Disruptive Designs

Changing classrooms to learning landscapes – Rosan Bosch Studio’s work can be found the world over. What is it that makes their designs so recognisable?

Few of us would disagree that the architecture of educational institutions needs disruption. Traditional school buildings have inflexible floor plans of uninspiring classrooms. The buildings provide identity and a sense of belonging to the users but do very little for the learning process. The spaces do not support contemporary pedagogical methods and the use of technology.

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      string(351) "... an insight into life in the 6th form. Pupils report social benefits ofthe mentoring.Approaches beyond the classroomGuidance from the Department for Education states that disruptive behaviour in pupils can indicate unmet needs.14It suggests that schools consider a multi-agency approach that looks beyond a young person’s educational ..."
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      string(5616) "at school.Ocklynge Junior School: Taking the leadOcklynge Junior School in East Sussex works to engage parents in supporting pupils outside school so theyare mentally healthy and able to engage with their learning in school. The school has a parent support advisorwho provides out-of-school support to pupils and their families with emotional wellbeing issues, and will visitthe family in their home, set goals to work towards and plan a programme of intervention. The parent supportadvisor also runs parenting courses on behaviour management, which cover the causes of challenging behaviourand strategies for managing and reducing it.Peer mentoringPeer mentoring has been found to be an effective and inexpensive approach to supporting the mental health ofpupils, especially those who feel vulnerable and are potentially at risk of problems.32Vol 6.5School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadingLearningMental healthHardenhuish School: Pairing pupils to raise aspirationsHardenhuish School has a peer mentoring system that involves Year 10 working with Year 12. Pupils are pairedaccording to their subject interest and tend to be of the same sex. They meet at least every half term for aface-to-face discussion which may lead to further informal meetings. The aim of the peer mentors is to raise theaspirations of Year 10 pupils and to give them an insight into life in the 6th form. Pupils report social benefits ofthe mentoring.Approaches beyond the classroomGuidance from the Department for Education states that disruptive behaviour in pupils can indicate unmet needs.14It suggests that schools consider a multi-agency approach that looks beyond a young person’s educational needsto ensure that the single assessment process and an Education, Health and Care Plan, as proposed in the SpecialEducational Needs Green Paper, is carried out.The government paper, No Health Without Mental Health, supports the involvement of partners in defining amore holistic approach to improving the mental health of individuals. It describes, for instance, how The ComptonSchool in North London is very successful at engaging organisations beyond the school to support any students whomight have emotional and mental health needs. The school has strong links with its local CAMHS and two supportprogrammes (Health and Emotional Wellbeing Service and Barnet Secondary Schools CAMHS Project) are provided inschool on alternate weeks for up to six students.The school also buys in a counselling service called Catch 22, employing a counsellor to provide support forstudents who have emotional issues they need to talk through, but which may not be at the stage of requiringCAMHS involvement. The Targeted Youth Service is also used by the school, mainly offering support to Key Stage4 students, some of whom are at risk of becoming NEET. The school works with other local schools to share goodpractice in the management of behaviour and emotional health issues.Oakington Manor Primary: Effective referral systemsOakington Manor Primary School in Wembley uses feedback boxes to allow pupils to share a problemanonymously in the ‘bullying box’ or something good that another pupil did in the ‘praise box’. These aremanaged by the PSCHE (Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education) co-ordinator, who may choose tofile some comments and will pass safeguarding concerns on to the relevant staff member to follow-up. Thisanonymous sharing allows teachers to pick up on common worries and problems before they grow into moreserious wellbeing or mental health risks. Reports from the boxes may also lead to referrals to Place2Be or CAMHS,as well as other school-based interventions such as lunchtime nurture clubs.Widden Primary: The rainbow roomWidden Primary School in Gloucester has a ‘rainbow room’ – a small, quiet and calm room where staff can takeindividual children and small groups to get ready for the school day, talk about concerns and worries or to calmdown if something has upset or angered them. All the children are supportive and keen to use it. The school hasseen benefits in terms of attendance, wellbeing and achievement. The new behaviour policy, which teaches thevalues of Friendship, Respect, Excellence and Equality (FREE), has also introduced a FREE room where children canexplore issues related to behaviour with the learning mentor or welfare officer.Ocklynge Junior School: Sessions in the OasisOcklynge Junior school runs an ‘Oasis’ facility for children who have additional emotional needs. The Oasis staffrun a range of sessions for individuals or groups dealing with a wide range of issues including friendships, conflictresolution, social skills, anger management and family break-up. The team also designs specific sessions forindividual needs as and when they arise. Children are referred by teachers or support staff to the Oasis, and thework is managed by the SENCo.33Vol 6.5School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadingLearningMental healthKnowledge trails1. Addressing mental health concerns – Aseries of practical documents to supportthe audit and development of your school’smental health policy and practice.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/managers-briefcase-mental-health2. How do you feel? – Primary schools thatinvolve pupils in decisions can improvemorale, wellbeing and behaviour and boostexam results. Laura Parker reports.library.teachingtimes.com/articles/how-do-you-feelReferences1. Fazel, M. (2014). Mental health interventions in schoolsin high-income countries. The Lancet Psychiatry, vol. 1(5),pp.377-87.2. Department"
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Leadership

