In addition to your initial assigned reading, you will be choosing another one either from your own findings, or from the help of our nice research librarian. From both of these, do more than just data collect; perform qualitative research. Extract the main points for both and post to the blog the findings, along with your bibliography. You will also need to comment on someone else's findings, thoughts, opinions, arguments......
Classroom design and the structure of education need to recognize that changes need to be made to the current education system in order to prepare students for the challenges of today’s changing environment. In order to do this we need to design educational spaces that encourage creativity, incorporate flexibility, stimulate both students and teachers, and have the ability to evolve with technological advances. Richmond upon Thames aims to accomplish this by designing spaces that challenge the traditional roles of teacher and learner while also providing high levels of sensory stimulation and the right physical readiness for learning. Sheffield takes a different approach and encourages learning by incorporating the benefits of the natural environment into the interior space through extensive views, adaptable walls, water elements, and cross ventilation. Telford and Wrekin’s solution to creating classrooms for the future includes providing flexible space, stimulating learning for those failing to engage at a secondary level, and giving students more control over their environment.
ReplyDeleteI believe these solutions are innovative in the way they attempt to advance the current practice of education, however, I do not see how their designs would be practical solutions. It is quite obvious that these designs would be widely expensive and therefore not a practical solution for many school districts, at least in the United States. Furthermore, while these designs show immense potential from a designer’s point of view, they may encounter skepticism from people who support the current system of education, of which there are many. I would encourage designers and educators to incorporate elements and concepts of these designs into the current education system therefore evolving the system in more subtle ways, which may be more widely effective and accepted.
Another piece of literature that tackles the same subject but from a more practical perspective is the book Schools for the Future, Design Proposals from Architectural Psychology by Rotraut Walden, specifically chapter three: The School of the Future: Conditions and Processes – Contributions of Architectural Psychology. This chapter focuses on how the effects of lighting, color, noise, heating, cooling, ventilation, and equipment and furnishing affect psychological processes that influence learning, teaching, and students’ arousal, adaptation, stress, and fatigue. Much more simple solutions are offered than in the case studies such as color combinations and textural elements that enhance learning and concentration. One interesting point that the article makes is how including varied textures in a space can stimulate learning because basic learning is formed through the development of human senses. Therefore, creating spaces that offer dynamic textures enhances stimulation and in turn stimulates learning. I found these simple techniques were a much more practical and subtle way to improve learning environments than the spaces presented in the case studies.
ReplyDeleteSources:
Walden, Rotraut. Schools for the Future: Design Proposals from Architectural Psychology. Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe, 2009. Print.
David, Miliband. "Classrooms of the Future." Department for Education and Skills.
I read Schools and Kintergartens under Reconstruction by Susanne Hofmann. The article discusses how changing educational programs requires a change in the architecture of the school to support the new program. The article discusses how school programs often focus on fostering group activity which requires a new way of organizing a classroom besides the traditional desks all facing front to a teacher lecturing. The article also discussed how the schools brought together a wide range of people often with many different backgrounds and the schools became a cultural center not just for the children but for their parents as well. What I believe to be the most important point in the article was that the children needed to form a bond to the school. To make the school a stimulating atmosphere, and for the school to act as a second home. When a school has a limited budget the article stresses the importance of intensive preparation. Lastly, the article gave three examples of schools designed by the "Bapiloten" (a group of changing students). One of the most important ideas they had was asking the students to draw their "ideal". They then interpreted the drawings to include with the program of the space. I think that is a very affective way to get young children to articulate what they would like, because they often can't describe it. The examples they gave all seemed to have an overall "theme" to the design which seemed to be appropriate for the age group. I think incorporating the students was extremely important because they are the end users, the ones who have to live and learn in the space. This relates back to having the students create a bond with the school. To continue speaking to the students throughout the whole process is important as well. The last line of the article reiterates that point again. "Because the children had been so closely involved in the design process, they were able to identify strongly with their newly created environments." I think this was very interesting because there were some similarities between the schools in Germany to Hillside, with the main difference being the age. I think that the idea of getting the students input throughout the process is important, which is what we are doing. I also think the playful, fun, interactive spaces in the examples they described should also be a factor of the Hillside School.
ReplyDeleteSource:
Hofmann, Susanne. "Schools and Kidergartens under Reconstruction".
The second article I read was focusing on college/university learning environments. The authors conducted a study to see what influences the learning environment. Their findings concluded that culture, social climate, and environmental press influenced the individual's learning spaces and their effectiveness. I think that this is important to note but their next couple points are more important. The first being that learning spaces can encourage or constrain behaviors. Also, that students will use any space for learning activities. Knowing this it's important to know that students have different needs and certain qualities such as seating, movability, media technology, and the ability to collaborate with other students is important. This article also makes the point as the previous article did that students do their work more effectively and efficiently when they "hold ownership" in the space. Therefore this point seems to be the most important goal for me to consider when designing Hillside.
ReplyDeleteSource:
Hunly, Sawyer, and Molly Schaller. "Assessment: The Key to Creating Spaces That Promote Learning." Educause Review 44.2 (2009): 26-35. Web.
In response to Leeanna's posts I would have to agree with her opinion on the costs and practicality. Cost is a huge factor in school design which is often a reason why sometimes the best design plans aren't implemented. It can often be frustrating but as Leeanna said choosing certain factors to include from the design is a simple and cost-efficient way to help the schools. I do think that the idea of layering textures because students learn using their senses is a great idea. I think it's an easy and possibly inexpensive way to revamp a school without using just color.
ReplyDelete•This article stressed the importance of color in child development environments. And how important it is to get the child's input when choosing a color for the space rather than just the teacher, or designer.
ReplyDelete•The article was an accumulation of research, interviews, and tests that the children did involving color preference. The result for these tests was most children's choice of interior color was red, cool colors were preferred over warm, and purple and blue were second in choice to red. Researchers concluded the reason purple was a popular color was because it has both red and blue in it and it is a cool color.
•Researchers mentioned that a lot of the children's responses to some of the interviews of color they were given prove logical: ‘‘The reds are my favorite because red’s my favorite color, so the reds are my favorite….’’ He was actually pointing to the yellow room when he answered this question.
•The beginning of the article states that children should be able to choose their own interior colors because they are the ones will, primarily, be dealing with it day in and day out. I agree with this to some extent; I agree that murals and paintings are great to improve children's self-esteem and confidence but I don't believe children should have the ultimate say on what color goes on ALL of the walls. As I mentioned, sometimes their reasoning for why they choose color is completely irrelevant.
•The last page of the paragraph suggests making the walls in child development centers two-toned, with the a neutral tone of the base color being located on top and the saturated raw hue being located at the bottom, to serve as a visual anchor.
Adaptable Spaces and Their Impact on Learning
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hermanmiller.com/MarketFacingTech/hmc/research/research_summaries/assets/wp_Adaptable_Spaces.pdf
o Learning Studio Research Program at Herman Miller: includes the collection
of data, evaluation, and sharing of information between students and teachers in order to better understand the flexibility of spaces and how it can affect the end-user. The main goal of the research done by the program is to provide institutions with “the opportunity to test new approaches to learning spaces on a smaller scale prior to moving forward with large scale plans.”
o Basic Human Needs: The design of learning spaces all starts with the users –
the students and the faculty. Research from the Learning Studio program showed that providing students with furniture and elements that are flexible can be easily moved and adjusted would benefit their learning experience greatly. The “Learning Studio Design Elements & Considerations” graph is a useful checklist.
o Teaching: Teaching Styles vary so it is important for the design of the
classroom to support the needs of the educator. A flexible classroom allows a teacher to arrange the furniture differently depending on the use of the classroom or needs of the class.
o Learning: Daniel Pink’s perspective on critical thinking is cited in the article.
As technology, science, and society evolve, so does the way we think and learn. Active thinking is something that has become more prominent in the school system, especially with collaborative learning. The design of a classroom should be able to support the shift from traditional teaching (lecturing, lessons) to collaborative learning environments. Flexible furniture and mobile whiteboards and partition walls, allow for the space to become an active, multipurpose space. It also lends itself to use in between scheduled classes for students to meet and collaborate.
o Engagement: Engagement is something many schools and universities try
encourage. The arrangement of a space can affect the success rate of engagement. Based off evaluations and research of students participating in Learning Studio spaces, students are 24% more likely to feel engaged in class, and 23% more likely to feel that communication between students has been enhanced. The use of a flexible furniture system could greatly benefit the engagement among students.
Katie's Response to Lauren N.
ReplyDeleteI think Lauren made some great points about the students being involved in the design process. After all, the students are the ones who have to live with the atmosphere day in and out; and if the students want the school to serve as their "second home" like Lauren pointed out then it is important that they feel completely comfortable with the surrounding. But when designing a space drawn from student inspiration we as designers have to be careful to take each suggestion and use design logic to manipulate it. In other words, we have to be careful not to make our design too literal based on the students comments or drawings.
Source:
ReplyDeleteEffects of Parental Involvement on Eighth-Grade Achievement Author(s): Esther Ho Sui-Chu and J. Douglas Willms Source: Sociology of Education, Vol. 69, No. 2, (Apr., 1996), pp. 126-141 Published by: American Sociological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2112802 Accessed: 31/07/2008 15:21
Second Article:
The Effects of Parental Involvement on Eight-Grade Achievement
-This article identifies four different dimensions of parental involvement and asses their involvement with their child's education through their own background and social status.
