VISUALISING CHANGEA LEARNING NOTE IN REPONSE TO THE WORLD CAFE DISCUSSIONSMaggie Barlow and Kirstine Robinson of SPACE Strategies

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Hyndland After SchoolClub

Link to Case Study

BETTER BRIEFING FOR EDUCATION BENEFIT

Web Series

BACKGROUND TO SERIESArchitecture + Design Scotland have commissioned six education and design experts to create a short learning note for our web series; “Better briefing for education benefit” to support and expand on the learning points captured from the world café session at the Scottish government schools estate conference, November 2013.

Each piece responds to a particular Issue raised from the world café session, capturing knowledge, opinion and experiences and highlighting how these lessons can be transferable for future scenarios.

“Visualising Change”A learning note in response to the World Cafe discussions

This paper provides a response to the provocation led by Stephen Quinn, Head of Service, Education and Skills at North Ayrshire Council and the discussion which followed at the recent World cafe event hosted by Scottish Government in Autumn 2013 .

We have summarised emerging themes and the change agenda which we see across our work in the Scottish schools programme. We endeavour to set these within the context of what change could mean to our local authority school estates and wider portfolios and start to answer some key questions raised within the discussions at the workshop...

The provocation summary

Recent interventions including school estate upgrades, the implementation of curriculum for excellence and improved teacher training are not improving attainment.

Budget cuts are an opportunity to think holistically at future investments to consider how we can to do things better and improve outcomes to benefit the wider community of learners cradle to grave.

Emerging trends

Aligned themes from WAID Academy Parent & Student visioning

Reconsidering the definition of what a school is...

Many voices are starting to articulate a need to redefine what a “school” can offer with consistent themes emerging :

An emphasis on all learners Supporting adult and youth returners; learners with bespoke and personalised needs; staff learning needs; virtual learners; fostering inter generational opportunities; developing employability / enterprise skills; reducing the need for exclusions; focusing on the softer skills of self confidence and belief; streamlining transitions

Breaking down barriers Integrated support without stigma across all ages, stages and abilities. Considering school and community learning curriculums holistically and exploiting inter-generational opportunities which support an inclusive focus.

Increased participation

Encouraging parents and carers who have had a bad experience in their school career to welcome, embrace and participate in an engaged way with the school in the support of their children

Maximising the impact of the investment

Widened opportunities for school use to support the full community by considering an inclusive and holistic service delivery approach (education, social work, community health care partnerships, culture, enterprise).

Community hubs

Maximising the impact of investment for community benefit by creating facilities which can accommodate a wide variety of user needs across the day, the week, the year.

We believe well considered and informed new spatial approaches are needed to deliver against the changing, wider and more inclusive drivers which are evolving.

Emerging trends

Emerging trends

New ways of learning

Educators at the strategic and operational level describe many modes of learning which are supported by old and new learning and teaching approaches.

All of these modes of learning and their associated activities can happen in a single lesson. A carousel of learning activity is frequently described: a dynamic process, not a passive one.

DidacticLearning through a teacher led download usually within the classroom environment (or by carefully structured on line content / lectures in homework time)

Experiential Learning through active and participatory application of content. Personalised approach to interaction between teacher and student.

Collaborative Learning through sharing experiences and jointly developing ideas, group tasks and activities.

Discursive Learning through discussion, peer presentation and debate, group learning through listening to other opinions and ideas through discourse

IndependentStudent led learning through reflection, independent study and research.

SocialInformal learning which is incidental and unstructured.

A wider variety of opportunity is required looking beyond the traditional classroom environment. Choice and variety of places to learn and work to suit the task in hand and to suit the needs of the individual learner is important. A “one size fits all” ap-proach is no longer appropriate.

Learning styles also vary and the need to deliver more personalised approaches which can respond to individual needs looms large in our participation with parents, students and teaching staff.

What does this mean for space, design, management and cultural attitudes ?

The traditional classroom where the main focus is on a teachers desk and teaching wall can be challenging when delivering more innovative teaching and learning. There is still a need for the traditional 30 cohort class space, however, there is also a need for more fluid learning spaces which accommodate different cohort sizes and activities.

The concept of extending classroom activity into adjacent break out spaces enhancing opportunities for small group learning, individual study and peer presentation is widely embraced. There is also appetite to consider spaces accommodating larger cohorts of students with paired or team teaching approaches. Many modes of learning requires many different teaching skills. The traditional default of solo teaching does not easily allow for peer support and learning. The need for interdisciplinary approaches is articulated within the principles of new teaching and learning strategies being implemented.

We believe a new spatial landscape with greater fluidity is clearly evolving. This landscape needs to respond to new learning and teaching strategies as well as create flexibility to create inclusive community learning hubs. New approaches also need to respond to traditional learning and teaching modes and the need for 30 cohort class spaces.

A new culture with shared approaches to space use and new approaches to space management is required. There is often resistance to the concept that class spaces will no longer be owned. The concerns can be mitigated with an understanding that there will be gains: better workspace, improved resource storage, improved and mobile technology for staff and students, organisational support. Staff need to understand change will offer improvement and be worth it.

