From teaching places to learning spaces

Albemarle County in the American state of Virginia has seen trans-formative changes in how their schools have been designed over the past few years under the stewardship of Superintendent Pam Moran and guidance of Ira Socol. Here they outline what prompted them to relook at how their school buildings were designed, and some of the initiatives they have undertaken.

Do changes in learning spaces drive changes in pedagogy or do changes in pedagogy drive changes in learning space design? That is one question often asked by visitors to the Albemarle County Public Schools. And the answer is complex. The ecology of an educational ecosystem is full of inputs and interactions, and adaptation is a reaction to a whole experience.

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      string(5493) "‘landmarks’ will help children find their wayaround the school.Stimulating the mindStimulation – in the form of visual complexity and colour – accounts for the final 25 percent of an effective physical learning space.It has been suggested that diversity and novelty in the design and decorationof a learning space introduce visual complexity, which, in turn, increases stimulation.But how much is too much? Unfortunately, there is no current consensus amongresearchers whether complex visual stimulation in classrooms distracts or engages.The HEAD Project research, however, suggests that complexity is curvilinear,where both too high and too low levels of visual complexity have a negative impacton learning, and intermediate levels of complexity – in other words, a balance – makefor optimum learning conditions. Thus, classroom displays should be lively, but well-organised and thoughtfully designed in order to capture pupils’ attention withoutnegatively impacting learning. The researchers suggest leaving between 20 and 50 percent of the wall clear, and advise that teachers avoid placing any display materials onwindows. Teachers whose classrooms are already complex in shape or design shouldthink carefully about where and how much to embellish.Colour is the second factor highlighted under stimulation, and can be used toincrease attention span and lower levels of eye fatigue. Like visual complexity above,evidence shows that colour is most effectively used when pitched at mid-level; too58Vol 6.5School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comSchool ImprovementSchooldesignReferences1. Barrett, P., Zhang, Y., Davies, F. and Barrett, L. (2015) Clever Classrooms: Summary report of the HEAD Project (HolisticEvidence and Design). University of Salford. Available at: www.salford.ac.uk/cleverclassrooms/1503-Salford-Uni-Report-DIGITAL.pdf [Accessed 19/05/2015].2. McMillan, D. (1997). Classroom spaces and learning places: How to arrange your room for maximum learning. Carthage,IL: Teaching & Learning Company, Lorenz Corporation.3. DeVries R. and Zan, B. (1994). Moral classrooms, moral children: Creating a constructivist atmosphere in early education(Early Childhood Education). New York, NY: Teachers’ College Press.4. Anon. (2013). Coloring the