Will having a more interactive school desk help you learn better? Apparently these sci-fi types desks actually do students to do better at school work. Researchers at the School of Education, Durham University, have been conducting studies on how a more interactive and futuristic classroom can help students learn mathematics faster and better.

The scientists have been working on 400 students in the age group of 8 to 10 years for over three years to compile their research data on the specially designed desks. Professor Liz Burd who headed the research team said that their aim was to encourage far higher levels of active student engagement, where knowledge was obtained by sharing, problem-solving and creating, rather than by passive listening.

The SynergyNet project designed software and desks that recognize multiple touches on the desktop using vision systems that see infrared light. The new desks with a ‘multi-touch’ surface are the central component, and these are networked and linked to a main smartboard. This allowed all the students to participate instead of one or two taking the lead.

This classroom enabled both active engagement and equal access. Professor Burd said that the tables encouraged students to collaborate more effectively. They observed groups of students enhancing others’ understanding of mathematical concepts. Such collaboration just did not happen when students used paper-based approaches.