realising 21st century learning environments: an overview

The Mayfield Project is a year-long research project conducted by architects, educators and planning professionals that is coordinated by the Council for Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI).

Research completed by the NSW team explored contemporary pedagogical approaches to 21st Century Learning and teaching environments, and resulted in the production of a toolkit that provides architects and educators with a common vocabulary for spatial and educational concepts that underpin 21st Century Learning environments.

This booklet provides an overview of the main elements of the toolkit: an interactive website that explores how to realise 21st Century Learning environments.

mayfieldnsw2014.wordpress.com

Mayfield 2014 NSW Team: Daina Cunningham, Pamela Doherty, Kenny Giblin, Cathy Kubany, Edward La, Noam Raz, Alison Sheil, Lyndall Smith.

Thank you to our facilitator, Felicity Lewis and mentors Alastair Blyth, Shayne Evans and Vicki Steer.

teamwork + collaboration

Teamwork and Collaboration are important aspects of 21st Century Learning. Learning is a social act. It is through thinking, interaction and co-operation with others that our capacity for learning increases and develops. This is why genuine collaboration forms a crucial aspect of 21C learning. Small group collaboration gives students the opportunity to use the spoken, written, visual and embodied language that many children don’t come to school with, but need to learn to participate at school.

Small group collaboration facilitates this ‘school language’ because it increases language input to children. They not only hear more language, but a greater variety of language is directed toward them. Words are repeated, ideas are rephrased, problems are restated and meanings are refined. It also increases language output. Children are compelled to produce more language in real time when interacting with more speakers- not just a teacher. Conversational turns must be managed, what they say must make sense and they must genuinely seek new information in a realistic context. In a classroom of 25 students this means a degree of visual and acoustic privacy becomes important

Considered designs should address the needs of different sensory learners (kinaesthetic, auditory, visual). Effective designs should be conducive for learners of varying ability levels to work, learn and grow together.

d e f i n e d s p a c e sMaterials and finishes can be used to define space and function. This may be as simple as a rug, through to coloured carpet and wall linings. Screens, mobile partitions and furniture walls can provide various levels of privacy, interest and storage while dividing space.

collaborative surfacesThere are now a multitude of possibilities when it comes to collaborative surfaces. Roll-out whiteboard surfaces and chalkboard paint are widely available. Ever thought to screw a whiteboard onto a tabletop, write on glass with glass pens or introduce furniture with writable surfaces?

a d a p t a b l e f u r n i t u r eFurniture that can adapt throughout the day for a variety of scenarios and activities is beneficial. It is also important to consider furniture that may be more informal and adjustable for breakout areas and group work.

Light, adjustable, mobile furniture ensures students can quickly and easily configure layouts themselves.

s p a c e + v o l u m eVolume can define specific functions and provide focus. For example, a small nook is conducive to individual work or learning in pairs. A lowered ceiling or permeable partitions may differentiate a zone for collaborative activities.

How can I encourage collaboration in my learning space?

Muse Bassline, NBRS+PARTNERS, photo by Simon Wood Photography

West Hill Primary School, London, photo by Hufton + Crow

Merrylands PS

Merrylands PS

St Luke’s Cathoic Primary School

Northern Beaches Christian School

Weiz Centre for Innovation, photo by Sara Rubinstein

Muse Bassline, NBRS+PARTNERS, photo by Simon Wood PhotographyCapital One Innovation Lab, Virginia,

OTJ Architects

Project based learning (also known as PBL) differs from the industrial model of education. Where the industrial model distributes generic and abstract modes of learning to masses of students, PBL seeks to facilitate individualised, real-world learning through the application of classroom skills to real life, or simulated problems.

Project based learning yields a range of academic benefits and helps to facilitate a number of 21C competencies. Well-designed projects have been shown to generate deeper understanding in students while helping them to retain the embedded academic concepts for longer periods of time. Critical thinking is engaged; problem solving skills are promoted; and most importantly, motivation becomes intrinsic to the student.