classroom. School Planning & Management. [online] Available at: webspm.com/Articles/2013/12/01/Coloring-the-Classroom.aspx?Page=1 [Accessed 19/05/2015].5. Dinsmore, K. (n.d.) The best paint color for classroom walls. eHow [online] Available at: www.ehow.com/way_6167416_paint-color-classroom-walls.html [Accessed 19/05/2015].Knowledge trails1. Design for everyone – The shift towards personalised learning will need a shift towards personal-ised school design. Michál Cohen explains how her firm of architects has risen to the challenge.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/design-for-everyone2. Building for wellbeing – John Waldron explores the ways some primary schools have, despiterestricted budgets, managed to build classrooms and facilities that positively affect studentwellbeing.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/building-for-wellbeingmuch or too bright a colour can cause over-stimulation, while too little causes just theopposite, creating feelings of restlessness and making it difficult to concentrate.The ideal design for a classroom is light colour walls with a bright feature wall,which stimulates but doesn’t overload children while they learn. On this backdrop,teachers can then add further elements of colour through classroom furniture andfittings, such as blinds, chairs or desks.In terms of colour selection, splashes of red and orange draw pupils’ attention, whilehints of yellow can provoke liveliness, energy and excitement. Greens and blues aremore calming and comforting, and work well in large blocks as feature walls or carpets.As regards preference, younger children thrive in a colourful environment. Primarycolours are the go-to here, but choose warm rather than bright hues to avoid visualoverload. Different colours can also be very useful in signifying different learning zoneswithin the classroom. Older children and teenagers prefer cooler colours, such as green,blue and purple.4 As a general rule, avoid brown, too much red, and the stark contrast ofblack and white.5Actively aiding learning through designThe suggestions made in this report are not particularly radical; in fact, some mayseem to be simple common sense! But the challenge before now has been finding andproviding the evidence to support instinctive ideas about how physical environmentsand built spaces can affect children’s learning experience.Now we have the evidence, forward-thinking teachers and designers will use itwherever feasible when constructing and organising learning spaces, so pupils canenjoy the best possible learning experience and strive to reach their full potential. A16 per cent increase in progress is significant, yet the measures behind it are simpleand cost-effective to put into practice. The design of a classroom should be seen as anactive part of facilitating successful learning – thanks to HEAD, now it can.The full research report, Clever Classrooms: Summary report of the HEAD Project (HolisticEvidence and Design), can be downloaded at www.salford.ac.uk/cleverclassrooms.Hannah"
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Leadership