Promoting positive mental health in schools

11 May 2015

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      string(418) "... spaces of exclusion anddisconnection.School leadership creates infrastructures for capacity-building, including by connecting homes, workplacesand civic spaces through the school’s networks.School leadership designs pragmatic solutions,problem-solving in specific contexts to co-create newspaces and mobilities.School leadership upholds values, engages criticallywith imposed values and the politics ..."
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      string(5116) "well-resourcedindependent schools in other countries to contributemore to addressing wider educational needs.School leadership of the future will develop schools asnetwork nodes with local and international connections.In this way, the impact of leadership spreads into fourconnected places: own school, own local communities,linked school and the linked school’s local communities.To maximise its potential impact, school leadershipof the future will need to break down the barriersbetween formal and informal learning, and lessenthe disconnections between ongoing or mainstreameducation, and education to respond to the needs ofemergencies and extreme situations.■■■ School leadership reconceptualisedA spatial analysis of school leadership enables thefollowing fundamental aspirations to be proposed.School leadership understands starting points,making discerning and empathetic assessments ofcontexts and obstacles to learning; also strengths,positive identities and potentialities.School leadership involves space-making on at leastthree scales: the leader’s own personal spaces; thespaces within the institution the leader manages; andthe networks of places and organisations with whichthe leader and the school have links. Leaders’ valuesguide how they want to change both their own spacesand how others experience the spaces they occupy.School leadership is cosmopolitan, promoting globalcitizenship, multi-layered affiliations, and respect forand understanding of others’ spaces.School leadership addresses humanitarian needs,using activism to impact on spaces of exclusion anddisconnection.School leadership creates infrastructures for capacity-building, including by connecting homes, workplacesand civic spaces through the school’s networks.School leadership designs pragmatic solutions,problem-solving in specific contexts to co-create newspaces and mobilities.School leadership upholds values, engages criticallywith imposed values and the politics of knowledge,to help transform spaces of prescription into spacesof negotiation.■■■ Moving forward by striking balancesMoving towards practical application of these principlesinvolves striking a series of pragmatic balances betweenshort-term pressures and longer term needs for systemicdevelopment. The following statements describe someof the balances that school leaders may be workingwith.■■■■■■■Policy andpractice13……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………School leaders should aspire to combine knowledgeof global, national and local productive practices inthe most effective combinations. Local conditionsand issues are very important, but the English schoolsystem is currently at risk of being too inward-looking. A more global perspective will bring freshinsights, energies and solutions to local challenges.They need to interact on the basis of a deep understandingof the processes through which professional practiceevolves and spreads. The lateral spread of good practice,and applying ‘what works’ are popular concepts, butare often applied superficially, relying on managerialauthority. Peer-supported school improvement mustadopt a professional rather than managerial model,and, within that, strategies that draw more on humanrelations thinking and less on engineering thinking.School leaders should support worthwhile innovationin appropriate combination with establishedmethods. Space to try out new ways of workingrequires experimentation and acceptance of aheightened level of risk tolerance. On the other handthere is little merit in innovation for its own sake.They should aim to combine addressing short termneeds with nurturing the conditions for longer term‘blue skies’ thinking. Undoubtedly there are needs,which will continue to arise, for urgent and acuteaction, but will be easier, less disruptive, and in theend cheaper, if it is nested inside parallel work toclarify long term educational visions.Finally, a key aspiration of a school leader will beto generate evidence and knowledge for local andnational dissemination. Broadening the generationand use of evidence, especially qualitative as well as■■■■■quantitative, is one of the hallmarks of progressingfrom managerial to more professional leadership anddevelopment of schools and school systems.■■■ Professional engagement – lateral,broad and deepTo engage with these agendas, leadership developmentneeds to include a much stronger ‘lateral’ element,giving practitioners in early leadership positions moreexposure to school-to-school networking both locallyand internationally, and more opportunity to investigate‘big picture’ issues and possibilities.The first is essentially practical: to work with otherson the co-creation of mutually beneficial"
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Professional Development