Interdisciplinary in nature, PBL inherently requires changes in both curriculum and learning space. To cater for PBL, learning spaces need to attend to both the individual learner and the scope of an entire project; enable collaboration, collation and reflection; and provide for the presentation and assessment of learning.

l e a r n i n gproject-based

What will encourage my students to apply knowledge and skills to real life problems?

investigating beyond schoolEscaping the classroom allows student investigations to extend into the local community and connect with industry professionals and international learning partners. It provides a means by which classroom learning can be integrated into the real-world.

making the abstract realIt is an important concept in teaching to move back and forth between real world examples and abstract representations of them. By making the abstract real, teachers help students to make sense of representations that make little sense without any real world context. This can take the form of text, plays, built objects and websites.

interdisciplinary learningInterdisciplinary learning integrates subjects that exist in isolation across curriculums. Much like activities in the real world, interdisciplinary learning brings together these subjects in a mutually supportive manner, making learning agile and relevant.

r e a l - w o r l d p r o b l e m sStudents gain increased motivation and engagement by working in small groups to investigate broad real world issues that have personal significance. A foundation of modern learning, these investigations promote the integration of disciplines and the generation of deep thinking.

ULAB, UTS SydneyGungahlin College, CanberraThornbury High School, Victoria Gary Comer Youth Centre, Chicago

Brisbane Waters College

Merrylands East Public School

Learning by presentation allows students to utilise the multimedia world in which they live. By allowing for an increased scope of presentation of knowledge and achievements, students are able to choose a medium through which they are best able to show off their learning achievement. Learning by presentation can also be utilised where students are challenged to present a piece of a broader educational concept.

Research shows that presenting an explanation to others can help deep learning by translating explicit knowledge into implicit know-how, integrating prior knowledge and engaging both the presenter and audience. Learning presentation skills also helps develop learners’ confidence, communication skills and empathy.

Learning space design becomes important in considering how best to support learners in this aspect, whether it is through the use of technology, creative arts, speech or traditional written form.

learning bypresentation

I want my students to be able to choose a medium through which they are best able to show off their learning achievement.

a c t i v e p r e s e n t a t i o nA variety of formal and casual settings are suitable for individual or group presentation. Adaptable settings that aid various group configurations, assist with sense making and illuminate multi-media content help to best facilitate active presentation.

celebr at i n g lea r n i n gDisplaying students work is an effective method of celebrating learning and inviting peer review. Display can occur through static and live presentations.

r e c ip r o c a l t e a c h i n gTeachers model, then help students learn to guide group discussions using four strategies: summarising, question generating, clarifying, and predicting. The student becomes the teacher and coherently explains their learning to small group of peers.

i nt er a ct ive s u r fa cesInteractive surfaces take a variety of forms to allow direct or interactive presentation. These may include technology, magnetised or writable surfaces or ones that can have elements pinned to them. For example, clear or solid colour smartpaint could be applied to walls, floors and furniture.

NBCS, Sydney Taka-Tuka Land Kindergarten, Berlin

NBCS, Sydney

RELEARN 2013, photo by Peter Dodrell

Marrickville West PSSteelcase ......

Designer Pinboards Australia

Gungahlin College, Canberra, photo by Eddison Photographic Studio Wanalirri Catholic School, Derby, WA

Vittra School, Stockholm, RosanBosch Architects

personalisedl e a r n i n g

ISSUE 01 | MARCH 2014

8 9

PROJECTS

Haworth and Haworth xFriends Products:

Zody Chair, Infinity, Orangebox Pod, Orangebox Perimeter, Tilt Fruit and Nut, Planes white board

HUBSydney, Australia

Haworth and Haworth xFriends Products:

Zody Chair, Infinity, AllWays, Realm Pod, Soft Shelter, Maria table

HUBAdelaide, Australia

The potential of co-working to create exciting new collaborations, destinations and ways of working is recognised by multinationals and SME’s alike. Haworth is excited to support The HUB Co-working spaces throughout Australia.

Personalised learning puts the individual student at the centre of their learning. It does not unilaterally demand that a task be completed a certain way. Instead, it allows for a high level of personalisation. Learning becomes much more of a negotiation between teacher and student where interests, learning styes and learning needs are accounted for.

Learning can be personalised by differentiating the pace, approach or setting to suit the individual needs of each learner. It often affords the learner a degree of choice regarding what, when and how a subject is learned.

Personalised learning can require students to: design their own process; access curriculum, content and resources; take their learning outside the classroom; and demonstrate high levels of performance. It requires teachers to become a mentor to each student, augment each students strengths and facilitate contributions by parents and support staff for students.