-The article concludes that parents with low socioeconomic status are less involved in their children's schooling, and parent's with high socioeconomic status are more involved with their children's schooling.
-Although the article said the social status level varied in parental involvement in school the article also stated that levels of involvement in home supervision did not vary that much, this included: discussion of school related activities, and parent-teacher communication.
-The article said when parents become actively involved in the child's education than the students foster more positive attitudes towards school, improves homework habits, reduces absenteeism and dropping out, and enhances academic achievement.
-The article also states that schools are largely middle class institutions with middle-class values, so middle class students usually do very well.
Katie's Response to Rebecca
ReplyDeleteI think Rebecca makes a really great point about educators and their design needs. We mostly have been talking about the students and what they want to see done in the space, but it is the educators that have to facilitate the students, and without an effective design how than the properly carry out their lessons. Therefore, I think we need to deeply examine the educators needs as well as the students.
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ReplyDeleteSpatial Arrangements: “Designing Collaborative Learning Places: Psychological Foundations and New Frontiers”
ReplyDeleteo The Future of the Traditional Classroom:
Information Technology will have a big impact on the design of traditional classroom and lecture spaces. Course information is becoming available online, which limits physical, class time for lecturing. In the near future classrooms will have new purposes. Rather than a space for lecturing, it will function as a place where students can have discussions and collaborate.
o Attitudes and Place Attachment:
Attitude and place attachment refers to the cognitive impression someone has for a specific environment. An associated emotional response is formed when one enters a space. For example, within a classroom the way the seating is arranged (in rows for lecturing, or separate tables for collaborating) determines a specific emotional response within a student. Eventually an individual will develop an attachment to a certain type of environment. However, the article states that under current circumstances, where teachers and students may be moving from place to place, it is difficult to maintain an attachment to a certain type of classroom.
o Lighting & Room Temperature:
ReplyDeleteThe article discusses how lighting and room temperature are aspects of design often overlooked in an educational environment. However, they are one of the first things students notice about a space. Studies have been done on how these two design applications can affect a student and collaboration practices when poorly designed. For example, excessive heat may cause one to have hostile and negative thoughts. Traditional fluorescent lighting may not have a negative affect on student health, but it can cause increased arousal and hyperactivity, especially in students with disorders such as autism. On the other hand, dim lighting may make students feel lethargic. The most ideal lighting scheme would be full spectrum light fixtures or day lighting.
o Density & Noise Levels:
Density has become an important factor in educational environments. Specifically concerning the size of the space and the number of stuents within the space. One study shows that a classroom with higher social density (increase in amount of students) results in low student performance. However this is mostly determined by the purpose of the space. If it is a lecture space, a higher number of students may not affect student achievement. Density should also be taken into consideration when thinking about one’s personal space and how that should be accommodated for. Similarly, noise levels and acoustics for a classroom should be determined by the purpose of the space. If it is a collaborative space then a higher noise level may be acceptable.
In order to apply these design solutions to an educational environment, it is important to define the function of the space. More specifically, how a student or group of students physically relates to their surroundings. Determining the function of the space, the purpose, and how the user relates to the space, can aid in the choice of spatial arrangements, lighting, temperature, density, and acoustics. For example, in a collaborative space especially, students are often sitting in tight-knit groups and are sitting closer. In this circumstance it would be useful to be able to control the temperature or have it set lower to make students feel more comfortable.
My first article was mostly about how we need to focus our classroom design on flexibility and durability but at the same time design with specific technology in mind, as well as anticipate for the changes in new technology. The fact is that most classrooms in higher educational facilities are mostly designed for a specific thing in mind as well as a tight budget and not thinking towards the future in a way that would allow us to change and mold the classroom to the changing needs. I think the point about different classrooms being conducive to group work verses lectures is a strong one - different set ups work for different things and they don't always work for both. We need to learn how to design so we can keep flexibility in mind as well as creating environments that can work for a number of different kinds of teaching styles and different kinds of classes.
ReplyDeleteVan Note Chism, Nancy. "A Tale of Two Classrooms." New Directions for Teaching and Learning 2002.92 (2002): 5-12. Print.
Comment to Leeanna's article: David, Miliband. "Classrooms of the Future." Department for Education and Skills.
ReplyDeleteBecause of budget restrictions applying simple concepts such as these to Hillside's facility will make a big difference. When designers lack the economic means to manipulate a space architecturally it is often the simplest solutions that makes the largest impact. I agree with her comment on practicality. I believe that designers have the ability to make such a big impact visually in a space but if it lacks any form of practicality then the space itself loses all validity.
Furniture Considerations:
ReplyDeleteSeats of Productivity:
Key factors in designing offices for staff of schools and universities:
• Enable them to do their job safely and efficiently
• Flexibility, ergonomics, aesthetics, and cost
Safety is a productivity issue- if someone’s out of work because of health issues they’re not productive. This is why ergonomics is so important. Like most every decision in the education business, furniture decisions come down to weighing costs and getting the most durable furnishings with the funds available. Watching costs- money only goes so far. “We look for something that looks good and is durable”.
I think that these main points of ergonomics, flexibility, aesthetics, and cost should be implemented in schools everywhere and be taken seriously. The way we live in a space does rest a lot on the furniture design because functionally that is one of the things we use most in a space. Especially in a school setting, cost and durability is very important because most of the time, they run on a limited budget.
Kennedy, Mike. "Seats of Productivity." American School & University 75.8 (2003): 32.
Seating Arrangement Study:
Two-part study of classroom seating design preferences of elementary classroom teachers:
Main question for study: Does the physical arrangement of classroom seating significantly affect students’ long-range educational development?
Outcome of the study was contemporary shift in elementary seating design preferences away from row designs to the use of cluster arrangements.
This is due to the growing popularity of small group “cooperative learning” teaching methods.
I think this is a beneficial point because this method has a variety of advantages. Small groups have shown to encourage social behavior, school attendance, self-confidence, motivation, and acceptance of cultural difference. I think that the simple method of students’ desk arranged in a cluster can encourage these actions and serve as a space for peer tutoring and classroom community.
Patton, James E., Jennifer Snell, Willis J. Knight, and Kathryn Gerken. "A Survey Study of Elementary Classroom Seating Designs." (2001).
The article I found basically focuses on the multipurpose spaces and schools and their functionality. I think that the multipurpose spaces have evolved and changed in schools since their conception in the 1950s. Because of the change in technology, multipurpose spaces have really needed to become even more versatile and multifunctional because now we do not have to just change how we arrange and change the furniture but the technology is changing as well. Our jobs as designers is to marry functionality, technology, and flexibility in these multipurpose rooms in order to design something that can be useful for a long time in schools. In other words, we need to give them more bang for their buck in order to design successful multipurpose spaces for modern schools.
ReplyDeleteGordon, Douglas. "Multipurpose Spaces." National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. .
In response to Sarah's article "Seats of Productivity"
ReplyDeleteI think Sarah has a really vaild point about how ergonomics effect our daily lives and why they are so important. The points she makes about the key issues being implemented in schools is so important because if we do make the things Sarah listed important while designing educational facilities they will be able to withstand the test of time and not be outdated so quickly.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe second article, Students’ Choice: Recommendations for Environmental and Instructional Changes in School, by Laura Sagan is about a survey conducted to 134 middle school students, where they asked the students to answer questions concerning environmental and instructional changes based on their individual learning styles. The results conclude that students could suggest these changes and they differed from the accustomed traditional environments and instructions they encountered on a daily basis. This article argues similar points as the first article, stressing the need for classroom redesign to accommodate students varying styles of learning. The primary focus of this article was to gain user input, specifically from the students, in regards to how they feel the environment could be changed to help them learn.
ReplyDeleteThe recommendations from students were that they felt they would perform
better if the environment were changed by:
Providing informal design
Dim light
A later start in the morning
Tactual materials
Visual resources
Kinesthetic activities
Working in pairs and with peers
Adding couches, soft chairs, or bean bags
Adding recess equipment
The article concludes with the importance of having children, and ultimately the end user, evaluate and comment on what they want. The educational system doesn’t always consider the students voice, and this article argues this needs to change. The value of this article is using their research and real life answers in regards to what the user wants will inform better design choices.
Sagan, Laura L.. "Students’ Choice: Recommendations for Environmental and Instructional Changes in School." The Clearing House 83 (2010): 217-222. ProQuest. Web. 6 Nov. 2010
The article, Required Changes in the Classroom Environment by Karen Burke and Barbara Burke-Samide discusses learning styles of children and the relationship with the classroom environment. The article uses an example classroom to tell the story of how learning styles vary between children, and how current, structured classroom set-ups do not facilitate these learning styles, and are often hindering students potential. It makes the argument that instructional environments should be modified in accordance with individual needs and preferences, and students should not be expected to change their environmental preferences or to learn regardless of them.
ReplyDeleteWhat the article brought to life is that there are four environmental elements that have definite effects on students.
Design- More informal and comfortable seating can increase attention span and improve attitudes of some students.