A blueprint for a better classroom

17 Jun 2015

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      string(6060) "These two-year student groupings also enable the school to provide support and extension to children all within in a family-group setting.Whānau Ata was the first Māori language unit established in Central Auckland. Learners in Whānau Ata are delivered their curriculum through the context of Māori culture, history and the Māori language, Te Reo Māori. Their building is distinctive and stands separate from the other buildings, but its location is significant within the heart and central area of the campus, reflecting the unique but important status of its students within the school. The buildings are double height, which is to reflect a city landscape. They have open upper floor decks to ensure the connections between indoor and outdoor learning are always a part of the students’ learning experience. The most recent building, which currently houses Whānau Puna (Y3-4) and Whānau Wai (Y5-6) learning zones, has two floors, which have two areas that are mirrored in layout.  Each side includes a large and medium group learning area, two quiet rooms, an outdoor learning space, a ‘maker space’ that includes a ‘wet’ and ‘cook’ area, a cave or treehouse and a staircase that connects the two floors. Although the school has long had a belief in a learner-centred, project and inquiry-based curriculum, organising learning through collaborative inquiry for groups of 90 learners needs more sophisticated attention to planning. These large spaces struggle in all sorts of ways if the only way of creating different learning zones is achieved just through furniture and equipment. At the edges of the main large learning spaces that facilitate the more fixed learning experiences that are required for this approach, the smaller areas or quiet rooms offer harbour spaces for the students. The quiet spaces, ‘maker space’ areas, wet and creative spaces, food technology or family domestic spaces have a variety of uses. The larger spaces allow for reconfigurable learning areas that should, and must, be adapted through the school day for adaptable and flexible activity.The approach in these learning zones provides a variety of spaces for learners to have appropriate choices of where and when to learn. Teaching teams support and facilitate the organisation and pattern of learning. A range of teacher-led and learner-led inquiries is in evidence as one moves through these new spaces. In addition, throughout the area, ICT is fully integrated as part of the learning and teaching strategy. There are many ways and places that students can connect and engage with technology, ensuring that the learning is personal and can take place in the spaces that students choose.In addition to the practicalities associated with curriculum-based learning, the design of these learning zones encourages the learners to move around the building in different ways. It allows them to climb, crawl and connect across areas. The thinking behind the strong vision of the links between pedagogy and space is the relationship between play, physical movement and learning. The school believes that the opportunities for physical exercise and the way that the learners will be able to use the spaces will encourage increased motivation, engagement, creativity and collaboration around their learning. Every space is a learning space and the central internal stairs that connect the learning zones creates spaces for learners to choose where to learn. Learners can have fun while learning by choosing to use the slide from the first to the ground floor as an alternative to the stairs!Times are changingIn addition to the positive feedback Principal Jenkins and Freemans Bay School received from their Board, the parents, students and community at large, the radical redesign of the school reflects a profound change that is occurring at the national level. The New Zealand Government has been at the forefront of this approach to learning and teaching over recent years through its policy strategy on Innovative Learning Environments.“We ultimately wanted to achieve a school that encourages the learner’s exploration, enquiry and creativity as much as we could through an architecture that inspires learning.”  Richard Naish, Executive Director, RTA StudioBeginning in 2010, the government began talking about bringing in ‘the learning revolution’. As part of this strategy, it has focused on the important role that flexible learning spaces need to play within mainstream education and has examined how the design of spaces can influence student achievement. It has produced a number of reports and fact sheets that can be found on the Ministry’s web site:  www.education.gov.nz/flexible-learning-spaces.This strategy moves away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach and now looks to support schools to create learning spaces that are ready for today and can evolve for learning in years to come. They are, in fact, designing for the future, not rebuilding the past, recognising that education needs to keep pace with the world for which we are preparing young people. Their research on “How the design of spaces can help student achievement”, makes a major contribution to learning-led design in New Zealand and at an International Level.The five-year olds who start school this year will be graduating around 2035. 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Innovative School Design

