, and because we need to differentiate these textbooks from more than 10 classes, it is a tendency for our lockers to be full. Backpack size is also unlike each other, which means that the difficulty of changing out textbooks during periods would be unfair. A small backpack in a corner locker would prevent people from pushing, and it would be easier to organize. People in the opposite situation, however, would struggle with transitioning smoothly, which will delay class time and social interaction during the 5-minute break. An idea would be to digitalize the textbooks into apps so that locker traffic can be prevented, or to utilize the locker space for the expansion of the classrooms.
Even though the campus is enormous, classrooms feel tight. One reason may be because of the number of students. International schools do have great classroom design, but an average class has less than the standard 30 students for Japanese schools, so they have more access to space. This shows how money is crucial in improving this school. The best scenario would be to expand the school buildings so that classrooms can comfortably fit all 30 students, but that would be quite farfetched. A budget-friendly idea would be to reduce the number of chairs and tables and replace them with multipurpose furniture that is compact. In front of the multipurpose room are TV's in which teachers would have to roll them to the class beforehand, which is impractical since it is in the way of students. The 7th and 8th-grade classrooms are all in one building, which means that compared to last year, the number of people crossing the hallway is doubled. Teachers will have trouble dragging the TV un a crowded environment, and students will also have a hard time getting through as well. If there is a classroom for every teacher, TV's can be specially set up in them based off of the needs.
Through today's experience, our group was able to list out points of improvement because of the help of a walking meeting. Although the weather was harsh and we couldn't investigate outside, we were still able to spectate and channel down our main points. I felt unaware of the scale of the problems that we face in this school, so I was glad I was able to roam around. In the next class, I would like to summarize the information gathered and move on to the next step.
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