Sound-The decibel level and kinds of sounds in a classroom can influence students’ ability to concentrate, think, and perform well. Research revealed that girls become auditory earlier than boys and can hear more distinctly at an earlier age, so girls can be more sensitive to particular sounds than boys.
Light- Light is an element of immediate environment that affects some students’ ability to learn. It was found that those who preferred bright light performed better when tested in brightly lit classrooms, and the same goes for students who prefer dim lighting. Simply changing seating arrangements in a classroom to accommodate for lighting preferences, ie. desks near natural lighting vs artificial, can help students performance.
Temperature: Research on the environmental element of temperature reveals that most students prefer a warm yet comfortable instructional climate. Having a thermal climate in a classroom can be a factor of environment which can improve potential.
The article, concludes with the notion that any environment or classroom changes should be never be presented as appropriate for the entire class- without taking into consideration students individual needs and learning styles. Also, the article makes the argument that “all teachers must be taught how to redesign their classrooms correctly so that all students will be provided with the necessary space to accommodate their environmental learning style preferences. By altering the classroom, teachers give some students the opportunity to work in formal areas- desks, chairs, and tables- and other students the chance to choose informal areas- couches, rugs, soft chairs, and so forth.” I think that this article makes many valid points, and that the research backs up their claims. I think this article is applicable to elementary schools only, where a teacher has a closer and extensive relationship with their students. A younger student could benefit from a classroom redesign, but I question whether a teacher in a middle school or high school would have the knowledge or ability of their students learning style to adequately arrange the space to facilitate their needs.
Burke, Karen , and Barbara Burke-Samide. "Required Changes in the Classroom Environment: It's a Matter of Design." The Clearing House 77.6 (2004): 236-239. Jstor. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
In response to Rebecca, I thought the density and noise comment was interesting and something we need to take into consideration when designing the Phoenix Center. This is especially because of how there will be collaborative areas and individual areas for studying. Acoustics and density of the space will need to be considered. Also since the rooms will be multi purpose for collaborative, individual studying and tutoring, acoustics will have to accommodate all of these activities. I agree that a school's acoustics is a necessary and important factor in designing an interior.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Katie's article about color in the classroom, I think that is a very useful source especially when thinking about the Phoenix Center. Color can be so powerful, motivating, and one the easiest applications that can be implemented in a space. I think that the information given about children's feeling on color preference and the idea of using color as an anchoring device could be useful in our project. I know that both groups of students I met with at the school, both mentioned they wanted more and lots of color in the space. I think that it would be smart and powerful to use color theory and the information this article about color, to determine our colors for the center in a thoughtful and successful way.
ReplyDeleteSource: Guardino, C. A. “Changing Behaviors by Changing the Classroom Environment”. Teaching Exceptional Children v. 42 no. 6 (July/August 2010) p. 8-13.
ReplyDeleteThis second article focused on the importance of the relationship between the classroom environment, student behavior, and academic engagement. It addressed the difficulties that teachers experience when facilitating an inclusive classroom environment because they must cater to a wide demographic of students with different learning needs that, due to the nature of the class, cannot be engaged individually, but must still be taken into consideration. The main issue being studied was children exhibiting ongoing disruptive behavior and how the classroom environment could be modified in order to curb and potentially prevent this behavior from occurring, therefore allowing the teacher to focus on educating rather than discipline as well as making the classroom a more suitable learning environment in general for the remainder of the children. According to the researchers environmental modifications are essential to classroom management, but the problem is that most teachers are unaware of how to implement these types of tactics within in their space in order to achieve maximum success. To demonstrate proper implementation the researchers performed a case study in Ms. Thompson’s 4th grade inclusive class. This study showed that a well-organized classroom that created distinctions between group and individual space, clearly defined pathways, and proper storage areas, among other things, permits more positive interactions between teachers and children because it lessens the student’s distractions caused by the room’s chaos. Overall it is important to create an environment that is as clearly defined and organized as possible so that the facilitator doesn’t have to worry about policing unruly children and can instead focus on educating and assisting them.
In response to Marklin's article "Students’ Choice: Recommendations for Environmental and Instructional Changes in School", by Laura Sagan. I believe that it is very important to take into consideration what children say they need in an educational environment because I do believe that each individual child retains information by using their own unique methods. Unfortunately I can see two problems with children dictating their learning environment. The first being that, while it is important to take each child's needs into consideration, the design of an educational environment could become complicated in an attempt to satisfy every student user in the school. So being able to balance and generalize their needs will be important. The second problem with children dictating their learning environment is that they are not always the best judge of what would be a suitable educational environment for them. For instance, when interviewing students at the Phoenix School most of them said that they want their academic environment to be more comfortable and relaxed by including sofas and TV's, but odds are if these things are included the children will be more apt to sit back and relax than do their work. So, while I believe it is important to consider student input when designing educational facilities I also think that as designer's we need to be able to balance their "wants" and their "needs" properly.
ReplyDeleteI think Katie's article about parent involvement is a very useful source for the Phoenix School. I think an important aspect to include into the Phoenix school would be to improve the communication and involvement between the student and child. To many children their parents are someone they look up to, so they should be someone who facilitates learning and creating goals. Integrating the involvement of parents into the Phoenix School could be very beneficial to the students in the program
ReplyDeleteArticle 1 Special Schools
ReplyDelete1.Children with special educational needs and disabilities in all ranges of the disorder spectrum need a convergence between their special education and the design/architecture of their institution due to the possible mismatches of disordered/disabled students to mainstream institutions.
2.The architecture/ design of the space can help students with special needs, especially, when dealing with Autism, to become oriented with their institutional environments. The environment can be composed of simple building forms, color coding, and a definite rhythm/pattern throughout the space in and out to create a mental harmony, consistency, and logic visually.
3.Taking advantage of the form of the architecture, the architect/designer can provide optimal natural lighting, and ventilation as well as spatial qualities such as, accessibility, circulation, transparency, clarity, and privacy for the benefit of the students with special needs and instructors.
4.By enforcing the sense of a collective belonging, the school can do so in creating a central communal space outdoor where large group activities can be put to play; this method is also a way to avoid the common airless circulation corridor. Another method is to introduce a annual musical event which each of the students has a fundamental role to play in a social and educational life.
5.Another idea is to create a “Learning Village” setting where students with discipline issues can be disciplined and returned to their home districts as normal, fully functioning, and positive contributors to the society by fostering student’s self-esteem through introducing many activities/ specialties in the society such as drama, visual arts, crafts, agricultural and other industrial activities.
Article 2 School Addition to Benefit Deaf-Blind and Autistic Students
1.By adding a porch area as a buffer between the hallway and classroom, this feature offers transition space for autistic students with a slight shift in surface for students to alter the sense between areas.
2.The main circulation hallway is designed to be a curvilinear form with the aim to dampen the reverberation of sound (known to frighten Autistic individuals), to visually reduce the depth in space (aiding students with visual perspective issues), to create a continuous path for the blind population of students in the school, and to have a continuous “living wall” composed of vertical growing plants, which engages students with nature throughout the year. The living wall also facilitates way finding since by nature, humans are curious creatures.
3.By employing energy efficient air conditioning system, you can save the electricity expenses as well as the autistic individuals since the air conditioning “white noise” never stops for them, which can create severe distractions and interferences in learning.
4.In terms of lighting, the incorporation of solely the natural lighting is not enough since the bright environment may be greatly beneficial to half-blind students but detrimental to Autistic students due to the glare, which can be distraction/ interference to their study. Therefore, the ceiling planes are designed to reflect light creating a glowing environment; less harsh than sun or overhead lighting.
5.The project aims to offset the school’s electricity costs with a wind-turbine project which can deliver renewable energy; however, the project first aims to gather funding through federal/non-federal grants.
Sources
1. “Special Schools”
2. Ostroff, Tracy. "School Addition to Benefit Deaf-Blind and Autistic Students." The News of America's Community of Architects 15 (2009). Web. 6 Nov. 2010.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCase Studies-“Classrooms of the Future”. The purpose is to test out ideas of how classrooms should be constructed by actually building innovative learning environments that can also be used by the community. My section focused on three pilot programs taking place in Cornwall, Devon, and Durham.
ReplyDeleteCase Studies:
1. The Cornwall pilot project is very program specific. Its focus is on The Education for Space Center and it has allocated spaces for a mission control center, science and research, and simulated missions, with the purpose of encouraging learning through interactive projects based on space exploration. The curriculum focuses on science, technology, and math, and the students are provided with state of the art computer facilities. Through these facilities students will be able to electronically exchange information with other parts of the buildings as well as national/international external student groups. This pilot has a very space camp-esque feel to it, but frankly it seems impractical for an application for the Phoenix school. There isn’t enough capital to support the high-tech nature of this kind of program specific design. On the other hand the theory behind creating a space that is completely dedicated to one particular theme could be applied to Phoenix in order to make a cohesive and interactive space for the students.
