Categories
2024 Blogs

What makes a good classroom Divider?

Classrooms and educational settings are often large and with an open plan layout. Whilst this is great during lessons,  there are instances when a smaller space is better for study groups, parent evenings and the general need for more work spaces.

As the screens are around students of all ages, the stability of the panels is important. The chosen divider should be ideal for light to medium traffic with addition support where needed. It’s important to make sure the screens are safe even when monitoring isn’t in place.

The style and finish also play a part and will be chosen based on the need and placement.

Offering acoustic, loop nylon, print, anti-bacterial and easy clean panel finishes to enhance the space for teachers and students alike.

For early learning spaces the divider can be less about the space and more what it can bring. With a selection of bold fabrics and prints that are educational, the panels can be used as a learning tool whilst make better use of the floor space.

Make a bold choice and rather than a single fabric colour, opt for a patterned fabric complete with dinosaurs, numbers and other bold prints to drawer the eye and cause intrigue. From a functionality point of view, the acoustic foam and soft touch fabric will help with loud noise too!

If changes to the area are regular, a portable solution is best suited. Each panel is fitted with castor wheels to support the transition from space to space. Use a temporary option and move the concertina panels in and out of the space as the need occurs.

Classroom with white gloss laminate room dividers

White gloss laminate classroom dividers are easy to clean with anti-bacterial cleaners and wipes, so keeping the space clean and sterile is possible. However, the main interest could be the dry wipe finish, so whilst dividing space, the panels act as a whiteboard to assist during teaching sessions.

Other materials such as the loop nylon bring another purpose to school screens too. Loop nylon is Velcro friendly and will effectively hold lightweight displays and printed posters. For a more customized finish, use the double sided panels to display educational print using pre-designed templates or creating a fully bespoke design of your own.

Categories
2016 Blogs

Top 4 Ways of Enhancing Training Courses with Portable Dividers

As organisations look for more affordable and effectives ways of enhancing training courses, we are beginning to see a trend of more industries turning to portable room dividers to create dynamic and immersive courses. As manufacturers, it is possible to adapt and tailor portable dividers so they can achieve much more than just separating open space, but instead, are customised to enhance the training course itself. Regardless of your industry, training courses are increasingly geared towards interactive experiences which require the learner to engage with the content and portable dividers are offering a unique way of achieving this.

  1. Creating Training Spaces:

As opposed to being used as a divider, the portable screens can be combined together to establish portable rooms. Rather than the considerable expense of creating a permanent training area, it is far more cost-effective to establish a comprehensive setting which is geared towards helping learner’s development. These portable dividers can be tailored with a variety of materials to enhance the course itself, such as a pinnable fabric, high pressure laminate or even printed panels which open up the opportunity to re-create active environments using graphic design.

Designed to be portable, screens such as these can be deployed when required, allowing the organisation to make the most of communal open spaces without having to create dedicated areas for training. Not only is this a substantial economic benefit for the company, but it is also a far more viable option in the context that not all training courses run all year round. This means the space can then be utilised for other activities or courses when the training course is not taking place.

  1. Backdrops:

The variety of materials available with portable dividers makes them equally suitable for being established as a backdrop for training courses. In the same vein of portable training rooms, these backdrops can be rolled out when necessary and then neatly packed away when not in use. Whether they are used as a pinnable screen to display training content or incorporate whiteboards into the panel, each can be customised with additional information and details which move training courses towards a more interactive experience.

  1. Open Plan Environment Dividers:

The core concept behind the portable dividers is that they are designed to help organisations make the most of large open areas. Whether this is a gymnasium or a hall, portable dividers excel at creating privacy and building more conclusive environments to provide an area which helps learners to concentrate. These can be deployed in a matter of minutes, enabling the space to be used as a dynamic environment which is set up to incorporate multiple functions, saving both on space, but on revenue also.

  1. Mobile Classrooms:

Budget restrictions are a frequent issue for smaller organisations such as schools and portable dividers are proving to be an effective tool in creating mobile classrooms. Incorporating the high pressure laminate with the panels means they can quickly and easily be used to create effective and recognisable areas. They benefit significantly from being able to create private spaces, which reduce the number of visual and audible distractions, thereby creating an area which helps learners to focus.

Flexi Room Fire Safety

Categories
2016 Blogs

Creating Immersive Learning Environments in the Classroom…

Encouraging children to learn is very often a fruitless task. Especially from an early age, the challenge is to create activities which actively engage them and appear a more interesting and exciting prospect than playing with mobile devices. The prospect of creating education-based video games is very much in its infancy and frankly the financial outlay simply is not worth the cost for many educational establishments. In which case, lesson plans need to be modified in order to adapt to children who have a very different upbringing than our own. This means looking at the environments themselves as well as the activities which take place within them in order to create a more engaging experience for children.

Students and teachers alike are beginning to agree on the fact that lecture-like lessons are simply not as effective as we once considered them to be. Studies over the past few decades have explored how students concentrate in class and why the emphasis is now on approaching teaching in a different manner. The current method is obviously beneficial to some yet it leaves the rest feeling alienated and ultimately disinterested.