What next for school leadership development?

1 Aug 2013

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      string(388) "... class sizes, and when aimed at parents of older young children (approximately aged 10 and above).#· Other effective family based interventions were comprehensive, multi-modal designs that focus on changing maladaptive patterns of behaviour or family dysfunction, using cognitive behavioural techniques. such as Multisystemic therapy (MST); Functional Family Therapy (FFT ..."
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Leadership Briefing 6.01(61)"
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      string(5235) "ResourceA REVIEW OF STRATEGIES FOR INTERVENING EARLY TO PREVENT OR REDUCE YOUTH CRIME AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUROriginal DocumentPrevention And Reduction: A Review Of Strategies For Intervening Early To Prevent Or Reduce Youth Crime And Anti-Social Behaviour. This Department for Education review is aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the key characteristics of what works in terms of early interventions to prevent or reduce youth crime or anti-social behaviour. By drawing on evidence from international literature the review is able to provide a critical evaluation of youth crime interventions in England.KeywordsYouth crime, anti-social behaviour, interventions, juveniles, risk factors, training, discipline, management strategiesSummaryThis review is aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the key characteristics of what works in terms of early interventions to prevent or reduce youth crime or anti-social behaviour. By drawing on evidence from the international literature, primarily the US where the evidence base is especially strong, this review is able to provide a critical evaluation of youth crime interventions in England, where the scientific evidence is less robust.Main Findings:· Four key characteristics were found to be associated with programme effectiveness:· The methods used to evaluate early intervention programmes. Generally this is a forewarning against reliance on poorly designed evaluations which tend to overstate programme effectiveness;· The Intervention type and mode. Interventions that embody ‘therapeutic’ philosophies aimed at nurturing a positive change in young people, and in particular those employing cognitive behavioural techniques, are the most effective overall. Those based on strategies of control or coercion – on surveillance, deterrence, and discipline – are far less effective and in some cases can actually make matters worse;· Quality of programme implementation. This was so important that a less effective but well implemented programme could out-perform a more effective programme that was poorly implemented;· The characteristics of the juveniles being treated. Interventions targeted at individuals already manifesting problematic behaviours or demonstrating many of the risk factors associated with the development of offending behaviour are more effective than universally applied programmes.· There is evidence that programmes which employ a multi-modal design where a broad range of interventions are applied attending to a multitude of different risk factors are more effective. However they only work where there is also a dedicated case worker present to oversee and coordinate programme delivery.· Most of the interventions that have been shown to be effective share most (if not all) of the characteristics identified above.· Among programmes aimed at the individual, one type of programme stood out as effective:· Child skills training which aims to teach children social, emotional, and cognitive competence by addressing appropriate effective problem solving, anger management and emotion language. Best Practice: Child skills training is especially effective when applied to smaller (more manageable) class sizes, employs cognitive behavioural techniques of instruction and is targeted at older and high risk young people.· Within family focused prevention, a range of interventions were found effective for preventing or reducing youth crime and antisocial behaviour. This includes:· Behavioural parent training (BPT) which teaches parents to be consistent in reinforcing helpful behaviour and punishing or ignoring hostile or unco-operative behaviour. Best practice: BPT is more effective in smaller (more manageable) class sizes, and when aimed at parents of older young children (approximately aged 10 and above).#· Other effective family based interventions were comprehensive, multi-modal designs that focus on changing maladaptive patterns of behaviour or family dysfunction, using cognitive behavioural techniques. such as Multisystemic therapy (MST); Functional Family Therapy (FFT); and Multi-Dimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC).· Effective school based programmes tend to be those aimed at changing the school environment as opposed to interventions that focus on changing the individual alone. This includes:· The reorganisation of grades or classes to group together high-risk or disruptive pupils for periods of the school day, while teaching them with alternative curriculum material and using cognitive behavioural techniques.· Classroom or instruction management interventions emphasising interactive instructional methods using cognitive behavioural techniques.· School discipline and management strategies, particularly those which draw on teams of staff and members of the local community to change the decision-making process or authority structures of the school in order to enhance its general capacity.· Within the community, both mentoring and after school recreation programmes were identified as promising.ActionNotesAuthorR ChimaDate CreatedJune 2011Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk (Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