2. The purpose of the Devon pilot is to provide better educational opportunities for children and adults living in isolated rural communities in an attempt to cut down of social exclusion. They wish to provide an equal opportunity to everyone who wishes to learn, not just students. They intend to do this through opening up means of communication by providing shared resources and using the Internet. The Internet is very important to the school’s design because it allows students to access communal resources, communicate between schools, and receive assistance online from tutors that are provided at specific times. Another aspect of great importance to this program is flexibility. Their goal is to create a “learning environment that allows teachers the flexibility to teach and pupils the flexibility to learn.” They intend to do this by creating multi-purpose spaces through the use of retractable room dividers as well as furniture that can be collapsed and stored away in order to create wide open rooms, or more learning specific spaces depending on the user’s needs. This idea of flexibility can definitely be applied to the Phoenix school, since their rooms need to be utilized in multiple programs, which sometimes take place at the same time. Being able to devise a solution to this will be crucial in the future success of how their classroom spaces operate.
3. For the pilot program in Durham three high-tech global classrooms are being established in order to gage the benefits of implementing new technology and teaching styles in classrooms. This pilot focuses on the performing arts and provides students with the latest technology in order to benefit their artistic endeavors, with a strong focus on Internet communication. There is also a strong emphasis on the buildings being community oriented as well as educational. The builders of this pilot building are also concerned with sustainability and its effects on the educational process. They believe that through implementing sustainable practices, not only can they cut down on upkeep costs, but they can also provide students with a more suitable learning environment through things such as providing maximum day lighting. Although I believe that sustainability is very important it will not be possible to institute the use of sustainable systems, such as photovoltaic panels, in the Phoenix school because these practices are too expensive to install based on our current budget. However I do believe that we can be innovative about the materials and resources we are using to create our designs.
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ReplyDeleteLearning Environments: Where Space, Technology, and Culture Converge:
ReplyDeleteTechnology has changed the way we think about learning spaces. When new technology is introduced they are often applied in familiar ways, like a traditional classroom type being used for computer-based learning. But now there is a wide range of complex learning that students experience; and examining the learning environment allows the potential to ensure that all students are able to engage in meaningful learning. The simple addition of information technology transforms a space into an environment by extending the boundaries of the room and enabling access to sources other than are already in the classroom. Therefore teaching methods need to be modified in order to optimize the use of technology in learning
environments. Overall technology is shaping learning spaces in a myriad of ways; students and educators need to be flexible and innovative with strategies for learning and teaching.
PATTERNS FOR SMALL
ReplyDeleteLEARNING COMMUNITIES at the Elementary Level
The “L” Shaped Classroom
Franklin Hill, Ph.D.
Franklin Hill & Associates
In order for high school level learning to be successful, there needs to be strong foundation in the elementary level education. Early childhood learning is successful typically when the learner is excited about what he/she is studying and if there is a connection between what is being learned and real life experiences. If a student is personally motivated, then they will be more engaged in the more critical, and informational parts of learning, i.e. reading, writing, and math. Traditional classrooms are not always the most conducive to learning. The example in the reading talks about the “L” shaped classroom in Bellevue, Washington and how the non-traditional form shaped a new way of learning. The “L” shaped room aided in multitasking such as creating room for “team desks,” a video production corner, a multimedia instructional corner, and an art/sink area. The “L” shape provoked a very supportive learning environment because certain activities could be in an open area with a lot of natural light, while more private activities could be carried out in a less open area. These different areas for learning and play really diminish the lecture aspect of a classroom. Children are engaged in what they are doing and are learning without relying heavily on teacher lectures.
Although digital and video equipment is interesting for hands-on learning experiences, sometimes it is too fragile to be carried around. This is actually a positive thing because simple tactile objects like clay are even more crucial for children to play with. It helps them visually and creatively work-out ideas. Both digital and clay-making types of projects pertain to both traditional and special needs students equally.
Generation Y: Student Inclusion = Technology Infusion
ReplyDeleteby Sylvia Martinez and Dennis Harper:
An educational model called Generation Y was designed by Dr. Dennis Harper to harness the students' technology skills while expanding their learning opportunities. In this model each student is partnered with a teacher who needs help integrating technology into their curriculum. The student and teacher decide on a part of the curriculum to enhance with technology; and at the same time the student gets to develop their communication skills, planning and project management skills. This empowers the students to see themselves as valuable members of the educational community. It would be interesting to see what the Phoenix Center would be like if the students go to play a role in the lesson plans technologically.
I think Ashley Colkitt's information on “Changing Behaviors by Changing the Classroom Environment" is particularly useful when thinking about designing for the Phoenix Center. Each child is coming to the Phoenix Center for different reasons and they can't all be catered to as a general group. The article talks about rearranging a classroom to become more organized to help limit disruptive behavior, but I think grouping students into smaller groups could also help. The teacher-student ratio at schools is also what helps limit disruptive behavior because each student has less time to be alone. Each sudent can contribute more if the size of the groups are small. Most of the students I spoke to at Phoenix Center mentioned that it was hard to meet new people there and they expressed how they wished it would be easier. It is difficult to get to know everyone if the size of the classroom is too large or unorganized.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jessica Sarli's summary of "The 'L' Shaped Classroom", it is interesting, although not surprising, that a simple change in the shape of a classroom would have such effects on learning. Faculty at the Phoenix Center mentioned that the layout of the building was too much like a school, and they wish they could knock out a few walls to have more open and community spaces. It would be interesting to see how modifying the interior layout would promote engagement in learning.
ReplyDeleteKaya, Naz, and Brigitte Burgess. "Territoriality: Seat Preferences in Different Types of Classroom Arrangements." Environment and behavior (2007): 859-76.
ReplyDeleteThe objective of this study was to examine territoriality and seat preferences based on gender and different classroom arrangements. The subjects stated their preferences for specific arrangements and individual seats. The types of classroom arrangements that were used in the study included rows of tablet-arm chairs, U-shaped clusters, and rows of tables with individual chairs. The results indicate that students who preferred seats at the end of the rows of tables with individual chairs and tablet-arm chair arrangements had higher scores on claiming a particular seat than those who preferred middle seats in a row. Students were more apt to have positive feelings in a space that had lack of barriers, and spaces that had chairs in direct or corner orientation.
The Impact of Changes in Teaching
ReplyDeleteand Learning on Furniture and the
Learning Environment by Paul Cornell was a very interesting study of the history of furniture construction and orientation in a class room and how and why it has changed over the course of history.
The end factor for many changes in furniture for a classroom has been decided upon the theories of teaching styles from the industrial era to current date. In the industrial era there was teaching style consisted of the following theories ;
"Passive learners
Directed learning
Knowledge revealed
Explicit knowledge
Knowledge is discrete
Single assessments
Single intelligence
Instructor technology
Alone
Content Linear "
This style of teaching essentially called for fixed furniture that faced forward toward the teacher with individual desk that faced towards the teacher. The chairs were hard and did not supply a comfort. The idea was that at school you were to learn what was needed for work and once work was reached there was no more need to learn, one had learned all that was needed in the trade to move on to the work position. As technology and ideologies advanced and changed there also needed to be adaptations in the school furniture systems. Currently the teaching methods are almost the opposite of what they were; students are meant to be Active learners and participate, the students are supposed to work towards their knowledge and make the discoveries instead of being spoon fed the information, the knowledge learned in explicit, tacit, and embedded, the students of today are giving multiple assignments, use new technology, work in groups as well as individually, and sometimes not all the teaching is planned to a "t.
Having the teaching methods be so dramatically different causes the students to respond differently in certain settings.
Today children are more responsive in larger tables opposed to desk where they can work on group projects together, but still have the possibly to separate to one and to work. More comfortable chairs is an important discovery because it allows the students to focus on their work instead of their back ache. To allow the furniture to not be fixed but moveable gave the teacher a new power of predefining what the course of teaching will be that day, perhaps group work with one table, chairs in a circle for open discussion, or tables and chairs facing forward so the teacher could have the undivided attention. In terms of technology advancement there needs to be a quick access to outlets and projection for a larger presentation method.
A interesting study was cited where students worked at office type furniture. This allowed the students to feel that they belonged at a high position status from a young age and could imagine themselves working for a job of a higher status. They had office chairs which allowed flexibility in the back and height so it could appropriately respond to every child's need and a large desk. The simple act of bringing in more furniture allowed the students to envision a different future...
In response to Jessica Sarli's summary of "Territoriality: Seat Preferences in Different Types of Classroom Arrangements", there is a possibility that a correlation between our emotional well-being and the arrangement/orientation of our desks is present. This is useful in assessing if the "studying spot" is beneficial to our concentration and cognitive functioning when we study. The lack of barriers may suggest that having visual openness makes an individual feel safe, and thus, comfortable in study. Whereas, barriers might create the sense of doubt/fear. A corner orientation may also improve one's studying since this orientation can prevent one from visual distractions; however, this also depends on the overall footprint of the room. In designing the phoenix center, these assessments can be put to use when space planning.
ReplyDeleteAbby's post about the adaptation of school furniture is interesting because I can relate to the need for a comfortable and engaging learning environment. My middle school had very uncomfortable seating. The desk and chair was connected and there was a lack of flexibility in the way seats were arranged. After a few years, the school ordered new desks that had better storage and were lightweight. This allowed for a much more flexible set up and the teachers arranged desks to accommodate for the different activities and learning environments. The math classroom, for example, had a very static set up while the spanish and science classrooms had a more dynamic set up to meet the needs of the teachers when we engaged in projects and activities. I think it's important to think critically about furniture selection to allow for flexibility.