Engagement:

Even for adults, trying to learn passively just is not the same as getting experience on the job. This applies even more for children, especially when they are unable to relate to a realistic scenario. This kind of teaching encourages the now well-worn phrase of; “when am I ever going to use this again?” The aim is to create environments and activities which provide context for what is being taught and engaging them in a way where they can see the value in what they are learning. The most crucial aspect in achieving this is being able to create a connection between the learner and the subject.

Creating a Comfortable Environment:

While making the surroundings as realistic as possible is important to making the subject engaging, it is important to prioritise an environment which is comfortable for students to learn in and feel safe in the knowledge that failing is simply a learning curve. One of the major issues that you can find in classrooms is a raft of distractions and once concentration is broken for the learner, it can be difficult to regain. To help dampen the number of distractions and boost the levels of learning, here at Rap Industries, we manufacture portable room dividers in a range of different materials which can be tailored to suit the subject as well as the surrounding environment itself.

Imitate Popular Entertainment to Find Success:

Considering the type of entertainment that children enjoy currently, it has perhaps never been easier to imitate it and apply it to a learning environment. From the widespread popularity of YouTube videos through to video games, a trend has emerged and it is from this that we can establish quite why they are able to engage students for so long. While the immersive experience is the first hurdle to getting children interested, it is the introduction of reward systems which keep them attached and give them motivation to continue playing. This same model can be applied to a learning environment without it obviously being a dumbed-down version of the entertainment they enjoy outside of the classroom.

First Steps to Achieving This:

An overhaul of how lessons are structured is likely to take time, especially as each subject is unique and finding an effective combination will take some testing. However, a great place to start is by creating surroundings which transport learners away from what they are used to. A great way that we’ve seen this begin to happen is by creating portable room dividers with bespoke graphic design to quite literally imitate real life environments. These not only block out visual distractions, but they create the impression that the children are no longer in the classroom but are in a more immersive learning environment.

If you are interested in finding out more about the what portable room dividers are capable of, then you can give us a call on 01733 394941 or send an e-mail over to sales@rapind.com and our advisors can explore the options with you.

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Categories
2016 Blogs

How Portable Room Dividers Can Create Unique & Diverse Training Spaces

Training areas can be notoriously difficult to get right. Even at a young age, many despise the prospect of being sat in a rigid classroom and being delivered a lecture on a wealth of information you scarcely understand. This resent tends to only grow as we get older, which is why we are now having to think more outside of the box when it comes to training programmes. This has meant an increase in practical exercises, interactive technology and more, all designed to engage and interest the trainee. However, surrounding that, even the environment which the training takes place in can have an effect and this is why portable room dividers are increasingly being used to create intuitive training courses.

They fit this role perfectly by being adaptable as well as versatile, meaning it is possible to create training rooms of various shapes, sizes and even materials in order to adapt to the course itself. It also means that you never need a dedicated room for training, which hopefully means the end of rows of desks and the beginning of environments which genuinely help trainees to learn.

Flexible:

In every sense of the word, Portable Room Dividers can be moved or locked in place in a wide range of layouts. Whether you wish to use one as a backdrop, a divider to create privacy in large open spaces or as a completely temporary room, they can be designed to suit your environment. Having the option to set up a training space in a matter of minutes not only saves a significant amount of money because there is no need to build a dedicated room, but they also feature many of the tools required for the training course.

There is a variety of different styles on the market, but each panel features wheels at the bottom, meaning they can be rolled out in a matter of minutes when required and then packed away very easily. This is incredibly effective in open spaces such as gymnasiums or open offices, where you can quickly transform open areas into dedicated training spaces. To finish it off, they also feature stabilising feet, so the divider is safe and secure once you are set up.

Adaptable:

While investigating portable room dividers, be sure to keep an eye out for manufacturers who can tailor your design to make them a perfect fit with your environment as well as the training course. This means a variety of different shapes and sizes to ensure the Portable Room Dividers are effective as possible once in place, but it also means you can pick out the materials which work for the approach you are taking. Here at Rap Industries, we offer the choice of a Velcro friendly loop nylon fabric, as well as a high gloss laminate which operates as a whiteboard or even applying high quality graphic design to really make the Portable Room Dividers stand out.

Customisable:

The ability to include bespoke graphic design opens up a wealth of creative opportunities to make truly immersive training experiences. For example, they can be designed to replicate certain environments and situations, such as for the emergency services where it can be costly as well as time-consuming to use a real version. By creating such an environment, you are able to provide a stimulating environment for trainees which in fact helps with their learning and development.

Overall Portable Room Dividers can provide you with far greater freedom than dedicated spaces. The ability to completely customise them opens up the opportunity to be creative and enhance the training course itself by making it more interactive for trainees. If you would like further information on the options available with Portable Room Dividers, then you can give us a call on 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com and our advisors would be happy to help.