Most importantly, the students personalise the process, subject matter and output to achieve the learning outcome.

l e a r n i n g c h o i c e sLearning choices attune learning to individual students. Through providing variety and choice in process, content and mediums, students are empowered to construct meaning in a personally relevant manner. Students can create experiences and pathways themselves, contributing to a learning community.

photo of g l a s g o w library?

a c c e s s t o c o n t e n tStudents design their own process, and use personal learning devices to shape and build their learning in a highly personal way.

c r e a t i v e r e s o u r c e sMaking resources accessible, colourful and transparent improves student access and encourages use of learning equipment and resources. Being creative with the materials and resources available, students can test and share ideas, making their unique learning visible. Students store their works in progress.

a d a p t a b l e f u r n i t u r eAdaptable furniture facilitates different ways of configuring the room. Teachers and students present their work. Teachers interact with each other and content. Learning communities are fostered. Students practice and demonstrate high levels of performance. Assessment is performance-based.

How can I cater for a variety of preferences within one learning space?

Haworth furniture at The Hub, Adelaide

Vitra Work Bays Saltire Centre, Glasgow

ULAB, UTS, Sydney

Anansi Playground Building, Netherlands, Mulders vanden Berk

Architects. Photo by Wim Hanenberg

WeCharge,

Laptop charging station

Haworth Sit to Stand TableSteelcase Node Chairs

mentoring + ref lectionMentoring and reflection are mutually supportive processes that support deeper learning. The incidental and intimate nature of mentoring can lead to productive teachable moments. While reflection about learning helps to strengthen connections in learners’ brains by revisiting newly learned ideas in a new context.

vocabularya common

This toolkit attempts to make the design of 21st century learning environments more accessible Through the Mayfield Project 2014, we have seen how crucial it is to share a common vocabulary. There is a plethora of ‘buzz words’ surrounding 21st Century Learning, which can be a hindrance to many, architects and educators alike. The following glossary breaks down terminology surrounding both spatial and educational concepts.

“Caves, Campfires and Watering Holes” – Examples of archetypal learning spaces suited to different forms of interaction and popularised by school planners and designers including Prakash Nair and Randall Fielding, and the futurist David Thornburg. The concepts have been used to inform the design of both physical and virtual environments.

Collaboration Spaces – Environments suited to social, interactive activities, typically conducted in pairs or small groups. Students engaged in collaborative learning benefit from each other’s differing resources, abilities and prior knowledge. Spaces need to be versatile to suit asymmetrical roles and learning styles.

Differentiated Environments – Spaces arranged to suit the differing needs of individual learners. Environments may be differentiated to accommodate personalised curriculum content, to suit individual learning styles, to accommodate hands-on support, or variations in the length of time learners need to complete a task.

Flexible, Versatile, Agile and Adaptable Learning Spaces – Spaces that can support a range of pedagogical approaches or learning styles. This can be achieved through the intrinsic versatility of a space, or elements that can be adapted to allow spaces to be used in different ways at different times. These types of spaces allow for change immediately and over time as external influences evolve.

Indoor – Outdoor Connections – Glazing and opening doors to allow students to move between indoor and outdoor settings to access fresh air, daylight, space to burn off pent up energy, and choose settings where they will learn best.

Learning Clusters – Clustering spaces to define small learning communities or curriculum areas, often around social / collaborative hubs. Transparency and connectivity between areas

within the cluster can help reinforce social learning opportunities and support student choice regarding where and how to learn.

Learning Commons – Informal learning areas suited to independent or group study, project work and differentiated instruction, often thought of as the evolution of library environments. Learning Commons are frequently resource and IT-rich, with versatile, adaptable furnishings to support online education, collaboration, content creation and display, meetings, and independent study.

Learning Studios – Versatile learning areas suited to a range of different and potentially concurrent activities. Learning studios are often associated with L-shaped or irregular layouts defining distinct activity zones and breakout spaces, and equipment for practical activities.

Outdoor Classroom – Outdoor learning setting presenting opportunities for critical reflection, sensory stimulation and experiential education where the natural world is both the setting and subject of study.

Sociopetal Space – Use of environments to promote social interaction, for example seating or table arrangements that allow students to face each other and discuss a topic.

Sociofugal Space – Use of environments to discourage social interaction, for example the arrangement of furniture to face a single speaker, or to support private study without distraction or interruption by others.

Technology Enabled Active Learning Space (TEAL) – An IT-rich large group environment merging lectures, simulations, and hands-on experiments to create a rich collaborative learning experience. Students work in small groups with laptops networked for the display of visualisations and simulations on overhead screens.

“The Third Teacher” – Concept derived from Reggio Emilia where the instructive power of the environment is used as a “third teacher” to communicate the values of the “hidden curriculum”, or present aspects of the formal curriculum though display.

