Does a classroom completely filled with tables and chairs still fit with the current way of teaching and the exercise needs of vmbo students? Jules: “Students often fidget in their chairs or tap their pens.” He researched this topic and had many conversations with children: “They say that they would like to move more during a lesson and that they find it very difficult when a teacher ‘fires’ information at them for fifty minutes straight. In practice, this still happens very often. So there is a major difference between students’ needs and everyday practice. That is why we set up a dynamic classroom at Aeres VMBO.”

How does it work?

Jules: “We removed all the tables and chairs from one classroom and created a dynamic classroom layout. More groups. Tables that can be raised and lowered. Students can sit on exercise balls, stand on balance boards, and there are wobble stools. This gives students many more opportunities to move during the lesson.” Jules is someone who likes to take action. He applied for funding through the Local Sports Agreement and found local organisations that thought it was a great idea and wanted to support it. He also asked two enthusiastic young subject teachers to help think about the design of the classroom. Jules: “I’m a physical education teacher, so I also need their expertise to create a good classroom layout. I can say that it should be done in a certain way, but I don’t teach in that classroom. That’s why it was essential to involve subject teachers. We have to discover together what does and does not work. You can only learn that by trying it.”

What have you discovered so far?

“Before you start, you need to make good agreements with the students,” Jules explains. “A dynamic classroom is of course very special for students. You see their eyes widen when they cross the threshold for the first time. They want to try everything, and then things are very unsettled for a while. That’s because it’s new.” After a few weeks, it becomes completely normal to choose whether to do your work sitting on a ball or standing. Jules: “For example, we agreed that all the stools and tables are kept low during the teacher’s instruction. When it’s time to get to work, students can choose for themselves how they want to work.”

Getting used to it

It is not only with students that agreements need to be made; the teaching team also needs support in working in an active classroom. The team at Aeres VMBO therefore received training from expert Wim van Gelder on learning through movement and the dynamic school day. Jules: “We also went into detail about teaching methods that suit such a classroom. How can you apply learning through movement? How can you create more dynamism in your classroom? We also try to involve teachers in this area and spread it across the team as a whole.”

What happens next?

The two teachers involved in the project already teach all their lessons in the active classroom, but others also use the classroom from time to time. Although not everyone is equally happy about it, Jules explains: “There are teachers who say that they don’t want to teach in that classroom. That’s fine; you’re never going to set up an entire school this way.” Jules agrees that this way of teaching also demands quite a lot from teachers: “It affects lesson preparation. A teacher may be used to opening the textbook and getting started with section 1.2. But that doesn’t work in a dynamic classroom. Your teaching model is different, and there are more opportunities for differentiation because there are more groups. You have more possibilities, but it requires different preparation and a greater investment of time. As a result, there are also teachers who resist it and are not (yet) open to it.”

Jules’ tips

  • Start small, with one classroom or by replacing six chairs with three balls and three stools. Redesigning an entire classroom all at once may already be too ambitious.
  • Build support for your plan. For example, ask two teachers to help think it through. That way, you won’t be a lone voice crying in the wilderness.
  • Look for local partners outside the school. For example, a community sports worker, JOGG coordinator, or the municipality. Work together! It can also be a way to secure funding.