The Design Process Doesn’t Work

Catherine Saldutti, President & Founder of LA-based content provider EduChange explains why she believes we need to re-examine the whole process of building new spaces if we want to truly re-imagine learning.

I’ve taught in classrooms and labs without windows, with immovable yet broken demo benches, and without environmental controls of any kind. I’ve planned lessons in make-shift “desks” supported by milk crates in three different US cities. Since my teaching days, I have worked inside over 1000 classrooms in schools internationally, most of which sorely needed either a complete overhaul or significant improvements to make the space truly functional. Teaching and learning are two of the most difficult yet important jobs on the planet, and people engaged in both deserve comfortable, safe, clean, beautiful places to do their work. I commend the current trend of facilities upgrades, renewals, and new builds on school campuses.

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      string(352) "... to be involved.It’s a win-win solution. Designers get the pricelessinformation from the people who are ‘in the know’about what works and doesn’t work; pupils feelinspired and empowered while learning; schoolmorale is boosted as everyone works towards acommon goal; teachers’ jobs become easier and thelocal community ..."
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      string(5802) "� 21st Century Schools  Volume 2:3Student Participationwww.teachingtimes.co.ukOurNewSchool is an innovative, award-winning design project that has made WalkerTechnology College better prepared to briefits Building Schools for the Future architects. Ratherthan thinking of the Government’s BSF initiativesimply as an opportunity to improve its buildings andstructures, the design programme has encouragedthe head and staff of Walker to consider the school asa complex social organism with a vision for learningthat the architecture must support.OurNewSchool– a design-led approach tocreating future schoolsStarting pointsWalker Technology College in Newcastle is one ofthe many schools across the country undergoingmassive structural and cultural changes as part ofthe government’s Building Schools for the Futureprogramme. Under head teacher Steve Gater’sguidance, the team at Walker has recognised thatthe BSF challenge is an opportunity to look athow to create the best learning environment forthe students. Redesigning old systems and oldDesigner Joe Heapy of Engine running a co-design workshop with Walker’s student council� Volume 2:3  21st Century Schoolsbuildings as well as managing theexpectations of many, presents ahuge challenge.While Steve Gater was facing upto the considerable challenges ofthe BSF programme, the DesignCouncil was exploring ways topromote design as a catalystfor change in education. As thenational strategic body for design,the organisation has had a closeinterest in the state of the nation’slearning environments. Since 2001it has been exploring ways todemonstrate the impact effectivedesign can have in this contextand its programme of communitybased design projects – underthe banner Dott (Design of thetime) 07 – was an opportunity toexplore the possibilities further.Delivered in partnership withRegional Development AgencyOne NorthEast, and supportedby highly innovative designcompanies, Dott 07 was offeredto the communities of the NorthEast as an opportunity to experience first handwhat a sustainable region – and sustainable services– might be like.The Walker team signed up to Dott 07 and theOurNewSchool project was born, with service designcompany Engine coming on board to help create abrief in advance of the eventual BSF work.Building in successWalker is a high performing specialist Technology andVisual arts college with 1,200 pupils, and it faces specificbuilding design challenges. The main building datesback to 1932, and scores poorly in terms of suitabilityfor purpose, adequacy and efficiency. A mixture ofrefurbishment and new build is likely and the staff arelooking for it to help boost achievement.Steve Gater talks in visionary terms about‘welcoming students who challenge us as teachers,adults and governors’, the urgent need to ‘asksearching questions of the education system’ andof the necessity ‘to listen to what our clients – thestudents, parents and community think and feelabout the system’.Explaining the school’s broadobjectives for the work withEngine, he says, ‘We want a legacyof tools and culture which will helpus evolve our thinking and actionover the next ten to twenty years,which is the timeframe of BSF. Wewant to feel that we are in chargeof the design of learning andschooling rather than the victimsof what is happening now.’What Gater and his deputy MikeCollier don’t want is to end up witha ‘new old school’ – a new schoolbuilding in which old learningpractices carry on as before.They see the Dott 07 project asan opportunity to prototype anapproach to help them look atthe systems they have in placerather than focusing only on thebuilding.Design perspectivesEngine’s work at Walker Collegeis about ‘ownership’. If you wanta new environment that operatesat its optimum, then the users need to be involved.It’s a win-win solution. Designers get the pricelessinformation from the people who are ‘in the know’about what works and doesn’t work; pupils feelinspired and empowered while learning; schoolmorale is boosted as everyone works towards acommon goal; teachers’ jobs become easier and thelocal community feels included as their needs are alsotaken into account. In the end, when the architectsstart the building design, they know they not onlyhave the school on their side but also have workingsolutions that will be genuinely useful to the schoolcommunity.Julia Schaeper, one of the designers from Engine,explains the approach: ‘What often happens isthat designers come in and prescribe a solutionto a preconceived problem. We are trying to dosomething different. We are working directly withthe people involved. We have started by lookingat what’s actually going on within the school andunderstanding how things work or don’t work there.We are not going in and presenting a solution. Weare working with staff and pupils to understand fromDesigner Steve Lea of Engine and students analysing whatspaces work for different peopleStudent Partcipationwww.teachingtimes.co.uk� 21st Century Schools  Volume 2:3Student Participationwww.teachingtimes.co.ukthe ground up where exactly they see the problemsand how best to solve them.’The design processAs with many ‘service design’ projects, the focus wasas much on working with people through workshopsand activities as it was about traditional designing ofvisual material. Engine has taken Walker through afour-stage design process:n	Discovery This is about orientation, generating insights andidentifying needs. It involves listening and lookingin different ways at"
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Learning Spaces