Traditional Classroom – Early twentieth century setting for teacher-led instruction, generally comprising an enclosed rectangular space sized for a fixed number of students. Traditional classrooms are best suited to activities where all students learn the same content at the same time, from the same person, following a pre-defined timetable.

Transparency – Creation of visual connections between formal and informal learning areas, allowing students to gain a passive awareness of the learning taking place around them, help them direct their learning, and navigate the curriculum.

spatial concepts

Age-appropriate Learning – Learning activities based on an understanding of a student’s stage of cognitive, physical and socio-emotional development.

Authentic Learning – Exploring real world problems and issues through activities which are meaningful in relation to a student’s everyday experience.

Blended Learning – Education integrating on-line with face-to-face activities so that technology not only supplements but also transforms students’ learning.

Collaborative Learning – Approaches involving shared intellectual effort by two or more learners engaged in a common task, so that all students can maximise their learning through interaction, shared understanding and creation,.

Constructivist Pedagogies – Teaching practices that acknowledge how students construct knowledge and meaning through their experience, and how the role of the educator is to develop students’ learning skills through experimentation and collaboration. Pioneers of constructivist pedagogies include Piaget, Dewey, Vygotsky, and Freire amongst others.

Deep vs. Surface Learning – Deep-holistic immersive learning through an understanding of issues in the round, as opposed to the superficial reproduction of information.

Engaged Schools – Schools developing a diverse range of programs to make schools more engaging places to learn through activities such as inter-disciplinary project-based learning, learning outside the four walls of the classrooms, acknowledging students’ extended learning relationships, and encouraging parents and local employers as active partners in education.

Experiential Learning– Learning acquired through reflection on direct experience. David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model emphasises a four stage cycle of learning: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation.

Interdisciplinary Learning – Much like activities in the real world, interdisciplinary learning brings together subjects from across the curriculum in a mutually supportive manner and easily lends itself to project based learning.

Inquiry-Based Learning – Approach grounded in the writings of John Dewey where knowledge is built up from experience and process. Students engage in self-directed activities to identify what they need to learn and find resources to increase their

understanding. Common approaches include fieldwork, case studies, and individual or group research, often using on-line resources.

Learning Modalities – How students use their senses in learning. Educators commonly refer to four modalities: visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile.

Learning Styles – Recognition that individual students differ in how they learn and their preferences for different modes of learning, for example David Kolb’s “Experiential Learning Model” and Howard Gardner’s “Multiple Intelligences”.

Lifelong Learning – Acknowledgement that learning does not just occur prior to entering the workforce but should sustain an individual throughout their life and career. The approach is associated both with promotion of vocational learning amongst older students, and the need to reinforce long-term versatile learning skills and a love of learning, rather than a specific curriculum.

Multiple Intelligences – Theory developed by Howard Gardner which acknowledges how students learn following differing cognitive abilities: musical–rhythmic and harmonic, visual–spatial, verbal–linguistic, logical–mathematical, bodily–kinaesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential.

Pedagogy – The method and practice of teaching.

Personalised Learning – Differentiating the pace, approach or setting to suit the individual needs of each learner, often affording a degree of choice regarding what, when and how a subject is learned.

Practice-Based Learning – Learning through practical activities modelled on professional, work-place or other real world scenarios and fieldwork.

Problem-Based Learning – Learning about a subject through problem solving, generally in groups. Students identify what they already know, what they need to know, and how and where to access new information to resolve the problem. The role of the instructor is as a facilitator, supporting, guiding, and monitoring the learning process.

Project-Based Learning – Active and engaged learning where students explore real-world problems and challenges to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects studied.

Reflective Practice – Systematic self-improvement through educators studying their own teaching methods to determine which practices work best for students.

School within School / Small Learning Community– Creation of small learning communities within a larger school, each with separate educational programs, to achieve a greater sense of intimacy, improve communication, social commitment, and better meet the need of specific student cohorts.

Stage not Age – Progression based on each student’s personal stage of development and attainment, rather than age-based cohorts.

Team Teaching – Group of teachers, often representing different areas of educational approach or subject knowledge, working together to plan, conduct, and evaluate learning activities for the same group of students.

Educational Concepts

l i fe long

The interactive toolkit in greater detail:

mayfieldnsw2014.wordpress.com

what will you do to

For further information regarding CEFPI:

cefpi.org.au