ReplyDeleteCase Studies
ReplyDeleteKingsmead Primary School
Northwich, Cheshire, UK
- Organic, non-linear form with a very organized plan.
- Created with the idea of potential expansion in mind.
- Designed to be a leader in sustainable design and construction due to the use of natural materials, natural ventilation, and the site location.
- The cross section shows the unusual pitch of the roof. The convex shape is significant for collecting rainwater, which is recycled and used in the toilet
- The interior has a lot of wood tones and color is used sparingly. Circulation and activity spaces have cool greens and blues while classrooms have warm reds and oranges to liven up the static environment.
Thorncliffe Park Public School
Thorncliffe Park, Toronto, Canada
- Home to the largest K-6 school in North America
- The structure is part refurbished/part new
- In order to avoid create a large institutional setting, designers condensed the plan but filled the building with light and color.
- Courtyards visually connect the old and new structures. The connection between the exterior and interior is significant to the design
- The gardens provide a unique experience for the children. Each embodies a unique theme, color scheme, textural quality, and landscaping.
Lycee Camille Corot
Morestel, France
- The school was designed on a strong grid layout and could easily be integrated into a city environment. However, the school is located on farmland and the grid pattern of the structure is influenced by the pattern of the cultivated land.
- There are six teaching blocks held within 6 separate structures. Each houses a different discipline and this mimics college style facilities in the US.
- Having separate structures allows for smaller facilities. Windows are more prevalent and students are able to look out at the countryside or towards the interior courtyard. Having small buildings also detracts from the institutional feel of the complex.
- The administration wing breaks the plan and is situated at a 45-degree angle from the teaching complexes. This vast space is the community center and main place for interaction among students and faculty. The structure is mostly light colored stone or glass but the curved copper roof adds color and a dynamic twist to the grid plan.
- The use of 6 teaching blocks and one administration wings gives this high school a campus feeling and keeps students from feeling trapped in their buildings. They have the opportunity to walk outside in between buildings.
Lycee Francois Magendie
Bordeaux, France
- Urban setting.
- Mature trees were left in place. The large oak tree in the courtyard is framed in by the architecture and takes on a sculptural quality.
- The school occupies the entirety of the rectangular lot. The structure does not rise beyond four storeys.
- Large glass windows are covered with slatted shutters. This allows for an interesting diffusion of light into the hallways.
- The main entrance is identified by a large intimidating canopy that rises 3 stories high. The large concrete canopy is supported by a series of small concrete pillars. This area is a gathering space as students filter into the building. There are also benches in the area to provide seating for students who want to socialize and are hanging out before or after class.
Reedy Fork Elementary School
ReplyDeleteGuilford County School District, North Carolina
The Reedy Fork Elementary School is a significant leader in sustainable design. Completed in 2007, this school exemplifies some of the most up-to-date LEED standards. Some of the new strategies set in place include a new daylighting system, a holistic water cycle approach, an underfloor air distribution system, solar water heating and photovoltaic systems, recycled materials and use of local products, and indoor environmental quality management, among other things.
This 86,856 square foot school includes classroom space for 725 students. It was designed in conjunction with the civic center, therefore allowing for the school to share facilities.
Reedy Fork was designed to consume less than half the energy of typical schools. Working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency standards has ranked this building highly among green school design. The school was oriented on an east-west axis to take advantage of southern exposure for daylighting. Natural light not only reduces energy use but has also improved student performance. Curved light shelves and highly reflective ceiling tiles maximize the diffusion of light throughout the classrooms. Underfloor air distribution was installed to improve air quality and energy consumption. Photovoltaic cells collect and covert energy and the solar thermal system provide hot water for the school. The rainwater collection system helps to reduce water use through the school and contains water in a 45,000-gallon underground tank. The rainwater is used for all of the school toilets and saves over 767,000 gallons of water each year. Many of the materials used throughout the school have recycled content and locally manufactured materials were considered for the project.
I pulled out a couple of articles from 'Creative Color' by Faber Birren. The book gets into why some color work they way that they do in the pure understanding of sight vs. color.
ReplyDeleteAnalogous harmonies introduces the fact that the laws of color should not hinder a personal preference, for example if lime green make one feel happy they should embrace that color although they were told red and yellow make a happier combination; color is an opinion. There is inedible beauty in shade, hues, tones and uniform changes of a basic color because it is simple to understand. There will always be a desire for balance. And last but not least tints of any color will always look better with a white accent while a shade of a color will look better with a black accent. Grey is argued to be the only color to go with both shade and tints.
The basic elements of harmony in color is that the preferred colors are red, green and blue but because color combinations of one dominant could satisfy most people it is impossible to say that there is only one true set of color harmony. As a general rule is a play with a defined geometry can be successfully portrayed with offsets of a white, grey or black.
to understand how complimentary harmonies happen the color wheel must be envisioned. With yellow at 12 o'clock the colors proceed as follows; yellow-green, green, blue green, turquoise, blue, violet( at 6 o'clock), purple, maroon, red , orange, yellow-orange. Once the color wheel is created it can be as simple at selecting a color then choosing the color directly across from it. For example purple compliments yellow-green. Of course this can also be interpreted by a persona preference but as a general rule this is applicable. This can even been seen in nature, red and purple flowers with green foliage, it's a natural form of beauty.
This book goes into many specific examples of color examination but the importance of this article is creating a productive color palette for classrooms in Hillside Phoenix, there needs to be color that complement each other and will be one less distraction or intimidation.
In responce to Lauren Woolridge's article, "Generation Y: Student Inclusion = Technology Infusion", i think this method is brilliant because it enables the teacher to step in the shoes of the student and vice versa. Many times, it is obvious that the professor may be too involved in the curriculum and not paying enough attention to the learning processes of the students. The school may have the best curriculum and knowledge but if the delivery is wrong and inhumane, the student will only aim to pass but not to learn the material. In addition to integrating technology, the Gen Y has much more advantage than the previous Gen because we, as Gen Y were introduced to it in a much earlier age enabling us to have more exposure to E-Life. Having this exposure doesn't mean that we are benefiting from it more; it is essential to use the internet in the right and most efficient way in terms of our study. This is where Gen X comes into play in guiding a proper and rational usage. For example, when Gen Y does research, the first resort would probably be the internet; however, the internet is not necessarily always the most efficient way for research when the library is only a few blocks away. In designing the Phoenix center, we, as designers should consider this interaction between the students and the teachers while in the proximity of computers.
ReplyDeleteI found Ashley's article about changing behavior by simply maintaining a organized classroom to be very interesting. There are many location throughout the Hillside where there is what appears to be trash and it piled up in a corner. This can insinuate a feeling of unimportance to the student and could discourage motivation. New ways to organize the space would be extremely beneficial to both the students and the tutors. I can only imagine the tutors get pretty worn out after trying to teach one on one with 30 different students but without a clean and designated area of rest it could usher in a feeling of under appreciation for their efforts.
ReplyDeleteIn Jessica’s article, Patterns For Small Learning Communities at the Elementary Level, I thought the focus on the “L” shaped classroom was not only interesting but a great jumping off point for exploring non-traditional ways of learning. I feel as though schools fall into these customary ways of creating a learning environment because it is easy, safe, and established. Row after row of perfectly aligned desks facing the teacher immediately puts the student in a mindset that they are somewhere they necessarily don’t want to be. I think to explore that idea of removing students from that mindset by partly transforming a classroom can trigger different and more receptive responses from students. For example creating the “L” shaped classroom, only included a minor shape change, but it gave the students more space to move around and more special organization that designated tasks. Looking into different room shapes is something that can be utilized within the Phoenix school in order to create more of a reaction from students while helping them stay focused on their tasks.
ReplyDeleteMunich University - Knowledge Paper
ReplyDelete"The Classroom of the Future: How Does Space Influence Learning?"
*Steelcase Inc. and Munich University are working together and teaming up to show how spacial design and furniture design can considerably affect a student's learning productivity, creativity, and accuracy levels for the better. They are looking to prove that all levels of learning will dramatically increase if the layout of a classroom and the furniture used within the space is improved.
*Passive learning is the result of the attention and focus being given to the instructor. The classroom should direct the focus to the students, for they are the ones who need to be able to absorb the material being taught. Today, education revolves around technology, competition, work and society. Also, new attitudes and new methods need to keep up with the fast pace of today's society in order to properly engage the students.
*Steelcase Inc. and Munich University wanted to improve classroom design and stimulate the students in this new era, so they developed a study. Three hundred students in various layouts of classrooms with Apple computers and Steelcase furniture were surveyed, observed, and monitored by video surveillance. The data of each outcome based on the furniture layout was collected.
*It was discovered that in standing and mobile positions, the accuracy of thinking and idea innovation was higher and overall students made 40% more correct decisions in problem solving assignments and group work.
*The study was completed over a series of weeks, however, because it was difficult for the students to get used to the new setup of "standing only". Once guidance was provided as to how they should utilize the furniture, everything fell into place and it was discovered that working in a standing position significantly improves creativity and solution finding.
The article closes by reminding designers of five key principles to positive classroom design and functionality. "Plug and Play", which means to connect technology's power into lessons, "Fold and Go", which means the classroom should be flexible and be able to be easily reconfigured, "Say and See", which means support for formal presentations should be present, "Relate and Reflect", which means collaboration should be simultaneously combined with reflection, and finally "Inspire", which means that each student should always be motivated and comforted throughout the learning process.
