Wednesday, 17 December 2014

How Ergonomic Furniture Can Make You Work Better

Ergonomic furniture is enjoying massive popularity for the last ten years. The increasing availability of the Internet across the globe somehow made this possible, as more and more industries get wired to facilitate communication. This means longer hours sitting down and getting online. Problems that resulted from this included pain in the back, arms and wrists for long hours of sitting down, typing and clicking a mouse. Ergonomic furniture became the answer to minimising neck and eye strain and other pain in the body one gets from sitting and staring at the computer monitor for long hours. How exactly does ergonomic furniture do this?
Consider that a common source of work-related neck pain is often a computer monitor that is placed at an incorrect height. An ergonomic computer desk will have an elevated platform for a desktop monitor so it is elevated to eye level. If you're using a laptop, there are also relatively cheap shelf-like products that can lift the laptop to a proper height. Then you won't have to bend your neck to look downward. Doing this for hours and can terribly strain your neck.
Joint and muscle pain in the wrist and forearm often comes from holding them in locked positions over a mouse or keyboard. For this, ergonomic gel pads can be placed just in front of the keyboard and mouse for the wrist to rest on while you're typing away or clicking the mouse. The pads allow your wrist to relax, reducing the tension that can come up through the forearm to the elbow when you have to type or click for long hours.
An ergonomic office chair includes tilt-control in its design. The tilt-control feature allows the user to adjust how much the chair tilts, while he/she is sitting on it. In an ordinary chair, we shift our body weight and the chair tilts in one direction or the other. With a heavier person, the chair will tilt too much under his/her weight. Tilt-control in an ergonomic chair makes it possible for the user to adjust the range so the chair will not shift beyond a certain point. Hence, an ergonomic chair is one that is comfortable and flexible while remaining safe to use.

Ergonomic furniture also comes in the form of an office chair that can be adjusted to various back/seat angles and heights to avoid physical pain such as back and neck pain. You have to be conscious not to stay in one position for too long, hence the need to adjust the chair's angle and height to whatever task you're currently doing. Stretching or rising up will loosen your muscles and avoid pain.

The Importance of Classroom Furniture

It is becoming increasingly obvious that classroom furniture is very important. Both you and your students need to be comfortable at all times. More and more of our classroom furniture is being ergonomically designed to minimize the squirming that is prevalent when furniture doesn't fit properly. Along with this, it is important that furniture is 100 percent functional as well. The right classroom furniture is essential to an overall good experience, day after day. Here are some comments about the most frequently purchased classroom furniture.
Teachers Desk
As a teacher you know how important it is to have a desk that you are comfortable using. This is your work station, and you must make sure that it meets your every need. From grading papers to setting up your computer, this is where you will do most of your work. Make sure your teacher's desk is comfortable, big enough to suit all your needs, and has enough storage for any and all of your items.
Filing Cabinets
Even though filing cabinets may sound a bit "old school" these are still a very important part of any classroom. If you are having major issues with disorganization there is a good chance that you are not taking full advantage of a filing cabinet. Just one of these cabinets can go a long way in keeping your paper in order, and cutting back on the mess that you have on your desk. Purchase a filing cabinet to go next to your desk - this is one of the best pieces of classroom furniture that you will ever come across.
Desks for Young Students
When considering classroom furniture you need to think long and hard about the desks for your students. Along with this, your purchase should be based largely on the age group. Younger students need a different type desk than older students. Along with the right size, make sure your desks have areas where students can store materials. This way they do not lose their supplies, and can have a work station of their own.

Desks for Older Students
Older students have lockers, so they do not need a desk with storage. That being said, you must still consider what you are buying. These desks will have a smaller surface. The best ones have a groove at the top of the desk for holding a pen or pencil. In many cases, the desk and chair are attached.
Shelving

When buying classroom furniture you may overlook the importance of shelving. You may be able to get away with not having shelves, but you don't want to do without. This is a great place to store everything from books to learning tools to classroom materials and much more. Along with this, you may even allow your students to use the shelves if you have enough room.

Friday, 5 December 2014

Choosing Quality Classroom Furniture

The Importance of Choosing Quality Classroom Furniture
Educational furniture should be considered an investment in the future of an institution so choosing high quality classroom furniture is top priority. Quality furniture plays a vital role in education and can even improve learning among students. It plays a key part in education and is necessary for students, faculty and staff members alike. School furniture includes desks, chairs, tables and shelves among many other pieces and the ingredients that make each piece quality depend on its particular functions.
Student and Faculty Desks
Both the students and faculty of a school use their desks as a primary piece of furniture in the learning process. Throughout the year desks take consistent and repetitive use so it is important to choose high quality materials and the best functionality possible for this particular piece. Use sturdy built designs with solid wood or reinforced particle board for the tops and steel in the framing for a desk that will stand up to year after year of abuse.
The desk’s top should be coated for protection of the woods to keep the furniture pieces free of graffiti, scratches and scuffs. Good looking furniture creates a positive environment and promotes better attitudes towards learning. In addition to lament coatings on the wood surfaces, desks for younger children grade school ages should have an added layer of safety with covered screw and rounded corners.
High Quality Classroom Seating
Students spend on average 6 or more hours each school day seated at desks while teachers often spend countless hours of overtime in addition to daily learning hours. Uncomfortable seating can actually lead to spinal and back problems in growing children and irritate a faculty members’ joint. Studies have shown that high school age students complaining of back problems show medical signs of the negative effects on spines through x-ray, victims of years in poor seating.


Uncomfortable seating can also make students restless which can affect their abilities to concentrate and absorb vital information. Student chairs should be contoured to meet the natural curves in the back and have bottom seating designed for hours of sitting. Teacher and faculty chairs should also be contoured but with an added layer of comfort in padded seating. Each faculty chair should have padded bottoms, backing and if possible arms as well. Computer chairs should also add comfortable seating as more schools transform during the technology age.

The Importance of Good Classroom Furniture

Classroom furniture is important not only for comfort and aesthetics but for the function it serves within the classroom environment. While deciding on what is needed in a classroom is a personal choice, it is essential to consider how the furniture complements the subject being taught and the comfort of the students.
The Basics
Most classroom furniture will be used by hundreds of students over many years. Quality furniture is needed to meet the demands of time. The type of furniture for a particular classroom is driven by the age of the students and the teacher's presentation of a lesson. The size of the classroom and the number of students it accommodates are also essential factors.
Student
Consideration of the students who will use the classroom shouldl drive the choice of furniture. Age is one factor. Kindergartners require smaller and different types of furniture compared with high school seniors. It is also important to take into account any disabilities students may have. For example, if the teacher has a student who uses a wheel chair, she needs to have a table to accommodate that student rather than the traditional desk with built-in chair. Whether furniture can be arranged to allow for personal space should be taken into account as well.
Types
There are many types of classroom furniture, even though desks and chairs may be the only items that come immediately to mind. In addition to different type of seating and table configurations, there are shelves, "cubbies", and other organizational furniture to consider. Durability an important factor when investigating any classroom furniture.

Considerations
The number of students within a classroom must be taken into account in terms of comfort and safety . Furniture must allow students to move comfortably without creating congestion in any one area. If cooperative learning is a goal of the teacher, the classroom furniture needs to be easily and safely movable. According to Cooperative Learning Classroom, student tables and chairs should not be connected and should be able to be used for individual work and then brought together for group work.
Benefits

There are social benefits to be gained from a good choice of classroom furniture. With movable tables and chairs, students gain a better understanding of teamwork and social skills. Also, furniture designed for specific learning environments is conducive to better learning. If classroom furniture fits the student and subject, students can better focus on learning.