The New Learning Landscape

A journey of change is in progress and we believe there are a number of key activities we need to consider when defining the spaces which can better support the learner of today and tomorrow:

• Solo learning • Paired and small group learning• Traditional 20 - 30 cohort class space

teaching with a single teacher• Paired and team teaching with two or

three classes working together• Thematic and cross curricular teaching

with half or whole year groups working together

Implementation success factors to consider

Context counts

Engagement and participation in the process is essential, at the political and strategic level (top down) as well as at the operational and user level (bottom up). Ownership of the concept engenders support and enthusiasm, wide participation ensures the most appropriate balance of traditional and new innovative space typologies are implemented to suit local needs as well as those of an umbrella authority led strategy.

Appetite for change

Designing for change requires a holistic appetite to consider innovative new ways: there may not be template precedent examples. The strategic direction and support needs to be robust enough to articulate a strong vision at the outset and to be true to that, throughout the process.

A truly engaged process

Strategic Vision :Forfar Community Campus

Implementation success factors to consider

Efficient and Effective

Net internal area needs to be optimized for maximum educational benefit.

We need to consider the quality of space as opposed to the quantity of space. Reducing the demand for floor area can allow funds to be prioritised into other areas. Well designed spaces can be enabled by good quality furniture and equipment. Annual recurring costs are reduced.

A new utilisation culture

Under - utilised space is a drain on resources considering capital and operational expenditure as well as the environment.

A user engaged and supported approach throughout the design process will help the necessary change of focus move towards “our space” as opposed to “my space”.

Blurring the boundaries

Cleverly considered interior settings can accommodate many different functions across the day. Boundaries between what is a social space and what is a learning space; between what is a library and what is a community cafe, can blend and blur offering a great deal of flexibility in use across the day for many activities and users.

This is often far better facilitated with fixed settings as opposed to moveable furniture and expensive moving walls. The flexibility to allow a multi user approach needs to consider organisational and cultural change along with new facilities management approaches.

Implementation success factors to consider

Integrated IT approaches

More flexible and mobile approaches to ICT devices will support space optimisation and user flexibility. Improved access to internet content will support learners and encourage wider community access. Public access to the internet is important if the community are to be encouraged to use facilities.

Zoning strategies:

Different locations have different challenges when considering mixed use during the day. They can be overcome whatever the location by carefully considered and user informed zoning strategies which are easily integrated into design from the outset.

Strategic Brief at Brechin Community Campus : Zoning Strategy

In conclusion

What does this mean

in terms of cost ?

If project drivers and costs are viewed holistically from the outset with less emphasis on quantity of space and a greater emphasis on quality of space we believe the implications of an integrated community learning hub approach are at least cost neutral and potentially a more economic approach when considering annual recurring costs.

A holistic asset management approach considering local demand and provision across the community and service areas can also streamline and support improved service delivery.

A utilisation culture with high use demand across the days, weeks and years is also responsible environmentally. It is unreasonable given our current environmental predicament to have large volumes of space unoccupied for large periods of time.

There is appetite and demand to reconsider what a school estate can offer both for the school learner and the wider community.

This has wide ranging implications for strategists (considering educationalists and the wider service areas), users (both current users and potential future users) and for the design community. There is opportunity within our new schools programmes to implement change and innovation to mobilise new and better ways of doing things which will support improved outcomes.

We believe this requires design to be informed by both the strategic and operational communities to ensure there is alignment between the local context and the wider authority led context.

We also believe there is a need to consider the interventions within the existing school estate which can mobilise change and allow equal new and better ways to be considered and implemented. within the current building stock which is not going to be replaced.

www.spacestrategies.co.uk

Architecture and Design Scotland

Bakehouse Close, 146 CanongateEdinburgh EH8 8DD

Level 2, 11 Mitchell Lane,Glasgow, G1 3NU

T: +44 (0) 845 1 800 642F: +44 (0) 845 1 800 643E: info@ads.org.uk

www.ads.org.uk

Architecture and Design Scotland

Bakehouse Close, 146 CanongateEdinburgh EH8 8DD

Level 2, 11 Mitchell Lane,Glasgow, G1 3NU

T: +44 (0) 845 1 800 642F: +44 (0) 845 1 800 643E: info@ads.org.uk

www.ads.org.uk

Web series publications

VISUALISING CHANGE Maggie Barlow and Kirstine Robinson of SPACE Strategies

WHOLE PLACE LEARNING AND INTEGRATED LEARNINGSteven Quinn, Head of Service Education and Skills North Ayrshire Council

BRIEFING FOR BETTER SCHOOLS BUILDINGS Dr Edward Edgerton - University of the West of Scotland

INVEST MORE, NOT LESS - OUTDOOR LEARNINGLiane Bauer and Marion Preez, Urban Pioneers

REFURBISHMENT Antonia Cairns REALM isd

TEMPORARY SPACES FOR LEARNINGEmma Creighton, National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland

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Why not try out our school design web resource SPARK

A unique resource designed to provide anyone who wants to participate in school design with the opportunity to explore school design and communicate their ideas.

SPARK allows users to create a scrapbook of images, videos and downloads of many interesting examples from schools across Scotland and internationally, which can be shared with others in a variety of ways, allowing the opportunity to create your own visual school brief to communicate ideas about the sort of school you want to see.