Mindfull is a new range from Furnware, a New Zealand company that makes furniture for schools. Mindfull provides spaces for neurodiverse learners and those experiencing poor mental health to fidget, relieve anxiety or feel calmer so they can learn in busy classrooms. Mindfull founder Matt Whyte tells us more.
Here: Have our learners changed or have we become more understanding of diversity and difference?
MATT WHYTE: It is really a mixture of both – our awareness and ability to identify neurodiversity has improved rapidly over the past decade, which allows us to better support our learners. But the increase in the number of kids dealing with anxiety and depression has pretty strong links to social media use and Covid lockdowns. Most adults I know felt anxious about going back into the office, so imagine having to go back into a classroom after a growth spurt!
H: Have our classrooms improved in recent years or are we not addressing these issues?
MW: The jury is certainly out on modern learning environments (MLE); the concept is great, but when we put 50 or 60 kids into one big room, we need to ensure there are safe spaces with minimised noise and movement for those who can get overstimulated. I have often seen breakout spaces converted for other uses, like storage, which can make the learning space overwhelming for some students, as they can’t find a quiet space free of distractions.
H: How do classrooms affect neurodiverse learners?
MW: You have to be comfortable to learn. If you’re in a regular state of fight-or-flight mode, you’ll struggle to remember anything. The goal is to get our kids into a comfortable space that prepares them for learning. Many modern classrooms are either MLE, or single cell with rows of desks and chairs. This might work for the majority, but there is a growing number of kids who aren’t comfortable in these spaces. If you’re more easily overstimulated, you need some sanctuary through visual screening and acoustics. If you have ADHD, you’re generally going to be understimulated in a single cell classroom. If we can give that child stimulation through movement or touch, we can minimise disruption in the classroom, creating a better learning environment for everyone.
H: When you set out to develop Mindfull, where did you start?
MW: We started by hosting educators for a day at our office in Hastings, asking them what they were seeing in their schools. The strongest theme was student wellbeing. We went on to research and try to quantify how big of an issue this was, and we were pretty shocked to see the stats on mental health and neurodiversity in students. We started to create prototypes using sticky tape and whatever material we could find. We put these in a school for a week, then asked the kids and teachers for their feedback. We just kept building new iterations from there.
H: What were some of the biggest lessons out of that research?
MW: The biggest lesson for us was that the learning spaces we had been developing for almost 30 years were only working for some of the students using them. We are not reinventing the wheel; these developments have been happening in workspaces for the past decade or more – companies are creating zones for collaboration, focus, or space for people to take a timeout. All we’re doing is trying to apply a similar approach, adjusted for the school environment, to make better spaces for learning.
H: How is Mindfull different? What do the various components do?
MW: We’ve tried to create both stimulation and sanctuary using some core themes: rocking, wobbling, spinning and tactility for stimulation; and visual screening and acoustics for sanctuary. Across both, we’ve used biophilic colour theory and wood to cement the natural aspect of the colourways. With products like the Learning Hut, we can create a space for kids to hang out that’s scaled for them. This creates social opportunities, and schools are saying these are used constantly, by a diverse range of students who wouldn’t otherwise spend time together… pretty cool!
H: It’s already been adopted by a few schools – what effect has it had?
MW: We are now in 50 Australasian schools and have seen some great results! I’ve heard from teachers who’ve added one Rocking Perch to their classroom, and seen disruption decrease and learning increase. We’ve heard from a school that installed a full set into a classroom, and said the kids are “overall calmer, which means they can participate with the whole class”. In an age where school budgets are tight, and wrap-around support has more demand than supply, if we can make classrooms better through one or two pieces of furniture, that’s got to be a win for all.
MIndfull by Furnware
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