¿Sabías que la luz es un factor que influye tanto en el aprendizaje como en el desarrollo psicológico de los escolares? El tipo correcto de luz puede mejorar el rendimiento en lectura, escritura y matemáticas, y suprimir la inquietud y la agresión.

Ahora tenemos evidencia científica completa de los efectos que la luz tiene en las personas. Por ejemplo, la luz está directamente relacionada con nuestro ritmo diurno.

Este ritmo adapta nuestros cuerpos a un ciclo de luz y oscuridad de 24 horas. La luz regula cosas como nuestros patrones de sueño, la temperatura corporal y los niveles de hormonas del estrés. En otras palabras, la luz del día es crucial para garantizar que nuestro ritmo diurno funcione como debería.

SINTEF ha completado recientemente un proyecto para compilar todos los hallazgos de investigación existentes en este campo. El resultado es un conjunto de pautas completamente nuevas sobre cómo se debe diseñar la iluminación en los edificios escolares.

"Dado que la luz afecta a los alumnos en diferentes áreas, es importante realizar más investigaciones sobre cómo se puede utilizar exactamente la luz en las escuelas noruegas", dice la investigadora de SINTEF Claudia Moscoso. "Los espacios de aprendizaje bien iluminados pueden apoyar la educación y promover un buen desarrollo físico y psicológico entre los alumnos de la escuela", dice.

Las condiciones de luz son muy importantes para los niños en la escuela que pasan mucho tiempo en el interior. Tiene un impacto en su estado de alerta, habilidades cognitivas y niveles de la hormona del estrés cortisol. Además, las condiciones en Escandinavia son tales que su exposición a la luz azul por las mañanas se reduce durante los largos meses de invierno. Esta luz es esencial para activar nuestros relojes biológicos.

Las ventanas grandes conducen a mejores resultados en los exámenes

Por ejemplo, un estudio del Reino Unido realizado en 2015 (Proyecto HEAD), que recopiló datos de 3766 niños en edad escolar en el Reino Unido, descubrió que las escuelas primarias bien diseñadas servían para mejorar el rendimiento académico de los alumnos en lectura, escritura y matemáticas. Un hallazgo de particular interés fue que el 16 por ciento de la variación en el desarrollo del aprendizaje durante un período de un año podría explicarse por el diseño físico del salón de clases.

Estos resultados demostraron claramente que la luz fue el factor que ejerció el mayor efecto (21 por ciento), mientras que la calidad del aire (16 por ciento) y la temperatura (12 por ciento) también tuvieron una gran influencia. Estos tres factores fueron, por lo tanto, responsables de casi la mitad del efecto sobre el desarrollo del aprendizaje.

Otro estudio científico encontró que las aulas con ventanas grandes estaban asociadas con entre el 15 y el 23 por ciento de la mejora en los resultados de los exámenes de los alumnos. It also showed that adequate and stable daylight conditions throughout the year boosted academic skills by between 20 and 26 percent, compared with classrooms with low levels of daylight.

Does adequate lighting promote less absenteeism?

A third study found that classrooms with adequate access to daylight and sunlight were associated with less pupil absenteeism and improved academic skills. On the other hand, classrooms with inadequate lighting design can restrict pupils' ability to learn. This is because low levels of lighting can impact on a child's visual system and thus restrict access to visual information and suppress learning ability.

In fact, the difference between classrooms with windows (providing adequate daylight conditions) and those without has been found to influence cortisol levels in children, which in turn are associated with pupils' psychological health and levels of concentration in the classroom. Another major research project , which used data taken from 2,837 schoolchildren aged from eight to 12, found that pupils working in classrooms with large windows exhibited better academic skills compared with those in classrooms with less window area.

In the case of artificial light, research studies have found that variable levels of lighting (i.e. Illumination that varies both in strength and color temperature) serve to boost academic skills in reading speed and comprehension. For example, skills in reading aloud were increased for 38 percent of pupils working under variable lighting conditions, compared with only 18 percent for those under normal white light.

It has also been found that blue-enriched white light reduces restlessness and aggressive behavior among schoolchildren compared with standard white light.

Many variables

Even though minimum lighting requirements have been stipulated for Norwegian schools, these do not in fact guarantee adequate lighting quality in any given school space. For example, the requirements linked to daylight, such as daylight factor (DF), describe an average value for overcast weather.

"If a classroom only succeeds in achieving the minimum requirement of 2 percent DF as set out in the Norwegian statutory building regulations (TEK17), or the Lyskultur recommendation of 5 percent DF, the same classroom may still encounter issues with glare or overheating under clear skies," explains Moscoso.

Moreover, the requirements for artificial light offer inadequate information about the color temperature of the light source. In fact, research has shown that the color temperature of a light source impacts on both the behavior and psychological and mental states of pupils.

So, in order to carry out a comprehensive assessment of lighting conditions in schools, we have to analyze other parameters. For example, classrooms should be monitored to identify issues linked to glare. We should be noting the colors of surfaces and assessing whether the pupils' visual environment is good enough to provide them with mental and visual "relief."

Linked to architecture

Classrooms and group rooms are among the most important learning spaces in any school.

"This makes it very important to evaluate the floor plans and physical design of such spaces," explains Moscoso. "For example, we must look at daylight openings (windows and skylights, if any) and their design, the types of glass, installation angles, as well as the accessibility of sun-screening or daylighting systems," she says.

The aim of daylighting systems is to make better use of daylight, for example by allowing it to penetrate deeper into a space, or by distributing the light more evenly. Even if these factors have already been considered during the design phase, it is also common to retrofit them in existing buildings.

"It's also beneficial to focus on the arrangement of furniture in a space, the color and reflectivity of surfaces, and the location of whiteboards and suchlike. This can provide us with important input during our analyses of light distribution, contrasts and factors that can cause glare," says Moscoso.

Improving light conditions

The researchers have now attempted to identify a suitable method that incorporates the most important factors that should be assessed in the search for a well-lit classroom. Their literature review offers an evaluation of the most important aspects of lighting in school spaces and the methods that can be used to record light conditions in our schools.

"This information can be used in the future either to evaluate and improve existing light conditions in schools, or serve as a set of recommendations during the planning of new schools designed to support learning and well-being," says Moscoso. + Explora más

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