Interventions To Prevent Youth Crime And Anti-Social Behaviour

1 Jun 2011

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      string(392) "... work bases, and theelimination of dark corridors, isolated areas andthreatening toilets. According to John Petrie, thevision panels have already had a positive effecton teaching, reducing disruptive behaviour andassisting less experienced teachers with controllingtheir classes. The pupils are more disciplined andremain calmer because they are aware that they arepart of the ..."
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      string(5618) "design challengeas the site topology was steeply sloping.  Our solution was to design abuilding that was three storeys to the north and two to the south, lyingunder one continuous roof plane – the exception being the translucentETFE roof which covers the central courtyard area.  The three levels areclearly identified using simple, bold graphics: the lower ground flooris labelled A (for atrium); the first floor/upper ground is labelled B (forbalcony); and the third floor is labelled C (for clouds).  Strong colourcoding is further used to identify each faculty and adjacency.Broadly speaking the building can be divided into three parts, whichform a radial pattern something akin to the shape of a hand:Case Studywww.teachingtimes.co.uk10 21 Century Schools  Volume 3:4Case Studywww.teachingtimes.co.ukThe palm – comprises the principal social spaces,restaurant and central three-storey courtyard;The fingers – four wings that form clearlydistinguishable faculties;The thumb – contains the swimming pool andframes the school’s entrance.One of the most striking features of the school is itscovered, central courtyard: a light and airy atrium,benefiting from an abundance of natural light whichfloods in from the transparent roof and provides avisual connection with the sky.  The huge new atriumforms the school’s ‘heart space’ in which the wholeschool can gather if required.  It includes the mainsocial space, a contemporary restaurant and providesaccess to all areas of the school.  The success of thewayfinding here has been demonstrated by the wayin which pupils now navigate the building. Withinmoments of break time being announced, the atriumimmediately turns in to a hive of activity, with pupilsquickly pouring in to the central space from all overthe school. Similarly, at the end of break-time, theatrium empties just as quickly as it filled, and pupilshead off to their next lesson.John Petrie explains how the organisation ofthe school building has minimised journey times■■■11 Volume 3:4  21 Century SchoolsCase Studywww.teachingtimes.co.uk12 21 Century Schools  Volume 3:4Case Studywww.teachingtimes.co.uk13 Volume 3:4  21 Century Schoolsthroughout the school, “At the previous school,pupils often had to walk long distances betweendispersed departments, which often cut into lessontime. The layout of the new school, with the creationof this central space, has meant that pupils are nowable to reach their next lessons promptly, so less timeis spent getting to lessons and more time spent intheir lessons.”Safe, Secure and Stimulating