Volume, scale, and shape by Dale Christopher Lang discuss volume, scale, and shape in terms of a classroom environment. Lang discusses how the human being’s change of attitude, feeling, and size can change how they perceive a space. Lang describes the difference in culture, age, and vantage point in a room as the reasons why a room can feel different to different people. Jean Piaget, an educational psychologist, describes a child’s perception of a space to change in a series of stages. The way an environment may appear at a certain age will change, as the child grows larger and mentally mature.
ReplyDeleteEducators explain that fewer students per teacher provide more progressive learning experiences. The average amount of children per teacher is too high and should be a smaller number in order to create a successful learning environment. By providing intimate classrooms, or large classrooms with intimate spaces for collaboration, one can design a better learning environment. The size of the room may not affect the learning experience as long as the break up of the space intends to encourage collaborative work.
To determine the accurate size of a classroom, one must understand the activities that are to be taking place in that environment. The area per student should be altered based on the intentions of the space. The modern ways of teaching require more space per student because of the variation in teaching styles.
The scale of a space is important to consider. Keeping ceiling heights appropriate to the overall size of a room is imperative in a children’s learning environment. By designing furniture, window heights, and other appropriate scale sizes, one is aiding the independence the students feel in the space. It is this independence that can aid to the success and progression of a student.
ReplyDeleteBy controlling the shape of a room, one is creating an interesting explorative feature to a classroom environment. By providing different contours, one is designing a space that promotes activity, motivation, and variety. The variety of shape in a classroom also provides a sense of privacy and segregation. Whether it is through the actual shape of a room, or visual cues through material choice, it is important to create separate spaces within a learning environment for separate activities.
Multipurpose Spaces by Douglas Gordon discusses the idea of educational environments using there given space for multi functional spaces. The idea of multipurpose spaces is not only efficient but economically smart. However providing all the appropriate environmental requirements for each of the activities in one space can be an issue. Some of the elements needed to be addressed are lighting, acoustics, air conditioning, support and storage space, and moveable requirements such as furniture and media equipment. The spaces surrounding these areas also need to maintain properly. Noise and accessibility to the outdoors are imperative to these spaces.
The article discusses specifically the issues concerning multipurpose spaces and acoustics, food services, reverberation, lighting, seating, ventilation, and outdoor spaces. Because there are many functions to these multipurpose spaces, there may be dominance by one of the spaces purposes. For example, the slanted floors normally used in an auditorium would be substituted to flat floors because of the sensibility for the cafeteria that will also be used in the multipurpose space. Also, the adjacency to other spaces is important in a design scheme. By placing a multipurpose space next to an outdoor exit, one is opening up the space while allowing a larger capacity.
The article ends by discussing creative adjacencies. In a multipurpose space it is important to be creative with how one transitions a space. By adding elements such as curtains, wall partitions, and level changes, one is adding surprise elements to a multipurpose space. By creating creative adjacencies one can also maximize a space that is essential when designing a space that is made for an extensive amount of people. (http://www.ncef.org/pubs/multipurp.pdf)
“Historic Paradigms”
ReplyDeleteThe author discusses three main design typologies that are applied in nurseries and kindergartens in educational design. The first design typology focuses on a strict arrangement based on room schedule in which the range of activities and scope of learning are narrowed down to a set of activities deemed to have educational value.The second design typology applies to institutions that are adapted from existing buildings to suit the form of education. E.F. O’Neill’s Prestolee School, pioneered an active learning approach with a structured discipline through dictating the school design’s to create a seamless exterior and interior environment. The third design typology describes how an architect is strongly influenced by his or her personal experiences of childhood and designs from a child-orientated approach. An example of this approach is Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, reflecting his childhood use of the Froebel block system through the use of shape, texture and form.
The author then goes onto discuss how school systems have been developing throughout the world from the earliest part of the enlightenment, however there is no coherent idea as to how an architectural and educational theory should be integrated to create a new form of school building appropriate to its special function. One researcher who successfully integrated architecture and educational aspects in school buildings, E.R. Robson, traveled the world studying school systems and was influential in developing the school system in North America. The author then states that in recent years there has been a massive wave of renewal in education. By looking at past examples of educational systems, designers can better address the needs of students to design for the future.
“Nature is Key for Schools”
Education is a key target sector for sustainability for two reasons: schools significant users of energy, water and other resources and young people hold the key to developing the new low-carbon generation. Whether it is a new build or refurbishment it is important to know which elements lead to multiple gains that will justify the cost when creating high-performance spaces. Nevertheless, sustainable design should be intelligent design because buildings are meant to create the best possible space for people to thrive in and support productivity, health and well-being. When implementing sustainable design practices, solar panels and biomass should not be the starting point for new build or refurbishment. The starting point in sustainable design should be the use of basic principals through the optimum use of natural lighting, solar shading to reduce overheating and glare, and windows and vents to allow for natural ventilation. When these basic principals are applied to places like schools it translates into better results and performance; children have increased concentration, better behavior, less sickness and absence, and teachers spend less time controlling the class, they are not playing catch-up with children out sick, staff retention improves and teachers are more happy and motivated. Interior design is designing around the needs of the client and their budget. It is important to incorporate basic design principals in any project especially when designing with sustainability to save money and create an environment that enhances the clients day to day living.
Sarah Daly. "Nature is key for schools :Sarah Daly, MD of Heath Avery, says back to design basics is the green way." The Citizen Gloucestershire, April 28, 2010, http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed November 3, 2010).
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Katie’s article that stressed the importance of color in child development environments I agree that color plays a key role in child encouragement and motivation. I believe that children should be given some say in the color preference because they interact with the environment daily. However I do not think that it should be applied to wall color but rather to the color paper placed on bulletins and other elements that are changed weekly, monthly, or yearly.
ReplyDeleteDesign Learning Spaces for 21st Century Learners
ReplyDeleteThis article opens with a quote that pretty much sums up the entire article:
"Any new learning space should be built with the assumption that it will last 30 times longer than any technology that would sit inside it"
Learning spaces of the 21st century are both physical and virtual. At the heart of new learning environment design are the students/learners. Learning needs to be beyond lecture. Studies show the optimal learning spaces are active, visually oriented, and more social; allowing for more group work. Design of the room promotes collaboration work
New learning design needs to be:
- flexible
- connected
- collaborative
- multi-sensory
- graphic
- a blend of physical & virtual environment
A good section of the article explains each of these points in depth of how each point affects the students' learning. Design engages the students through technology, furniture, color, texture, and pattern. Design is also sensitive to the interior environment: lighting and acoustics, especially since design is catered towards collaborative work.
These guidelines were created through Learning Spaces Framework from Australian Education Ministers Council.
--------------------------
Learning Spaces Framework
From the article above, it referenced towards the book "Learning Spaces Framework. This 24 page book explains the changes in student learning and how design may effectively shape their learning.
This quote sums up this entire book as to why designers need to pay careful attention to the overall picture and details of learning environment:
"Spaces shape and change practice. Engaging, adaptable spaces energize students, teachers, and the community. Well-designed learning spaces inspire creative, productive, and effective learning."
This is a great guideline to begin designing for educational areas including schools and libraries. Design for this space is not only for the students to interact with each other within the environment, but also to connect the school, home, and community together. This guideline is written in bullet points, keeping all information concise with diagrams to enforce its points.
Learning Spaces Framework link:
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/ICT_LearningOnlineWorld-LearningSpacesFWork.pdf
In response to Katie's article on color
ReplyDeleteI agree children or students in general should have a say as to what color they would like to see in an environment, to a certain extent. At the Phoenix Center, we asked the students what they would like to see. Some kids answered generally, they wanted to see "hot" colors. One girl wanted hot pink. As much as I would love to fulfill their request, I find it odd to have a hot pink environment. It's like learning and living in Barbie's dream home. I think students should pick their color, but from a color palette options already chosen.
Technological Trends
ReplyDeleteArticle; Virtual and real
-The reading used virtual and real models practice comparison in education environments. It talked Schank’s hybrid approaches, which he said that learners should spread a day 3 main parts; one-third of their day at the computer, one-third talking with others, and one-third making something. Another approach is to learn clearly favors a combination of interactive and learning-by-doing strategies.
-There are some challenges for designing virtual spaces. One of them is to design learning spaces that do not
simply accommodate the need for diverse learning approaches but embrace, empower, and sustain learners of differing capabilities and interests.
-The goal might be to design spaces allow work begun during class meetings. Spaces should be easily move and flexible; to adjacent team and independent work areas. The spaces must also allow easy access to information resources through wired or wireless data connections.
-Another discussion that addressed is the ability for students to use the campus communications infrastructure to exchange e-mail, contribute to discussion forums, or visit a teacher during virtual office hours . These are all key factors in establishing good practices that encourage faculty-student contact. Good practice can encourage students build relationship between learning environments and student collaboration is an important design element.
-Back to Roger Schank’s recommendation which students should divide their day in thirds among computer work, conversation, and construction. By moving from formal to informal learning spaces which means academic spaces to residential spaces, it drags the importance of communication and feedback are readily available. The reason there for the concept provides learners convenience of anytime and anywhere learning.