Engage Empower Enrich

3 Oct 2018

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      string(370) "... stage of your project fromconcept, design through to delivery via project casestudies from top 20 globally ranked universities■ Gain a 360 perspective from Heads of Learning &Teaching, IT, AV, Estates, Planning and Space on howto collaborate effectively on your next big projectFor more information download the agenda here.http://library ..."
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      string(5686) "Warwick is leadingthe way by amalgamating virtual and physicalspaces, enabling you to select and integrate themost effective technology for your spaces■ Obtain a step-by-step approach to use your datato future-proof availability of space and build thebusiness case for future investment from King’sCollege London■ Learn how to avoid time delays and cost blow outsby optimising every stage of your project fromconcept, design through to delivery via project casestudies from top 20 globally ranked universities■ Gain a 360 perspective from Heads of Learning &Teaching, IT, AV, Estates, Planning and Space on howto collaborate effectively on your next big projectFor more information download the agenda here.http://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/can-ict-be-sustainablehttp://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/cutting-edge-technology-transforms-educationhttp://library.teachingtimes.com/articles/technical_transformationhttp://www.learningspacesuk.com/agenda-mchttp://www.learningspacesuk.com/agenda-mcTeacher InformationAt Shell we’re committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. That’s whywe’ve launched The Bright Ideas Challenge. It’s a new cross-curricular schools competition, invitingsecondary students aged 11-14 to imagine creative solutions to energy challenges faced by futurecities. The Challenge is student-led, but we’ve developed a toolkit to support you through eachactivity, step-by-step. You can download the toolkit and find out about the national, regional andstudent prizes online. Full terms and conditions apply.What willcities look likein 2050 – how will theybe powered to be vibrant, healthyand clean places for people to live?We’re looking for students’ bright ideas to solve theenergy challenges of tomorrow. To find out more,including how your school could win up to £5,000visit shell.co.uk/brightideaschallangeR07118-Bright Ideas Challenge_Ad_CTAL_A4_AWv4.indd 1 19/01/2016 09:46https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/clk/300763216;127742883;f16 Learning Spaces Volume Special IssueShowcasewww.teachingtimes.comSustainability &Efficiency: More thanBuzzwords in the Futureof HigherIs public research in the UK constrained by low funding and inefficientpractices? Timothy Haidar speaks with a sustainability professionalabout the role of higher education in a time when science budgets areneglected.Universities are investing heavily to build or refurbish research facilities withincreasing competition between institutions to attract more students,generate increased funding and climb the global rankings.This becomes more complex when you have to manage operationalchallenges and implement sustainability and energy efficiency features that complywith BREEAM requirements.17 Volume Special Issue Learning SpacesShowcasewww.teachingtimes.comTH Martin, thank you very much for joining us today. Could you tell us a little bitabout what you do at Kings?MF My role at Kings College London is quite broad really, and is dubbed ResearchEfficiency. It revolves around looking at how science is managed at the universityand facilitating relationships between facilities managers, research staff andsenior administrators. It certainly keeps one busy.MF Martin Farley, Research Efficiency Officer, King’s College LondonTH Timothy Haidar, Editor-in-Chief, Higher Ed IQ18 Learning Spaces Volume Special IssueShowcasewww.teachingtimes.comTH Okay. Now, why do you think that efficient research strategies are imperative forKCL at the moment and, by extension, all tertiary education institutions?MF In the UK, publicly funded science has been held flat since 2011 at £4.6 bn. Withinflation, that’s essentially akin to decreasing the research budget. There arefurther plans to slash the research budget on the table, so nobody’s quite surehow much money is going to be available.While funding is slow, we have astronomical rates of PhDs graduating. There wasa paper in the US that said a PhD in the sciences has a 17% chance of findinga job in the first two years related to what their PhD was. So we’ve flooded themarket with qualified people able to research, and we’ve got plenty of things tokeep researching. You know, we haven’t cured cancer. We haven’t sort of solvedthe biggest ailments.And so we’ve kind of come to this situation where you’ve got lots of researchers,plenty to research, and not enough money or resources to research it. It reallycomes down to assessing how we research, that’s the next step to be able tofunction in the current environment.TH So, what do higher learning institutions need to do to approach efficiency?MF Well, I think a big thing would be to concentrate on core facilities, to look atresearch strategies, and to try to predict not necessarily what exactly we’re going19 Volume Special Issue Learning SpacesShowcasewww.teachingtimes.comto be researching in ten years, but what the facilities might look like that cansupport that research.That doesn’t mean creating and designing everything so that it’s flexible forevery situation. It means about thinking practically.The obvious example of this we see today is a big push away from people at thebench and the need for more write-up time. The 1960s benchmark might havebeen around almost two metres per researcher, but today it keeps shrinking.When I was at the University of Edinburgh a senior administrator had us leavethe meeting and took us past the labs in an unplanned walk-by, and every labnever had more than one or two people in it. However, write-up stations were alljust packed with people at their"
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Learning Spaces

