Educational settings often require a distraction-free environment for good learning outcomes. Improving students’ ability to focus on their school tasks helps teachers maintain a peaceful learning environment. And it starts with the design and planning of classrooms and other educational spaces.
One approach to this is adding study pods of different sizes in places where learning and teaching take place. Framery’s soundproof pods have been found to work not only in the office but in the classroom as well.
What is a study pod?
Study pods, also known as learning pods or study rooms, are small booths that can be used in an educational setting to support students’ learning and facilitate group work between study groups.
These enclosed learning spaces fit one to six students, and can be placed freely around the classroom as well as in other areas of the school.
For a study pod to help students learn and focus, it must meet the following requirements:
- Soundproofing
A study pod needs to be well-insulated so that it does not let in external noise or allow sound to escape. - Ease of placing the pod
When the pod can be placed freely around the classroom or the corridors and other public spaces of the school, it can be used for different activities from private phone calls to loud group meetings. - Lighting and ventilation. Study sessions or meetings with a group of students can be long once the students get into the flow of learning. Therefore, the pod should enable both short and long study sessions spent inside the pod.
- Transparency. A pod with solid walls might feel too claustrophobic for most students. That is why a study pod that promotes learning should have transparent walls while still being soundproof and have great acoustics inside.
How do study pods improve focus and help students to learn?
People of all ages can struggle to stay focused on a single task with noise distractions in their environment. But noise made by other people can have a greater toll on children than on adults. That’s why good soundproofing is all the more important.
A major challenge facing students of all ages is the size and overcrowding of classrooms. As class size increases, so does the amount of noise, and amount of distractions. And the younger the students, the greater the toll of external stimuli on their ability to focus and learn tends to be.
One way study pods help students to focus and learn is by limiting distractions that can take them out of the task at hand. Studies have found that disruptions in concentration can harm students’ ability to learn (Vander Ghinst et al. 2019).
Unfortunately, in classrooms and open offices alike, visual and auditory distractions compete with the attention of both students and adults. Reading, writing, and comprehension are cognitively demanding tasks that are hindered substantially by speech and loud noises (Hongisto 2005).
Placing study pods in the classroom creates spaces where students can focus on their schoolwork. Framery’s soundproof pods make for perfect study pods to be placed inside the classroom.
Study pods support all
The classroom can be transformed into a more peaceful and motivating learning environment by incorporating study pods of different sizes. The pods enable students to engage in different tasks, alone, with a teacher, or in a group.
Removing distractions of different kinds benefits especially students with learning difficulties or special needs and sensitivities to external stimuli.
Just a moment of reading inside a study pod can help reduce the stress experienced by students in a noisy and lively classroom environment.
Framery has worked together with different educational institutions worldwide, such as the Hanze Univerity in the Netherlands. Our booths make for excellent study pods for students both big and small.
And it’s not just the students who have found the study pods helpful. Teachers have reported great satisfaction in making classrooms more peaceful and improving students’ ability to focus as well.
Framery pods as study pods
The Framery One soundproof pod is perfect for solitary focused studying, and keeps out external distractions without feeling cramped. The industry-leading soundproofing keeps out speech and other sounds that can hinder focus and productivity.
The Framery Four fits up to four people, making it perfect for personal tutoring or small-scale group work. For larger groups, the Framery Six has well enough room for up to six people.
The compact size of Framery pods help them fit in entrance halls and along corridors. And their versatility of use makes for great multipurpose spaces around the school. The minimalistic yet stylistic design allows them to blend into any environment imaginable. And they can be fully customized to fit into the surrounding space.
Study pods are here to stay
By integrating study pods into classrooms, the learning environment can be transformed into a peaceful and motivating space. Incorporating study pods into educational settings is quickly becoming a popular way to help students learn and grow all around the world.