In the end of article, the author provided 9 trends are relating to higher education: Ubiquitous computing, Wireless networking and robust Internet access, Technology-intensive teaching and learning, Emphasis on informal learning, emphasis on the classroom, Imaginative furniture design, Emphasis on service learning, Student-created products for business, New learning partnerships. These trends indicate that continues to change as educators attempt to address the complex requirements for learning environments.
2nd Article.
ReplyDeleteA.W. Tony Bates, “The impact of technology on the organization of distance education.” Technology, E-learning and Distance Education. Book, Second Edition. Routledge, 2005
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=yOpH1aOuopcC&oi=fnd&pg=PR6&dq=technological+trends+in+education+space&ots=juIbUZlXRh&sig=5ZquCjbQMNC_jC_oGR_t-00lvMg#v=onepage&q&f=false
The author use different case studies from British Universities analyzed the different approaches to the organization of distance education, e-learning and in particular. It viewed how the internet impacts in the emergence of new forms of distance education. Learners there commonly take online course, and there has been a concern that many students will not have convenient and ready access to a computer and the internet. One of the study mentioned UK institute designates its programmed as primarily information technology enhanced. Most of courses are supplement by emails, discussions forums and web sites, and although it has a number of innovative educational technology projects. The original media of print, television and audio still provide the core learning materials for most of their programmed, although information technology plays an increasingly important part in many courses. This reading reflects the approach to my previous reading which requires a blending of multiple methods in e-learning integrated with a learning-objectives-driven curriculum. The article also provides examples of virtual institutes or dual model institutes drag the points of how learners' transforming academic spaces to residential spaces under technology environment.
One thing that was not mentioned in my previous reading was for-profit distance education institutes. Her e it used US institutes as general statistic. It's difficult to categorize and modify the positions with learners' different levels, sizes and diversities. Also the institutes have to provide different learning systems with technology needs.
Comment for Marklin's reading.
ReplyDeleteHer readings discusses learning styles of children and the relationship with the classroom environment.
I was very interesting at the 4 environment elements; design of spaces, sound of materials influenced, lighting of the environment and temperature that have effects on students. It's very different from my reading topic and direction. Because her readings were more focused early learner stage, and mine were more focused later stage learner. I wonder use to some types of common design concept for learning environments, but the spaces can actually be solutions for general target.
The Ale Upper Secondary School truly does fulfill the original design intent of introducing a unique element to the small, quiet town. The idea of play is mixed into the school's educational areas and mixed functional public spaces. The separation of public vs private is for both teachers AND students, so everyone who uses the space(s) benefits. However one of the images shows a "public space" but the integration of doors and hallways with the stairs reminds me of penitentiaries & maximum security prisons that we see on television.
ReplyDeleteThe Gunma Kokusai Academy in Japan introduces the idea of "schools within schools" because of how all the rooms are linked together. The student body is split into "zones" and "neighborhoods" depending on the age of the student(s). The architecture reflects the curriculum educationally and socially. There are unique rooms like quiet rooms and therapy rooms, which are especially important to students these days. As said in the first paragraph of the reading, the program puts the entire site to use, without wasting any space. An interesting part of the curriculum was the integration of English classes - they are meant to prepare students for "future economic success" which reflects how they are also thinking of the future of the students early on.
It is interesting that the Exemplar School was a study about a multi-story school because we rarely see schools with more than 2-3 levels. One of the first things i noticed was the eye popping colors and shapes which are more likely to excite the students. I also noticed that this schools has a lot of new design features such as daylight-integrated rooms, breakout areas, new ventilation designs, and modular shades. It is also a good idea that the sports & recreation stays under and right next to the main campus because students do spend lots of time in those areas. But is there a chance that students might get distracted by the different design elements?
The Gymnasium Markt Indersdorf compliments the site and nature around it through the design like the floating effect, raiding the building so it doesn't disturb the ground. Splitting the building(s) into sections reflects how they want the students to integrate themselves. The designers concentrated on lighting a lot with the moving rectangular walls/doors. There are lots of sustainable features in this building, which is also a reflection of the "natural" atmosphere. However, there might be an over use of concrete. One image of a classroom makes it look so bare and cold; the furniture is all white, there is ceiling-to-floor glass windows, and all other walls are concrete.
In response to Lauren's article on Kintergartens under Reconstruction by Susanne Hofmann, I found it interesting that the article mentioned how the children should feel the school is their second home. The article explained that by making the school feel like a second home they should get the children involved in the process of recreating the school environment. This process is similar to what we are doing now. Working with the students (the clients) is first and for most the most important factor in redesigning an environment. Understanding the needs and wants of the people who are using the space is the sole principle to interior design; however, many professionals overlook children as "clients". Regardless of age, the young children do understand what they want in a space, it is the interior designer's job to make their imagination into a reality.
ReplyDeleteIn her article, Clare L. Vogel addresses the difficulties of being a student with Autism. There can be constant distractions surrounding these students whether it be the construction outside of the building or the flickering of the lights in the classroom. She writes that there is an ever increasing number of children every year diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, thus making the need for new classroom designs very important in our near future. With these points in mind, she created eight points that designers should follow when designing for students with autism.
ReplyDeleteThe first point is Flexibility, which is about how the classroom should stay modular enough for students to rearrange it in the way they are most comfortable. The second point is Non-threatening. According to Vogel students with autism need to feel safe in the classroom environment. Non-Distraction is also important because the smallest things can become big problems in concentration for these students. In order to feel completely non-threatened, the students also need the environment to be predictable and controllable so that they can have some sort of control over the things that surround them. Sensory-motor attuned areas can affect how a student with autism feels about the entire space itself, and how he/she learns. Although mentioned before, there is a category dedicated to Safety. For students with autism, creating safe environments can be a challenge because of all the unique factors that can affect them. Small, intimate spaces tend to enhance feelings of closeness and safety. Lastly, non-institutional spaces will help students feel right at home. This way they can relax and retain more information in the classroom.
Although it is important for designers to consider special circumstances for students such as those with autism, there is not one specific way to design for all children with autism. Autism is known for its unique affects on different people. Some may be sensitive to certain colors, but others can be affected by the light or even smells. Also, once we start designing for special needs, do the "regular" students then become the ones who are different? Still designers should start thinking more universally for everyone in the world, not for just one group of students.
Vogel, Clare L. "Classroom Design for Living and Learning with Autism." Autism Asperger's Digest. May/June 2008. November 7, 2010.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSustainability by Heather Mardsen
ReplyDelete-Making any building sustainable requires effort but building a sustainable school presents a new set of challenges.
-Academy of St. Francis in Liverpool, England features photovoltaic solar panels, a solar thermal system used for heating water, rainwater harvesting for flushing toilets, smart lighting controls and enhanced sub-metering to aid energy management ‡ titled “Britain’s Greenest School”
-First step of process is defining sustainability and how it shall be implemented and measured, defining who the client is who will be making the decisions
-Air quality and noise level especially important for a school to preserve health and enable concentration
-Transportation is biggest emitter of CO2 so it needs most attention ‡ civil engineers must work with design team to make sure city planning decisions are made in sustainable manner
-Ventilation should try to use natural movement and bring fresh air into classrooms
-By not hiding sustainable features students can learn about sustainable environments
-School should reflect needs of students but allow staff to teach in sustainable and comfortable way
Outdoor Spaces by Susan Herrington
-Society has limited children’s outdoor play space and time
-Space: children need 90 minutes a day of gross motor play, children are more aggressive and less cooperative in denser play areas, they need 13.5 m2 of space per child
-Challenge: strict safety regulations of children’s play equipment has made the equipment less challenging, a study found that 87% of the time children did not use the play equipment, children need to take risks when playing, expensive equipment is not always the best
-Things that change: outdoor play spaces are important in the process of developing knowledge, contact with living things can encourage memory and language skills, contact with plants and animals can encourage imaginative play and stimulate empathy
-Things that can be changed: children need spaces that they can customize and manipulate, children can easily manipulate sand and other loose particles, provide tools for manipulation (ex. shovel, bucket, etc.)
-School Gardens: school gardens can teach important life skills and teach about economics and agriculture, school gardens have been forgotten about in last 75 years but are now coming back, can be used as tools for teaching social studies, language arts, ecology, etc.
-Multiple involvement: school gardens should involve parents, staff, students, administrators, neighbors, etc., multiple involvement can keep garden maintained all year round and create sense of community.
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ReplyDeleteIn response to Jessica Sarli's article about territoriality, I think that the article is especially unique because of the topic it covers. Who would have though to study seat territoriality in schools? I interested me because of the unique dependents, like gender. I think the students felt more positive in spaces with less barriers because it allowed them to feel safer being around more people and actually being able to look at them. Also, in a way, getting rid of barriers allows for students to feel more of a connection with their neighbors even if socialization in the classroom isn't necessarily allowed.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFriends School by Katie Gerfen
ReplyDeleteGerfen, Katie. "Friends School." Architect 98.10 (2009): 91-97. Print.