SpacesFundamental to the school’s vision was the beliefthat architecture could transform pupils’ socialbehaviour by ‘designing-out’ stressful situations andopportunities for anti-social behaviour. Throughoutthe school we have maximised passive supervisionwith the inclusion of open plan spaces, large visionpanels in classrooms and staff work bases, and theelimination of dark corridors, isolated areas andthreatening toilets. According to John Petrie, thevision panels have already had a positive effecton teaching, reducing disruptive behaviour andassisting less experienced teachers with controllingtheir classes. The pupils are more disciplined andremain calmer because they are aware that they arepart of the wider school community and not hiddenaway behind closed doors. Semi-opaque profiledReglit glass walls have been used in public areas,including the LRC, to afford users a level of privacywhilst retaining supervision.Tong is one of the first schools in the UK to includeradical new toilet designs which are communal,unisex and openly located. In a recent competitionrun by the Education Guardian, ‘The School I’d Like’,almost every one of 15,000 entries cited toilets as theirnumber one design priority. Traditionally locatedin dead-end, enclosed spaces, with little teachersupervision, school toilets are the traditional hang-outs for bullies and antisocial behaviour which canput many pupils off using them. Pupils want modern,safe, hygienic, cheerful facilities with plenty of soap,paper and hot water. By showing pupils respect andproviding them with the kind of facilities we wouldwant for ourselves in our own homes and offices, wehope to encourage them to respect the facilities, eachother, and the adults in charge of their care.At Tong, the toilets comprise one central unisexpod, as an extension to the atrium floor. Their location,together with the fact that thereare no doors into the pod, enablespassive supervision. And whilst thetraditional congregation areas aregone, the individuals’ private spaceis enhanced with cubicles havingfull-height doors, thus reducingnoise transference and affordingcomplete privacy. The handwashing area is a single circulartrough to eradicate deliberate sinkflooding. Efficient hand washingfacilities with reliable warm watersupply encourage more handwashing and a reduction in thespread of germs. There are nomirrors in the toilets for pupilsto gather around, which furtherCase Studywww.teachingtimes.co.uk14 21 Century Schools  Volume 3:4Case Studywww.teachingtimes.co.ukminimises the time pupils spend in the area.Julie Birkett, Business Manager of Tong HighSchool and BSF Lead, explains “Our existing schoolhad separate girls and boys facilities, but we hadhad to make some modifications to reduce thearea for communal gathering and had taken off theentrance doors to the toilet areas to allow for bettersupervision. But then in looking at our wish list forthe new school, we saw something in a Bristol schoolwe felt would work for us and"
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Learning Spaces

Aspirations to actuality:Can school buildings really deliver transformation in education?