Our New School

22 Sep 2009

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      string(5665) "Technology FeatureIt wasn’t that long ago thatblended learning was stillspoken of  as a mysteriousnext generation of  training.For some people outside thee-learning world this was theadmission they had been waitingfor – blended learning provedwhat some had said all along – e-learning doesn’t work!Others were more open-mindedand welcomed the maturing of  thee-learning market.  Steadily thevendors of  e-learning who come froma simplistic “we can do anything”position were moderating their costsavings argument.  For some time,these technophiles argued that e-learning would replace rather thancompliment the classroom.Reality has set in.  There’s nowrecognition – long overdue – that anapproach which combines differentinterventions and training approachesmight be the optimum solution formany training needs.  Over time, theadoption of  a blended approach hasbecome more widespread amongstorganisations. Despite this movetowards the mainstream there isstill the whiff  of  mystery.  Trainingteams who are quite happy tocombine a course with a projectactivity or a programme of  coachingback in the workplace, can seemsomewhat nonplussed by the idea ofcommissioning or managing what hasbecome known as a blended solution.What’s in the mix?There needs to be anacknowledgement that the e-learningA successful blended learning solution should include a combination ofworkshops, e-learning programmes alongside work-based implementation withsupport from other learners, facilitators and coaches. Here, Robin Hoyle talksabout blended learning whilst addressing how important it is to design andimplement the right learning package for your staff members and students.Blending for successhttp://www.teachingtimes.comTechnology Featureindustry did coin the phrase blendedlearning.  Whilst some in the learningand development field constantlytell me that all learning is a blend ofdifferent inputs and experiences – andthey are, of  course, right – I can’thelp feeling that this is essentially thesame “told you so” brigade who wererubbing their flip chart pens togetherwith glee when the idea of  combiningtechnology with face-to-face activitieswas first mooted.  Whilst it is a truismthat we all learn how to do our jobsthrough a whole series of  differentexperiences, the systematic approachto designing a blend of  learningsolutions was always relatively rarewithin organisations.  In fact, thecourse as the sole route to corporateenlightenment is still a belief  thatwould seem to be highly prevalent.Oh, I know that when engaged in adebate the course runners will re-position what they do in terms of  thecoherent approach to developmentusing on-the-job experiencescombined with formal educationalinputs, but the practical reality isthat in many corporate trainingofferings, the course stands out asthe only game in town. The idea ofa development programme – with itscoaches, mentors, action learning sets,residential courses and work-basedprojects – is essentially the preserve ofthe fast tracked and the high flyer.So what is in the mix which mayrefer to as a blended solution?  I wouldinclude a technology component – thismay mean an online programme– providing a structured route toknowledge acquisition through ageneric or custom designed series ofe-learning objects.  But I would alsowant to widen access to all those otherlearning activities.  I want sales andcustomer services staff, shop floorproduction workers, nurses, supportworkers and people from all levelswithin our organisations to benefitfrom properly structured inputs fromskilled coaches, to have a chance tobe part of  an action learning set andto benefit from supported work-basedprojects where the learning gainedfrom the task is more important thatthe output of  the task itself.Of  course, I also want peopleto have access to well run courses.Learning is a social act and there’sa lot to be said to participating ina well run face-to-face programmewhich properly uses the opportunitiespresented by bringing a team ofpeople together to develop newinsights and increased confidence withskills they need to develop.All of  these things form part of  themix – and a heady brew it can be.  Butit can also be an unsatisfactory mess– a loose collection of  inputs whichlack clarity of  purpose.  Certainly,I have been engaged in a quitetraditional blended activity where pre-event e-learning had covered off  manyof  the knowledge outcomes fromthe course and the event itself  wassupposed to submerge the delegatesin debate, planning sessions and skillsdevelopment activities.  What actuallyhappened was that the academicrunning the programme (unconvincedthat anyone would actually haveused the e-learning and who hadn’tdeigned to access the programmehimself) read his lecture supported bya series of  very worthy overhead slides(yes, acetates – no flirting with theage of  technology for him).  Needlessto say the content was pretty similarin every regard to the content of  thee-learning.  Those who had (accordingto the tracking system in use) stayedup until turned midnight to makesure they completed their pre-courseactivity were pretty miffed, I can tellyou!And here is our first pitfall.  Ifthe blend is going to work smoothly,we need to make sure that thecomponents do actually complimentone another.  The first mistake I seeorganisations make when preparing ablended solution is to be unclear aboutwhat each part of  the process will doand how coherence will be achievedbetween these different elements.The role of the componentsin the mixSo what do all the parts do? "
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Digital Learning