Learning Spaces HE/FE issue

16 Mar 2016

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      string(5744) "assemblyhalls, that combine to provide “familydining” or full school assembly, thelibrary and the specialist classroomare all at ground level, to supportstrong community use as well asproviding direct access to the outsidespaces, alongside the Nursery andReception classes.The brief for over 420 pupilsmeant the external space was at apremium. BAM Design worked with 33 Volume 1:4  Learning SpacesShowcase – Primarywww.teachingtimes.comThe Landscape Partnership to ensure every part of the site was utilised for external playand learning. An area of raised composite timber decking is located at the base of themost prominent tree on the site to allow for a range of outdoor activities, especiallyuseful in spring and autumn when the ground is still damp. A “story lawn” forms theheart of this space.  As the site is relatively small and will be intensively used, naturalturf would quickly be destroyed, therefore this area is surfaced with artificial turf.  Theedges have been enclosed with low timber seat walls and softened by planting aroundthe perimeter.  Located directly adjacent the school hall is an area with round tablesand benches, each  capable  of  seating  a  group  of  children,  for  outdoor dining,organised outdoor curriculum activities, or social interaction.  Within this area, on thesunnier northern boundary, is a series of raised planters for food or herb growing,sunflower competitions and general horticultural activities.The school has been planned around a simple, legible circulation layout which is easyto navigate and supervise.  To the north of the entrance a one and a half  storey  elementcomprises  the  two co‐located “Commons” assembly spaces with frontage on to bothActon Lane and the playground to the rear. To the south of the main entrance, a 3 storeyblock is arranged along a central circulation spine parallel with the road frontage. Thisblock arranges the teaching and learning spaces in age‐ related groups with the youngest 34 Learning Spaces  Volume 1:4Showcase – Primarywww.teachingtimes.comat ground level and oldest children on the 2ndfloor. Dispersed staff accommodation promotespassive supervision in key areas – at staircase arrivalpositions and outside the toilet areas.The eastern 3 storey block facing the rear of thesite has been subtly cranked off the  orthogonalgrid – which increases the circulation width at acritical location in the building on the groundfloor where most pupils will converge.  On theupper floors the crank facilitates a lightwell whichpromotes cross ventilation through the rear ofthe classrooms while introducing natural lightdeep into the centre of the building which wasa key element of the design to provide externalviews from all parts of the building includingcirculation and staircases.On the ground floor the Nursery is co‐locatedwith two Reception classes and a shared GroupRoom to create a Foundation Unit with eachclassroom having direct access to outside openspace.  The Nursery is located on the edge ofthe site to enable children to be dropped offand picked up during the school day withoutcompromising  security of  the  overall schoolsite. Delivering an age-appropriate building wasimportant to the team with canopies to groundfloor nursery and teaching spaces bringing thebuilding down to a comfortable scale.  Cornerwindows allow the youngest children to havea view out while, in contrast, all windows at 35 Volume 1:4  Learning SpacesShowcase – Primarywww.teachingtimes.comground level which face onto the public realm onActon Lane have obscure glazing up to a heightof 1500mm above internal finished floor level toprovide visual privacy.Both the London Plan and the client demandeda building with low energy performance. Theschool achieves BREEAM “Very Good”, delivering anaturally ventilated building, via opening windowsin classrooms and “wind-catchers” in the assemblyspaces. Renewables have been incorporated in theform of PV panels on the roof.BAM incorporated “Lessons learnt” from manyprevious school projects to ensure the building metARK’s requirements for optimum environmentsfor teaching and learning. Opening windowswith cross ventilation will ensure appropriate air 36 Learning Spaces  Volume 1:4Showcase – Primarywww.teachingtimes.comquality is maintained. Exposed concrete soffits provide thermal mass,while tall windows promote good levels of daylight into classrooms.The position of the teaching walls, design of artificial lighting, anddetailing of blinds were considered in parallel to ensure goodvisibility. Light rafts provide both up and down lighting to reduce eyestrain, and incorporate acoustic absorption to ensure reverberationtimes are controlled to aid speech intelligibility. This simple andthoughtful approach has resulted in an uncluttered and flexiblelearning environment, suitable for all ages.The design contributes to the community benefit of the schemeby creating an extended public realm at front of the new school.The removal of an existing wall and railings allowed new hardlandscaping to continue to the kerb edge while a number of retainedmature plane trees together with the  introduction of a new plantingstrip along the edge of the building which provide  a soft buffer tothis new public space.The design makes the most of ARK’s brief on a very challengingsite. We looked very closely at retaining the existing building but inthe end the most sustainable option was to provide an entirely newbuilding which better meets the learning needs of current and futuregenerations of children and families in"
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Learning Spaces

