Learning spaces for 3 to 19 year olds

This topic is complex and can be explored from myriad points of view: that of the student, the educator, the policy maker, the designer, the architect, the researcher, the community and the school.  In this paper, I have chosen to address just two of the questions posed, from the perspective of an educator and researcher.

If students had their own private spaces, what would they look like?

The current standard of living, new technologies and lifestyle habits in Western societies demand specific changes to the types of spaces provided for students in schools. Ways of communicating and collecting information, as well as networking with others, have changed substantially in the past 15 years. I work in a preparatory to year 12 school in New South Wales, and these changes are evident in what I have observed and what students have told me.

Over the past two years, I have been exploring the relationship between a client’s needs (in the case of schools, the client is a combination of the student, staff and management) and best design in educational facilities. I recently asked senior secondary students to describe their ideal, private learning space within a school setting. This is what they believe would contribute to a great space:

• comfortable furniture and flooring
• ergonomically sound desks and chairs
• adjustable light sources and convenient 240 power outlets
• a view of the outside world and natural light
• a constant temperature
• the ability to move between indoor and outdoor spaces - work inside or outside
• aesthetic qualities - contemporary colour, finishes, materials
• reliable and abundant access to technology (internet, hardware and software)
• mobility within the space - wireless network
• personal storage
• access to food and cafe-style seating
• a place to work alone
• a place to talk and socialise with friends
• a place to work in a group
• access to adult/teacher assistance
• connections between private spaces and group or class learning spaces
• study spaces attached to specialised learning areas
• flexible spaces - can move furniture and partitions
• flexible access hours
• freedom from bells ringing, timetable changes and class movements (packing up and moving around is disruptive to seniors’ approach to study and work).

It would be a challenge to integrate all of these ideas into an educational facility, but this list is not unrealistic in terms of educational expectations. The latest school designs from the United Kingdom, Europe, some parts of Australia and the United States of America have successfully integrated these elements into student spaces.

But how do designers know what students and teachers need in their work spaces? Increasingly, architects perceive a need for teachers and students to have an input in the design of schools. For example, Britain is currently undergoing a 45 billion pound ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme that plans to rebuild or remodel around 3,500 secondary schools (Observer, 21 September 2008, UK). Educators are concerned that programmes such as this one will not address future educational needs and goals. It takes time and skill to consult with the teachers and students and massive building programmes do not necessarily have either. Consequently, there is a risk the facilities will be new versions of old ideas and unable to support new pedagogies or more flexible learning experiences. Without consulting students and teachers, it is unlikely private or collaborative learning spaces will reflect the preferences and needs of those who use these places. Projects such Joinedupdesignforschools in the United Kingdom have demonstrated the value of consulting with students and the impact their ideas can have upon the design of innovative and effective learning spaces.

So, what might classrooms look like physically in 2020?

The ideal school of 2020 might resemble a village of workshops, studios, early childhood centres, lecture theatres, small libraries, seminar rooms, outdoor classrooms and internet cafes. This ‘village’ might be housed on multiple sites within established urban developments or woven into a new suburb as it grows. Technology will be integrated, spaces designed for collaborative work and resources distributed across varied learning environments.

However, before schools can develop in this manner, we need to consider three areas of change:

1. Changes to state/national curriculum:

• reduce curriculum overcrowding
• continue to challenge the ‘lockstep’ approach to school education
• allow time and scope for creative learning that encourages students to acquire the skills needed for working with information in the knowledge age.

2. Changes to teacher training and classroom practice:

• pedagogical change must be embraced at deep levels of understanding and practice
• trainee teachers provided with explicit instruction in using new technologies, spaces and practices
• teachers must believe in new approaches, new technologies and new ways of increasing student achievement.

3. Societal changes:

• parents and students must adopt new ways of ‘going to school’
• the relationship between schools and their local communities will need to be renegotiated
• students need to be free from physical dangers and social threats without being afraid of risk and adventure
• bring schools back from the fringes of suburbia and into the centre of the urban community
• educational facilities and resources shared, rather than duplicated.

Without change in these areas, we will be delivering outdated educational expectations based on old approaches in new buildings that are state of the art in terms of finishes, roof lines, environmentally sustainable materials and wireless networks. School design alone cannot change the way children learn. It will take more than 10 years for all classrooms to change and adopt new designs, given the money and infrastructure currently invested in existing school buildings. However, both established and new schools will need to embrace a number of key features of the 21st century classroom, if schools are going to change the way students learn.

One version of the 2020 classroom will be a blend of diverse physical spaces with virtual and digital environments in small learning community settings. These classrooms provide students will opportunities to learn individually and collaboratively. Creating small schools is expensive, but one way forward is to organise a number of smaller campuses within a larger school. Expensive facilities can be shared within the school or with the outside local community. Different pedagogies can be adopted for different groupings. For an interesting example of the mega-campus model organised around five small schools, see Alfriston College, in Auckland, New Zealand.

If a new urban development is being established, private-public partnerships such as Caroline Springs College, in Melbourne, are one way of providing community-based, well resourced educational facilities. The college accommodates kindergarten to year 12 students on multiple campuses within walking distance of each other and shared community facilities (pool, sporting venue, library, fields). The learning spaces are flexible, adaptable and fluid. However, the open design and linked studios begin to present organisational challenges to teachers striving to deliver a senior secondary curriculum that is still rooted in old approaches and an example of incongruence between curriculum and design. Consequently, in the senior school complex, spaces are beginning to be divided into separate classrooms and noise carrying through the spaces is a distraction. Issues relating to safety and supervision also affect the ways in which students can use the learning spaces.

The ideal classrooms of 2020?

I hope they are a blend of the best child friendly elements found in house architecture, urban spaces and interactive museum design. Classrooms that are human scale and comfortable. Current research indicates levels of student achievement are raised when factors such as lighting, ventilation, ergonomically designed furniture, acoustics, relaxation spaces, high standard of hygiene, temperature control and access to natural light are taken into account when designing and maintaining educational facilities. These elements influence the levels of engagement, performance and wellbeing of students and staff.

Physical space should be more than a roof to keep the rain off or a showcase of the latest architectural style. Classroom learning spaces should impart their own form of knowledge to children - knowledge of the environment, of exploring and creating, of belonging and of building communities that learn and play together. Learning in 2020 could be a wondrous experience of interacting with technology, the physical environment and people. Learning spaces would be the places where these elements come together for our students. Schools will continue to be independent structures but they would benefit from reconnecting with the wider community. Physical buildings and virtual spaces will need to be flexible and adaptable, thus establishing a capacity for further change. Future educational facilities need smart design approaches that facilitate, promote, enable, scaffold and inspire student achievement.

References

Burke, Catherine & Grosvenor, Ian (2003). The school I’d like. RoutledgeFalmer, London.
The Observer  (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/sep/21/schoolbuilding.schools)
Sorrell, J & Sorrell, F (2007). Joinedupdesignforschools, Merrell, London.
www.alfristoncollege.school.nz
www.carolinesprings.vic.edu.au

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ms Kate Bertram has over 20 years of teaching experience in New South Wales, Australia. She has a masters degree in educational leadership and administration, and is currently working on her doctorate at the University of Wollongong in the areas of school design, educational leadership and school culture.

 

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