Blending for success

14 Oct 2010

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      string(5661) "as possibleto update items within a specificproject. For example, you may createan animation to explain a politicalprocess, but as the law changes, sodoes the process.With Adobe eLearning Suite2, making this change is extremelysimple. If  the original animation wascreated using Flash Professional andimported into Captivate as a SmartObject, the resulting animation inCaptivate is linked to the sourcefile. So all you need to do is makethe necessary changes to the sourcefile, and they will be reflectedautomatically in Captivate, withoutyou needing to open any otherapplications.Once you have considered thesort of  content you want to createand how it will be managed, youshould think about how the contentwill be distributed. A fundamentalquestion to ask when selecting anysoftware is what formats content canbe distributed in – it’s important toensure students will be able to accesscourses easily.Whatever format your studentsneed content in, Adobe eLearningSuite 2 can deliver, with supportfor standard formats such as SWF,HTML, PDF, AVI and SCORM,meaning you can easily publishcontent to the web, desktop, mobiledevice or third-party learningmanagement system. eLearning Suiteis also tightly integrated with Connect,Adobe’s web conferencing and virtualclassroom service, providing anothermeans of  distributing and engaginglearners with content. Finally, there’sthe free Adobe AIR run-time that canbe used to deliver courses as desktopapplications, enabling easy offlinelearning.You may also want to considerwhether your eLearning developmentsolution supports collaboration,which can add enormous value to thelearning experience. Allowing studentsto share ideas as they work througha project can stimulate additionaldebate and learning, as well as makingthe process more engaging andinspiring.Connect can be used for both real-time and stored learning but reallyexcels in live sessions where its supportfor quizzes enables the teacher togauge progress, and attention, as theygo and generate discussion amongstudents. Collaboration can alsoeasily be achieved with eLearningSuite 2 by integrating it with Acrobat.com, allowing students to collaborateonline. For those that have embracedsocial networking, the Suite alsoincorporates a brand new widget thatlets students and teachers interact viaTwitter, facilitating online Q&As andgroup discussion.Collaboration isn’t just limited tostudents, of  course. Want to share apublished or in-progress eLearningproject? You can quickly uploadcontent to Acrobat.com to share andreview with colleagues. Adding anAdobe Connect web conferencingsession means you can even shareideas in real-time – or add the AdobeTwitter widget for more informaldiscussions.So you’ve created content,updated it, and distributed it. Whatnow? The final piece of  the puzzleis, of  course, reporting. One of  thekey benefits of  eLearning generallyis the ability to immediately trackstudents’ performance and AdobeeLearning Suite 2 incorporatestracking and reporting functionality,through Acrobat.com or viaConnect. Teachers can easily accesskey performance metrics such asaverage scores or pass and fail rates– without needing a separate learningmanagement system.There’s simply no reason to thinkthat developing your own professional,engaging eLearning content needs tobe complex or too difficult. With theright tools, it’s possible for educators,designers and teachers to quicklycreate media-rich content without theneed for any special technical skillsor training. 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Digital Learning

