At the Danish school, Vesterbakkeskolen, WizeFloor contributes to the academic and social development of the pupils. The floor has some educational advantages, which are particularly apparent at the special school, says Anna Rysbjerg Christensen, who has been a teacher at Vesterbakkeskolen for 11 years.
“I’ve had a girl who could only say three words, but when I introduced her to the WizeFloor, we found out that she contained much more than what she expressed. She was able to do exercises with letters and numbers, which we had no idea she could. But now she could express this because she could do it by using her feet,” Anna Rysbjerg Christensen says.
Many children at the school have physical disabilities of different kinds, but the children grow by using the WizeFloor. Anna Rysbjerg Christensen has had a boy who suffered from hand spasticity and therefore had difficulty in writing on the blackboard, but WizeFloor opened up for his academic development. The floor allows the children to show that they are able to do more.
The essence of WizeFloor is that it helps stimulate children’s language when they play on the floor. The language has particular focus from the teachers, because it is an important part of children’s development that they learn while talking about the things they do, says Anna Rysbjerg Christensen.
WIZEFLOOR ALSO TRAINS SOCIAL SKILLS
The purpose of WizeFloor for Vesterbakkeskolen is partly professional, however the social aspect is also important.
“The kids learn to wait for their turn, to cooperate and to help each other. They also learn when to step aside because it is another child’s turn. The floor invites play and movement, and the physical aspect requiring the children to use their feet and different body parts is very important,” says Anna Rysbjerg Christensen.
Anna Rysbjerg Christensen notices that the children can continue an activity for a longer period when it comes to WizeFloor compared with more sedentary activities. On the floor, the children feel more like playing. They get absorbed in a universe and completely forget that they are actually doing mathematics.
Vesterbakkeskolen chose WizeFloor because it was easy to use and because they could create their own games. Anna Rysbjerg Christensen finds the software more easily accessible than the other digital solutions they were considering to buy. And the fact that they can influence and personalize their own games by means of easy templates is a great advantage.
At the school they have had WizeFloor for five and a half years, and they use it more today than in the beginning.
– “The children love it and they know the procedure of how to get started with the floor. The children help to get the floor ready for use by moving tables, pulling curtains and taking off their shoes, after which they stand on each side of the floor,” Anna Rysbjerg Christensen concludes.
