Architecture and learning spaces

Paper Spaces: Visualizing the Future

by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

A Sound Foundation? What We Know About the Impact of Environments on Learning and the Implications for Building Schools for the Future

by Steve Higgins

Co-authored by Pam Woolner, Elaine Hall, Kate Wall, Steve Higgins and Caroline McCaughey.

This paper reports on a literature review conducted in the UK for the Design Council and CfBT (Higgins et al., 2005)... more This paper reports on a literature review conducted in the UK for the Design Council and CfBT (Higgins et al., 2005) which looked at the evidence of the impact of environments on learning in schools. We have reviewed the available evidence regarding different facets of the physical environment and provided an analysis based on different areas of effect, including the extent to which different facets interact (positively and negatively) with one another. Our conclusions suggest that, although the research often indicates the parameters of an effective environment, there is an overall lack of empirical evidence about the impact of individual elements of the physical environment which might inform school design at a practical level to support student achievement. However, at a secondary level of analysis, there are indications that environmental change can be part of a catalytic process of school development and improvement. The implications of these findings for Building Schools for the Future will be discussed.

Learning to Learn

by Steve Higgins

Written as part of the FutureLab Beyond Current Horizons: technology children schools and families project: www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk

The aim of the chapter is to provide a summary of evidence from current research in the UK and internationally about... more The aim of the chapter is to provide a summary of evidence from current research in the UK and internationally about learning to learn. This is in order to identify and analyse the emerging trends in society, technology and education which might act as significant drivers of change for knowledge production, creativity and communication in education to 2025 and beyond. The chapter considers a range of ideas, strategies and interventions which the education sector might use in response to these challenges to shape the development of learning to learn in education. The chapter begins with an analysis of the concept of 'learning to learn‘ and some of the implications for knowledge and creativity in education, with examples from learning to learn projects in the UK and internationally. Further analysis draws on 'architecture‘ as a metaphor and includes two main dimensions. First the physical architecture of learning and learning spaces, particularly schools, and second the design of teaching and learning as a structured or purposeful form of human interaction: the 'pedagogical architecture'. It therefore looks at the design of schools as learning spaces with an historical overview of the nature of space of the school.

The Impact of School Environments: A Literature Review

by Steve Higgins

Produced for the Design Council by Steve Higgins, Elaine Hall, Kate Wall, Pam Woolner and Caroline McCaughey

The Centre for Learning and Teaching
School of Education, Communication and Language Science
University of Newcastle

A review commissioned by the Design Council to inform its Learning Environments Campaign and sponsored by CfBT... more A review commissioned by the Design Council to inform its Learning Environments Campaign and sponsored by CfBT Research and Development1.

The primary objective of the Learning Environments Campaign is to challenge those involved in the leadership, design, planning, resourcing and management of Britain’s schools to provide innovative and effective learning environments.

The overarching brief for the literature review contained the following questions:
– What makes a good school (physical) learning environment?
– What impact do (physical) school learning environments have on student behaviour, motivation, learning and achievement?
– Which components/elements of school learning environments make the most difference to pupil behaviour, motivation, learning and achievement, and why?
– What evidence exists to indicate the relative balance between the physical environment and the emotional and cognitive environments on pupil behaviour, motivation, learning and achievement?

A Space with Meaning: Children’s Involvement in Participatory Design Processes

by Alessandro Rigolon

Published by Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal. Volume 5, Issue 2, pp.151-164.

This article takes the position that space as designed is a material setting for learning, accommodating specific... more This article takes the position that space as designed is a material setting for learning, accommodating specific functions, while people can give meaning to space through their engagement with it, making it a place. This approach specifies that an essential characteristic of a child-centered design method is the active participation by children, teachers, and family members in planning elementary and middle schools. Since space is given meaning by its occupants, the actual users have to be included in the project: as children and their teachers and parents become active stakeholders, the spaces envisioned by professional designers can become “places” with their own special meanings and suited to the special needs of each community. The way of involving children in such a process should be age and culturally appropriate. Moreover, such participation in placemaking needs not end when the building is complete but can be extended into the life of the school. The article ends by proposing that learning environments should have “unfinished spaces” for children and teachers to manipulate and interpret, as a means to enhance a stronger involvement and attachment to spaces created by professional designers.

