Germany. The impact of the eastern philosophy Feng Shui in helping primary school teachers to bring more concentration into the classroom is to be tested in 10 schools in Lower Saxony.
The novel idea was first introduced by teacher Anke Schenk at the Riethen primary school in Laatzen, near Hannover.
Schenk, 47, hired a Feng Shui expert to rearrange her classroom according to the principles of yin and yang to stem restlessness among her six-year-old pupils.
The tables were arranged in a circle instead of straight rows, a plush rug was laid down in the middle and red curtains were hung up around the windows, which were previously bare.
“Even after two weeks I noticed the effect the small changes had had on the pupils. They were much more motivated, concentrated better, and the group was much calmer,” said Mrs Schenk.
Georg Wessling, spokesman for the Lower Saxony education ministry, said Feng Shui rooms will now be set up in at least 10 more schools to “find out if the theory of spatial orientation and colour therapy really helps improve children’s abilities as some experts suggest”.
