For education
Learning and development, regardless of our age, require the right conditions to be provided, not only at the level of didactic programs and the way knowledge is transmitted to us, but also in terms of the quality of the internal environment in which the learning process is carried out. We spend up to 90% of our lives indoors, much of it precisely in educational institutions. Among other things, air quality, noise levels, and the color and intensity of lighting are very important in this aspect. The Espirio® system helps to precisely control these parameters and, most importantly, to signal the crossing of thresholds that are safe and, above all, optimal for maintaining focus, cognitive ability, search and use of information, among others.
Although the quality of the environment and its impact on development are important for all age groups, it is worth remembering that in the case of the youngest children and facilities at the level of nurseries and kindergartens, where we are dealing with children at a very earlier stage of development, for its proper course we should take special care to ensure an optimal atmosphere.
Learning and development in a good atmosphere
Espirio® will also be important for key people in the education and development of our little ones – caregivers, teachers, lecturers. They, of course, also need to ensure optimal environmental conditions in order to educate and develop our children in comfortable conditions and at the highest possible level.
Thanks to the use of high-class sensors from Swiss, Austrian and American brands, the Espirio® system monitors, among others:
- CO2 carbon dioxide,
- PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter,
- volatile organic compounds VOC/VOC,
- temperature and humidity,
- Noise (level and number of acoustic events/quiet disturbances),
- Lighting (light color and intensity).
It informs about exceedances of defined optimal and safe levels of individual parameters through light and sound signaling. In addition to the ability to personalize the alarm thresholds of indoor parameters, the user also has the option to connect to the nearest external station monitoring the quality of the atmosphere outside (GIOŚ, Syngeos, Far Data stations, among others). This functionality, in addition to providing information on monitored environmental parameters, will also present an external air quality index (AQI – Air Quality Index).
In the case of educational institutions, this can be particularly important and help in making decisions, for example, about organizing classes or breaks outside the buildings of educational institutions or how to lower CO2 levels in classrooms/lecture halls. In the latter case, if Espirio® informs about bad air parameters outside, then, for example, instead of opening windows in classrooms, it will be possible to reduce CO2 levels by opening doors and exchanging air with that in corridors and other rooms where students are not present during classes.
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Atmosphere of Polish schools
The topic of carbon dioxide, and its effect on mental performance, is a carrying and widely discussed issue in recent times. The problem of poor indoor air quality affects the youngest generations the most. Surveys conducted in Polish schools show how bad the current situation is.
No oxygen, no productivity
In 2018, experts from the Institute of Occupational Medicine conducted a study in more than a dozen schools in Lodz, Poland, showing that CO2 levels inside classrooms do not even come close to levels considered healthy. Recall that the acceptable limit that does not affect cognitive abilities is a level of 1,000 ppm (parts per million). However, the average value according to IMP measurements was 2500 ppm, and often exceeded even 4000 ppm!
To fully understand the catastrophic impact on the quality of learning, it’s worth recalling that according to a 2016 study, a group of researchers found that at concentrations as low as about 1,500 ppm, maintaining focus, using information and making strategic decisions is more than 50% more difficult. If 0.15% CO2 in the air causes such a drastic drop in performance, one can only imagine (or conduct another extensive study) how poor the quality of learning is at concentrations of 0.25% and higher. It is not only the children who suffer, but also the teachers, whose productivity drops just as much.
In Polish schools, unfortunately, the situation is bad
Although the research cited here has been available for free viewing for many years, it is still exotic in a Polish school. In the words of Dr. Anna Kozajda of the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lodz, the topic of indoor air quality in classrooms is completely neglected, and it is necessary to prepare appropriate legal regulations to force educational institutions to improve ventilation. School facilities are usually housed in old buildings, built with questionable materials, where providing an adequate stream of fresh air into the classroom was not a problem that was harnessed. Teachers are also not adequately trained in this regard and often fail to show understanding towards sluggish and seemingly uninterested students in the lesson. The situation does not improve at all when the student returns home. Ventilation is also inadequate in many blocks, and the ventilation shafts themselves are dirty. A child doing homework in an unventilated room will have to spend many times more time absorbing the same amount of material as when working in the “fresh” air. Instead, a more likely scenario is that the time spent learning is the same, but the quality and quantity of information remembered is much worse.
It is not only science that suffers from the problem of poor air quality, by the way. Even the use of computer games, arguably the most popular leisure activity in recent years, is much more difficult when carbon dioxide levels are high. From “shooters” that require quick reactions to quieter strategy games, you often just need to get rid of excess CO2 to repeatedly improve your chances of winning.
Espirio will help improve the atmosphere in schools and also provide additional educational value
Installing an Espirio® sensor system in classrooms, especially those without adequate mechanical ventilation, will make it easy to monitor and respond, and thus ensure optimal conditions for development and learning.
In addition, the system, due to the range of monitored environmental parameters, will also be an excellent teaching aid in raising environmental awareness among students, as well as in addressing the subject of physical and natural phenomena and their impact on the quality, comfort and health of people.