Lo spazio trasformabile e interattivo per lo sviluppo infantile e l’apprendimento.

by Alessandro Rigolon

Presented at the First Conference of Rete Vitruvio, Bari, 2-5 May 2011

Questo studio propone un nuovo approccio alla progettazione di spazi per l’apprendimento. La letteratura sullo... more Questo studio propone un nuovo approccio alla progettazione di spazi per l’apprendimento. La letteratura sullo sviluppo infantile evidenzia la necessità di spazi per l’infanzia che permettano una certa libertà di modificazione. In particolare, l’opportunità di interagire con l’intorno consente ai bambini di personalizzare il livello della sfida fisica (sviluppo motorio), di sviluppare capacità cognitive nella risoluzione di problemi (sviluppo cognitivo), di compiere delle scelte e valutarne le conseguenze (sviluppo etico). Inoltre, attraverso la modificazione di alcuni elementi, i bambini possono personalizzare e dare significato agli spazi (sviluppo emotivo), rendendoli luoghi. Per questi motivi gli spazi per l’apprendimento devono essere progettati per offrire ai bambini opportunità di trasformazione, in collaborazione con gli insegnanti, e per generare feedback in base a azioni degli utenti (interattività). Tutto ciò comporta un diverso orientamento della concezione progettuale: la ricerca di un equilibrio tra le permanenze, che denotano lo spazio, e gli elementi che possono essere modificati.
Particolare attenzione viene posta al periodo che corrisponde all’istruzione primaria, la terza infanzia. Inoltre, poiché ogni luogo contribuisce allo sviluppo infantile e favorisce l’apprendimento, saranno oggetto di analisi scuole, biblioteche, centri per l’educazione ambientale e giardini didattici.
Per indagare il rapporto tra gli elementi permanenti e quelli modificabili è opportuno introdurre la metafora urbana. Le parti fisse costituiscono l’hardware dello spazio ed esprimono i valori della comunità che lo abita – come lo spazio pubblico di una città. Gli elementi modificabili, espressione di piccoli gruppi o di individui, dovrebbero essere abbastanza flessibili da essere facilmente trasformabili (in relazione alle abilità dei bambini), permettendo una certa libertà di interpretazione e di uso – e dunque lo sviluppo di un più forte senso di appartenenza.
In tale sistema, due categorie di elementi fissi definiscono le “regole del gioco”, una relativa all’organizzazione spaziale, l’altra ai caratteri complementari. La struttura spaziale è l’elemento fondamentale nella definizione del carattere pubblico del luogo. Negli spazi interni, essa è espressa attraverso l’articolazione degli ambiti collettivi, in particolare quelli di distribuzione e relazione, che articolano il rapporto tra spazio pubblico e privato. Inoltre, gli elementi strutturali possono essere fortemente integrati all’organizzazione spaziale, contribuendo alla definizione del senso del luogo. Analogamente, gli spazi esterni dovrebbero essere dotati di un sistema di riferimento formato da percorsi e soste in un impianto gerarchico tra le diverse aree. Su queste basi, le scelte materiche e cromatiche vengono ad assumere un preciso significato nella definizione degli spazi e per la loro decodifica da parte dei bambini: toni terrosi e materiali che appaiano “naturali” possono essere usati per le parti permanenti mentre colori più brillanti e vivaci possono rappresentare gli elementi modificabili.
Al sistema delle parti trasformabili appartengono gli arredi e gli strumenti didattici. Il progetto degli arredi, peraltro, dovrebbe essere fortemente integrato con gli elementi “fissi” del progetto, in modo da interagire con questi ultimi nella creazione delle identità spaziali. Gli arredi e le partizioni mobili possono facilitare la formazione di aree raccolte per attività indipendenti, contribuendo così a quella varietà spaziale necessaria per le nuove didattiche. Inoltre, oggetti tecnologici - come computer portatili, tablets, touchscreen - costituiscono elementi interattivi dai quali si può ricevere un feedback. Inoltre, in relazione alla trasformabilità, gli spazi esterni dovrebbero prevedere la presenza di adventure playgrounds, orti e giardini, luoghi cangianti che possono richiedere l’impegno diretto degli studenti.
In sintesi ciò che appare irrinunciabile è la forte caratterizzazione degli spazi concepiti per subire una varietà di trasformazioni. La genericità dello spazio, invece, non trasmette messaggi educativi e, dunque, non sollecita nemmeno l’intervento creativo di bambini e insegnanti.

European design types for 21st century schools: an overview

by Alessandro Rigolon

Published in 'CELE Exchange', 2010/3

This article presents a critical overview of European school building design types, based on an analysis of... more This article presents a critical overview of European school building design types, based on an analysis of morphologies and spatial layouts. The different design types are evaluated in function of specific didactic and social needs.

Children and their development as the starting point: A new way to think about the design of elementary schools

by Alessandro Rigolon

Co-authored with Maxine Alloway. Published in Educational and Child Psychology, 28(1), 2011

Although the active role of the environment in education has been widely accepted, only few schools render this... more Although the active role of the environment in education has been widely accepted, only few schools render this consideration into built spaces. This is mostly due to a lack of communication between educators and designers. This paper aims to begin to bridge the gap between pedagogy and architecture by exploring aspects of child development and implications for designing developmentally appropriate environments. Five aspects of child development are considered: physical, ego, cognitive, social and ethical. What is known about child development in each of these areas has significant implications for designing schools in new and innovative ways to better foster student learning. This analysis of child development highlights common themes of how schools should be designed including a variety of scale, exposure to nature, and interactivity of spaces. This interdisciplinary approach to design has significant implications for the development of school buildings.