6 May 2009

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      string(5588) "16 Learning Spaces  Volume 2:2International Learning – Swedenwww.teachingtimes.comThe LearningNarrativeSome years ago a principal described herapproach to a rebuild and renovation ofher school, and she set out her situationbrilliantly, saying: I have three options really:1. Make a project based on how we work today.It´s purely descriptive, is without drama, anddoesn’t require much of me as a leader, it’s justabout adding more of the same.2. A ”realistic” project that improves our learningenvironments with a focus on the functionswe are lacking (larger staff room, library etc)leaving HOW we work aside.  This would bequite popular!3. A disruptive project with focus on how thisschool should operate in 3-10 years, andaddresses the real challenges we face (groupsof students failing consistently, teachers notcooperating, low expectations on students).This will be hard work and I won’t be verypopular for some years to come…I find 1. Irresponsible 2. Uninteresting and wasteful3. Necessary and responsible!The story sums up the possibilities in learningenvironment projects, they can have a tremendousimpact on learning outcomes if we realise thatthe build itself can be a vehicle for change andimproved learning outcomes.Ante Runnquist looks at the process of designing newlearning spaces and how starting the coversation in theright place makes all the difference in developing greaterunderstanding between pedagogy and design.17 Volume 2:2  Learning SpacesInternational Learning – Swedenwww.teachingtimes.com18 Learning Spaces  Volume 2:2International Learning – Swedenwww.teachingtimes.comIn the last decade or so I have been involved innumerous learning environment projects, fromsmall adaptions to full scale new builds, and thatexperience has boiled down into model that wecall ”The Learning Narrative”: four perspectivesaimed at creating an understanding of learningenvironments and finding ways improving them.The Learning NarrativeUnderstanding learning environment is a bit likelistening to a jazz band. It will only take you a fewmoments to make a first judgement and it’s oftena good one based on the  beat, groove, if peopleplay in or out of pitch, and if they seem to enjoythemselves.  But a complete assessment of a jazzband requires understanding of the individualmusicians as well as their ability to interact . Wethink of the Learning Narrative in similar way:A good school needs to be in tune and have agroove, a coherent narrative where differentaspects of the learning environment support eachother and add to the overall performance.  The fourperspectives of the Learning Narrative are :Socio- cultural learning environment: Idealsand beliefs, attitudes and values. In the case ofschools they are explicit, as expressed in thecurriculum or the unwritten ”ethos” that guide■our actions. The socio- cultural environmentis also the ”feel” of a school and you canapply a whole range of tools to analyse andunderstand this, but it is not only the cultureinside the school which plays a role, but also theexpectations and attitudes in the surroundingcommunity and families that play an equallypowerful role.Intellectual learning environment: Themethods and strategies we use to organiselearning, pedagogy and organisation. Greatschools have explicit ideas and concepts forthis, poor schools seldom do. The name of thegame seem to be deliberate variation: as long asteachers  and schools know why they do whatthey do, and make conscious choices, manymethods can, and will, work well.Physical learning environment: ”The thirdpedagogue”: the places and spaces usedfor learning. The school building and theclassrooms have been a point of focus but wewould recommend a broader perspective: thehallway and school yard are just as importantto a child and ideally we look at the wholecommunity surrounding a school when weplan it.Digital learning environment: All the digitaltools and platforms we use for learning.■■■19 Volume 2:2  Learning SpacesInternational Learning – Swedenwww.teachingtimes.comAs a simple illustration, the cultural learningenvironment in a Montessori school has its rootsin the ideals and beliefs formulated by MariaMontessori.  They have resulted in certain attitudes,strategies, methods and approaches for theintellectual environment which in turn demandcertain solutions, and even aesthetics, in thephysical learning environment.We claim that the development of learningenvironments should go ”clock wise” aroundthis model  – an explicit culture and a solidunderstanding of the purpose of school forms thefoundation for pedagogy, physical environmentand use of technology. It can be tempting to gocounterclockwise, loading schools with digitaltechnology or building eye-catching physicalenvironments, but we have seen very few casesof this being a successful strategy in the long run.So when we want to improve learning outcomeswe need to address the learning environment as asystem with interdependent parts.Learning Narrative DissonanceLearning Narrative Dissonance occurs when thereare contradictions in the learning environment,something is out of tune and continues do be so.A dissonant learning environment can be veryunstable.  For example:”We opened this new part of school threemonths ago and we already need to renovate, theold problems seem to prevail…”20 Learning Spaces  Volume 2:2International Learning – Swedenwww.teachingtimes.comTeachers committed to project based learning in aschool without physical spaces for collaboration.A school with the motto"
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Learning Spaces

The learning narrative

10 Jul 2014