E-Learning Update October Issue

14 Oct 2010

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      string(5653) "school can understand every design decision andmake informed choices.Every good refurbishment project results froma thorough and well-led consultation. Wood ViewLearning Campus in Plymouth is an excellentexample. This project involved the amalgamation offive schools into an existing campus with both newbuild and refurbishment works.  Over the course ofthe two-year design and development process, weheld interactive workshops and discussions to ensurethat we understood every individual requirement.We allocated an architect to lead the consultationwith each school to ensure personal and dedicatedrepresentation, and to allow school users to expressconcerns and introduce ideas. Time was spenttracking pupils, teachers and using the example of‘an angry parent’ in a school day to help understandthe flows and security issues.At this point, we used diagrams and sketchesto explore a variety of design ideas to meet therequirements of the educational briefs. We heldinteractive workshops that overcame resistanceby encouraging discussion. The result was a well-defined set of project briefing documents that notonly matched the Authority’s requirements, butincluded input from the ultimate client – the teachersand the pupils.FlexibilityWherever possible, flexibility should be built intoschool design. We can’t predict how teaching willwork in 20 years’ time.Inevitably, risks also have to be assessed. Whenworking on old buildings, there are obvious‘unknowns’. Risks can remain undiscovered untilafter building works start. The worst-case scenario isthat they hit the budget.So the most important thing is communication.Aside from intrusive surveys, pre and post-letting ofcontract, the school’s facilities manager should beinvolved at the earliest stage to help clarify the briefand share their knowledge. The open relationshipbetween client and project team is so importanthere – in terms of managing expectation. Being ableto prioritise and react efficiently is essential shouldunforeseen work appear.SustainabilityLast, but by no means least, is sustainability. Targetsmust be met. Wholesale systems to provide energy-efficient solutions are often not practical or affordablein remodelled or refurbished schools .A little moreimagination, creativity and consideration is vital.There are numerous measures available to reduce aschool’s existing carbon footprint – like managementsystems to ensure well-managed and non-wastefuluse of electricity, maximising daylight throughwell-considered positioning and sizing of windows,more efficient lighting systems, designing roomconfigurations to allow better ventilation, energyefficiency and, of course, using renewable energy.Any changes must be practical and affordable in thelong-term.And that brings me neatly onto the benefitsof refurbishment. There can be some surprisingenvironmental advantages to refurbishing an existingschool.The advantages of transformationAny building contains ‘embodied energy’. This meansthe amount of the earth’s resources that have beenspent in its creation. This counts the raw materials, theenergy used in their excavation and the heat, powerand transport used in its construction. It’s alwayswasteful to abandon the resources that have beeninvested. Old doesn’t mean useless.If an existing building is a heavy structure, it willusually have a high thermal mass, which slows therate at which it heats up and cools down. We can takeadvantage of this by increasing airflow and improvingnatural ventilation – perhaps by removing suspendedceilings to expose the concrete structure behind, or byconnecting windows to a new building managementsystem.Solar gain (where buildings store the sun’s heat) canbe seen as a negative trait. But we shouldn’t forget it’sa source of free energy. If we add external shading,replace glass where necessary and increase insulationlevels, the negative effects can be countered andphotovoltaic cells can be used to harness the sun’spower. Far more useful, though, are solar panels andtubes (which help with heating water).Even the simple addition of grey water systems– which harvest rain water to flush toilets – can have asignificant impact on a school’s energy efficiency.Refurbishments waste less energy on transport,landfill, and can reuse materials. What’s more, it’s easierto address conservation issues like Tree PreservationOrders when remodelling.All these green features have a further benefitthat’s very specific to education. They teach the nextgeneration how to preserve and protect. If handledproperly, a refurbishment project will already haveinvolved pupils in the design consultation process.New green features allow for continued learning forgenerations to come. This should be rememberedwhen allocating space for teaching – science facilities,for example, could be placed by natural courtyardsor woodlands. Food technology classrooms could beplant their own vegetable patch. Students can be giventhe chance to help build their school – perhaps makingraised beds from bricks and flooring removed duringrefurbishment. All that’s required is an open mind anda little imagination.It will come as little surprise to anyone who’s beeninvolved in the redevelopment of a school, or even anew build, that contractors and architects are keento demonstrate all stages of the construction processto pupils, on-site and in the classroom. The creativityand imagination required in a refurbishment andremodelling project can be extremely inspiring forchildren. The advantage of remodelling an"
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Learning Spaces

A lick of paint

22 Sep 2009