-Old San Francisco jeans factory turned into Friends School, a 80,000 sqft sustainable learning environment for children
-Goal of school ‡ to foster values of Quaker social responsibility and academic excellence
-Pfau Long Architecture turned old Levi Strauss & Co factory into learning center ‡ focus on sustainability
-Original wood construction not strong enough ‡ reinforced with steel
-Wooden factory floor preserved ‡ shows signs of where old machines where ‡ workers laid floor when jeans not being produced during great depression ‡ avoid lay off
-Honesty of building kept ‡ additions added with “complete frankness” ‡ matches Quaker ideology
-4 thermal towers on each corner added for ventilation ‡ avoided installing HVAC system
-Building defined by communities of age or subject ‡ Kindergartners, first and second graders on first floor
-Large meeting room, library and science classes on second floor
-Want younger kids to aspire to move on with education and move to 2nd floor
-Finishes ‡ white walls, light wood, glass, concrete
-First floor commons is central gathering space ‡ has exhibit on history of building
-Reception desk left from factory ‡ has engravings by Levi Strauss
-Structural elements remain exposed to teach children about design and engineering
-Scratches on floor have been preserved so students can learn about history of production
-Skylights and windows added to let natural light into space
-Neutral palette allows for focused study environment
-Towers act as chimneys to let hot air out and bring fresh air in
In response to Maggie's post - I think that the form of a classroom is more than aesthetic and can also help negotiate space. Her article brings up many good points about how space can be used. Perhaps a lower ceiling might make a child feel more comforted and secure of it could make them feel claustrophobic. The second article Maggie discusses brings up many complicated issues about multi-purpose spaces. I think one of the most important aspects of the space is acoustics. This is something I'm hoping to explore in more depth in the phoenix school project.
ReplyDeleteContext matters in programme implementation
ReplyDeleteHealth education
In this reading, an international emotional wellbeing program was implemented into two disadvantaged schools in Ireland. This case study was able to become more familiar with the thoughts of the teachers, parents, and pupils, and community members on the thoughts of putting such a specialized program into a ‘whole school approach.’ The program is meant to initiate a more healthy mental state among children by focusing on their approaches of coping skills and by initiating alternate ways of dealing with day to day problems. By making this an important aspect of their learning within a conventional school, they were able to see improvements in not only social and coping skills, but improved behaviors. School ethos and the relationship with staff, students, parents and the community were assessed in order to understand how to better create a more effective learning environment. Collaboration among these participants and effective communication were key in the success of this program along with children’s participatory workshops as well as a sense of incentive. A program champion was elected to build a link between the wider community. This study helped to understand how to effective a unique school culture within program implementation. Paying mind to one problem area within disadvantaged schools specifically, created improvement in other aspects of whole school learning. Simply focusing on the idea of emotional wellbeing among children helped to generate a sense of coming together as a school and community in order to promote the success of children.
Aleisha, M C, O'SullivanMaeve, and M B BMargaret. "Context matters in programme implementation." Health education 110.4 (2010):273.
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ReplyDeleteSpecial Schools
ReplyDelete• Special school refers to provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities
• In the past, special needs and disabilities were viewed as being a social services task rather than an education issue
• This view has changed, now special needs children are seen to get the appropriate education and care in a proper school setting
• The UK Government, since 1994 have inscribed a policy that states that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities must be included into mainstream schools. This is seen as a ethical view which aims to recognize human diversity.
• Mismatch between facilities of schools and schools that require special needs settings
• Rid of traditional views and stigmas associated with those who are ‘different’
• Special need schools need more security and safety outside and inside the building
• Special school are not always standard designs as a primary school would be
• Different approaches have been taken to solve this problem such as, partnerships between special and mainstream school located on different sites with students and staff going from one building to another, sharing facilities and separating schools that are designed as distinct institutions located on the same site where students and staff can share spaces such as assembly halls, sports facilities and teaching resources
• Students with learning difficulties or disabilities gain a great deal from outdoor practical experiences
• It is important for special schools to have an outside area where students can go to and relax but while being safe.
Examples of these special schools:
BSBO De Bloesem School in Belgium
• the school was designed to maintain it close connection with the new buildings and the existing landscape.
Stephen Hawkins School in London
• external play areas are accessible from each classroom
Pistorius School for Disabled Children in Germany
• build a supportive educational environment and integrating the school into its natural setting
• the classrooms blocks are formed into a U shape which forms outside spaces for students to go that are safe.
This could be implemented into education design by designing a school that incorporates all the facilities and rooms needed for both a special school and a mainstream school. The article also mentioned that these special schools are not all the same as a mainstream school but maybe after combining both schools this design could be implanted in other areas. Also the school needs to include outdoor space for all the students to interact.
Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom
Bonwell, Charles C. and Eison, James A.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education Washington D.C.
• traditional lecture methods dominate college and university classrooms
• Active learning is becomingly a more important way of teaching because actively involves students in participating in things and thinking about what they are doing
• A strategy of promoting active learning is discussion in class
• Visual-based instruction
• Active learning is shown to influence student’s attitudes and achievement
This could be implemented into education design by designing a classroom that encourages active learning. Changing the way the traditional classroom is set up and making it more of a discussion rather than a lecture. Create more space for movement around the classroom. Creating a classroom that is more open and not so structured.
Special Schools
ReplyDelete• Special school refers to provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities
• In the past, special needs and disabilities were viewed as being a social services task rather than an education issue
• This view has changed, now special needs children are seen to get the appropriate education and care in a proper school setting
• The UK Government, since 1994 have inscribed a policy that states that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities must be included into mainstream schools. This is seen as a ethical view which aims to recognize human diversity.
• Mismatch between facilities of schools and schools that require special needs settings
• Rid of traditional views and stigmas associated with those who are ‘different’
• Special need schools need more security and safety outside and inside the building
• Special school are not always standard designs as a primary school would be
• Different approaches have been taken to solve this problem such as, partnerships between special and mainstream school located on different sites with students and staff going from one building to another, sharing facilities and separating schools that are designed as distinct institutions located on the same site where students and staff can share spaces such as assembly halls, sports facilities and teaching resources
• Students with learning difficulties or disabilities gain a great deal from outdoor practical experiences
• It is important for special schools to have an outside area where students can go to and relax but while being safe.
Examples of these special schools:
BSBO De Bloesem School in Belgium
• the school was designed to maintain it close connection with the new buildings and the existing landscape.
Stephen Hawkins School in London
• external play areas are accessible from each classroom
Pistorius School for Disabled Children in Germany
• build a supportive educational environment and integrating the school into its natural setting
• the classrooms blocks are formed into a U shape which forms outside spaces for students to go that are safe.
This could be implemented into education design by designing a school that incorporates all the facilities and rooms needed for both a special school and a mainstream school. The article also mentioned that these special schools are not all the same as a mainstream school but maybe after combining both schools this design could be implanted in other areas. Also the school needs to include outdoor space for all the students to interact.
Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom
ReplyDeleteBonwell, Charles C. and Eison, James A.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education Washington D.C.
• traditional lecture methods dominate college and university classrooms
• Active learning is becomingly a more important way of teaching because actively involves students in participating in things and thinking about what they are doing
• A strategy of promoting active learning is discussion in class
• Visual-based instruction
• Active learning is shown to influence student’s attitudes and achievement
This could be implemented into education design by designing a classroom that encourages active learning. Changing the way the traditional classroom is set up and making it more of a discussion rather than a lecture. Create more space for movement around the classroom. Creating a classroom that is more open and not so structured.
I read the assigned article Lighting Design by Mohamed Boubekri. In the article was discussed lighting design in schools. Research showed that students that went to school with daylighting performed better than students that learned with no windows. Strategies for incorporating more daylighting into schools were single story buildings so both side lighting and top lighting are possible. The building should be elongated along an east-west axis and apertures place on the north where diffused daylight is available. Also the southside is relatively easy to control the sunlight in winter and summer. To get more natural light into a space, apertures can be placed high in the wall such as clearstorys or tall side windows or lightshelves to catch sunlight and reflect natural light.
ReplyDeleteIreland, Beck. "Green Lighting." The H. W. Wilson Company. ProQuest, Apr. 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2010. .
The green building market is expected to more than double by 2013. Standards and regulations and the U.S. demand for advanced energy efficient lighting products are a result of recent green federal lighting codes. Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LED) will lead the market in lighting; followed by advanced high intensity discharge (HID) and halogen lamps. The largest single component of most commercial buildings energy use. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is striving to improve energy efficiency codes. Their main goal is net-zero buildings to be cost-effective alternatives to traditional construction by 2025. DOE wants to start requiring all new homes to start with 60% efficient lighting. The changes that the DOE want to enforce are changes in lighting to include reduced lighting loads, lighting power densities, required daylighting, higher equipment efficiencies and lighting and daylighting controls. These possible new rules have some lighting designers worried that the DOE is raising the standards too high. They are concerned that the demands in energy codes could affect the creative freedom and lighting qualities of their designs.
Sarah’s article sounds beneficial to read because incorporating cooperative learning methods could help the Phoenix students learn more. I know that when I was in elementary school and middle school our desk arrangements were clusters and when I was in junior and high school we sat in rows. I found it interesting that smalls groups encourages social behavior, attendance, self-confidence and motivation because teenagers sometimes lack those qualities and yet group work is discouraged in high school (or at least in my high school). I think having clusters where students can choose to work together or alone would be beneficial to the students at the Phoenix School.
Source For My study:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.p2pays.org/ref/50/49974.pdf