Meeting the school places challenge

30 Oct 2013

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      string(387) "... He has been working in the current position since 2014.Strengths: Knowledge and know-how of teaching and learning combined with expertise on ICTand modern learning spaces. Slogan: “To seek out new things and innovations, to boldly gowhere no one has gone before!”Future Proofing Learning Spaces: Planning andDesigning for ..."
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      string(5827) "War Museum. He has also recently completed the visitor and interpretive centresat Jodrell Bank, the Centre of Astrophysics at Manchester University. Julian’s skills and expertisehave been developed through all stages of design in the delivery of award winning architectureand masterplanning projects that strive to achieve exemplary environments, exceed clientexpectations and produce dynamic, exciting and responsive architecture.Adam Scott, Founder and Creative Director,FreeStateFreeState work with some of the most exciting and demanding clients inthe world; creating and curating highly successful ‘experience places’ forcorporate clients as diverse as Sony, Samsung, MTV and Virgin Atlantic, forproperty developers around the world including CBUS Property and Brookfieldin Australia and Exemplar and Berkeley Homes in the UK, and for legendary destinationsincluding Manchester City Football Club and the City of Blackpool.Adam is a visiting lecturer on the MA Narrative Environments course at Central St Martins,a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Cannes Design Lions festival judge and adviser onExperience Design, the recipient of many an award, including most recently a Gold CannesLions for his work in Blackpool.Leadership Strategies in Modern Learning SpacesModern day learning environments promote and support a rangeof pedagogies that include delivery, creation, communication anddecision-making. They are often centred on a student ‘home base’where a lot of the teaching and learning occurs, and these basesprovide access to a variety of other learning spaces.Modern learning environments support strengths-based teachingand can offer students and teachers flexibility, openness andaccess to resources. Providing teachers with an open, flexiblelearning environment where inquiries are shared, interventionsdevised collaboratively and reflections based on both self and peerobservations, can lead to the development of a robust, continuouslyimproving community of practice. This workshop will focus on theleadership requirements to implement and sustain these practices toensure a successful transition.By participating in this workshop you will learn how to:• Design and implement effective leadership and staff developmentprogrammes• Initiate and promote personalised and student initiated learning• Establish socially constructed learning• Create an environment of openness and flexibility to promotecollaborative communities• Develop a change management strategy and establish a vision forteaching and learning• Utilise and implement systems and processes that will drive resultsAbout your facilitator:Mika Suutari, Head of Learning EnvironmentServices, Turku University of AppliedSciencesMika Suutari works as the Head of Learning Environment Services at TurkuUniversity of Applied Sciences. The unit maintains and develops the ITsystems, learning environment platforms and physical learning spaces of TUAS. The unitalso coordinates TUAS’ security development and campus security. Physical and virtualenvironments are considered as one in the development work. During recent years the focushas been in developing inspiring and innovative learning spaces – both physical and virtual –and enabling the BYOD model for students (Bring Your Own Device). Mika has many years ofpedagogical experience as a teacher and as the manager of an educational unit. He workedat TUAS as a teacher from 1999 to 2008 and as a degree programme manager of Businessand Business IT from 2009 to 2014. He has been working in the current position since 2014.Strengths: Knowledge and know-how of teaching and learning combined with expertise on ICTand modern learning spaces. Slogan: “To seek out new things and innovations, to boldly gowhere no one has gone before!”Future Proofing Learning Spaces: Planning andDesigning for Flexibility and AdaptabilityWhilst there isn’t a crystal ball presenting us with how the future willunfold, it is possible to predict how demand and circumstances maychange. Whether you are designing a brand new building, expansion,re-imaging a space or completing a refurbishment, providing anadaptable space is critical.Buildings of the future should be low-energy, sustainable, technology-enabled and able to respond to future changes. Failure to do socould result in cost implications, redundant space and limited growthopportunities to expand the campus.This workshop will enable you to plan your learning space designto incorporate flexibility and adaptability whilst minimising cost anddisruption to the institute.By participating in this workshop you will learn how to:• Collaborate, connect and engage between disciplines to develop andmaintain the shared vision• Analyse existing space and make strategic decisions to improveexisting facilities• Design new buildings that are flexible and can adapt to futuredemands• Maximise space utilisation and locate appropriate space for newbuildings, re-design of existing space and extension possibilities• Plan physical spaces that can accommodate current and emergingtechnology• Continuously assess and re-evaluate your estate and plan for re-development accordinglyAbout your facilitator:Matt Tarling, Director, Stride TreglownMatt leads the dedicated education team where he has extensive experience ofschool and university projects. During the last nine years Matt has worked veryclosely with a number of different HE institutions on a wide variety of buildingsnationally and internationally.9:30 Registration and Morning Coffee10:00 WORKSHOP A 12:30 WORKSHOP B 15:00"
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Learning Spaces

The Seven Point Checklist For Successful Learning Spaces

13 Mar 2017

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