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Categories
2016 Blogs

Our Top Tips for Creating Dynamic Training Spaces

Training courses are often regarded as being bland and a throwback to the trainee’s school days. Nowadays, courses are increasingly being developed to be more engaging and realistic to keep them interested in order to help learning and development. This means the end of rigid classrooms and a growth in the number of dynamic environments which encourage trainees to participate and learn while completing more practical activities. This is fantastic in theory, however being able to budget for dedicated training areas is not viable for small businesses or many industries.

Instead, there is the option of creating dynamic training spaces, ones which can be employed whilst training is taking place and then stored and preserved until they are required again. The added benefit of this is that you are able to create unique learning environments that replicate the situations which are being taught. Furthermore, they also utilise open areas, meaning dedicated training space is not required and a significant portion of the organisation’s budget can be retained.

Portable:

Permanent training areas can be very expensive, especially when it comes down to including furniture and equipment inside. However, in order to make an effective space that makes the most from your budget, opting for a portable solution can provide the best of both worlds. Firstly, the cost is drastically reduced and while trainees may not have an identical experience, the environment is still effective for stimulating and encouraging learning. A clever way of achieving this is by using portable room dividers which can be completely customised in order to adapt to the content which is being taught.

This means that display boards, white boards or even bespoke graphic design can be integrated into the environment without the need for permanent surroundings. This allows you to make the most of the space you have available, as the training space can be rolled out as and when you need it and then neatly packed away once the course is complete.

Adaptable:

Dynamic training spaces should incorporate all the benefits of training rooms and more. The very definition of the word means they are constantly changing. In particular, if you are planning to host a variety of different training courses, then making sure your space is adaptable will extend its usefulness. As outlined above, incorporating different elements such as display boards and white boards opens up the scope for different activities and exercises in order to engage with.

Immersive Experience:

Training courses can take on many different forms, but the best ones are those which involve the trainee in the surroundings and create a stimulating experience in which they are interested to learn. Depending on the industry and the course, there are many different approaches to this, but it is important to tailor your space to compliment the course itself. Through working with clients, we have found some fantastic ways that they have effectively used portable room dividers to create immersive environments, designed to transport the trainee into the surroundings without having to use a “live” set.

By creating dynamic training spaces which combine these factors, it is possible to develop an environment which is not only great at allowing you to gain the most from your budget, but to also create an experience which is tailored to helping trainees to learn. If you are interested in creating a space such as this and would like further advice on the options available, then please feel free to get in touch by calling 01733 394941 or send an e-mail to sales@rapind.com and a member of our team would be more than happy to help.

Flexi Room Fire Safety

Categories
2016 Blogs

Why Portable Room Dividers Are the Ideal Companion for Schools and Nurseries…

For schools and nurseries, when the budget tightens, creating space is often one of the first things to be sacrificed. Certainly, priority should go towards more textbooks and teaching materials, but that does not mean that there is not enough room in the budget to make student workspaces more efficient and ultimately helping your students to learn. In the past, bloated student numbers and hectic timetables made finding suitable teaching spaces a challenge. Instead, large spaces that you might not have considered to be viable such as the school gymnasium, can in fact be adapted using Portable Room Dividers to create temporary, effective work spaces.

What makes Portable Room Dividers so effective is that they can adapt to the environment you are using them in. For example, if you quickly need to transform your cafeteria into a classroom in a matter of minutes, then the dividers can be quickly rolled out to create the space in seconds. Regardless of the size of the space, big rooms such as gymnasiums and lobbies can be quickly transformed to create multiple portable classrooms, all while providing a quality environment for students to learn. The flexible hinge which connects each panel together, allows Portable Room Dividers to fold out and fold away in the style of an accordion so the stress is taken away if you need to create a temporary classroom in a rush.

While quickly setting up temporary classrooms is handy, Portable Room Dividers have a lot more potential to justify why they are such a cost effective solution for schools and nurseries. Traditionally, each panel is covered with loop nylon fabric which is simply pinnable. However, here at Rap Industries, we believe in helping our customers to get the most for their money, which is why our Portable Room Dividers have a breadth of customisation options available to help them truly integrate with the environment. As a start, we can create partitions which include acoustic foam, ideal for soaking up ambient noise from surrounding areas, allowing each space to be divided into more than one room.

Furthermore, another option is an easy clean laminate finish, which allows the Portable Room Dividers to be used as a whiteboard, creating flexible classrooms for teachers. As an alternative possibility, we also produce high quality printed panels which feature a unique design. In the past, some of our clients have utilised this to create partitions featuring learning material such as multiplication tables which are incorporated in a stimulating design to create an interesting backdrop to help children to learn.

Ultimately, Portable Room Dividers are a cheaper, more versatile option to permanent walls. While they are ideal for creating multipurpose spaces, the customisation options available with them allow teachers to adapt and develop their approach to create stimulating learning environments for their students. Rather than the simple white gloss walls which envelope many modern day classrooms, Portable Room Dividers deliver a stylish and appealing surrounding which can help students to focus and develop.

If you would like further advice on what Portable Room Dividers can help you to achieve or you would simply like to know more about the customisation options available, then please feel free to get in touch with our team of advisors at sales@rapind.com or by phone at 01733 394941.

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