This week’s CEP 811 challenge was to imagine redesigning a learning space for 21st century learning. I chose to re-imagine a basement classroom that was originally designed as a videoconferencing studio. It has since been converted into a standard classroom.
This is a very traditional classroom. There are rows of tables and a teaching station. There is definitely a “front”. As designed, this classroom represents what Ken Robinson description of “the factory model” of education fits this room well. “The classroom arrangements are people sitting facing the front where someone’s speaking to them.” (O’ Donnell et. al., 2010).
I decided to imagine a redesign for a flipped-classroom instructional model, where students watch lectures at home and use class time to collaborate on projects, assignments, and formative assessment. The flipped model encourages students to combine knowledge from multiple domains to construct their own meaning. This process reflects a high degree of transfer (Bransford, Brown, and Cocking, 2000). In an article examining space design at Pixar, IDEO, and Google, Melanie Kahl tells us that, “Such interdisciplinary work is supported by a thoughtful facility design that displays flexibility, ownership, transparency, and originality.” My redesign emphasizes open space, flexible furniture, and a variety of group presentation stations.
As Barrett et. al. point out, flexible and varied furniture provide for better collaboration.
“More zones can allow varied learning activities at the same time” (p. 681, 2012). In my conversations with faculty at my institution, I’ve heard a preference for the half-hex tables pictured above. These tables can be quickly configured for collaboration, presentation, or against walls to share technology. In addition to the hex tables, this room offers stand-up height desks for smaller (2-3 student) collaboration as well as a sectional sofa. All of the furnishings are wheeled, allowing flexible arrangement. Small mobile whiteboards throughout the room may also be used to configure small group study carrels.
This space is challenged by a lack of natural light. The third teacher tells us to “let the sunshine in” (2010) because natural light is important to an effective learning environment. This room, however, is buried in a basement. I’ve placed framed glass windows on the walls lined with natural light LEDs (like these) to cast simulated ambient daylight. The glass windows are also used as dry-erase boards. Barrett et. al. found that “more electrical lighting with higher quality can provide better visual environment” (p. 681, 2012).
This redesign could be accomplished in my institution over a summer term with involvement from my IT group, representative faculty stakeholders, our fantastic Teaching and Learning Center, and our campus space-planning office. I’d suggest a start-up budget of around $20,000, mostly dedicated to the surprisingly expensive tables and chairs, as well as for increasing the number of wireless network access points to support the additional devices we anticipate. Since we support classroom technology, our IT department is very well situated to accomplish this task, especially for a single classroom. We’d suggest this design project as a showcase or proof-of-concept room that may provide a template for additional active learning spaces throughout the campus.
Finally, I’ll note that the physical re-design is the easiest part of the process. Indeed, we are not really trying to redesign a room; we are attempting to redesign teaching. In K12, a teacher usually controls a specific room. In higher ed, a single room hosts many different teachers and learners every term. New pedagogies represent a risk to faculty who depend on positive teaching evaluations for tenure. Redesigning this room will require faculty development for the flipped model, perhaps incentives to encourage faculty to volunteer to use the room, and support staff to help faculty manage the technology.
References
Barrett, Peter, Zhang, Yufan, Moffat, Joanne, & Kobbacy, Khairy. (2012). A holistic, multi-level analysis identifying the impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning. Building and Environment,59, 678-689.
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368.
Kahl, M. (2011, November 22). What Schools Can Learn from Google, IDEO, and Pixar. Retrieved from http://www.creativitypost.com/education/what_schools_can_learn_from_google_ideo_and_pixar
O’Donnell Wicklund Pigozzi Peterson, Architects Inc, VS Furniture, & Bruce Mau Design. (2010). The third teacher : 79 ways you can use design to transform teaching & learning. New York: Abrams.
The Third Teacher. (2010). TTT Ideas Flash Cards. Retrieved from http://goo.gl/v25rRA