This week I was asked to show the learning environment that my students and I experience each day. We all “experience” our environments each day, as David Kelley (2002) discusses in his TED Talk. This task posed a big challenge for two major reasons: I am not fluent with design software AND I have always simply worked with what I had. Being asked to imagine a space that would allow my learners and I to flourish and then create that using technology? Woah. I began by sketching and listing, two of my favorite things. Here’s my hand drawn masterpiece and a digital version of my current classroom created with Room Styler. As I decided what to keep, I put myself in my students’ shoes. Flexible seating is a key, research-based component in my classroom to empower my students with choice. This is something that I wanted to expand upon in my redesign, not inhibit. Additionally, we gather each morning for a “community circle” on our carpet, and my students have voiced to me how valuable this part of our day is. KEEP
Wishes were pretty easy as I often find myself saying, “if only I had…” during the day. It’s Christmastime and my family has a whole email chain dedicated to wish lists! But seriously, research shows that “classroom design could be attributed to a 25% impact, positive or negative, on a student’s progress over the course of an academic year” (Vanhemert, 2013). Twenty-five percent! That’s a big number when you consider we as teachers are typically given just four white walls and 25 desks. As I researched and learned more about “the third teacher” in the classroom (Cannon Design, 2010), the physical space, I asked myself why I wanted certain components. This is as much their space as mine and it should be adapted to meet both our needs. WISHES
Experts ask that we “look at [our] learning space with 21-st century eyes,” (Cannon Design, 2010, p. 56) but teachers are rarely given a matching budget. My sister, Erin, a talented interior designer who works on designing 21-st century office spaces each day, has a wealth of knowledge on this topic. I collaborated with her and she took my simple designs to a whole new level with some of her design software! It was a lot of fun to see how our vastly different careers came together during this project. I also learned that quality furniture is not cheap and her field requires a lot of talent. Allowances for these learning spaces ideally should come from the “top down,” but for now, I plan to work within my means to provide the best possible spaces I can for my students! References
Cannon Design (2010, April 1). The third teacher. New York, NY: Abrams. Kelley, David. (February 2002). Human-centered design [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/david_kelley_human_centered_design Vanhemert, Kyle. (2013, January 18). Study shows how classroom design affects student learning. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/1671627/study-shows-how-classroom-design-affects-student-learning
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Hi there!I'm Sarah! I have a passion for powerful teaching and lifelong learning. I am a 4th grade teacher turned instructional designer, and this is my blog documenting the journey. Click here to get in touch with me. Archives
February 2021
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